BARTON CHRISTMAS

2021-22 Traveling Fellow
High Art, Low Art

In a series of interviews around the world, Barton explored the boundaries between “high” and “low” art in different cultures, and the ways those boundaries impact the lifestyle and artistic philosophies of these creators. He also worked to catalog the impact of COVID-19 on artists around the world as they worked to build a new post-pandemic vision for creative work in the years to come.

Hometown: Paducah, KY
Current Location: Nashville, TN
Majors/Minors: History and Secondary Education

Barton was born in Louisville, Kentucky. After a few childhood years in Atlanta, he returned to the Bluegrass and began to call the city of Paducah his home. Trained as a balloon artist alongside his father, Barton went to Vanderbilt on a Curb Scholarship for Creative Enterprises, where he expanded his creative pursuits to fiction writing and stand-up comedy. He is thrilled for the chance to live out a new story that will stretch across continents and cultures. He’s also honored by the chance to join Frances and Matt on their Kilimanjaro climb!

At Vanderbilt, Barton’s involvements ranged from Vanderbilt Student Government and VUcept to Tour Guides and Dore for a Day, with brief stints in the Theatre Department, the Slant, and the David Project. Barton had the good fortune to be selected as the Class of 2021 Outstanding Senior, a TEDxVanderbilt speaker, and a contestant on Wheel of Fortune’s College Week.