Nancy Calcutt, a painter who grew up in Sturbridge, Mass., moved here from Mississippi with her husband, Charlie Doherty, a singer-songwriter. For a while, Calcutt and Doherty formed a band with another Paducah couple, calling themselves the Relocators. They are still working on the 1925 house they purchased in 2003. They've built an attached studio and gallery for Calcutt's figurative oil paintings and pastel drawings. Calcutt, who taught art at the college level for many years, is involved with the opening this year of the Paducah School for the Arts, part of West Kentucky Community and Technical College. After feeling not quite at home in other places, she said, "I do feel like we belong here."
Art community thrives in a Kentucky river town
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Not to say that all was perfect. During our stay, we walked or drove to a dozen galleries and studios and the museum, whose formal name is the Museum of the American Quilter's Society or MAQS. (There's a free trolley service, too.) Not every shop was top-notch or contemporary, but none was intimidating. And while we liked the downtown Market House Square area near the river, which bustled with shops and restaurants, we wished that the main streets through town had fewer empty storefronts.
Our biggest disappointment was that the mighty Ohio just beyond the square was hidden behind a tall, two-block-long flood wall. When you consider the flood damage over the years (especially in 1937), it's understandable. The loss of a water view is partially mitigated by the 50 gorgeous murals covering the wall by artist Robert Dafford that depict Paducah's colorful history. And a waterfront development project is in the works.
But this I know for sure: Mom would have been impressed with what Paducah has pieced together, artist by artist.
Diane Daniel, a freelance writer in North Carolina, can be reached at diane@bydianedaniel.com.
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