Children enrolled in the Bridge Initiative’s summer camp practice for their end-of-week performance at the Lexington History Museum in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

In a tall brick building in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, children dance on the second floor in a ballet studio surrounded by mirrors.

As one girl pesters the child beside her about what move comes next, another girl pauses and replays the music, relaying choreography instructions to those beside her.

Below them, on the first floor, a man plays a keyboard and a woman sings into a microphone. As they perform, children join in, each reciting lyrics from a sheet of paper in their hands.

Between the two floors, a group of girls runs up the stairs, cameras and phones in hand, looking to interview someone for a video project.

There, in the LexArts building, children prepare for their final performance at the Bridge Initiative’s summer camp.

The Bridge Initiative founder and CEO Maya McCutchen laughs with her daughter, Myra, during the Bridge’s summer camp at the Lexington History Museum in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

Children enrolled in the Bridge Initiative’s summer camp practice for their end-of-week performance at the Lexington History Museum in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

Arts, excellence and culture

For Maya McCutchen, the Bridge Initiative’s founder and CEO, providing opportunities for children to become involved in the arts is more than just a job – it is her responsibility to her community.

According to Maya, the idea to create the Bridge Initiative began when she worked with 250Lex on a community engagement project for the city’s 250th anniversary.

As she worked on the project, Maya said she noticed a lack of community engagement, specifically for more diverse communities and families.

“I wasn’t seeing anything for minorities to actually participate in,” Maya said. “I thought it was really important to showcase something for the kids that they could hold onto.”

After founding the Bridge in 2024, Maya said she eventually decided to create the Bridge Initiative Summer Camp – a free, week-long camp dedicated to providing arts education and opportunities to children in the Lexington community.

Composer and music educator Keith McCutchen sings alongside Maya McCutchen, his daughter and the Bridge Initiative’s founder and CEO, and his granddaughter, Maryam, during the Bridge’s week-long summer camp at the Lexington History Museum in Lexington, Kentucky, on Monday, July 27, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

When she was a child, Maya’s parents made sure to enroll her in arts programs whenever possible.

Although she was learning more about music, Maya said there was one issue: no diversity.

“I didn’t see anybody that looked like me,” Maya said. “When you go into spaces and you don’t see anyone Latina, you don’t see anyone African-American, you don’t see anyone Asian, you don’t see anyone that looks like you – it can make you feel like you don’t belong or that you don’t have a seat at the table. And so I wanted a safe space.”

After her time spent in undiversified arts programs as a child, Maya said she wanted to create a place that welcomed all people, regardless of race or ethnicity. 

Alongside creating a space that welcomed young students of color, Maya also sought to provide opportunities for teachers of color. By doing this, she said, both the students and teachers can thrive.

Now 31, Maya said picking up the violin at 7 years old and continuing to remain involved in the   arts through adulthood was one of the best decisions she has made in her lifetime.

“When I was able to get around teachers that looked like me, it made a world of difference for me,” Maya said. “We do want a great group of teachers that represent the students that we have here so that they cannot just get exposure of the arts, but exposure of excellence and culture.”

For Maya, helping the children enrolled in the camp has taught her more about patience, kindness and gratitude, as well as reminded her why she started the Bridge Initiative in the first place.

“I get to see examples of what I was going through when I was a kid,” she said, “and it’s nice being able to help kids come out of situations or find their way into situations.”

Many of the children in Maya’s community oftentimes do not feel safe in their homes. Because of this, she said, teaching the children enrolled in Bridge programs to know their self-worth and value was even more vital.

“For those kids who don’t have a safe space in a place that they feel like they are loved and valued– that’s why I did this. That’s why that’s what motivated me,” Maya said. “That’s what inspired me for [them] to feel safe, feel creative, and to turn around and be inspired.”

The Bridge Initiative founder and CEO, Maya McCutchen, plays the violin as her daughter, Matilda, hugs her during the Bridge’s summer camp at LexArts in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, July 31, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

According to Samantha Valenzuela, camp volunteer and mother of two, enrolling her daughter and niece in the camp provided them with the opportunity to learn about art forms they did not know existed.

Valenzuela said she met Maya only one month prior to the camp’s start at the Marksbury Family Branch Library, when Maya came up to her while she sat with her children and asked if she wanted to enroll them in the camp. Valenzuela immediately said yes.

“When I was a kid, these opportunities weren’t offered to us,” Valenzuela said. “So I think it’s amazing for them to have.”

Before going to the camp, Valenzuela’s daughter thought art just involved drawing. Since attending, Valenzuela said her daughter has learned that art encompasses a variety of creative activities.

As a child, Valenzuela said she was not offered the same artistic opportunities or cultural representation in the community that her children have now.

“I think it’s super important to see young girls and Latino girls doing these types of things,” she said, “and I think it’s important to see that in our community.”

A child watches a video on a phone propped against a computer to learn more dance moves during the Bridge Initiative’s summer camp at the Lexington History Museum in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

Seeing the light

Although the Bridge Initiative is newly founded, Maya’s devotion to the arts community has been deeply rooted in her life for as long as she can remember.

In fact, it is something her father, Keith McCutchen, said he introduced to Maya before she was even born.

“I have sung to every child that I had, every grandchild,” Keith said. “I try to start as early as when they’re in the womb to begin singing. When they see me coming, they know Baba’s going to ask them to sing their ABC’s.”

A composer, pianist, conductor and former music educator, Keith received his master’s in conducting at Minnesota University and his doctorate in conducting at Indiana University.

Outside of his career in music education at Tates Creek Elementary, Indiana University and Kentucky State University, Keith served as the pianist for the Lexington Ballet during the ‘80s. 

In 2006, he founded Camp S.O.U.L., a week-long program for young musicians that introduced high school students to African American secular and sacred music traditions while preparing them for college.

According to Keith, spending time and participating in these programs throughout his career helped him create safe spaces, both for himself personally and as a teacher. Participating in musical programs, he said, provides key exposure to mental health and, within that, development of emotional maturity.

“I think that singing and playful singing in early childhood experiences is a great bonding thing for family and for parents,” Keith said. “College education is very expensive now, but this is easy to give – free, except for your time and your labor of love to do so.”

Children play the piano together during the Bridge Initiative’s summer camp at the Lexington History Museum in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

Helping children discover their love for the arts is something Keith said he always found rewarding, both as a teacher and community member.

“I see the potential and the light in each student. Being able to help them know and to understand that they are important, and that when they work together and come together they’re more than  ctheir individual selves,” he said.                                                                                                                  

Dedication to the arts teaches children about sacrifice and discipline, according to Keith. 

During camp, the children learn they cannot do everything they want when they want, he said, which forces them to learn how to be a part of the “group effort.” It also teaches the children to assert themselves by asking for solos or speaking parts, even if it makes them uncomfortable.

The process of doing that repetitively for a week, according to Keith, allows the children to continue to develop and have the confidence to be who they want to be.

Keith said the camp and similar arts initiatives also allow those involved to do and learn about things they normally do not have access to in lower-income communities.

When the children leave experiences like the Bridge’s summer camp, Keith said, he hopes they will continue to know that every space that exists in a community is a public space they can explore.

“They can find opportunities there. They can be a part of community activities that are a part of the society in which they live,” Keith said. “And if they can’t, then they can create their own.”

Children enrolled in the Bridge Initiative’s summer camp practice their ending pose for their end-of-week performance at the Lexington History Museum in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

Outside the box

Jada Turley, a full-time preschool teacher and part-time art space curator, said she spends most of her time helping children get into the performing arts and different art forms. 

Involved in the arts since she was a child, Turley said her love for music started with her exposure to local and musical theater.

During the camp, Turley co-taught vocal performances and helped the children prepare for their final performance, presented at the end of the camp.

“This week has been eye-opening for me,” Turley said. “Going in, I may have had an expectation . . . but really, experiencing all of the kids’ different personalities really gave me some insight on how to deal with kids of different backgrounds.”

According to Turley, teaching the children at the Bridge’s summer camp made her realize just how different each skill set was amongst the children enrolled – something she said helped her learn more about how to level the playing field for children.

“Some people have sung before, some people have never sung a note in their life,” Turley said. “But by the end, we were able to compose songs together, dance together, laugh together, share experiences, and I think that’s the beautiful thing about this camp.”

Creating opportunities for children to be exposed to the arts, according to Turley, is vital, especially for children of color.

Oftentimes, as a young Black girl, Turley said she was not presented with opportunities that allowed her to be both an artist and “successful” in adulthood.

“If you would have told me when I was younger starting off that, ‘Oh, you can do this as a job. This is something you can choose to do,’ it would have been unrealistic, because we’re told, ‘Oh, you’ve got to choose a real job, arts isn’t a real job,’” Turley said.

As a teacher, Turley said she can teach children they don’t have to be involved in the arts in a specific way to be considered a successful artist.

“Even seeing people that kind of do this full time or even part time was really influential to the kids to show that you have options,” Turley said. “You’re not put in a box, you don’t have to work in a factory, you actually don’t have to be a doctor or a lawyer. If you want to do art, and you’re willing to put in that time, you can do that as well.”

Children laugh during a game of telephone at the Bridge Initiative’s summer camp at the Lexington History Museum in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

The Bridge Initiative founder and CEO, Maya McCutchen, performs for the children enrolled in the Bridge’s summer camp at LexArts in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, July 31, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

Alongside Turley was Taishawn Redmond, co-teaching vocal performances and assisting the children enrolled in camp with music accompaniment. A warehouse worker involved in ministry and the arts, Redmond said his love for music stemmed from his church community.

“Ever since I could walk and talk, I have just been fascinated with big bands, all of the different instruments, all the sounds they can make,” Redmond said. “The chemistry that can be had between other creatives has always drawn me in.”

Redmond said he met Maya when she was involved in a production his church held this past fall.

For Redmond, meeting Maya helped him become an “instrumental” part of other kids’ creativity and allowed him to assist children in their art journey.

In the arts community, Redmond said he believes it is important to understand how others think creatively and use their talents.

“It’s one thing to have your own ideas, and have your own thoughts and processes, but to collaborate with someone else and see what their mind can come up with and what you can create together, it’s harmonious,” Redmond said. “And that’s just one of the most integral and important pieces of music, and just the arts in general.”

Redmond said maintaining individuality, even when working with other creatives and looking at past artists and their work, is important when it comes to creating welcoming spaces for those involved in the arts.

“You can be as big and bold and loud as you want to and still fit in and create something beautiful,” Redmond said. “It’s easy to fall into a space in where you feel like you have to model after someone who was before you, but it’s taken different pioneers in the music industry throughout all the different genres and decades that we’ve had to be able to step out on faith and step out and believe in (ourselves).”

Opportunities such as the Bridge summer camp help children discover their ability to create opportunities and spaces for themselves, outside of the ones offered to them.

“Never ever feel like there isn’t a place for you,” Redmond said. “And if you feel like there isn’t, you create your own space, and it will draw others in.”

The Bridge Initiative founder and CEO, Maya McCutchen, hugs children enrolled in the Bridge’s summer camp after watching their final rehearsal at LexArts in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, July 31, 2026. Isabella Sepahban/The Watchdog

Finding beauty through the ashes

Tania Whitfield, a mother of two and volunteer at the camp, said she met Maya during an event at the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center in 2025.

A volunteer for multiple community advocacy organizations, such as the Kentucky Food Action Network and VOCAL–Kentucky, Whitfield said enrolling her two daughters in the camp not only provided them with the opportunity to better understand music, but to learn skills they could carry with them into adulthood.

“I just think it’s very important for them to always have it, because even when you’re in arts, it helps you with math, it helps you with English, it helps you with reading,” Whitfield said. “Those are skills that can turn into employable skills.”

Whitfield, whose love for music stemmed from her late father, said she always felt that her daughters should be involved in the arts, despite past legislative efforts to cut funding for art programs.

“They’re always messing with the arts programs. They always think that it’s not worth it,” Whitfield said. “But it’s so worth it . . . a lot of the things that I had growing up– it was all through the arts.”

By immersing her children in the arts, Whitfield said her daughters have learned to see the beauty of their community, not just the “bad and ugly stuff.”

According to Whitfield, providing her children with these opportunities has also taught her more about what it means to be represented in the arts.

“Representation cannot just mean race-wise or someone that looks like you,” Whitfield said. “It also means, OK, here is a young woman that has family and children, and she still finds time to help out in the community, to represent the community, and to be able to do what she loves.”

For Whitfield and her daughters, seeing Maya raise a family of her own while running the Bridge Initiative shows others that no matter who they are or where they come from, anything is possible.

“She is showing you the beauty through the ashes, the beauty through the craziness,” Whitfield said. “And I think that is the most important thing.”