Arts & Culture events happening in and around Lexington in January 2022
CONCERTS & GIGS
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives. Jan. 13. Grammy-winning country-music icon Marty Stuart’s career goes back to 1968 when he toured with Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash’s Road Band. While the singer-songwriter is well known for “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’,” a duet with Travis Tritt, as well as for his distinctive scarves and stage dress, he has continued to release relevant and visionary music in recent years, including 2017’s “Way Out West,” a cinematic love letter to the American west. 7:30 p.m. Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St. www.lexingtonoperahouse.com
Clarksdale, Mississippi-born blues singer and guitarist Christone “Kingfi sh” Ingram will perform at Manchester Music Hall on Jan. 14. Photo furnished
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Jan. 14. Representing “the next generation of great American blues artists” (PBS NewsHour), this Clarksdale, Mississippi-born blues guitarist and singer became well-known at an early age for his thrilling live guitar performances, earning a bevy of accolades and even a 2019 Grammy nomination. 8 p.m. Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. www.manchestermusichall.com
Black Jacket Symphony: The Beatles “White Album.” Jan. 21. This ever-changing assemblage of musicians specializes in classical interpretations of classic rock albums. This month, they’ll perform the iconic 1968 Beatles double album. 8 p.m. Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St. www.lexingtonoperahouse.com
John Paul White. Jan. 21. According to NPR, if his former band The Civil Wars “invited listeners to confuse their characters with the singers, (John Paul White) is now making clear where his songs come from.” White will perform an acoustic set of solo material at this stripped down, intimate performance, with a supporting performance from folk rock singer-songwriter Alexa Rose. 7 p.m. The Burl, 475 Thompson Road. www.theburlky.com
Todd Snider. Jan. 28. Americana songwriter Snider returns to his storytelling roots, filled with freshly inspired folklore and a new interactive concert experience. 8 p.m. Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. www.manchestermusichall.com
ART & EXHIBITS
LexArts Hop. Jan. 21. Taking place every other month, the LexArts Hop offers an opportunity for art lovers to visit as many of the 30-plus participating art galleries, studios and museums as they can in one evening. Many venues offer refreshments, and some keep even later hours during the choose-your-own-adventure event. A full list of participating venues and other details are available in the Hop Guide, which can be picked up at LexArts on Mill (161 N. Mill St.) or downloaded online. 5-8 p.m., various venues. lexarts.org/discover/lexarts-hop/
The Nude Biennial. On display through Jan. 7. With a history spanning more than 30 years in Lexington, this jury-reviewed exhibit highlights contemporary nude figurative art, typically featuring work from dozens of local, national and international artists working in a variety of media. Gallery hours: Wed.-Thurs., 12-5 p.m.; Fri., 12-8 p.m.; Sat., 12-5 p.m. Loudoun House, 209 Castlewood Drive. www.lexingtonartleague.org
“Your Wall is Falling Apart,” a painting by Kentucky artist Sandra Charles, will be featured in a new exhibit opening this month at the Living Arts and Science Center. Image furnished
Reflections: African-American Voices on the Past and Present. On display Jan. 14- Feb. 25. In this exhibit, participating artists will reveal reflections on how the past and present impacts and shapes contemporary African-American life. Lexington artist and former Smithsonian historian/archivist Kim Dixon uses mixed media to create tableaux echoing the painful truths of African-American history and the distorted images of Blacks used in advertisements from the early 20th century onward. The exhibit will also feature artist, activist and former Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker, painter and social justice advocate Sandra Charles, community muralist Keaton Young, mixed media artist LaNia Roberts and naturalist and printmaker Norman Spencer. An additional juried exhibit highlighting African-American artists from the region will take place in conjunction with the exhibit, and a LexArts Hop reception will take place Jan. 21 (5-8 p.m.; masks required). Call (859) 252-5222 for gallery availability and hours. Living Arts & Science Center, 362 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. www.lasclex.org
Photographer Todd Hido spent decades exploring suburban neighborhoods at night. “The Poetry of Darkness,” an exhibit featuring his photography, is on display at the University fo Kentucky Art Musem Jan. 18-June 4. Image furnished
Todd Hido: The Poetry of Darkness. On display Jan. 18-June 4. Photographer Todd Hido spent decades exploring the mystery of suburban neighborhoods at night, finding them eerily lit by glowing windows that suggest hidden stories. Prompted by the threat of global climate change and a dark political atmosphere, his more recent landscapes examine a world seemingly on the edge of apocalypse. Gallery hours: Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat. 12-5 p.m.. Walk-ins are welcome but reservations are preferred; visit finearts.uky.edu/art-museum to book your visit. University of Kentucky Art Museum, 405 Rose St.
Gloves In a Storm Drain. On display through Jan. 8. Featuring work from artists Pierce Birdsong, Clint Colburn, PotDog, Paul Eldred, Cooper Gibson, Zephir Griffin, Coleman Guyon and Georgia Henkel, this show is described by curator James Lyons (aka Whitefox) as “ a shrine to hardships artists have survived during the wildest time of our generation,” highlighting the mixed feelings of responsibility and fear experienced by Lyons and other artists during the pandemic. “We are now able to translate these experiences,” Lyons said in an exhibit description. “Whether it was due to the pandemic or sociopolitical sicknesses, we have all lost something; and in this shrine, we give our respects, our accounts, our new tricks and our old.” Gallery hours Wed.-Fri., 5-8 p.m.; Sat., 12-3 p.m. (closed Dec. 22-Jan. 1). The Parachute Factory, 720 Bryan Ave. www.parachutefactorylex.com
Reba McEntire. Jan. 28. The “Queen of Country” returns to Lexington for a retrospective arena performance featuring No. 1 hits spanning her four-decade career. 8 p.m. Rupp Arena, 430 W. Vine St. www.rupparena.com
ETC.
Actor Jeremy Landon Hays, who has an extensive television and theatrical career, is among the guest actors who will appear in the Jan. 8 Concert with the Stars performance. Photo furnished
The Lexington Theatre Company: Concert With the Stars. Jan. 8. Providing a chance for talented young performing artists to share the stage with Broadway stars, this cabaret-style concert combines show tunes with behind-the-scenes stories for an engaging and unique theatrical event. This year’s performance features Rebecca Covington Webber; her husband, Donald Webber Jr.; and Jeremy Landon Hays. 8 p.m. Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St. www.lexingtonoperahouse.com
Studio Players: “Becky’s New Car.” Jan. 13-30. Becky is caught in middle age, middle management and in a middling marriage – with no prospects for change on the horizon. Then one night, a socially inept and grief-stricken millionaire stumbles into the car dealership where Becky works, and she is offered nothing short of a new life. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m. The Carriage House Theatre, 154 W. Bell Ct. www.studioplayers.org
Harlem Globetrotters. Jan. 17. Part streetball, part interactive family entertainment, the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters’ newly reimagined Spread Game tour will show off the best of the Globetrotters in a dazzling exhibition of talent and game. 2 p.m. Rupp Arena, 430 W. Vine St. www.rupparena.com
Broadway Live: “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Jan. 28-30. Based on the Oscar-winning film starring Richard Gere, this sweeping romance is the story of Zack Mayo, a new member of the U.S. Navy with a bad attitude – until he meets a sergeant determined to drill his arrogance out of him. Zack finds comfort in the arms of a local factory girl. But it isn’t until tragedy befalls a fellow candidate that he learns the importance of love and friendship. Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 1 and 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 1 and 6:30 p.m. Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St. www.lexingtonoperahouse.com
“Macbeth.” Jan. 7-9, 14-16. In this inaugural winter production, the Appalachian Shakespeare Center at EKU, in a co-production with Blackbird Dance Theatre, presents Shakespeare’s tragedy in a style the presenting organizations describe as “lean, physical, contemporary and sexy as hell; definitely not your granddad’s Shakespeare.” Fri. and Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. EKU Center for the Arts, 822 Hall Drive, Richmond. www.appshakes.com