We take you now on a tour of the state's second largest art museum that was established in 1977.

The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art is renowned for making cultural connections through its collection, preservation and exhibit exhibition of the visual arts and this vast space.

There are lifelong learning experience is for people of all ages and backgrounds to discover more about themselves and the world around them.

Earlier this week, while we were visiting Owensboro and talking with the community at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame Museum, I caught up with Jason Hayden, assistant director and development officer for the museum.

As we go on the road, tell us about the fact that this sits here in the state's fourth largest city.

That may be unusual, considering a museum of that caliber is mostly found in more urban areas.

Well, you know, that's right.

Owensboro was fortunate to have a such a vibrant arts community with three museums, performing arts center and theaters of dance and drama and far exceeds what anyone would expect to come from a city of 60,000 people.

The museum itself, the art museum, started as a small local concern, and in just four decades has become the second largest museum in the state of Kentucky.

Yeah.

And how has that become so?

Well, that has been the museum's success is the result of the generosity of the region's corporate private and public sectors.

And it's allowed the museum to become a premier educational facility, offering quality of service not usually found outside large metropolitan areas.

And it has three major wings.

Well, the museum's historically important facility consists of three wings, but two of those wings are on the National Register of Historic Places.

And the Carnegie rotating exhibition wing exhibition chains about every three months in that wing.

And they come from some and some of these exhibitions are from some of the country's most distinguished museums and galleries.

And they have brought some of the art world's most distinguished artists and scholars and educators and critics to local audiences.

The museum's permanent collection consists of over 4000 pieces of world art dating from the 15th century to the present, and a portion of that collection documents the cultural history of Kentucky from the 1850s to the present.

And another portion celebrates the internationally recognized tradition of Appalachian folk art.

We have one of the best, if not the best collection of Appalachian folk art in the state.

Yeah.

Let's talk about the collaborative project with the city of Owensboro.

Right.

And we're going to see that as we are right here along the riverfront.

There are some beautiful sculptures that really punctuate the already esthetically appealing River Park Riverfront Center and that whole one mile.

But certainly it is an elevated scene because of the sculptures that are there.

Well, if you think about it, public art is really the icing on the cake.

We have this beautiful downtown and the museum partnered with the art museum, partnered with the city of Owensboro to create a municipal public art collection with the program River Arts.

And that has placed it's brought national and international sculptors to present their sculpture for consideration.

And allowed the program in the city to place 12 works of monumental public sculpture in the downtown development area and actually throughout the city.

Let's talk about how you tried to engage the youngest citizens, the children, and there are several different ways to engage them, and particularly those who would not be exposed to the fine arts any other way.

Well, a special emphasis is placed on the education of children.

There are three galleries in the museum dedicated to that purpose.

The Michael e Horn Family Foundation's Art land is and fully equipped children's art studio designed to stimulate the imaginations of young artists and provide free art instruction during regular gallery hours.

And the John and Riley Hess Kaleidoscope Cave is an interactive digital gallery that combines experiences and both the visual and the performing arts and the Young and Art Gallery is a special space designated for the exhibition of the work of young artists and is a showcase for regional school projects.

And on top of that, we have free art camps every year for that offer unique art and arts instruction for children, and that the program actually acts as a catalyst for partnerships with regional social service agencies.

So 50% of the seats of each one of those camps is reserved for those children in the social service agencies.

And after they have filled those seats, then we open it to the public.

Actually, we have one coming up.

And those are all free offerings for these children.

They are free was a wonderful work.

And thank you for doing it, sir, and it's been a pleasure to have a few minutes of your time today.

Thank you very much for the opportunity.

And come visit the art museum.

Absolutely.

Thank you, sir.