Institute 193

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Institute 193 Institute 193 collaborates with artists, musicians, and writers to produce exhibitions, publications,

Founded in 2009, Institute 193 embraces the notion that groundbreaking contemporary art can and does emerge outside of large metropolitan centers. Institute 193 provides artists from Kentucky and the Southeastern United States—selected not by commercial viability, but by the quality and relevance of their work—with exhibition and publication opportunities. It also endeavors to help these artists gain broader media exposure and foster connections in art markets across the globe. Institute 193’s gallery space is located in Lexington, Kentucky, a mid-sized city with a vibrant creative community that, nevertheless, lacks a museum for contemporary art. Institute 193 fills this void by hosting musical performances, film screenings, lectures, and other community-driven events in addition to visual art exhibitions. Institute 193 also participates in art fairs across the country in a direct effort to expose innovative Southern artists to the world at large, serving as an ambassador for the region and ultimately providing a foundation for a contemporary art center in Lexington. LexArts has provided funding for Institute 193 through its Fund for the Arts. The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, provides operating support to Institute 193 with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

10/01/2026

Institute 193 is actively raising funds to purchase a new building at 211 North Limestone, our future and permanent home in downtown Lexington. Contribute to our capital campaign today via the link in our bio!

We are raising $100,000 by October 31, 2026 to cover the renovation, establish a building upkeep fund, and weather the transition between our current leases and new mortgage costs. Your contributions will ensure that we can open our new home in January 2027 with a new exhibition, a suite of community programming, and a robust, well-furnished shop space. Give today, and let’s build Institute 193’s future.

Institute 193 in downtown Lexington received one of our 2026 Cliff Todd grants for an LGBTQ+ poetry series. Institute 19...
08/06/2026

Institute 193 in downtown Lexington received one of our 2026 Cliff Todd grants for an LGBTQ+ poetry series. Institute 193 partners with local creators to express the story of the modern south. You can visit their space on 215 N Limestone in Lexington, KY.

02/21/2026

Thanks to all who came out to see Old Pup and Ed Sunspot in the gallery last night. What a crowd! Here’s Old Pup, orbited by FRKO’s “Flying Waffle Saucer”.

11/20/2025

Donate to Institute 193 today to support the best art from across the South. Link in bio.

Video by

11/11/2025

Institute 193’s Sweet Sixteen! Our year-end fundraiser starts today. Hit the link in our bio to contribute!

For sixteen years, Institute 193 has logged thousands of miles with our collaborators, criss-crossing the nation to seek out and share the most unique, significant, and authentic voices of the contemporary South. From Waxahatchee to West Virginia, Nashville to New Orleans, and Birmingham to the Big Apple and beyond, we’ve helped artists, musicians, and writers continue to redefine what the South looks, sounds, and feels like. With over one hundred exhibitions, dozens of books, and countless events later, we’re still on the move, guided by the same curiosity and conviction that started this whole trip.

Your support makes all this possible. Every dollar donated keeps our engine running, helping us stay independent, creative, and community-driven. As we mark our Sweet Sixteen, we invite you to hop in and take this journey with us — to keep this engine humming for another sixteen years of art, collaboration, and discovery.

Special thanks to friend of the gallery Robert Beatty for this lovely promo video. Hop in!

Address

215 North Limestone Street
Lexington, KY
40508

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 11am - 6pm
Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 6pm

Telephone

+18596196333

Website

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