The Southern Accent exhibit, which questions and explores the complex and contested space of the American South, will be on display until Oct. 14 at the Speed Art Museum. The event, “Queer Eye on the South,” was held Sept. 28 and provided attendees a chance to view the exhibit from a LGBTQ perspective.

“We’ve always considered the Speed Art Museum to be one of the city’s most LGBT-inclusive spaces, but Interim Director Stephen Reily really wanted to be even more intentional in letting the LGBT community know that they are welcomed and celebrated there,” said Brian Buford, assistant provost for diversity and executive director of the LGBT Center. “We decided to co-host this reception and viewing of the Southern Accent exhibit as a way of celebrating a community where compassion and inclusion are deep values.“

Dr. Jongwoo Jeremy Kim, an associate professor of art history in the Department of Fine Arts at UofL, and Miranda Lash, the curator of the exhibit will lead a tour, with special focus on the exhibit’s LGBT elements.

“Southern Accent is a powerful contemporary art exhibition that investigates the historical consciousness of the American South in imagery, objecthood and sound,” said Kim. “Among the key ideas structuring the exhibition is queerness — or what we may call disruptions that undermine concepts of coherent, immutable identities. Miranda Lash, the curator of the exhibition, and I look forward to discussing artists such Skylar Fein, Roger Brown, Catherine Opie, and Andy Warhol, while furthering the ongoing collaboration between the Speed Art Museum, the Hite Art Institute, and the LGBT Center at the University of Louisville.”

“This year, we are celebrating the LGBT Center’s 10th anniversary and we are thrilled that the museum is joining with us to honor this milestone,” Buford said. “Everyone is welcome — whether you or LGBT or not — because it took the collective commitment of all of us together to reach this point.”

Photo of Kim provided by the .

The university also supports successful club programs. For example, the University of Louisville Bowling Team competes in tournaments around the region. About 15 students participate on the men’s and women’s teams, three of whom were former Kentucky Youth Open winners.

The Bowling Team is marking its 10^th anniversary this season. It began with a limited season in 2006-07 when Daniel Palmer brought it to campus. He and his brothers bowled for St. Xavier High School and wanted to continue participating in the sport in a competitive environment in college.

Palmer’s cousin, Kiefer Hillerich, is a current member of the team. His father, Bob, is the coach of the men’s team.

“It is a volunteer position. I do it because I enjoy the sport of bowling, my youngest son bowls on the team and I just enjoy coaching. I get real enjoyment out of seeing a player develop,” Bob Hillerich said.

He is helped by Chuck Farish, who also volunteers his time to coach the women’s team.

Both the men’s and women’s teams practice twice a week at Ten Pin Strike and Spare, across from the Oxmoor Mall in St. Matthews. Their season runs from September through March, spanning 10 tournaments that takes them all over the region, from Campbellsville University to Morehead, to the University of Cincinnati and Ohio State.

Many of the schools UofL competes against are varsity programs which can recruit and support its athletes financially. Although UofL tries to recruit players, not offering scholarship money puts the program at a competitive disadvantage, Hillerich said.��

Still, the team won the Southern Classic four years ago and was runner-up in the Striking Knights tournament and has been ranked in the top 29 in the country. The team has also put several members on all-tournament teams.

Hillerich said bowling is very common at the collegiate and he hopes it will continue growing here.

“Every tournament results in bowling centers full of spectators and team members. There are national rankings. At the end of the season the top 80 men’s teams and the top 64 women’s teams are invited to the College Sectionals. All teams compete for one of 16 spots to the National Championship, which is televised,” he explained.

UofL’s team isn’t doing anything exceptional to mark its 10^th anniversary, but it is focused on making it to College Sectionals again, which marks the end of competition season.

The team is always looking for new members. Team updates and information can be found on the .��