Ezra Howard, Arts Programs Coordinator  

I began my service career working with youths, teens, and young adults with mental disabilities with the Kennedy Center in Nashville. I worked with them in high school and college for various programs and camps. It was over this time that I really began to appreciate doing work well that benefitted others rather than myself – for a teenager, I think that’s quite an accomplishment.

As a long time patron and participant in the arts, I believe I have a lot to offer for Arcadia and the people that live in the community. As a youth, I attended a relatively underfunded private catholic school that did not have the resources to provide much in the way of arts programming. As such, I very much understand and appreciate what a world without arts can do to a young mind. Thankfully, however, my own personal creative interests and endeavors led me into the world of the arts despite my middle school background and found ways to express myself, such as creative writing in high school and the theatrical arts in college.

Prior to graduating from Centre College with a B.A. in both Religion and Anthropology, I held a curatorial internship with the University of Kentucky Art Museum. There I learned the multifaceted world of museum curatorship. I aided in the installation of an exhibit of Hindu art, prepared loan requests for pieces for an exhibit on Kentucky Master Painters, and researched and produced summaries and labels for an exhibit of Andy Warhol photographs. At UKAM, I very much enjoyed my tenure there and found the work incredibly enthralling.      

Working at Arcadia with their programming for youths and teens this year has been both an enlightening and pleasant experience. Arcadia has come to be my home and the Community Center has become an extended family. I have quickly grown to love Arcadia and the people here and everyday I appreciate the opportunity to bring art to the children