LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A special Kentucky exhibit is showing people it’s never too late to do what you love. Louisville-based nonprofit Bourbon with HeART is helping Kentucky seniors shine.

What You Need To Know

  •  Bourbon with HeART is a nonprofit that makes art more accessible for artists and their audiences in the Commonwealth

  •  The nonprofit's newest exhibit, called "Seasoned Spirits," features 50 bourbon barrel heads painted by Kentucky seniors over the age of 50 

  • The Seasoned Spirits exhibit runs through Oct. 8 at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Louisville 

  • 67-year-old Robert Schack, the 2023 Parkinson's Warrior of the Year, has art featured in the exhibit

In the Seasoned Spirits exhibit at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Louisville, 50 bourbon barrel heads have been painted by artists over the age of 50.

It’s an accessible exhibit that anyone can enjoy. In the same way, the nonprofit’s goal is to make creating art accessible for all artists.

“Our mission is to provide platforms, to provide access and provide opportunities to local artists who may not otherwise have them,” said Bourbon with HeART founder Morgan Hancock.

The pieces incorporate all different types of mediums and creative takes on Kentucky that might only come with a lot of lived experience in the Bluegrass State.

Artists all the way up to 101-years-old are part of the exhibit. Some paintings were created by long-time professional artists, while others are getting their first chance ever to display their art in public.

“You cannot underestimate the power of just being seen,” Hancock said, “Especially for our more seasoned artists who thought the days of being a star were over, but they aren’t.”

That’s especially true for the star artist with pieces right in the middle of the exhibit. 67-year-old Bob Schack painted two barrels that play on a saying you’ll hear in the Bluegrass: “Bourbon gets better with age. I get better with bourbon.”

Schack had a full career hand-illustrating lettering and drawings for household brands, before computers could do the job.

“I would do packaging quite a bit,” Shack recalled, “A lot of tide, and crest, and Jif Peanut Butter, just cookies and all kinds of stuff.”

As impressive as his lettering was back then, it’s even more impressive to see his precise lettering illustration now. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 14 years ago.

He was nervous when asked to be part of the exhibit, because shaky hands make it hard to paint straight lines. However, he says he knew he had to try.

Schack’s can-do attitude is one reason he was named the National Parkinson’s Institute’s 2023 Parkinson’s Warrior of the Year.

“The luxury I have had is to really relearn things all over again,” Schack said. “I didn’t know how long Parkinson’s would allow me to do that, but it’s been 14 years already, and I think I’ve got a lot more years ahead of me still.”

Before Hancock founded Bourbon with HeART, she served in the Army. All of her bourbon art charity exhibits benefit other charities that help fellow veterans.

All the Seasoned Spirits barrel heads were auctioned off to benefit the nonprofit USA Cares, as well as the National Parkinson’s Institute. Artists also got to donate half of the proceeds that their own barrels sold for to their favorite nonprofits.

They were able to raise more than $10,000 through the exhibit. 

“Seasoned Spirits” will be on display at the Cambria Hotel, at 120 South Floyd Street in Louisville through Oct. 8.

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