Welcome to the Berea Public Art Tour!

Where Art’s Alive

The Berea Public Art Tour invites visitors to “discover a town like no other.” This community has a truly unique heritage which is reflected in its public art. The Berea story began in 1853, when abolitionist John G. Fee, with the help of local READMORE supporters and other missionaries, established a church, a school and a tiny village. The school’s constitution specified that it would be interracial and co-educational – radical concepts for the time. Fee called the settlement Berea after the Biblical town where the people “received the Word with all readiness of mind.” Today the one-room school has evolved into a college that is world-renowned for its dedication to social justice, community service, the preservation of Appalachian culture, and sustainability. The tiny village has grown into a town with a thriving population of weavers, instrument makers, furniture artisans, jewelry designers, glass workers, potters, painters, sculptors, and musicians. Both the town and the college take pride in their contemporary Appalachian identity. Known as the “Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky,” Berea offers a public arts experience on multiple levels. You can enjoy the sculptures, architecture, galleries and shops, or you can enter the studios of working artists and watch art being created. Best of all, you can join right in with events like Jammin’ on the Porch or the Festival of Learnshops.