April may bring showers, but it will also bring a wide variety of art activities to Jessamine County.

The fun begins on April 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. in downtown Nicholasville with the Creative Art League’s first 2017 gallery walk.

In the Polvino Family Art Center at 109 S. Main Street, there will be 40 works of art depicting animals in the exhibit “All Creatures Great and Small”. This art was created by 25 artists from central Kentucky, and was juried by Karen Spears, an art professor emerita from Eastern Kentucky University. That exhibit, which will be on display the entire month of April, will have its opening reception on April 7 as part of the gallery walk. The gallery walk will feature four additional exhibits, all located within an easy walking distance in the downtown area.

The floral and landscape paintings of Lexington artist, Jack Cochran, will be on display at Gullette & Grayson, PSC, 125 S. Main Street. The abstract paintings of Shawn Sewell will be displayed at the Jessamine County Law Library, at 109 N. Main Street, while the wood and bone art of Michelle Zuch will be at the Old Jail, 200 S. Main. 

To top the evening off, Maura, the painting service dog, will be painting live at Downtown Dogs Spa located on 106 E. Maple. Maura will be painting a piece that will be auctioned off to benefit the Creative Art League. The 2017 gallery walks are sponsored by the Nicholasville Tourism Commission.

KCAL, the mythical old-time radio station of the Creative Art League, will be performing its Spring Fling April 21 through 23. The KCAL troupe will be performing “My Favorite Wife” by recreating the original radio performance of this work. These performances are sponsored by Boston Road Animal Clinic. Tickets can be obtained by visiting CALJessamine.com or by calling 859-885-5363.

At Asbury University, senior recitals by vocalists Cynthia Berggren and Phoebe Glaser will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on April 6 and 24 in Akers Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on April Sounds of Stage and Screen Concert, and a Jazz Ensemble Concert will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on April 20 in Hughes Auditorium on April 24th. Lauren Batson will be performing a recital at 7:30 pm on April 28th in Akers Auditorium. Four senior art exhibits will be on display April 3 through 23 at Asbury University, with opening receptions for each exhibit on April 6th.

CAL’s Community Art Night, a monthly art and dinner event, will be held at 6:00 p.m. on April 27, at the Polvino Family Art Center. This is a fun event for families and singles alike. For reservations, email CALJessamine@gmail.com or register online at CALJessamine.com.

For the second year, the statewide elementary and middle school art competition, “Freedom to Create,” will be held at the Polvino Family Art Center. The closing reception for this exhibit will be on April 28 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 109 S. Main in Nicholasville.