2019 Weekend Intensive: Covington
The Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange Cohort of 2019 opened the season on the campus of Northern Kentucky University for the Northern Kentucky Community Intensive. Old friends hugged and new friends nervously stamped the first of many RUX name tags. Then in true RUX fashion, we shared a meal. RUXer and chef Chris Burns was gracious enough to share his Covington restaurant, Commonwealth Bistro, with us. The cohort then shared the first story circle of the year at The Lodge, a Masonic Temple turned multi-use art space.
On Saturday we dove into place-based programming with a panel focused on contemporary Native American experience with panelists from the Northern Kentucky region and beyond. The panelists talked about native and indigenous identities and their experiences with stereotyping, education, media and the environment. This panel discussion grew into a conversation that was complex, moving, and educational. The morning was beautifully encapsulated by guests of the panelists who shared a song from their homeland of Maori, a native nation who shares the geography of New Zealand.
That afternoon, we learned about a variety of public and private partnerships that are contributing to Northern Kentucky’s development. Northern Kentucky is a quilt woven with small cities, counties, school districts and political organizations, which makes the need for quality partnerships key to local success. To learn more about these regional collaborations, a city councilman hosted a panel with Mayors, city administrators, city councilors, and other elected officials. That evening, a Bellevue Councilman hosted a neighborhood potluck dinner at “The Dots”, a public art space that aims to bring neighbors together in a shared alley. As conversations wound down, after hours adventures took RUXers to Cincinnati Pride and a haunted honky-tonk outside of Covington.
The final day of the Northern Kentucky weekend intensive ended with a tour of Covington’s Licking-Riverside neighborhood intended to share stories about the significant Underground Railroad history in the area. The tour shared many stories of the neighborhood, some that underscored the value of the diverse histories of the place, and others that reminded us of the many versions of history that a single place reflects. Complex layers of history, culture and experience shape each of the narratives we know, share, and experience.
We ended our time together in Northern Kentucky at the Center for Great Neighborhoods, where we enjoyed a meal catered to reflect both the rural traditions of the region and the contributions of immigrants. Our journey exploring people, places, and partnership facilitated hours of conversation that brought RUXers closer to one another and an understanding of this Kentucky that we all call home.
From the cohort: “I laughed and cried and grew hearing from others, from friends. Their talents, their humor, their insight, their heartbreaks, their lives touched me in a way that I will not soon forget.”
Check out this video recap, produced by Morton Digital Media with support from the National Endowment for the Arts!
