LEXINGTON, Ky. — A first-of-its-kind conference focusing on preparing for crises and natural disasters took place in Lexington. 

Rachel Shane, chair and professor of the University of Kentucky Department of Arts Administration, said when devastating natural disasters hit the commonwealth in recent years such as tornadoes and flooding, they were situations where creative and historical spaces were impacted. 

“They were completely destroyed," Shane said. "Those weren’t just buildings; they included important records and history of things about those communities that we can’t get back or painstakingly have to try to recover.”

More than 100 people attended the first-ever Arts Disaster & Crisis Preparedness Conference Sept. 6, which focused on best practices in emergency preparedness within the arts and culture sector for preparing for disasters. 

"Here, we’re actually talking about what we can do to prepare in advance for managing (a) crisis and disaster when it does happen and then how to recover from that," Shane said. 

There were a host of presentations and sessions focused on community recovery from arts and culture and navigating federal regulations, among other topics. Another theme was also the importance of staying resilient. 

“What is it that sparks interest that makes people want to come together?" said attendee Anna Stephens, the Greenup County extension agent for community arts through the University of Kentucky. "I think it has to start in the community. You can’t just create a festival if there isn’t interest in the community."

Shane said she hopes people build networks while starting to think about emergency disaster plans to make sure organizations are prepared. She added UK has a free resource page with examples of materials that can help organizations.