The Bill Gatton Foundation’s $150 million gift — one of the largest in UK’s history — will create a new home for the arts at the University of Kentucky. The project includes a new College of Fine Arts building, a modern performance theater and public greenspace that will anchor a growing arts and innovation corridor along South Broadway. This investment reflects Bill Gatton’s enduring belief that Kentucky deserves world-class opportunities and facilities, and it will expand what is possible for our students, faculty and community for generations to come.
A New Home for the College of Fine Arts
- The gift will fund a new College of Fine Arts building, a several-hundred-seat theater and a pavilion with sculptures and greenspace along South Broadway.
- The complex will sit near the School of Art and Visual Studies, the Gray Design Building, Rupp Arena, the Central Bank Center and the Distillery District, creating a growing arts and innovation corridor for Lexington.
Expanding What's Possible
- UK’s College of Fine Arts is recognized nationally and internationally for excellence in opera, music, dance, theater and the visual arts, yet its current facilities no longer match the talent and capacity of its people.
- New spaces will strengthen creative education and performance and will expand what students and faculty can achieve.
- Bill Gatton invested in projects that shape Kentucky’s future, including facilities and scholarships that opened doors for students with promise and those with financial need. His philanthropy was always guided by the same principle: Kentucky deserves the very best.
