The Kent Cultural Alliance (formerly the Kent County Arts Council) is delighted to announce the newly elected Chair of the Board is Jason Claire.  We also are pleased to welcome two new Kent County residents to our Board, Rani Gutting and Jason Patterson.

Jason Claire has been on the board of KCA since July 2018. He is a designer and co-founder, owner of INTERIOR MATTER, Inc. Born in New York City, Jason received a Bachelors from Duke University and an MBA from Georgetown University. After many years in healthcare consulting, Jason co-founded a luxury retail gallery called VASTU. Jason and his husband Mark Dybul have traveled widely to more than 70 countries, but in 2006 they bought a weekend house in Tolchester and in 2017 they chose to become full time Kent County residents.

Rani Gutting an Eastern Shore native, having been born in Church Hill, MD. Rani previously worked as a Peer Support Counselor with the Maryland State Department of Health promoting wellness and recovery for individuals dealing with mental health and substance abuse. She is an active member of the Kent County Drug & Alcohol Council, and serves on the board of Community Mediation Upper Shore, the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice and The Black Union of Kent County. She is currently a graduate student at Salisbury University School of Social Work.

 

Jason Patterson was the Kent Cultural Aliance’s first “Artist in Residence” from September 2018 – May 2019. Jason is an artist whose work focuses on African American History and highlights the role the past has in cultivating our current political and social condition in the United States. Jason also focuses on woodworking and the fabrication and aesthetic reimagining of historical documents. He is an adjunct professor in Studio Art at Washington College and is currently a Fellow at the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience. He lives in Chestertown with his partner Meghan Grosse, a Professor at Washington College.

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We are pleased to announce a small fund for unrestricted grants in support of Independent Artists in Kent County Maryland.  Applications are due May 15.

Applicants must be full-time Kent County residents (for six months or longer) and their art form must provide their primary income.  (Grants are limited in number, and awards will be given based on demonstrated financial need. If additional support becomes available, a second round of applications will be opened.)

We are grateful for the additional support of The Hedgelawn Foundation and several local philanthropists who have helped make this fund possible.

In April, we provided our grantee organizations with a supplemental emergency grant equal to 10% of their FY 2020 general operating grant.  We are doing our best to support our arts & culture community so that they can continue to support you!

Find the application HERE

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