In February 2010, our arts community mourned the loss of two of its most beloved members, Ginny Miller and Artie Johnson.

In remembrance of Ginny Miller 1949 – 2010

Since 1992 Ginny Miller was most associated with VSA arts of Kentucky where she was the Executive Director.  As such, she was responsible for planning, organizing, and managing day-to-day operations of this statewide organization; writing grants and researching funding sources; and overseeing staff, volunteers, and public relations efforts.  She also serves as the liaison between VSA arts Kentucky and the VSA arts international headquarters in Washington, DC.  Their national website contains a statement crediting her with the significant growth of VSA arts of Kentucky under her leadership.  Programs more than tripled with her efforts and it was recognized with the Governor’s Award in the Arts for Education and the VSA arts Award in Excellence for affiliate growth in 1998.  The organization serves artists with and without disabilities and many physically challenged youth and adults found new creative outlets under her direction.

Miller was also a patron of the arts in general.  Born in Glasgow, her first love was dance.  Beverly Veenker, who began teaching a dance class for PE majors at WKU in the fall of 1969 recalls Miller as a young PE major.  “They [PE majors] weren’t very interested in it at all but it was a requirement for their major.  Ginny, on the other hand, loved it and was quick to want to do more. …So it didn’t take her long to decide she had a love for dance. She began a crusade for more dance classes to be offered.”

Ginny began auditioning for any play that involved dance and also learned about the production behind the scenes.  As the classes grew popular for a general education PE requirement, more were added and Ginny along with a few other students organized a dance club that would become the WKU Dance Company and lead to a new area of study in dance within the Theater department. 

After graduating Miller continued honing her dance and performance skills by acting in community theatre productions with Fountain Square Players.  According to Kathy Wise-Leonard of Dance Images who directed Peter Pan in 1988, a part which Ginny is most remembered for, Ginny took part in as many plays as possible until work and parenting demands prevented her from having the time. “She loved art and the creative spirit in general and loved how art could change people’s lives.” Leonard recalled.

It was this philosophy which lead her to become an early fixture in the revival of the Capitol Arts Center.  Under Executive Directory Gerri Combs, now the Executive Director of the Southern Arts Federation, Ginny served as the Capitol’s Education Director through much of the 80’s.  Combs recalls “She was not the first program director but advanced the programs beyond what they were, especially the Arts Education programs…. Ginny was a dancer and taught dance to children. She was always interested as we all were who had kids in public school that the school time arts experiences were the best possible and we knew that non-profit organizations like the Capitol played a valuable role in doing that.”

VSA Arts of Kentucky has set up the Facebook page Love Notes To Ginny where people can send condolences to her famiy and remininsce about her life.  It is clear from the entries on that page that Ginny Miller touched many lives through her tireless efforts and was a role model to many.  Her friends remember her as the embodiment of Peter Pan, with boundless energy and a postive, playful personality, meeting each turn in life head on with enthusiam and a love for the arts.

In remembrance of Artie Johnson 1952-2010

Singer/songwriter Artie Johnson was a regular at the area’s early songwriters’ nights and was showcased at many area events through the years including: the Horse Cave Heritage Festival, Concerts in the Park, the Bowling Green International Festival, Munfordville Civil War Days, Munfordville Hot Friday Nights and Cave City’s Good Ole Days Festival.

His love of music developed early in life, listening to his father.  He was named Artie Nelson Johnson after Artie Shaw by his mother and Willie Nelson by his father. Both parents encouraged an appreciation for music.

He performed as part of Just Us with Susan Morris and Janine Keirnan and later under his own name backed by Nathan Green and Graham Hudspeth.

In 2000 he released his album Mumphville which contained songs based on his life growing up in Munfordville and showcased a number of area musicians.

In the August 2005 Amplifier cover story, writer Don Thomason described Johnson’s music saying “Johnson writes with a common candidness that fits his lyrical subjects of love and loss, down-and-out experiences, stories with colorful characters, beloved family members, and mortality. His plain working-class voice with its occasional growls for emphasis fit his songs like hand in glove. He can be graceful and tender, as with “Miracles from the Air” and longtime performance staple “Grace” from his previous release Mumphville. Or Artie can be bare and forlorn, as on the exceptional prison tale “Eddyville” from Mumphville or the tragic war story “Backwoods Boys” from Ruckerbuck.”

More recently he completed several unreleased CDs working in colloboration with Nathan Green, Graham Hudspeth, Janine Keirnan and his brother Tim Johnson.   Nathan Green has posted some of those recordings online.  “I viewed recording Artie from the perspective of an archivist. I wanted to document as many of those great songs as possible so that they would not be forgotten. I’m really glad I got a chance to know him and do my part to preserve his music. I only wish I could have documented more of his songs. For each great song that we have heard there are probably 50 in a notebook that will never see the light of day.” said Green, adding “Artie was one of the best songwriters I have ever heard and absolutely the best I have ever met. I would put him up there with Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard etc. He also had a great voice. It was a little rough around the edges but was very powerful.”

Artie Johnson also performed with his brother Tim who can be seen with him in a YouTube video by Bill Green of his song Amazing Grace about Vietnam veterans.

Area musicians are currently planning “A Celebration of Music, Memorial Tribute to Artie Johnson”, to take place on Saturday, April 17th at 6pm at Greener Groundz Cafe.  Musicians who would like to take part by learning one of his songs should contact Susan Morris at susan.morris@wku.edu or 745-3940.  Morris has many unreleased recordings of his music as well as notebooks of unrecorded songs that people can learn.