Here's to 10 more years of RUX!

To close out our first decade and enter our second, The Golden Thread 2024 brought together visionary leaders & performers from across Kentucky, and the RUX alumni & partner network.

Photos by M. Tyler McDaniel

Crystal Fox (Mayfield Enrichment Center) and Valerie Horn (Cowan Community Action & CANE Kitchen) connect during The Long Conversation.

The Golden Thread: 10 Years of Rural-Urban Exchange took place on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at The Kentucky Center in Louisville.

The evening began with The Gold Standard reception, which featured a closed cocktail hour and time to mingle with speakers, performers, and 10 years of RUX alumni. Attendees enjoyed a What Chef's Want Kentucky Proud menu with culinary expressions by Chef James Coogle of the Chef’s Table and Lexus Lounge, hosted beverages from West Sixth Brewery and Maker’s Mark. We heard an exclusive musical performance with Appalatin members Yani Vozos, Marlon Obando, and Steve Sizemore, with Latin-Appalachian vocals, percussion, and instrumentation.

Appalatin performs during The Gold Standard reception in The Kentucky Center lobby.

The mainstage event was kicked off by emcee Chadwick Benefield (WBKR, Owensboro), whose endearing & humor-infused remarks punctuated the evening’s appearances.

We first heard from Kim Baker, President and CEO of Kentucky Performing Arts (KPA). KPA generously co-hosted and co-presented The Golden Thread this year, maintaining RUX’s long-time partnership with them.

In an inspiring video, attendees heard from 10 years of RUX alumni on the transformative power of RUX’s leadership cohort program and its impact across the state.

RUX Co-Founder and Art of the Rural Exchange Director Savannah Barrett then took the stage and took us on a journey over the past decade, from RUX’s start as a Whitesburg-Louisville exchange in 2014 to a statewide network of over 300 Kentuckians across sectors. She also recapped everything RUX has accomplished in just the past year - from two Community Intensives to a feature in The New York Times, a shoutout from President Obama, and over $65,000 in microgrant awards distributed across the Commonwealth.

RUX Co-Founder & Art of the Rural Exchange Director Savannah Barrett reflects on 10 years of RUX and what’s to come.

We were then joined by Secretary of State Michael G. Adams, who spoke about Kentucky’s civic health and celebrated the importance of working across divides.

Our first mainstage performance was Amy Roblero Perez (KY Youth Poet Laureate, Bardstown), whose poignant poetry spoke to her Latin American identity and her family’s immigrant experience.

Carla Gover (Appalachian Musician & Dancer) and Randy Wilson (Banjoist & Music Educator) then took the stage in a collaborative celebration of Appalachian music & dance, including the influence of African American music on Appalachian traditions. Together, they had the audience singing and moving!

Carla Gover & Randy Wilson take the stage in a collaborative performance celebrating Appalachian music & dance.

The heart of the celebration was the "Long Conversation," a relay of short, unmoderated conversations stitched together by themes of commonality and a shared future. This year, the Long Conversation brought together:

From left to right: Long Conversation speakers Victor Calderon, Richie Kessler, Valerie Horn, Sharon LaRue, Dan Wu, Crystal Fox, Savannah Barrett, John Bowman, and Jon Cherry.

From ecology, foodways, and Appalachian arts & culture, to refugee & immigrant assistance, arts, and governance, these visionary leaders spoke to a myriad of Kentucky’s identities, regions, and issues faced by local communities across the Commonwealth.

The Golden Thread 2024 closed out with a collaborative performance from the art-rock band Producing A Kind Generation (Louisville) and members of Pones contemporary dance company (Highland Heights).

Pones dancers with Producing A Kind Generation close out The Golden Thread 2024.

We were joined by hundreds of Kentuckians from the RUX network and beyond at this celebration, and look forward to another decade of bringing together Kentuckians through shared stories, shared meals, and shared geographies. Stay golden, Kentucky!

The Golden Thread is presented by the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange and Kentucky Performing Arts, sponsored by Partners for Rural Impact, with support from Louisville Public Media and many other organizations & individuals. We are deeply grateful for your support. 

In the news

Thank you to WHAS, the Voice Tribune, WAVE Listens Live, and Louisville Public Media for their coverage of The Golden Thread 2024!

Thank you, Golden Thread 2024 sponsors!

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About the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (RUX)

The Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (RUX) is a creative leadership program with over 300 alumni from 65 Kentucky counties and an expansive, cross-sector member and partner network across the state. RUX was founded in 2014 as a program of Art of the Rural and Appalshop. Learn more at kyrux.org

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Become a member of the RUX Membership Program to sustain our work all year long at a level that’s right for you or your organization, and gain access to exclusive perks. Learn more and join today at kyrux.org/membership

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