ReImagine Lexington: An Art an Design Competition

ReImagine Lexington is an art and design competition hosted by Fayette Alliance, a Lexington-based nonprofit dedicated to achieving smart, sustainable, and equitable growth through advocacy, education and research.

ReImagine Lexington asks students at the University of Kentucky to think critically about the future of growth and development in Lexington by reimagining urban spaces throughout the city.

This competition challenges you to envision how underutilized areas — like empty lots or surface parking — can become parks, cafés, or gathering spots that serve our neighborhoods.

As our city grows, creativity and imagination will be our greatest assets.

• Important: Research and data tell us that the land inside Lexington-Fayette County’s Urban Service Boundary (USB) can accommodate more than 20 years of future housing and job growth.
• However: To best utilize the land available for development inside the USB, and to build a Lexington that houses, employs, and provides for all our neighbors — we’ll need creativity.

ReImagine Lexington is your opportunity to participate in shaping our city’s future. We are beyond excited to see your artwork, share it, and build a joyful community together. 

How to Participate

Step 1: Find a Space

Any space you choose to reimagine must be inside Fayette Alliance’s proposed Infill and Redevelopment Boundary, and must be reimagined on a vacant plot of land. A map highlighting permitted zones is below.

Do not render a new structure in the place of an existing home or business — stick to greenfields, brownfields, or surface parking lots.

Step 2: Reimagine

Creativity and community — those are the criteria for judging.

Your submission won’t be judged on the likelihood that your proposed project will be built, even if it’s financially and structurally possible, but on the value it provides the community. 

If the surrounding neighborhood lacks retail space (think local coffee shops or boutiques), render a version of your chosen site that fulfills that need. If there aren’t enough parks nearby, design one in which you could imagine spending all day. 

When creating your work, use any medium you like. We will accept paintings, 3-D dioramas, digital art, even poetry and prose. 

Creativity is key, but ground your work in the need for communal spaces and amenities.

Step 3: Explain Your Work

Why is your imagined space important? We want to know! 

Alongside your submission, please include a one-page explanation of your design — how it serves the community, and who it would benefit most. This information will be displayed with your submission. 

Step 4: Submit Your Work

Submit your work by emailing your submission to Fayette Alliance’s Education and Community Engagement Manager, Ethan Wallace, at ethan@fayettealliance.com.

In the subject line of your submission email, write — “ReImagine Lex Submission, [Last Name, First Name].”

Please submit your original design and explanation as separate files. Your original design submission should fit into a 1920×1080 resolution and be in .JPEG format for display purposes. 

If you are a UK student, please include your name, grade, and major in the body of the email. For faculty and staff, please include your name and job title in the body of the email. 

Submissions open on Monday, October 6 and close on Friday, November 28.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, email ethan@fayettealliance.com.

FAQs

What if I’m not an artist? Can I still participate? 

Yes! Fayette Alliance will host several free workshop sessions to provide you with resources and materials for crafting your design. Submissions will not be judged primarily on artistic skill, but rather the justification for the project and the value it will add to the community. We encourage everyone to participate regardless of artistic skill; we want to see your vision for Lexington!

What kinds of media are allowed?

Any media that can easily be displayed at a gallery are permitted. Don’t feel restricted to two-dimensional, architectural style design pieces. If you feel your vision is better represented by three-dimensional sculpture, impressionistic painting, even poetry, then go for it! 

Does my piece have to be centered in my own neighborhood? 

Not necessarily. We’d love to see artwork focused in your neighborhood, but if there’s not any accessible space to reimagine or you’d prefer to pick a spot in a different neighborhood, that is allowed.

What if I don’t have a good camera to take a picture of an empty plot of land?

Available on Fayette Alliance’s website are several stock images we took of vacant or undeveloped plots in Lexington you may use for your designs if you’d like. But you don’t have to use a picture, you can render the surrounding landscape in your artwork if you’d like or submit just your proposed reimagining of the land without the surrounding landscape, so long as you provide a corresponding location to which we can refer.

Can I reimagine any piece of land?

No. Stick to vacant or undeveloped land only. To see more about what it means for land to be undeveloped, see our website. Please don’t reimagine land with a built-up primary use, like a home or a business. 

Does my art have to be in a gallery? 

No, if you’d prefer your art not to be shown publicly, we will not publish it. 

Is there anything I can’t imagine on the vacant land? 

Try to keep your artwork rooted in filling a need in your community, but otherwise let your creativity run loose. This contest is about sharing the community’s vision for Lexington, if your vision is expressive or fantastical, we want to see it!