Staff report
The Friends of the Boone County Arboretum have named Lindsey Kiser as the its first Artist-in-Residence
Boone County Arboretum established the Artist-in-Residence program in May during its 25th anniversary celebration. Kiser is the first named to the volunteer role.
Through the program, the arboretum board aims create a platform for community members to actively engage with both the artistic process and the natural world, fostering a deeper connection and appreciation for the study of plants and the preservation of the natural environment.
“It’s fitting that Lindsey is the inaugural Artist-in-Residence since she painted the cover of our map at the arboretum’s inception in 1999,” said Kris Stone, director of the Boone County Arboretum. “I look forward to reading Lindsey’s articles on what she finds inspiring at the arboretum to create artwork over the next year. It is my hope that the new Artist-in-Residence Program of the non-profit will raise awareness of our unique arboretum.”
Encompassing 121 acres, the Boone County Arboretum is also known as Central Park, and was the nation’s first arboretum within an active recreation park setting. The Arboretum is accredited at Level IV — the highest level — by the Arbnet Accreditation Program, a recognition held by only forty arboreta in the world.
As part of her research and development, Kiser expects to investigate the plantings at the Arboretum to inform a new body of work around the topic of indigenous plants and pollinators. She said the biological function of “cross-pollination” provided by pollinators metaphorically represents the dynamic interplay of diverse concepts.
“This concept fosters a garden of intellectual exploration and innovation, aligning with my interest in rich dialogues that transcend boundaries, she said. “As a former patent attorney turned full-time fine artist, I am passionate about themes that encourage community-wide conversations about ideation and innovation; the environment and agri-business; education; and the arts.”
A graduate of Larry A. Ryle High School, Kiser earned her undergraduate degree in art with minors in biology and chemistry from Georgetown College. She also studied art history and drawing at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Kiser went on to earned her juris doctor from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University.
To follow Kiser’s work, or to obtain art prints of her original oil painting of the arboretum made in honor of 25th Anniversary, join her mailing list and visit lindseykiser.com.