One Brick at a Time Become a part of the Rebranding of the Highlands Museum & Discovery Center!

One Brick at a Time

Become a part of the Rebranding of

the Highlands Museum & Discovery Center!

Gwen Akers

The Ashland Beacon

The Highlands Museum & Discovery Center has been a fixture of Ashland, Ky., since its opening in 1984, originally located in the historic Mayo Mansion. Offering a space for both children and adults alike to connect to and learn about the past, the Highlands connects our town to our rich history and provides for our future. Now, the Highlands has something new to bring to the community: building their vision brick by brick.

“When the Clark Family Discovery Center began to take shape a few years ago, we realized the museum had an opportunity to rebrand with the idea we have something for everyone. After all, our mission is to provide avenues of discovery for explorers of all ages,” expressed Kim Jenkins, Executive Director of the Highlands Museum.

The Clark Family Discovery Center has been an excellent addition to our community, bringing hands-on discovery and education to children of all ages. The Discovery Center is the first of its kind in our area and is a reflection of the mission of the Highlands and our community: to encourage children to learn more about their heritage, our local traditions, and to discover the world around them. With this in mind, providing avenues for all of Ashland’s “explorers” is at the heart of the Highlands’ rebranding.

“To kick off that rebranding, we've launched our brick-by-brick campaign. It's an exciting fundraiser to include everyone in a community art project to reveal our new name and logo,” explained Jenkins.

With the new campaign, donors can purchase bricks for $1 apiece, and their brick will be added to the display. After all of the bricks have been filled in, we will be able to see what lies ahead for our museum. Proceeds from the brick purchases will go toward the rebranding efforts, including new signs in front of the museum. When the piece is finished, it will be on display at the museum alongside a list of donors. The full piece is set to be 7 ft by 7 ft.

Currently, the Highlands includes a variety of different community resources, including their thoughtful local history exhibits, their monthly artist corner exhibit, and the country music and heritage hall exhibits. Alongside these permanent collections, the museum also offers a large conference center, which has been the home of many Ashland events in the past few years, as well as programs such as the Kentucky Chautauqua series, which brought actors and the stories of famous historical figures into our town.

This focus on the community is no different with this new campaign, beginning with the community’s role in the unveiling of the museum’s new theme.

“We want the community to get involved and claim it as their own. They can help build a new logo and see where it takes us!” expressed Jenkins.

Moving forward, the future of the Highlands is certainly bright as they seek to bring more and more opportunities and experiences into our town. To help “reveal” what is on the horizon for our museum, you can purchase a brick either in person at the museum or online at Highlands Museum & Discovery Center – Museum of Education, Heritage, Culture | Ashland, KY.