NKY Bourbon Barrel Walk
TOUR MAP
TOUR GUIDE
COVINGTON, NEWPORT & BELLEVUE
Tour Summary
NKY is the "Gateway to Bourbon Country."
As we did in 2019, we are again celebrating bourbon and art by matching local businesses with artists to create barrels that celebrate the people, places and passions of our region.
The barrels are on display through August 2023 in the entertainment districts of NKY's river cities. Visitors and residents can "take the walk," as the barrels lead them to interesting and exciting destinations.
We have barrels displayed in several cities. Click on the city route below you'd like to see or just scroll down to begin in Covington.
Click here to learn more about the project, which is a collaboration between the Catalytic Fund and the NKY Chamber of Commerce.
Covington's Walk
The route through Covington takes you from the Riverfront through three entertainment districts: Roebling Point, Downtown and Main Strasse Village.
Enjoy the interesting architecture and stunning public art as you explore this eclectic, welcoming city.
COVINGTON RIVERFRONT
LOCATION: NKY Convention Center, 1 W. RiverCenter Blvd., Covington
SPONSOR: NKY Convention Center
ARTIST: Kim Vanlandingham
ARTIST STATEMENT: Want a room with a view? Visit the Northern Kentucky Convention Center for an event and take a stroll around to see some of our iconic views by the river. I was truly intrigued by this lamp post down by Riverside Drive. Probably un-noticed by most, its beautiful design just spoke to me.
COVINGTON RIVERFRONT
LOCATION: NKY Convention Center, 1 W. RiverCenter Blvd., Covington
SPONSOR: NKY Convention Center
ARTIST: Lizzy Milligan
COVINGTON RIVERFRONT
LOCATION: Trinity Church, 326 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: NKY Tri-ED
ARTIST: Rebekah Del Matto
ARTIST STATEMENT: NKY Tri-Ed and I are both passionate about equality and inclusivity. We wanted to make sure that was the forefront of the design. Using the bridges of NKY to display the connection and elevation of what can be!
COVINGTON RIVERFRONT
LOCATION: Learning Grove, 333 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: The Catalytic Fund
ARTIST: Jill Morenz
ARTIST STATEMENT: I love to read, so my design features the spines of books, some of which come together to create the trunk of a tree.
COVINGTON RIVERFRONT
LOCATION: RiverCenter Towers, 50 E. RiverCenter Blvd., Covington
SPONSOR: Odyssey Financial Advisors
ARTIST: Zijah Popajah
ARTIST STATEMENT: I love to paint local scenery. With a mix of cool and warm tones, this design aims to capture the beauty of the Cincinnati Skyline, featuring a riverboat in the foreground that is sailing towards the setting sun.
COVINGTON RIVERFRONT
LOCATION: East RiverCenter Blvd., Covington
SPONSOR: BM2 Freight
ARTIST: Zijah Popajah
ARTIST STATEMENT: I love to explore the natural beauty of the city through my art. My design features the Cincinnati Riverfront, set against the backdrop of a summer sunset.
RUNNER UP for the NKY Proud Award for best representation of the Northern Kentucky region.
and
RUNNER UP for the Best of the Best Award.
COVINGTON RIVERFRONT
LOCATION: East RiverCenter Blvd., Covington
SPONSOR: eGateway Capital
ARTIST: Matt Eckerle
COVINGTON RIVERFRONT
LOCATION: East RiverCenter Blvd., Covington
SPONSOR: Horizon Community Funds
ARTIST: Sabrina Mantle
COVINGTON RIVERFRONT
LOCATION: The Gruff, 129 E. 2nd St., Covington
SPONSOR: meetNKY
ARTIST: Ben Kaczmarek
ARTIST STATEMENT: I love the Northern Kentucky area. In my barrel designs I’ve represented a few of the local attractions in given areas of town. I tend to, in all my works, use bold, highly contrasting and Chromatic areas of color.
COVINGTON'S ROEBLING ROW NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Roebling Row Apartments, 240 Greenup St., Covington
SPONSOR: OneNKY Alliance
ARTIST: James Billiter
ARTIST STATEMENT: James Billiter of Billiter Studio is a designer and artist specializing in illustration. His work celebrates place-making and cultural history with the intent of inspiring community pride and belonging in the viewer. His barrel for OneNKY Alliance highlights cultural landmarks from Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties — all communities benefiting from OneNKY’s leadership and initiatives.
COVINGTON'S ROEBLING ROW NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Roebling Point Books & Coffee, 306 Greenup, Covington
SPONSOR: Normand & Lisa Desmarais
ARTIST: Alisha Mason
ARTIST STATEMENT: This barrel is for Normand and Lisa Desmarais, who will eventually put it at their lake house, which is where the inspiration for wooded scenes came from.
COVINGTON'S ROEBLING ROW NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Keystone Bar & Grill, 313 Greenup, Covington
SPONSOR: Step CG
ARTIST: Katrina Dienno
COVINGTON'S ROEBLING ROW NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Smoke Justis, 302 Court St., Covington
SPONSOR: Stock Yards Bank & Trust
ARTIST: Linda Bittner
COVINGTON'S ROEBLING ROW NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Frosthaus, 115 Park Pl., Covington
SPONSOR: Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center
ARTIST: Trent Redmon
ARTIST STATEMENT: This barrel is a love letter to Kentucky. Bourbon rains down from the sky as horses and jockeys race around a winding rickety track. Animals, people, and various other Kentucky icons adorn the background in a chaotic cartoon scene. The top of the barrel is a tribute to Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center in Covington, KY where I teach art classes for kids. I’m extremely grateful to be able to paint and teach art in this state that has meant so much to me.
WINNER of the Best of the Best Award.
COVINGTON'S ROEBLING ROW NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Covington Yard, 401 Greenup, Covington
SPONSOR: Comey & Shepherd Realtors
ARTIST: Allyson Coffren
COVINGTON'S ROEBLING ROW NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Legacy Financial, 117 E. 4th St., Covington
SPONSOR: Legacy Financial Advisors
ARTIST: Chris Kidwell
ARTIST STATEMENT: In this I wanted to pay homage to the Mural on the Legacy Financial building and portray the birds and the managing principal of the firm as their clients finding shelter in their services.
COVINGTON'S ROEBLING ROW NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: DBL Law, 109 E. 4th St., Covington
SPONSOR: DBL Law
ARTIST: Chris Kidwell
ARTIST STATEMENT: This design was inspired by a vintage postcard showing this Covington neighborhood.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Chimaek, 405 Scott St., Covington
SPONSOR: Orleans Development
ARTIST: Dye Brothers
ARTIST STATEMENT: CHIMAEK - Chicken and beer. That's the order that our chicken wants be sure everyone remembers and just to be sure, he's putting the beer in its place. Or maybe he's about to perch on this newly poured beer that he claims as his own. Either way, chicken and beer.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: PNC, 404 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: PNC
ARTIST: Jennifer Baldwin
ARTIST STATEMENT: This barrel design was inspired by PNC's Grow Up Great program for early learners.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Chas. Bilz Insurance, 412 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: The Pickle Factory
ARTIST: Lyndsey Paynter
ARTIST STATEMENT: The Pickle Factory now houses incredibly cool Airbnb spaces.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: The Globe, 12 E. 5th St., Covington
SPONSOR: The Globe
ARTIST: Jennifer Baldwin
ARTIST STATEMENT: This barrel is painted to look like a glass of the delicious bourbon sold at The Globe.
RUNNER UP for the Top Shelf Design Award for best representation of bourbon.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: C-Forward, 5 W. 5th St., Covington
SPONSOR: C-Forward
ARTIST: Jim Conroy
ARTIST STATEMENT: My barrel has the theme of autism awareness. I was fortunate enough to be able to portray the eyes of someone with autism and I wanted to portray the beauty of the person locked behind the puzzle of autism.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Gateway Community & Technical College, 516 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: AlphaMark Advisors
ARTIST: Susan Mordigal
ARTIST STATEMENT: My design was inspired by the ongoing conflict between the bull and bear market. This can be broadly interpreted to just about any life struggle of opposing sides. The bold colorful background offers a stunning backdrop of style and hope. Here’s to your bull market!
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Egelston-Maynard Sports, 525 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: NKU
ARTIST: Amanda Bollman
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Huntington, 540 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: Huntington
ARTIST: Katrina Rattermann
ARTIST STATEMENT: As a native of Cincinnati and a ceramic enthusiast, I love Rookwood Pottery! My design was inspired by the massive Rookwood tile arches at the entrances of the Carew Tower Arcade. Both the repeating floral pattern and the Art Deco style are featured in the design.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Smith Law, 605 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: Smith Law
ARTIST: Emily Stamm
ARTIST STATEMENT: Here come the horses!! I am proud of my home state of Kentucky! In the spring, the Kentucky Derby is such a happy celebration and I am all for celebrating the good things in Kentucky!!
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: The Hannaford, 619 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: C-Forward
ARTIST: Tiffany Grider
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: East to Vest, 10 W. Pike St., Covington
SPONSOR: Gravity Diagnostics
ARTIST: David Rice
ARTIST STATEMENT: This design highlights all the work that Gravity Diagnostics does for health care in our region.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: City Hall, 20 W. Pike St., Covington
SPONSOR: TiER1 Performance Solutions
ARTIST: Steven Montag
RUNNER UP for the Colossally Creative Award for most creative barrel design.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Point Perk Coffee, 43 W. Pike St., Covington
SPONSOR: Scooter Media
ARTIST: Ybette Inojosa
ARTIST STATEMENT: Coffee!!
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Madison Event Center, 700 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: FFR Wealth Team
ARTIST: Tiffany Grider
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Revival Vintage Bottle Shop, 5 E. 8th St., Covington
SPONSOR: Revival Vintage Bottle Shop
ARTIST: Diana Murphy
ARTIST STATEMENT: My design features favorite bourbons of the staff and customers of Revival Vintage Bottle Shop. I’ve also “rolled out the red carpet” to honor a bottle from the personal bourbon line of Brad Bonds' great-grandfather.
WINNER of the Top Shelf Design Award for best representation of bourbon.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Rich's Proper Food & Drink, 701 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: Ion Center for Violence Prevention
ARTIST: Pinky Sivrais
ARTIST STATEMENT: I really wanted to take The Ion Center's positive messaging and make it a bold, attention-grabbing statement. I love using high contrast and thick lines in my pieces, and I really tried to embrace that to the fullest extent on the barrel, so those values could translate even from far away.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Rich's Proper Food & Drink, 701 Madison Ave., Covington
SPONSOR: VonLehman
ARTIST: Deborah Thornberry
ARTIST STATEMENT: My granddaughter is 4 and loved flying kites this spring, when asked to do the barrel for VonLehman, we have what is called a service shape. It’s the shape created by the overlapping V and L. In looking at it I saw a kite, which fit perfectly with the firm as they are always reaching for new heights, which in turn led to the diversity of the children as the firm strives to implement this in the workplace.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Parlor on 7th, 43 W. 7th St., Covington
SPONSOR: Rudler
ARTIST: Jimmy Henkenberns
ARTIST STATEMENT: I have always enjoyed the juxtaposition of different elements coming together. So, I have the space background in warmer colors counterbalanced by the splatters of cooler colors.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: Duveneck Statue, Pike & Washington, Covington
SPONSOR: Verst Logistics
ARTIST: Elizabeth Murray
ARTIST STATEMENT: The images are iconic family spaces and places in Northern Kentucky along with the connection of towns via roads or now, technology. Parts of the images will fade with time, just as some of our memories do, reflecting on the passage of time, people and places.
WINNER of the NKY Proud Award for best representation of the Northern Kentucky region.
COVINGTON'S DOWNTOWN
LOCATION: The Point Arc, 629 Washington, Covington
SPONSOR: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
ARTIST: Donovan Dietrich
COVINGTON'S MUTTER GOTTES NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Flying axes, 100 W. 6th St., Covington
SPONSOR: Covington Business Council
ARTIST: Jennifer Baldwin
ARTIST STATEMENT: Celebrating 50 years of this impactful organization.
COVINGTON'S MUTTER GOTTES NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Greenline Salon, 201 W. 6th St., Covington
SPONSOR: The Carri Chandler Family
ARTIST: Lori Kay Farr
ARTIST STATEMENT: "Garden Flowers" My design was inspired by my sponsor and my love of flowers. I took inspiration from vintage garden flowers that our family grew in our yards. The yellow lemon drop peonies and the orange zinnias were some of our favorites.
COVINGTON'S MUTTER GOTTES NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Craig & 6th Streets, Covington
SPONSOR: C-Forward
ARTIST: Eileen Byrne-Smock
ARTIST STATEMENT: C-Forward Information Technologies, with locations in NKY, Lexington, and Louisville, provides IT solutions from Cloud Computing, Email management and hosted Exchange Servers to Data and Disaster Recovery. These services, as well as others, are provided to small and mid-size businesses. My barrel design is a representation of how nearly all of our current technology is “in the cloud” - from handhelds, to files, to computers. The satellites and towers send the signals to the devices to keep us connected.
COVINGTON'S MUTTER GOTTES NEIGHBORHOOD
LOCATION: Craig & 6th Streets, Covington
SPONSOR: St. Elizabeth Healthcare
ARTIST: Diana Cendales
COVINGTON'S MAIN STRASSE VILLAGE
LOCATION: 6th Street, Covington
SPONSOR: St. Elizabeth Healthcare
ARTIST: Jennifer Baldwin
COVINGTON'S MAIN STRASSE VILLAGE
LOCATION: Near 602 W. 6th Street, Covington
SPONSOR: AGNT
ARTIST: AGNT
ARTIST STATEMENT: AGNT created an interactive art installation out of its barrel, with a mission to send passers-by through the storied history of the MainStrasse Village while welcoming them into the world of NFTs by minting free Proof of Attendance tokens (POAPs). Simply tap your phone on the device embedded in the barrel head to get started. If you have trouble getting the website to open, you can go directly to the website here.
COVINGTON'S MAIN STRASSE VILLAGE
LOCATION: Spoon, 501 Main St., Covington
SPONSOR: Alpine Valley Water
ARTIST: Betsy LaSorella
COVINGTON'S MAIN STRASSE VILLAGE
LOCATION: Lisse Steakhuis, 530 Main St., Covington
SPONSOR: Jeanne Schroer & Michael Dinn
ARTIST: Anne-Marie Herrera
ARTIST STATEMENT: A forest is very much like a community. Standing tall together, intertwined and connected.
COVINGTON'S MAIN STRASSE VILLAGE
LOCATION: Wiseguy's, 603 Main St., Covington
SPONSOR: Tour With Us KY
ARTIST: Matt Meyung
ARTIST STATEMENT: Celebrating all the great bars, restaurants and distilleries on the B-Line.
COVINGTON'S MAIN STRASSE VILLAGE
LOCATION: OKBB, 629 Main St., Covington
SPONSOR: Cork 'n Bottle
ARTIST: Spencer Schwier
COVINGTON'S MAIN STRASSE VILLAGE
LOCATION: Crafts & Vines, 642 Main St., Covington
SPONSOR: Firestone Building Products
ARTIST: Brian Beck
ARTIST STATEMENT: This design shows Firestone's manufacturing process from start to finish.
COVINGTON'S MAIN STRASSE VILLAGE
LOCATION: Kaleidoscope Stained Glass, 704 Main St., Covington
SPONSOR: Jack's Glass
ARTIST: June Pfaff Daley
ARTIST STATEMENT: "A Bengal's Pane in the Glass" When the roar of the jungle causes an unfortunate crack in the windshield, our beloved #9 drives in for repairs as the Northern Kentucky landscape reflects in the glass.
Newport's Walk
The route through Newport starts at the Purple People Bridge and winds through Newport on the Levee. It then goes south on both Monmouth and York Streets.
Enjoy Newport's exciting blend of the historic and the new, as it honors its past and looks to the future.
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: By the Purple People Bridge
SPONSOR: Southbank Partners
ARTIST: Kimberly Popil Moon
ARTIST STATEMENT: I wanted to show how the bridge brings the two cities, Cincinnati and Newport, together. It’s the bridge's 150th anniversary.
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: By the Purple People Bridge
SPONSOR: KLH Engineers
ARTIST: William Ashton
ARTIST STATEMENT: I was challenged to paint the purple people bridge and what it would look like illuminated. It’s difficult to put somthing like a bridge that is longer then it is tall on to a barrel that is much taller then it is in with not to mention it’s also round . On top of that add the challenge to try and show what it would look like with a dynamic light show on it. My barrel is what I came up with.
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: On the approach to the Purple People Bridge
SPONSOR: Baynum Painting
ARTIST: Anisha Sanghani
ARTIST STATEMENT: I am a contemporary artist with a diverse background in Surface Design, Graphic Design, and Fine Arts. My versatility stems from my fun–loving, adventurous self. I love Amusement Parks such as Kings Island and the idea of riding huge roller coaster...however, I am terrified of the same. Therefore, I manifested my dream by painting roller coasters to attract what I want to do.
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: On the approach to the Purple People Bridge
SPONSOR: Rising Star Casino
ARTIST: Jim Conroy
ARTIST STATEMENT: In this design I wanted to portray the beautiful rolling hills of Kentucky and show the ferry bringing together two states and the beautiful ferry run by the Rising Star Casino.
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: 3rd Street in front of Newport on the Levee
SPONSOR: Gustin Construction
ARTIST: Carrie Bertschy
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: 3rd Street in front of Newport on the Levee
SPONSOR: Newport Racing & Gaming
ARTIST: Jimmy Henkenberns
ARTIST STATEMENT: Over a flowing background of red and blue, there are a couple of classic-style gaming machines. Because they can't be contained, all of the lemons, cherries and everything else come flying out of the machines toward the viewer.
RUNNER UP for Best Sponsor Showcase Award for best representation of the barrel's sponsor.
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: 3rd Street in front of Rotolo
SPONSOR: Rotolo Bowling Bocce Eatery
ARTIST: Jim Dies
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: Near valet parking
SPONSOR: Heartland Bank
ARTIST: Allyson Coffren
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: Along river walk
SPONSOR: Champlin Architecture
ARTIST: Edward Lopez
ARTIST STATEMENT: As an avid lover of photography and every other visual art, I was excited to try my hand at this daunting concept. My design features fireworks over a silhouette of the city skyline, partially shrouded in smoke.
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: Near Bridgeview Box Park
SPONSOR: The Millstone
ARTIST: Jill Jaiswal
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: Near Newport Aquarium
SPONSOR: HSD Metrics
ARTIST: Diana Cendales
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: Near the Lawn
SPONSOR: Newport on the Levee
ARTIST: Emily Mason
ARTIST STATEMENT: The theme of my barrel is “What makes the Levee Great” You will find it features something from every tenant here on property. From drinks and aquatic creatures, to cotton candy and stands of lights, I tried to capture all of the unique finds that make us the fun destination we strive to be. If you look closely, you will also find hidden initials of the management teams, because we are part of what makes the levee great!
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: Near the Lawn
SPONSOR: America's Best Restaurants
ARTIST: Emma Schutte
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: Near Pizazz
SPONSOR: GO Pantry!
ARTIST: Sharon Roark Chesser
ARTIST STATEMENT: In this painting I wanted to share how the GO Pantry nonprofit helps to bring children out from the shadows of hunger.
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: Inside the Gallery building
SPONSOR: Duke Energy
ARTIST: Matt Eckerle
WINNER of the Best Sponsor Showcase Award for best representation of the barrel's sponsor.
NEWPORT
LOCATION: SE corner of 3rd & Monmouth Streets, Newport
SPONSOR: meetNKY
ARTIST: Ben Kaczmarek
ARTIST STATEMENT: I love the Northern Kentucky area. In my barrel designs I’ve represented a few of the local attractions in given areas of town. I tend to, in all my works, use bold, highly contrasting and Chromatic areas of color.
NEWPORT
LOCATION: Atlas Cleaners, 328 Monmouth St., Newport
SPONSOR: Colonial Cottage
ARTIST: Kimberly Popil Moon
ARTIST STATEMENT: I wanted show the main things people remember about the Colonial Cottage. The fireplace was a spot everyone would gather around. They were known for their fried chicken 4-piece dinners with mashed potatoes and green beans. I also wanted to show their connection to the community by listing some of the places they helped.
NEWPORT
LOCATION: Mustang Betty's Antiques, 602 Monmouth St., Newport
SPONSOR: Celanese
ARTIST: Lizzy Milligan
ARTIST STATEMENT: What is more Kentucky than a horse farm at sunrise surrounded by Kentucky flowers, on a bourbon barrel?
NEWPORT
LOCATION: Falcon Theatre, 636 Monmouth St., Newport
SPONSOR: Flottweg
ARTIST: Sydney Shewmaker
ARTIST STATEMENT: My design is inspired by Covington's German heritage along with the sponsor company's roots. It's a modern take on German folk art with a special addition of hops and wheat to celebrate our local breweries.
NEWPORT
LOCATION: Heritage Bank, 647 Monmouth St., Newport
SPONSOR: Heritage Bank
ARTIST: John Kuchenmeister
ARTIST STATEMENT: A colorful depiction of our 2 states, Kentucky and Ohio and one of the many bridges that serve as a connection between the two.
NEWPORT
LOCATION: Reser Bicycle Outfitters, 648 Monmouth St., Newport
SPONSOR: St. Elizabeth Healthcare
ARTIST: Alisha Mason
ARTIST STATEMENT: This barrel is one of six for St. Elizabeth and represents Grant County. They wanted Grant written around the top of the barrel with the Grant County lake and cows incorporated into the final design.