Meet Our 2024-25 BRIDGE WORK Artists
Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Latonia Dishueme-Bangudi is an artist whose creative talent flows through family heritage. Coming from a lineage of artists on her maternal side, she has always seen art as a natural part of her life. Initially focused on honing her drawing skills, Latonia began working with oil paints in 2012, bringing a refined sense of composition and technique from years of prior practice. Recent exhibitions of her work have been presented in Lexington at the WUKY Gallery and LexArts, the Pam Miller Downtown Art Center, and LexArts Gallery, in addition to the Allen Priebe Gallery at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. An active member of Project Ricochet’s Urban Art Collective, Latonia continues to expand her creative expression and presence within Lexington’s art community and beyond.
Claire Thompson is a multidisciplinary artist from Lexington, KY who works primarily in oil painting and risograph printmaking. She received her BFA from the University of Kentucky in 2023. Recent solo and two person exhibitions include EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER DREAMED OF AND MORE at the Lexington Art League; Beautifully Grotesk, a book arts exhibition at the Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library; EVERYONE LOVES YOU VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY MUCH at the Bolivar Gallery; and ICON: Queer Worship of Celebrity at Visionaries + Voices in Cincinnati. She has been a part of group exhibitions through Muse Collective, The Faulkner Morgan Archive, Field Projects, Yeiser Art Center, Carbon Copy Gallery, The Print Room (Aberdeen, Scotland), The Carnegie (Cincinnati), Golding-Yang Gallery, and the Allen Priebe Gallery (Oshkosh, WI). Her work has been written about in Undermain and LVL3, as well as being featured in soft core (edited by Rebecca Orr). She is also the co-owner and co-operator of Lexington-based risograph press, Grotesk Press.
Partners and Collaborators
Bridge Work Lexington’s 2024-25 Artist Cohort was hosted by 2nd Story, in partnership with Project Ricochet’s Urban Art Collective and the Lexington Art League.
The program is in collaboration with Bridge Work cohorts hosted by Plum Blossom Initiative, (Milwaukee, WI) and Art and Lit Lab (Madison, WI).
More about our partners
The Urban Art Collective, an initiative of Project Ricochet, fosters creativity, community engagement, and cultural enrichment within Fayette County.
Through a series of inclusive programming initiatives, the project seeks to remove barriers to resources that adults and families need to thrive, particularly in the areas of artistic expression, social connectivity, and access to cultural opportunities.
The Urban Art Collective is committed to addressing equity gaps in Fayette County by deliberately designing its programming to be inclusive and accessible to individuals from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, racial and ethnic groups, as well as those with recovery or re-entry status. UAC offers free or low-cost programming to ensure financial constraints do not prevent individuals from participating.
The Urban Art Collective actively recruits and showcases artists from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, ensuring representation and visibility for marginalized communities. By amplifying diverse voices and perspectives, the Urban Art Collective promotes inclusivity and cultural diversity within Fayette County's artistic landscape. The Urban Art Collective prioritizes community engagement efforts in underserved neighborhoods and communities with limited access to resources. Through targeted outreach and partnerships with community organizations, the project ensures that programming reaches individuals who may face systemic barriers to participation due to socioeconomic factors or racial disparities. For individuals with recovery or re-entry status, the Urban Art Collective offers opportunities for creative expression and community connection as a means of empowerment and self-expression. By providing a supportive environment for artistic exploration and skill development, the project helps individuals rebuild their sense of identity and agency beyond their past experiences.
The Urban Art Collective designs culturally relevant programming that reflects the cultural heritage and lived experiences of Fayette County's diverse communities. By centering the voices and narratives of underrepresented groups, the Urban Art Collective fosters a sense of belonging and validation for individuals who may feel marginalized or excluded from mainstream cultural institutions. Through these intentional efforts, the Urban Art Collective aims to dismantle systemic barriers and create a more equitable and inclusive cultural landscape in Fayette County, where individuals of all backgrounds have equal opportunities to engage with and contribute to the arts.
For more information, please visit: www.projectricochet.org
The Lexington Art League creates opportunities for Lexington-area artists and those who appreciate their work.
The Lexington Art League presents an engaging and diverse exhibition program, sponsors public events, provides arts education, and creates productive partnerships with other individuals and organizations.
The organization was founded in 1957 as a membership organization for visual artists from Lexington and the surrounding area. Beginning in the 1970s, the Lexington Art League began a partnership with the city’s parks and recreation department to produce the annual Woodland Art Fair, which remains one of the largest such events in Kentucky after more than forty years. After years of progress, the League moved into the historic Loudoun House at Lexington’s Castlewood park in 1984. The Loudoun House provided the league with expanded gallery space and several studios for member artists.
For more information, please visit: www.lexingtonartleague.org