Gateway Regional Arts Center Receives Grant for Downtown Mt. Sterling Revitalization

Mount Sterling, KY (July 6, 2023) – The City of Mount Sterling and the Gateway Regional Arts Center are excited to announce that they have been selected as one of eight rural American towns to receive the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) grant from The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the Housing Assistance Council. 

This CIRD grant aims to revitalize rural communities with guidance from a range of design, planning, and creative placemaking professionals. Local leaders, residents, non-profits, and community organizations will come together in a series of workshops to explore design ideas to revamp the City of Mount Sterling.

With this grant the Gateway Regional Arts Center, with support from the local community and government, is looking to transform part of Mount Sterling's historical downtown area with community gathering areas, recreational activities, and public art installations. Thanks to CIRD’s assistance, the goal of this project is to create a vibrant and welcoming space for all people of different ages and backgrounds to experience the arts. 

“We are thrilled to be bringing creative design experts to Mt. Sterling to assist our community in revitalization efforts,” said Jordan Campbell, Executive Director of the Gateway Regional Arts Center. “Our downtown has come alive with color in the past few years, and the utilization of the Hinkston Creek area for creative communal spaces will further the development and overall quality of life for our residents and visitors.” 

This historic national grant will focus on revitalizing the area along the creek and Adena Trail in downtown Mount Sterling. Currently, this area on the edge of town leaves a barren void adjacent to the otherwise vibrant South Maysville shops and restaurants. With this grant, the area will be transformed into a place of harmony and community celebration.

CIRD has provided design assistance to small rural communities since 1991. This year is the fifth year the National Endowment for the Arts has partnered with the Housing Assistance Council. The NEA has engaged and helped revitalize more than 120 rural communities across the country. 

The City of Mount Sterling and the Gateway Regional Arts Center are grateful for the support of the NEA and are excited to get started on the development of the new cultural district.