A community is finding ways to honor Murry Foust, the transgender Northern Kentucky University art student who went missing and was later found dead in Wilder, Kentucky, almost a month later.

Foust was a 22-year-old artist from Crescent Springs, Kentucky. In the weeks since they were found, the outpouring of love from the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky art community has taken shape in gallery showings, community art programs, and the establishment of a scholarship fund that has already exceeded its goal.

Foust, who went by he/they pronouns, was described by those who knew him as thoughtful, warm, and genuinely talented. He was an accomplished potter and painter, and a musician equally at home with guitar, piano, songwriting, and singing. He had a deep love for nature, animals, and the outdoors, and, friends say, the gift of making people feel seen.

“Murry was someone who celebrated and encouraged your art, no matter who you were,” Bee Wang said, a friend and former artistic collaborator of Foust’s.

Two attendees add rows of fabric to the community loom at Art After Dark at the Cincinnati Art Musuem on May 29th, 2026. Photo credit: Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw

The community’s outpouring of support started from the beginning. “When they went missing, my first thought was, how do I keep myself and others in community so we can process and grieve together instead of on our own? Well, Murry loved art. Let’s do Art for Murry,” Wang said. 

Art For Murry took root across the area in May as friends, fellow artists, and strangers shared in creativity and community through simple art events. The goal was to raise awareness about Foust, while also giving folks a safe space to process. The events were a success at both The Pique Gallery and Art Equals in Covington, KY, and led to the creation of a community loom.

“I was so moved to see how many people came together to offer resources and time to make sure we kept their art [alive],” Wang said. 

Murry Foust’s work was featured in a pop-up gallery at the Cincinnati Art Museum as part of the May Art After Dark Queer Art Fest. Photo credit:
Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw

Just days after his loss, Foust’s sculptural and mixed media work was featured at the Cincinnati Art Museum as part of a pop-up gallery, alongside other local artists at the museum’s monthly ‘Art After Dark’ event.  The theme for May was a Queer Art Fest that celebrated the local LGBTQ+ community with visual art displays, drag performances and various local queer vendors. Attendees from Northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati area were also invited to participate in weaving the community loom from the initial ‘Art For Murry’ events. Various threads, strings and fabrics were available to use, making the piece unique in color and different textures. 

“It’s such a wonderful symbolism of the connection we make in community with one another,” Wang said. “We also used mostly donated secondhand materials and scrap fabrics, similar to how Murry liked to use unconventional materials in their art, and were mindful of environmental impacts of materials being used.”

The loom traveled to four locations in the Cincy/NKY community, with Art After Dark marking its final stop, and its completion. “The loom went from one third full to fully filled and folks at the end had to just tie pieces and tags on. Seeing the loom so full of love for Murry and the community made my own heart feel so full,” Wang said. He supervised the project during the event, and said the stories attendees shared while weaving the loom were impactful.

An attendee adds a row of fabric to the community loom at Art After Dark at the Cincinnati Art Museum on May 29th, 2026 built in honor of Murry Foust. Photo credit:
Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw

“People stopped just to tell me their stories of their connection to Murry or art or just the wider situation of how scary it is to be trans in our current society. As a trans immigrant myself, what really keeps me going right now really is community, to have supportive folks around, showing up with love and no judgement,” Wang said. 

One tag on the loom read in part: “Rest in peace Murry…You are my role model.”

A mixed media piece by Murry Foust on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum’s Art After Dark. Photo credit: Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw

Northern Kentucky University, where Murry was set to graduate from in May, held a memorial on June 3rd in the Corbett Theater Lobby of the Fine Arts building. The university displayed pieces of work from Foust during the service, and awarded the Foust family with the late student’s Integrative Media and Spatial Arts degree, with a focus in both painting and spatial arts. The university said they plan to display Foust’s artwork in the NKU Fine Arts Center through September for students and community members to enjoy.

The Foust family has remained active and vocal through the Facebook group “Murry Foust Missing Information Hub,” publicly thanking those who attended the memorial, donated to the scholarship, and showed support in the recent weeks. Foust’s family launched a crowdfunding campaign online to establish a scholarship at NKU for art students, setting an initial goal of $25,000 for an endowment. That goal has already been surpassed, with donations now exceeding $27,000 and still climbing. Some of Foust’s original artwork has been auctioned to help grow the fund.

Foust’s art was on display at the event, including this sculpture showing many faces on one piece. “Their style of art is very intense, often diving into both their inner world and critiquing the world they were experiencing,” friend Bee Wang said about their work. Photo credit: Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw

Wang said he intends to keep showing up for Murry. He’s keeping their art alive by sharing videos from their time together on his Instagram account, which show Murry in their element – the pottery studio. He also shared their plans to “create a queer spiritual retreat space”, specifically for queer folks wanting to find a spiritual community. “I wanted to bring in elements of Chinese tea ceremoniesthey , and were going to make teacups. I still want to honor that and build this space in honor of them one day,” Wang said. 

In the loom, across the gallery walls, and the scholarship that will carry his name forward, Murry Foust’s presence is already woven in. “Even in their passing, Murry is still bringing communities together through art, and that’s the legacy that they are leaving with us,” Wang said.