In recognition of the hard working volunteers, staff members and organizations that make the arts an integral part of the County, the Queen Anne’s County Arts Council held its annual grantee awards presentation and reception at the Centre for the Arts on Tuesday, September 27 at 5:30 pm. Grant awards support arts programming in schools through the Artist in Education (AiE) grant and organizations through the Community Arts Development (CAD) grant.

This year’s AiE recipients are:
Bayside Elementary, Centreville Elementary, Centreville Middle, Church Hill Elementary, Kennard Elementary, Kent Island High School, Matapeake Elementary, Matapeake Middle, Stevensville Middle, Sudlersville Elementary, Sudlersville Middle and Wye River Upper School.

CAD recipients are:
Chesapeake Bay Community Band, Matapeake Mural Fund, Mid-Shore Symphony Society, Inc., Queen Anne’s Choral, and the Wye Conservatory of Music.

Supported programs range from art related assemblies and artists in residencies to performance and operational assistance to arts groups. The Arts Council has been making grant awards since 1984. Close to a half million dollars has been awarded to date. The grant program is supported by the Maryland State Arts Council and the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners. Executive Director, Darcey Schoeninger says of the program, “It is completely rewarding to support these schools and organizations. The art related activities that take place in Queen Anne’s and many rural counties are primarily volunteer driven. A tremendous number of hours are donated to the community by our grant recipients. They hold fund-raisers to match their grant funds and go above and beyond in their work to ensure that we have vibrant art experiences for everyone. It is completely rewarding to make these grants to such hard-working people and great programs.”

Long time grant committee member Kathy Draper presided over the evening introducing grantees, who gave a brief explanation of the events planned for the year. She praised the groups for their ingenuity, and their ability to continue on in “…a difficult economic climate”. Draper also told the group that she felt honored to be involved in the grant review process as she is able to see how many great art opportunities are happening in Queen Anne’s County.

The Queen Anne’s County Arts Council is a non-profit organization committed to  promoting, expanding, and sustaining the arts. We connect artists to audiences and the community to the arts.
www.arts4u.info