Painting in the style of Monet, a beer brewing demo, and Bob’s Burgers-themed cooking classes are a few things Baker Hunt Art and Culture Center has on the lineup this fall.
Starting Sept. 26 through Nov. 19, Baker Hunt, located at 620 Greenup St., will host their fall sessions, offering classes from cooking, drawing, painting, mind and body, sewing, ceramics, fiber arts, and more. Classes range from 8 weeks to 4 weeks to two-hour courses.
Find the full list of fall session classes here.
Cora Arney, the learner experience director at Baker Hunt, told LINK nky that Baker Hunt’s mission, to provide professional art instruction to the community, has remained the same since the Baker-Hunt Foundation was established in 1922.
The art and culture center that Covington knows today was opened to the community in 1930 after founder Margaretta Baker-Hunt passed away.
The idea for the center began after the passing of Baker-Hunt’s only child, her 15-year-old daughter Katie in 1888. Arney said Baker-Hunt lost most of her immediate family, including her husband, in 1893, within years of one another, leaving her no one to pass her legacy to.
Baker-Hunt’s family valued having the community on their property for things like dinner parties and classes. After the death of her daughter and husband, Baker-Hunt’s niece, Kate Scudder, eventually moved in and encouraged her aunt to continue her involvement in the community.
Part of the stipulation in the property being left to the Covington community upon Baker-Hunt’s passing was that aside from providing education in art, science, and religion, the center had to be open for psychic research to pass down her interest in spiritualism. After the death of her daughter, Baker-Hunt would use psychics to help her connect with her daughter.
Scudder’s house, located on the 3-acre Baker Hunt campus, was sold in 1820 and utilized for many years by the Covington Art Club. It became part of Baker Hunt in 2000.
Also on the campus is an auditorium from 1929, formerly the Archie William’s Natural History Museum, which was disbanded in 1957. According to Arney, the hall has a cornerstone placed by Baker-Hunt on June 29, 1929, and is rumored to hold a time capsule.
The studio, created in 1969, is a space for all media, including a full clay studio.
Baker Hunt offers scholarships to everyone, with a priority on children, to provide educational access. Arney said the scholarships are subject to the annual family income, and in the coming weeks, Baker Hunt will be offering family scholarships and stipends.
