Beyond all the festivals and attractions that lure tourists, Henderson has plenty in the arts and culture category to promote quality of life.
Like most performing arts presenters, Henderson Area Arts Alliance continues to rebuild its audience following the pandemic. In its 2026-27 season, it offers a seven-event performing arts series that includes the touring Broadway musical “Hadestown,” a “Blue Suede Christmas” Elvis tribute, “Artrageous” showcasing visual art presented as performing art, and a concert by country music star Deana Carter. The shows take place at Preston Arts Center.
For its Theatre Summer Camp, HAAA Director Kensington Eck wrote a play based on the “Gnomes of Audubon Forest,” a family scavenger hunt created for John James Audubon State Park by the Henderson Tourist Commission. Campers auditioned, rehearsed, and performed the show in just one week.
The Ohio Valley Art League presents open juried art competitions and artist exhibits at Gallery 101 on Water Street and at the Dick & Sheila Beaven Gallery in Henderson County Public Library. Through Sept. 25, the library gallery hosts an open exhibit titled “America 250.” OVAL also hosts the popular Art Hop, in which “pop-up galleries” open in Downtown Henderson the first Friday evening of November.
Another visual arts group, the Henderson Society of Art, offers speakers and workshops to artists. It annually presents the long-running exhibit “A Fresh Perspective,” showcasing Tri-State artists at Audubon Museum.
Audubon Museum presents art exhibitions focusing on nature and local history year-round in the Friends of Audubon meeting room. That’s a nod to the famed artist/naturalist’s own artistic work that resulted in the “Birds of America” and other nature-inspired art. The museum has more than art, though it does house Audubon’s famous double elephant folio. Audubon lived in Henderson from 1810 to 1819, and the museum interprets his life with a collection that’s considered world-class. Films run on a loop in the theater, and the Nature Center has a wildlife observatory leading to boardwalks and trails.
Not simply a place to check out books and other media, Henderson County Public Library has claimed a role in community history by housing the collections of the defunct Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society. The local history department hosts exhibits, workshops, and speakers, plus offers hands-on assistance with genealogical research. Historians also run a tombstone restoration program that has targeted gravestones in the city’s historic Fernwood Cemetery. This year, to take library services outside bricks and mortar and connect with non-patrons, a Story Walk was added to the city’s RiverWalk trail. The story changes regularly to encourage families to read while getting fresh air, sunshine, and exercise.
