E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park is kicking off 2025 with a New Kentucky Home experience, an Arts and Culture Lecture Series. From Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol to Modern Art to Rock and Roll Counterculture, the lectures will provide fascinating presentations.
Led by Sawyer Hayes Center Coordinator and former Professor of Creative Arts Shawn Hennessey, the lectures will take place at the Sawyer Hayes Community Center at 2201 Lakeland Road in Louisville. The suggested donation is $20, with a minimum donation of $10 and a student donation of $5. All proceeds benefit the Tom Sawyer Foundation.
The dates and topics include:
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Fame, Death, and Commodification: Bob Dylan & Andy Warhol
If you have seen the recent film “A Complete Unknown” and are curious to learn more about that time, then this presentation is for you. Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan both rose to fame in the early 1960s. As their influence grew, their work became more cryptic, and each developed an increasingly evasive and adversarial public persona. Considered giants in their respective disciplines, these two artists have much more in common than you might think. Explore the lives and work of two American icons.
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Modern Art & Postmodern Rebellion in America: 1945-1965
In the late 1940s, the cultural epicenter of art and music shifted from pre-war Paris to post-war New York City and evolved at an incredible pace over two short decades. From the emotional outpouring of Bebop Jazz and Abstract Expressionism to the natural rebellion of Neo-Dadaism and Rock & Roll, artists and musicians broke down the status quo and challenged critics and fans alike. Discuss this time of idealism and relativism in post-war America.
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Rock & Roll Counterculture: Roots and development of American music 1880-1980
If you asked 20 people what the first Rock and Roll hit was, you would get 20 different answers. Even the origin and meaning of the phrase “Rock and Roll” is hotly debated. Join us as we trace the origins and evolutions of the ultimate American music, from the reconstruction to the radical 1980s, by listening to selections from original vinyl records.
Shawn Hennessey is the group sales coordinator for the Sawyer Hayes Community Center at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park, as well as a Squallis Puppeteers touring artist and performer. He holds a BFA from the University of Cincinnati with an emphasis in sculpture and an MFA from The Ohio State University with an emphasis in painting and drawing. Hennessey has over 20 years of experience teaching studio art, art history and cultural appreciation at various universities.
E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park is a 554-acre Kentucky State Park located on the outskirts of Louisville. The rolling fields that were once farmland are now the site of some of the finest indoor and outdoor recreation facilities in Kentucky. It is one of a handful of urban state parks in the United States.
For the latest updates and information on events, visit parks.ky.gov. Kentucky is home to 44 state parks, including 17 resort parks and 13 golf courses. For more information about Kentucky State Parks, visit parks.ky.gov.
Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet