LESA AKER IS a self-taught artist hailing from the beautiful rolling hills of southern Kentucky near Somerset. She has lived on a farm from the time she was born and has seen many circles of life which led her to appreciate the short time we have with our animal friends and our human ones as well.
Her medium of choice is pastel, as she find it allows for a vibrant and detailed expression of her love for animals. Her inspiration comes from the natural world and the incredible creatures that inhabit it.
She sees the beauty and magic that surrounds us, from the delicate flutter of a butterfly’s wings to the powerful presence of a majestic horse and the awesome rushing of a waterfall. She strives to capture the spirit and essence of each subject in her artwork, using color and texture to bring life to them on the paper. Each piece is a representation of her deep connection to nature where the beauty of the animal kingdom is celebrated, and the wonders of our surroundings are appreciated.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html

Lexi Bass has a BA in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky, a MA in Art from the University of Louisville and an MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts from Duke University.
​She is currently a lecturer in Animation and Digital Art at the University of Kentucky School of Arts and Visual Studies and an experimental filmmaker and artist. Her films have screened widely in London, Amsterdam, and other European cities and Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and various locations across KY. Her new film Meander will air on Tuesday 15 Oct at the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center at 6:30pm.

Meander (2024) Lexi Bass
As artificial intelligence replaces workers in our increasingly elderly global population, companies engineering AI race robots amidst human inequities and emerging problems of AI sentience. The sum spells disaster for the human race in the dystopian world of Meander, which evokes both ancient Greek mythology and near-future science fiction. Meander finds herself destitute in the Underworld with no way to finance escape other than offering her biological potential for surrogate pregnancy up to dubious experimentation in an underground facility. Meanwhile, filmmaker/narrator, Lexi Bass, recounts her experiences of pregnancy and motherhood at the precipice of age 40 and the loss of her own mother shortly after, questioning the future of humanity at the precipice of Artificial General Intelligence and Artificial Super-Intelligence.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html

Last year LARRY PEMBLE, eldest son of famed Kentucky writer and photographer James Baker Hall and his family decided to establish the James Baker Hall Foundation with a mission to honor and continue Hall's interest in mentoring writers by providing direct support to Kentucky literary and visual creatives. Pemble, who is President of the Foundation along with Vice President JEANINE TRIPLETT, talk about the Foundation's first Book Award which will be presented to poet George Wesley Houp who will receive $3,000 and a publication from Accents Publishing.

In addition to discussing how the selection process was undertaken, Pemble and Triplett talk about why this award is so important in the literary world, and how they intend to honor Jim’s legacy by providing financial funding for emerging and established voices who specialize in continuing the unique voice that is Kentucky.

The 1st Book Award will be presented on Tuesday, 1st October at Spalding University.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html