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 25 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, Matapeake Elementary, Matapeake Middle, Queen Anne’s County High School Boosters and Stevensville Middle.
CAD recipients are: Chesapeake Bay Community Band, 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, “Though there is less to go around I am always so proud of and impressed with the resourcefulness by our counterparts in the arts community. Most non-profits in this area are volunteer driven meaning that this is a tremendous number of hours 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.”
Applications are reviewed and recommended by an independent grant panel that includes members of the Arts Council’s Board of Directors and non-members. Administrative efficacy, programming, outreach and artistic excellence are all considerations for determining awards. The Arts Council is located at 206 S. Commerce St. in Centreville, MD. For additional information call 410.758.2520.
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