West Sixth Brewery and Eco Art

For this month’s Council Comments I journeyed to the old Rainbo Bakery at the corner of West Sixth and Jefferson.  There I talked with Ben Self and Brady Barlow, two of the four young entrepreneurs who have transformed the vacant, 95,000 square foot industrial building into the Bread Box.  Besides being home to their new West Sixth Brewery, the building’s other enterprises include The Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop, Cricket Press, FoodChain, The Roller Girls of Central Kentucky, and eight artist studios.  For Broke Spoke and their bicycling friends, the Legacy Trail will conveniently pass by the back of the building.  The building’s inhabitants all share a commitment to making a positive impact on the community.

While there I talked with Sarah Heller, one of the artists with a studio in the Bread Box. Sarah is a local architect and University of Kentucky lecturer who specializes in eco art, which is art made from recycled objects.  She and her students have created a large sculpture on the side of the building from found items, most of them remnants from the building.  Sarah uses her art to highlight how we view post consumer waste and how items can be re-purposed.

Watch my interviews here. Then, when you have the chance, stop by the Bread Box, admire the art, and have a locally-crafted, locally produced beer.