Interview with Barbara Strippelhoff, November 19, 2019

Partial Transcript: Good morning, this is Julia Taylor. I am here today with Barbara Strippelhoff to talk about her life and to talk about her work on the Old Jail Project, and today is November 19th, 2019.

Segment Synopsis: Julia Taylor introduces the interview and its narrator -- Barbara Strippelhoff. Strippelhoff says she was born in 1938 in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky to Dorothy and Henry McFadden. She talks about her six siblings, of which she was the youngest, and she discusses their move to Lexington when she was nine years old. She says she had a "delightful" childhood there and attended Catholic schools. Strippelhoff talks about moving to Georgetown in 1958 when she was married, and she goes on to talk about her six children. Art was always a part of her life, and she talks about pursuing an art degree after her youngest kids went to kindergarten. She says she started a part-time program at Georgetown College before transferring to the University of Kentucky. Strippelhoff graduated after nine years in 1984 with high honors and an art degree. She mentions that her daughter Michelle graduated from Georgetown College in the same year and her daughter Lorrie graduated from Scott County High School and was named Miss Scott County at the Scott County Fair. Two weeks after that, Strippelhoff says that Michelle got married. Strippelhoff talks about wanting to go into the field of art therapy or counseling, but says she developed lupus, which slowed down her career advancement.

Keywords: Art therapy; Counseling; Dorothy McFadden; Georgetown College; Henry McFadden; Lexington (Ky.); Lupus; Miss Scott County; Mount Sterling (Ky.); Scott County Fair; Siblings; Twins; University of Kentucky

Subjects: Art--Study and teaching (Secondary)--United States; Childhood in America; Families--United States.; Georgetown (Ky.); Scott County (Ky.); Women--Education (Higher)

Partial Transcript: But, um, somewhere along the way, in the '70s--late '70s, I got involved with Scott County Art League.

Segment Synopsis: Strippelhoff talks about how she came to be involved with the Scott County Art League and some of their noteworthy accomplishments. She says that she first started working with the Art League in the 1970s, and laments that it is now defunct as many of its members have died over the years. She mentions some of the people she worked with, including Edith Clifton, Dorothy Core, and Vickie Mullins, among others. Strippelhoff talks about the shows and workshops they held and discusses an art exchange they had with a museum in Doncaster, England -- Georgetown's sister city. This happened when Tom Prather was mayor, Strippelhoff adds. She talks about the Art League Quilt, which she says was another major project, and describes how the League made it. Taylor asks Strippelhoff about her own art career and interests, and Strippelhoff says that oil painting is her medium, though she does also use acrylics. She talks about the support for her art that she always had from her dad, Henry McFadden, and gives examples of him teaching her to draw and mix colors and building canvas stretchers for her studio classes when she was in college.

Keywords: "Grandma Moses"; Acrylic painting; Art exchanges; Artists; Canvas stretchers; Cardome Centre (Georgetown, Ky.); Community artists; Doncaster (England); Dorothy Core; Edith Clifton; Henry McFadden; Jailer's House Gallery; Lexington (Ky.); Local flora and fauna; Oil painting; Patchworks “Past, Present, Future”; Quilts; Scott County Art League; Sister cities; Studio classes; Tom Prather; University of Kentucky; Vickie Mullins; Welding; Workshops

Subjects: Art & community; Art, American--Exhibitions.; Art, Municipal; Art.; Georgetown (Ky.); Scott County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: So we talked a little bit--I was curious about the Art League and if you had a connection with them.

Segment Synopsis: Strippelhoff talks about the Old Scott County Jail project, the organizations that were involved, and how they funded its renovation. She says that the Scott County Arts Consortium and Scott County Council of the Arts were both active in the community, though she was only a member of the Arts Consortium, since the Council of the Arts did not deal as much with visual art. She also clarifies that the Arts Consortium and Art League were two separate entities. Strippelhoff talks about the project's inception and says it began in 1996 when they decided that the Art League needed to stop using space at the Holy Trinity Church's parish house and instead find a permanent home. At the time, Strippelhoff explains that they had exhibit space at Cardome where they displayed the work of scholarship recipients. She credits John Toncray with coming up with the idea to relocate to the jail, as the Scott County Museum had considered the space but wound up using the old post office instead. Strippelhoff discusses the condition of the jail before talking about the efforts to fund the jail's renovation. She says that they successfully applied for grants from the Kentucky Heritage Council and the federal Department of Transportation. The grant from the Heritage Council she said went into sanding the jail house, repairing the windows, and hiring a stone mason and carpenter. Strippelhoff talks about the two federal grants they received, which she says were part of the Transportation Enhancement Act of the 21st Century, or TEA-21. In addition to those three grants, she says they funded the renovation of the jailer's house with membership dues, private donations, and funds raised from events that they held. As part of the TEA-21 grant application, Strippelhoff talks about having to align the project with tourism interests and says that it also functions as a tourism welcome center. She talks about Judge/Executive George Lusby's support from the county level and goes on to discuss hiring an architect from Lexington for the project, though only one of his three phases for the project was completed, that being the Old Jailer's House. Strippelhoff mentions a few of the other organizations that partnered with the Art League and Art Consortium, which included Scott County Art Works, a clogging group, historic preservation groups, and the Elkhorn Family Resource Center, among others.

Keywords: American Academy of Equine Art; Architects; Bill Caroland; Cardome Centre (Georgetown, Ky.); Carpenters; Department of Transportation; Ed Davis Learning Center; Elkhorn Family Resource Center; Episcopal churches; GRW Engineers Inc.; George Lusby; Georgetown & Scott County Museum; Georgetown Community Theatre; Historic preservation; Holy Trinity Church (Georgetown, Ky.); James "Jimmy" Piper; John Toncray; Judge/Executive George Lusby; Kentucky Heritage Council; Old Jailer's House; Old Scott County Jail; Scott County Art League; Scott County Arts Consortium; Scott County Council of the Arts; Stonemasons; TEA-21; Tourism; Transportation Enhancement Act of the 21st Century; Welcome centers

Subjects: Art & community; Art, Municipal; Art.; Fund raising--United States.; Georgetown (Ky.); Grants-in-aid--United States.; Historic preservation--United States.; Scott County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: So, I was a little curious, 'cause as I was going through all of the newspapers I kept seeing these really cool events that you were putting together for fundraising events. Do you mind to talk about some of those as well?

Segment Synopsis: Strippelhoff talks about fundraising events the Arts Consortium and Art League held to pay for the renovation and restoration of the Old Scott County Jail and the Old Jailer's House. She says that the annual tour of historic homes were always great events, and she credits Sarah Wyatt for her work planning those and other events. Strippelhoff gives credit to other organizations for their help, particularly the Scott County Women's Club and the work of Ann Bevins to get the Old Scott County Jail included in the National Register of Historic Places. She also mentions Louise Taylor -- a local accountant who helped the Art League get registered as a non-profit organization. Strippelhoff moves on to discuss other successful fundraising events, including silent auction dinners, a hoedown which she believes was held in the Scott County Park, tea parties, and a floral fusion show. She says that the first major event held at the Old Jailer's House was the grand opening in December of 2006.

Keywords: Accountants; Ann Bolton Bevins; Banks; Dorothy Louise Taylor; Florists; Georgetown Historic Walking Tour; Hoedowns; National Register of Historic Places; Old Jailer's House; Old Scott County Jail; Sarah Toncray Wyatt; Scott County Art League; Scott County Arts Consortium; Scott County Park (Georgetown, Ky.); Scott County Women's Club; Silent auctions

Subjects: Art & community; Art, Municipal; Art.; Fund raising--United States.; Georgetown (Ky.); Scott County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: I am going to ask you about that hard work, 'cause I saw--'cause I kept seeing all of these advertisements like "Today's the Paint the Porch Party" and --(both laugh)-- so do you mind to talk about like--(clears throat)--going and actually the physical labor that you all as a group wound up doing?

Segment Synopsis: Strippelhoff talks about the physical labor done by the Arts Consortium to restore and renovate the Old Scott County Jail and Old Jailer's House. She says that the first grant from the Kentucky Heritage Council paid for them to sand, paint, replace the windows, and install one stained glass window. She talks about the fears of lead paint they had, and says that she recalls cleaning the front porch a lot. Strippelhoff clarifies that all of their labor was done as volunteers. She discusses the lack of progress in restoration of the jail, which she says is due to the presence of lead-based paint inside and Scott County's indecision on whether to pay to have the jail demolished or pay to have the paint safely removed. Strippelhoff talks briefly about her retirement in 2010 and gives credit to other influential members of the Arts Consortium, formerly called the Old Jail Committee, including John Toncray, Sarah Wyatt, Eve Oakley, and Ryan Vance. She moves on to discuss the later development of the project, including getting help from a grant writer who helped get them the first TEA-21 grant and whose example they followed for the second one. She recalls that Teresa Day also helped with the second TEA-21 grant. Strippelhoff says that the Kentucky Heritage Council grant proposals they were able to successfully write on their own as she remembers them being easier. She discusses the push to get funding from the city of Georgetown, for which Strippelhoff says they had to write annual proposals that were somewhat nerve-wracking due to the possibility of losing Georgetown's support.

Keywords: "Hazmat"; Bill Caroland; Department of Transportation; Ellie Caroland; Eve Oakley; Frosted windows; Grant writers; Heirlooms and Gretchen's; John Toncray; Kentucky Educational Television (KET); Kentucky Heritage Council; Lead paints; Lexington (Ky.); Old Jail Committee; Old Jailer's House; Old Scott County Jail; Painting; Ryan Vance; Sanding; Sarah Toncray Wyatt; Scott County Arts Consortium; Stained glass windows; Teresa Day; Transportation Enhancement Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21); Window glazing

Subjects: Architecture--Conservation and restoration.; Art & community; Art, Municipal; Art.; Georgetown (Ky.); Grants-in-aid--United States.; Historic preservation--United States.; Proposal writing for grants--United States.; Scott County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Um, there were some other names that just came up.

Segment Synopsis: Taylor asks about other organizations that Strippelhoff worked with during her career. Strippelhoff says that she was not involved with the Georgetown Renaissance, but that she did work with Kitty Dougoud and the Kentucky Main Street Program. She then talks briefly about her involvement with the Tourism Department and Chamber of Commerce. Taylor asks about an award that Strippelhoff had not mentioned but received from the Georgetown & Scott County Museum for historic preservation, to which Strippelhoff says she won it while still busy and taking care of grandchildren.

Keywords: "Georgetown Renaissance"; Georgetown & Scott County Museum; Georgetown-Scott County Chamber of Commerce; Kentucky Department of Tourism; Kentucky Main Street Program; Kitty Dougoud; Lori Saunders; Tourism

Subjects: Art & community; Art, Municipal; Art.; Georgetown (Ky.); Historic preservation--United States.; Kentucky Heritage Council; Scott County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Did any of them turn into artists?

Segment Synopsis: Strippelhoff talks about her family history, including her father-in-law, and the lives of her children and grandchildren. Taylor asks if her children have become artists, and Strippelhoff says that one son is a web design artist and is married to an artist, and that one daughter is an artist in California. She then talks at length about her father-in-law, Henry August Strippelhoff, whom she says took her in after she first moved to Georgetown in 1958. She says he was a "real American success story" and describes his immigrating to Kentucky from Germany, marrying her mother-in-law who had immigrated from Poland, and his career in the manufacturing industry. She notes that Henry Strippelhoff arrived in America on the day of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which kicked off the Great Depression, though she does not mention if it was on Black Thursday, Monday, or Tuesday. Henry Strippelhoff's career, she says, eventually led to his founding Carbide Products, Inc., a specialty tool and machine shop, in 1943. She describes the growth and success of Carbide and says that one of her sons, Danny Strippelhoff, is the CEO and CFO while the other, Paul, is Vice President of Manufacturing. Strippelhoff proudly remarks that two of her grandsons also work there.

Keywords: "Tool and die education"; Archer & Smith; California; Carbide; Carbide Products, Inc.; Cincinnati (Ohio); Clayton Avenue (Georgetown, Ky.); Danny Strippelhoff; Detroit (Michigan); Germany; Henry August Strippelhoff; Lemons Mill Road (Scott County, Ky.); Lexington (Ky.); Marietta (Ga.); Metal fabrication; Natural gas; Paul Strippelhoff; Poland; Skilled labor; The Hockensmith Agency; Wall Street Crash of 1929; Web design; Welders

Subjects: Families--United States.; Georgetown (Ky.); Immigrants--United States--Biography.; Manufacturing industries.; Scott County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Yeah, if there's anything else that comes up, um, or that we didn't really touch on--anything about the arts community here or observations or anything like that?

Segment Synopsis: Strippelhoff reflects on the successes and failures of the Old Scott County Jail project, her involvement with the More Please cookbook project, and the progression of her own art. She looks back on her work with the jail project as a success and a decade's worth of hard work. Strippelhoff partially credits the Financial Crisis of 2008 and the ensuing recession with drying up the federal grant money that they relied on. She goes on to talk about her involvement with the More Please cookbook project and remarks that they sold out of their first printing. Taylor asks Strippelhoff about her own art and artistic development and Strippelhoff laments that she had to put aside her own art while she was working and raising her family. She says that she prefers to paint still lifes, landscapes of local places, and flowers. She discusses a mural at Whitaker Bank of historic Georgetown that she worked on and she mentions other Arts Consortium projects like the butterfly garden they built and an ongoing theatre project at Cardome. Taylor thanks Strippelhoff and ends the interview.

Keywords: Ann Bolton Bevins; Cardome Centre (Georgetown, Ky.); Georgetown & Scott County Museum; Landscape paintings; More Please cookbook; Murals; Old Jailer's House; Old Scott County Jail; Painting; Recession of 2008; Sarah Toncray Wyatt; Scott County Arts Consortium; Still life paintings; Ward Hall (Georgetown, Ky.); Whitaker Bank

Subjects: Art & community; Art, Municipal; Art.; Community cookbooks.; Families--United States.; Georgetown (Ky.); Scott County (Ky.)