Through the Bale Boone Symposium, the Gaines Center promotes dialogue, intellectual exploration, and partnerships among campus, Bluegrass, and Commonwealth communities by sponsoring an array of public humanities and arts events.
These events are a testament to the influence and memory of Joy Bale Boone and George Street Boone, who were committed to the betterment of the humanities. The Bale Boone Symposium is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Past Symposiums:
- 2024 - An Evening with Emily St. John Mandel: Emily St. John Mandel is the author of the critically acclaimed novel “Station Eleven,” a finalist for the 2014 National Book Award, as well as “The Glass Hotel,” which was a 2020 finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Mandel is the author of several other novels — “Last Night in Montreal,” “The Singer’s Gun” and “The Lola Quartet,” — all of which were Indie Next picks. In her lectures, Mandel captivates audiences with stories about her early writing career and her thoughtful reflections on writing literary fiction with the strongest possible narrative drive. A poised speaker whose works continue to grow in scale and ambition, her moderated conversation with Gaines Center Director Michelle Sizemore, Ph.D., focused on the role of the humanities in a world navigating climate change, global pandemics and fracturing leadership. You can view a recording of the event by clicking here.
- 2023 - An Evening with George Saunders: George Saunders is the author of 12 books, including "Lincoln in the Bardo," which won the 2017 Man Booker Prize for best work of fiction in English. He has received MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships, the PEN/Malamud Prize for excellence in the short story and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2013, he was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. In support of his work, he has appeared on "The Colbert Report," "Late Night with David Letterman," "All Things Considered" and "The Diane Rehm Show." You can view the recording of the event by clicking here.
- 2022 - An Evening with Bill T. Jones: Bill T. Jones, Artistic director of New York Live Arts and artistic director/co-founder of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company headlined the 2022 Bale Boone Symposium. Jones is recognized for his contributions as a dancer and choreographer. Renowned for provocative performances that blend an eclectic mix of modern and traditional dance, he creates works that challenge us to confront tough subjects and inspire us to greater heights. Performances by UK Department of Theatre and Dance and Blackbird Dance Theatre opened the event.
- 2021 - An Evening with Rhiannon Giddens: Rhiannon Giddens is the co-founder of the GRAMMY award-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, in which she also plays banjo and fiddle. She began gaining recognition as a solo artist when she stole the show at the T Bone Burnett– produced Another Day, Another Time concert at New York City’s Town Hall in 2013. The elegant bearing, prodigious voice, and fierce spirit that brought the audience to its feet that night is also abundantly evident on Giddens’ critically acclaimed solo debut, the Grammy nominated album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, which masterfully blends American musical genres like gospel, jazz, blues, and country, showcasing her extraordinary emotional range and dazzling vocal prowess.
- 2019 - An American Marriage: The Gaines Center for the Humanities was pleased to welcome acclaimed author and professor Tayari Jones, who presided over the most successful Bale Boone Symposium to date, with more than 1,200 attendees present at her keynote lecture. Jones is the author of four novels: An American Marriage, an Oprah Book Club pick; Silver Sparrow, chosen for the NEA’s Big Read Library; The Untelling; and Leaving Atlanta.
- 2018 - Kentucky Reads: All the King's Men (An Evening with Jon Meacham) As a capstone to Kentucky Humanities’ statewide literacy initiative Kentucky Reads: All the King’s Men, Meacham spoke on the relevance of Robert Penn Warren’s work, from politics to race to regional culture, as well as Warren’s impact on literature and American culture.
To read about Bale Boone events prior to 2018, click here.