Suzanne Adams
Community Artist and Educator
— Louisville KY
Suzanne Adams works as a community artist,
conducting projects such as: Conversation: South Metro; M.A.D.D. Gurlz; and
Universal Singularity. Suzanne is the Community Coordinator for the Kentucky
Foundation for Women (KFW), a funding organization for feminist art in
Kentucky. In this capacity, Suzanne shares information with artists and
communities about KFW grants. In an effort to build an infrastructure for
community art, Suzanne leads an artists' coalition in Louisville and southern
Indiana. Suzanne has embraced visual arts education for over twenty-five years,
working within school systems at the middle and high school levels and as an
artist in residence at all levels, including pre-school. Ms. Adams’
experience at the college level includes University of Louisville; Jefferson
Community College; and Indiana University. As a supporter of arts integration
in Kentucky schools, Suzanne served as visual arts consultant for the
Collaborative for Teaching and Learning from 1995-2000. Suzanne understands the
artist’s perspective, the educator’s perspective and also understands
how arts organizations function in today’s world. She can assist with
business planning and product evaluation and development as well as
organizational planning.
Richard Albin Arts Consultant
Artist
in Residence — Bowling Green KY
Over the course of his career
Richard has been a college theater teacher, a producer of special events for
communities, state parks and businesses, a truck driver, a musician, a
comedian, a storyteller, an artist-in-residence in schools, an oil field
worker, an actor, a director, a disc jockey, a radio news reader, and a
television producer. He has assisted teachers and schools in writing grants and
has been a newspaper reporter and a writer.
One of Richard’s
strengths is to help communities create events which tap into their existing
talent and energy. He has helped bring arts councils, city governments, and
school systems together in joint ventures; created community arts events which
focus on an area’s heritage; and developed festivals and concerts
statewide. Richard has worked for the Kentucky Arts Council, The National
Endowment for the Humanities and Kentucky Humanities Council, as well as for
national and state organizations and businesses. He has strong communication
skills, a wide range of experiences, and a commitment to making the arts a
vital part of the community, be it a school, a neighborhood, or a state. His
goal is to foster the arts.
Constance Alexander
Business Consultant,
Professional Writer, MBA — Murray KY
Constance Alexander has a
range of skills and experience in the public and private sectors. A former
AT&T executive, she is a consultant to a range of organizations in Kentucky
and around the U.S. Currently serving as Faculty Scholar/Arts & Humanities
at Murray State University, her first career was as a teacher and public school
administrator in New Jersey. At MSU, she consults with teachers and school
systems to help them integrate the arts into core content. A professional
writer and editor with three books to her credit, she is an award-winning
newspaper columnist, poet, playwright, fiction/nonfiction writer, and
independent producer. A graduate of Leadership Kentucky, she serves on the
boards of the Kentucky Oral History Commission and the Initiative on Rural
Journalism and Community Issues. She is also an occasional guest on the KET
show, “Comment on Kentucky,” one of the few freelancers invited to
contribute to the broadcast.
With background in education and the
humanities; sales; marketing; long range planning and economic development,
Constance Alexander has skills and vision to assist clients in many areas.
Advocacy; audience development; board development; fundraising; grant writing;
marketing and promotions; organization development; program development; and
strategic planning are areas in which she excels. A skilled facilitator, she
has worked with groups of all sizes, in situations ranging from public forums
with hundreds in the audience, to small group settings. She is a presenter for
the Kentucky Humanities Council and is frequently invited to be a keynote
speaker and to present readings of her books and poems around the country.
Philis Alvic
Artist/Weaver/Author —
Lexington KY
Philis Alvic maintains a studio in her home in Lexington,
Kentucky. She has a degree from the School of Art Institute of Chicago and
earned the Certificate of Excellence from the Handweavers Guild of America.
Philis has worked as a consultant in a dozen countries since 1994 through
International Executive Services Corps. Weaving since the early 1960s, she has
exhibited her work extensively and has authored several books including
Weavers of the Southern Highlands and Crafts of Armenia. While
she is formally trained in the arts, she says she has “taught herself what
she needed to know”. She also notes that “many people have been very
helpful and generous throughout the years, although informally. Conferences and
being a part of the craft world have been very important in my
development.” She can assist with business planning, product evaluation
and product development.
Pat Banks
Watercolorist/Artist — Richmond
KY
Pat Banks describes herself as an artist, a student and an
adventurer. As an independent artist, she has worked with artists, communities,
non-profit organizations, corporations and schools on a number of special
projects.
Pat is an active member in the Richmond Chamber of Commerce
and is currently President of the Richmond Galleries, Inc. She has worked
extensively on issues of economic development, networking, arts advocacy and
the environment. Her work can be seen in select regional galleries, one-person
shows, juried events and fairs. She is a workshop presenter who has worked with
numerous groups including the Kentucky History Museum, Madison County School
System, Eastern Kentucky University’s Center for Appalachian Studies, the
Regional Arts Education Network, the Kentucky Arts Council and artist groups.
She has been a juried member of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen
since 1981, an adjudicated member of the Kentucky Arts Council’s Arts
Education Roster and the Visual Arts At The Market Program, an artist with the
Kentucky Center for the Arts, a visual artist at the Kentucky Craft Market, and
serves with several innovative arts & environmental organizations.
John Begley
Director, Hite Galleries at the
University of Louisville
John Begley currently serves as Director of
the Hite Galleries at the University of Louisville and Adjunct Associate
Professor of Art at the University of Louisville, where he coordinates the
Hite’s Masters Program concentration in Curatorial and Critical Studies.
He was previously Executive Director of the Louisville Visual Art Association
which is devoted to supporting contemporary art and art education. Begley has
served as a panelist and juror for such arts organizations and agencies as the
IMLS, Kentucky Arts Council, the Miami Valley Arts Alliance, the Florida
Division of Cultural Arts, the Evansville Museum of Arts and Science and
Eastern and Western Kentucky Universities. He also serves on numerous community
committees such as the Standiford Art Foundation at the Louisville
International Airport, Metro Louisville's Downtown Design Review Overlay (DDRO)
Committee and the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Public Amenities. His
areas of expertise include advocacy, audience development and building
participation in the arts, organizational development and strategic planning.
In addition to his curatorial activities, he regularly exhibits his own artwork
on the local, regional and national levels.
Pat Bradley
Arts & Culture Outreach
Coordinator, CFRD — Somerset KY
Most of Pat Bradley’s career
has been in management and administration of arts-related nonprofit
organizations. After serving as director of June Appal Recordings (Appalshop),
and later owner of Turquoise Records, Pat became executive director of the
Association for Independent Music (a nonprofit international trade association
of independent music companies, hosting an annual convention and trade show).
Pat then became executive director of the Mountain Arts Center, a performing
arts facility in Prestonsburg and currently works with The Center for Rural
Development in Somerset as Associate Vice President of Arts, Culture &
Entertainment. Throughout her career, Pat has worked extensively with
organizational development and management; board, staff and volunteer
development; financial management; fundraising; development of sponsorships and
individual contributions programs; event planning and management; contract
negotiations; and long-range and strategic planning. Pat has also served on a
number of arts-related Boards (including the International Bluegrass Music
Association, Appalshop, and the National Association for Independent Record
Distributors), has been involved with a number of civic organizations, tourism
commissions, and chambers of commerce, and has served as panelist, panel
moderator and keynote speaker at music and arts related conventions and events.
She currently serves on the Community Advisory Board of the University of
Kentucky’s Appalachian Center, as a Board member of the Kentucky
Humanities Council, and on the Board of the Kentucky Appalachian Artisan
Center.
Sonja Brooks
Visual Artist; Owner, Heritage Art
Center — Lexington KY
Since 1998, Sonja has owned and operated
Heritage Art Center, a for-profit art center dedicated to social change. This
venue has brought her rich experiences in artist and audience development,
exhibit and event planning, art education, and community partnerships. Sonja is
a Founding Director of two recently established non-profit organizations: The
Guild for Artists with Disabilities, and Sisohpromatem Art Foundation, Inc., a
non-profit dedicated to the education of children. She is on the board of Arts
Kentucky and is an active member of The Fiber Guild of Lexington and of The
Suburban Woman’s Club of Lexington, a charitable service organization.
Sonja’s career in art follows an almost 30-year career with the Federal
Government. Retiring as a senior manager, in her final assignment as chief of a
career development organization of 250 people, she oversaw the development and
implementation of training and career enhancement programs for thousands of
federal employees. Sonja’s formal education includes a Masters degree in
German, and study in Germany on a Fulbright scholarship.
Cynthia Carr
Ceramics — Harrodsburg
KY
During the mid-1980s Cynthia settled on a remote and scenic hilltop
and established Crosswinds Pottery. The rural and simplified lifestyle is
reflected in her work where she mixes her own clay body and glazes to be fired
in a 45-cubic-foot propane kiln that she built. Cynthia currently works alone
but has student apprentices. Cynthia’s educational background includes a
five-year program at the Cleveland Institute of Art for a B.F.A and a M.F.A.
from Tulane University. While living in Detroit she took pottery classes at
Pewabic Pottery and Wayne State University. Growing up, she had wonderful
opportunities to explore art in the classroom and extracurricular activities.
As an adult she took woodworking classes at a local vocational school. “I
am a scavenger and have a barn full to prove it.” She loves working with
mixed media, combining metal, wood and clay in sculptural forms. Cynthia has
been the recipient of the Kentucky Crafted: The Market (presented by the
Kentucky Arts Council) Booth Design award and comments, “My booth design
is a result of my scavenging.” Her consulting areas include product
evaluation and development as well as business planning.
Dave Caudill
Metal — Louisville
KY
Born in Corbin, Kentucky, Dave Caudill creates artworks for public,
corporate and private collections. His medium is welded stainless steel used to
create a wide variety of structures and images. For eleven years, he has
maintained his home and studio in Louisville, Kentucky and has assistants on
occasion. While Caudill attended the University of Kentucky and the Louisville
School of Art, he left for fifteen years until he realized how profoundly
important art is to humanity, and to his own understanding of life. He learned
welding from other welders and the video that came with his first machine. He
can help others with product evaluation and development and business planning.
Current professional affiliations include the International Sculpture Center,
the American Craft Council, the Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen, and
the Kentucky Museum of Arts & Design, of which he is a board member.
Marilyn Clark
Worksmart, LLC — Lexington KY
Marilyn is the owner and president of Worksmart, LLC, a training and
consulting firm that specializes in public relations and marketing consulting,
organizational development and leadership, and personal effectiveness training.
Marilyn has completed training at the Center for Organizational Design in
Denver, Colorado and is a certified consultant for 360 Solutions, a national
seminar company. She has also been a Visiting Professor at the University of
Kentucky, teaching a class in Strategic Media Planning and a class in
Television, Radio, Cable and Internet Programming. Clark has over 15 years of
broadcast management experience and was the Vice President, Station Manager at
WLEX-TV in Lexington. She has worked at television stations in Dallas,
Philadelphia and Birmingham where she was in charge of program acquisitions,
producing and writing television programs and community relations. Marilyn
loves the performing and creative arts. She has worked in several capacities
while a member of the board of directors for the Lexington Arts and Cultural
Council. In addition, she’s worked with and served on the board of
directors of a number of other non-profit agencies like the Family Care Center
and Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Marilyn has also served on the board of
directors for the Lexington Chamber of Commerce, United Way of the Bluegrass
and the YMCA Black Achievers Program. Marilyn has been honored with many awards
including the Junior League 75 Women of the Year, Lane Report’s Top Women
in Business and the Lexington Herald-Leader’s Top Ten to Know in
Broadcasting.
Sarah Culbreth
Ceramics — Berea
KY
For twenty-six years Sarah Culbreth, a graduate of Berea College, and
her husband Jeff Enge have owned and operated their successful studio, Tater
Knob Pottery located on a 30-acre farm outside of Berea where they craft fine
stoneware, particularly dinnerware. Sarah has worked in clay for more than
thirty-three years and she and Jeff have grown from selling their work in the
College's craft shop to a place of their own, which they have successfully made
into a tourist destination. They have a staff of four with additional part-time
summer and winter employees. In 1971, as a Berea College student, Sarah fell in
love with throwing pots while attending a workshop by master potter Michael
Cardew hosted by the American Craft Council. Her life training up to that point
had been in music and she was a music major. After attending the pottery
workshop, Sarah pursued a position of student employment with the Ceramics
Apprenticeship program at the college and from there her love of throwing pots
took flight. She graduated from Berea College and has pursued the life of a
potter just because she loves it. She says that there is nothing better than
feeling clay slip through your fingers and creating a beautiful piece of
pottery and that she can’t wait to get in the studio each day. Her areas
of consulting include product evaluation and development as well as business
planning.
David Cupps
Arts Consultant — Lexington
KY
David Cupps is an organizational and finance consultant with over 20
years of experience in national, regional and local non-profit leadership.
Currently serving as Executive Director for Arts Kentucky, David works with
organizations that need to improve financial management, increase board
effectiveness, establish strategic plans, and improve grant writing programs.
David has been a fundraising professional for 5 years, after a longer
career as a law firm business manager and financial advisor/stockbroker. David
has been heavily involved in arts organizations all of his adult life,
including vocal performance groups like Lexington Men’s Chorus, Another
Note, and VOICES of Kentuckiana. He has also been chair or treasurer of boards
for other church and civic groups, where he has given strong financial
oversight and budget management for over 15 years.
With a degree in
English, David is also experienced in communications and marketing issues, and
works with many organizations on websites, newsletters and other mass
communication methods. He is also experienced in grant writing and grant
management.
Jane Dewey
Danville Independent Schools —
Danville KY
Jane Dewey has worked extensively in theatre and arts
education since moving to Kentucky in 1994. She is currently the Director of
Arts Education for the Danville Independent Schools. Jane has taught and
directed at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, Berea College, Upward
Bound, Centre College, Arts for Kids, ETC and the Richmond Area Art Council's
Regional Arts Education Network. Her experience in arts education includes
teaching, directing, curriculum writing, facilities and production management
and grant writing. Prior to moving to Kentucky, Jane worked for over 12 years
in NYC and surrounding areas as an actor, director, producer and writer. She
has worked with both non-profit and for-profit theatre organizations. Currently
Jane serves on the Kentucky Theatre Association Board of Directors working with
their K - 12 Education Committee, and serves as the Kentucky representative to
the Southeastern Theatre Conference Board of Directors. She serves on the Board
of Directors for the Arts Commission of Danville and Boyle County and works
with the Kentucky Department of Education Arts Advisory Group.
Liz Fentress
Theatre Consultant —
Louisville KY
Liz Fentress has extensive experience in professional,
community and educational theatre as a producer, administrator, director, actor
and teacher. Liz was the Associate Producer of Kentucky Repertory Theatre
(formerly Horse Cave Theatre) for eight years, where she served on both the
management and artistic teams. This included supervising fundraising and grant
writing, coordinating the new play development and education programs, and
directing and acting each season. Liz also served as the Executive Director of
the Playhouse in the Park, the community theatre in Murray, KY. While there,
she oversaw Board development, financial management, marketing, fundraising,
volunteer coordination and programming of a nine-play production season, a new
play festival and educational opportunities for all ages. Prior to moving to
Kentucky, Liz toured extensively throughout the Midwest with the Guthrie
Theatre and the Franzen Brothers Circus. She was a founding member of the
Irondale Ensemble in New York.
Terry Fields
Owner/Operator of Top Drawer
Gallery — Berea KY
Owner/Operator of Berea Wood Products — Berea
KY
Terry Fields opened the doors of Top Drawer Gallery in the spring of
2004. The Gallery, a showcase for American Crafts, was conceived by Terry from
the many years of experience he had in retail, crafts and management. He is a
seasoned woodworker, beginning his craft as an undergraduate Industrial
Technology major at Berea College. Following his graduation from Berea he
received his master’s degree, also in Industrial Technology, from Eastern
Kentucky University. These two degrees prepared Terry for a long career in
management in the craft industry. He has 18 years of experience as Program
Director and Production Manager in the Berea College Crafts Program, and he has
been President of Red River Hardwoods for eight years and Business Developer
for MACED (Mountain Association for Community Economic Development) for six
years. In addition to this experience, Terry is also owner of Berea Wood
Products which he developed to manufacture and sell a wide variety of products
from wood. Berea Wood Products is a member of the Kentucky Craft Market
Program. At Berea College, as Production Manager, he was responsible for five
production operations, distribution center and all administrative duties. With
Red River Hardwoods, Terry developed a business plan and start-up of a $5
million hardwood products factory and managed 60 full-time employees. At MACED,
he was responsible for implementing Small Enterprise Development Programs. In
addition to his work at Top Drawer Gallery and with Berea Wood Products, Terry
volunteers his time as a member of MACED’s Loan Committee and as a member
of the City of Berea Tourism Commission.
Sarah
Frederick
Ceramics — Louisville KY
Now retired, Sarah began
working as an independent potter in 1980 and was involved in the beginnings of
the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program. Early in her career, she moved into the
national market place via the American Craft Council and Rosen shows and had an
active craft business for sixteen years. She has exhibited in and sold to craft
galleries all across the country, including Bloomingdale’s in New York and
the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution. Sarah’s work is in the
collections of the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft and Ceramics Monthly
magazine. Sarah continues to work in her retirement as a studio artist and
teacher. She can assist with product evaluation and development as well as
strategic planning. She has an M.A. in Ceramics, University of Louisville 1978,
Student of Tom Marsh; B.A. Fine Arts, Mills College, 1957, Student of Antonio
Prieto, Oakland, California; Massachusetts College of Art, Ceramics student of
William Wyman, 1959 – 1960, Boston, Massachusetts.
Judy Geagley
Fiber — Tollesboro
KY
Living in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, Judy has been designing
bears, dolls, animals and other items since 1987. She started her business
twenty-five years ago when family and friends and families loved the dolls she
made from bits and scraps of material and encouraged her to sell them.
Judy’s love for sewing was nurtured by her relatives -- grandmother
“Mamaw” Bessie Schweickart and her aunt, Dorothy Corns -- who taught
her the technical aspects of her craft.
Working out of her home, Judy
has flourished from her humble beginnings to one who sells to stores in New
York such as Takashimaya and Barney’s. She has recently worked as a
designer – producing work for Kate Spade and author Danielle Steele. She
exhibits on a regular basis at the New York International Gift Fair and has the
support and help of her husband, Gordon, a homebuilder. Her consultancies
include business planning and product evaluation and development.
Sharon Haines
Natural Materials — Park City
KY
Sharon lives with her husband on a 225-acre farm, where she raises
flowers, herbs and vegetables and her husband raises cattle. Born and raised in
Michigan, Sharon is a former art teacher who works with natural, dried and
preserved botanicals creating beautifully designed arrangements, wreaths, swags
and other creations. Her love of gardening and the abundance of the harvest
helped her decide to concentrate on designing in this area. Sharon started
serious crafting in 1984 when a county extension agent asked her to lead a
workshop on wreath-making with natural materials and cornhusk flowers. Since
that time, Sharon has become a one-woman show with the help of her husband.
Together, they raise over an acre of gardens, starting with seeds and her own
plants, right up to harvesting and drying. “I do it all”, she says.
She can assist artists with product evaluation and development and business
planning.
Gwen Heffner
The Kentucky Artisan Center at
Berea
Gwen Heffner currently works at the Kentucky Artisan Center at
Berea in charge of the Center's PR, exhibitions, and artisan programming. She
also works as an independent curator and arts consultant for craft artists,
arts organizations and businesses. Gwen is active as a juror throughout the
region for competitive exhibitions and national craft shows, serves as a grant
panelist around the country, as an arts facilitator and workshop presenter
focusing on promotion, programming, marketing, and strategic and organizational
development of non-profit and for-profit groups. Gwen is a strong arts
advocate. She has worked closely with, among others, the Kentucky Arts Council,
Ohio Designer Craftsmen, the Kentucky Museum of Arts and Craft, the Southern
Highland Craft Guild, the Tennessee Artists & Craftsmen Association (TACA)
and the Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen. Gwen has been a gallery
owner for over 11 years and a studio potter for over 26 years. Her curatorial
work spans 13 years and is typified by high-caliber exhibitions for such venues
as the Asheville Art Museum, Appalachian Center for Crafts, the Ohio Craft
Museum, the Southern Highland Craft Guild, and the Kentucky Artisan Center at
Berea. Gwen has a B.A. degree in printmaking and ceramics, and a Master’s
degree in Ceramics from the University of Louisville. She leads workshops in
porcelain at numerous craft schools around the country, and her porcelain work
has been published in nine books. She has exhibited and sold her work both
regionally and nationally through galleries and the American Craft Council
shows. Gwen has served on the Board of Trustees for the Kentucky Guild of
Artists & Craftsmen, on the Board of Directors for the Southern Highland
Craft Guild and is currently on the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft Artist
Advisory Board.
Sarah E. Henrich
Headley-Whitney Museum of
Decorative Art — Lexington
Sarah E. Henrich is the Executive
Director of the Headley-Whitney Museum of Decorative Art in Lexington,
Kentucky. She has PhD studies in 19th century history from Drew University, and
a Master of Fine Arts degree in Museology from Syracuse University. Before the
Headley-Whitney Museum, she was an Assistant Professor of Art and the Director
of The Murray State University Galleries in Murray, Kentucky and the Executive
Director of The Museum of The American Quilter’s Society in Paducah,
Kentucky. She has held key positions in museums, universities and historical
societies in New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania throughout her
career.
Sarah is a private consultant for cultural organizations,
museums, historical societies and arts agencies. Her services include grant
research, writing and organizational assessments with a background of over 27
years of non-profit agency management experience, grant acquisition,
fundraising, governance and trustee development.
Her interests are
architecture; the arts and crafts movement in America and England; Art History
(1825 -1930); 19th century Industrial History; vocal and piano music;
competitive exhibition and breeding of purebred championship Shetland
Sheepdogs, Borzoi and Arabian horses; equine dressage and saddlebred
competition; botany and gardening, and black and white photography.
Andrew Leonard
Guitar Teacher and Performer
— Versailles KY
Andrew brings his experience as a self managed
musician, concert presenter, performing arts lecturer and workshop leader to
the Kentucky Peer Advisory Network. Acting as his own booking agent and
publicist, Andrew has arranged and promoted his solo guitar performances
throughout the country. During this time the Portland Phoenix of Maine wrote:
“Leonard is a guitar phenomenon…see this master…” His
recordings have been heard on National Public Radio affiliates throughout the
country, he has been signed to a management company in New York City and
recorded for an independent record label.
As the Artistic Director of
the Tabor Guitar Festival and Concert Series in Branford, Connecticut, Andrew
oversaw program planning, negotiating, budgeting, promoting and building an
audience. In addition, he has served on the Board of Directors and Program
Planning Committee of the Connecticut Classical Guitar Society.
Andrew
Leonard has given his “Creating A Career As A Performer” lectures and
workshops at Yale University, Arizona State University, the Guitar Foundation
of America’s International Festival and Competition and taught an
intensive week-long version at the National Guitar Workshop. Andrew is a member
of the faculty of the University of Kentucky’s School of Music, where he
runs the guitar program.
Jennifer Steiner Maddux
Independent Consultant
— Pembroke KY
As former Executive Director of the Pennyroyal Arts
Council in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Jennifer brings experience in organizational
development, fundraising, programming, and grant writing for small non-profits.
During her tenure at the Pennyroyal Arts Council, she initiated a merger with
the Community Concert Association, the formation of the Alhambra Chamber
Orchestra, and the acquisition of gallery space for the Hopkinsville Art Guild.
Under her leadership, the organization was chosen to participate in the
Kentucky Arts Council START Initiative and the Kentucky Center for the Arts
ARTSREACH program. A graduate of Leadership Hopkinsville/Christian County, she
has served locally on the boards of United Way, The Hopkinsville Human
Relations Commission, First Christian Church, Christian County 4-H and as Board
Chair of Leadership Hopkinsville / Christian County. She was also appointed by
Governor Patton to a four year term on the Kentucky Arts Council Board of
Directors, where she has served as a grant panelist and grant panel chair.
Jennifer’s education includes a Certificate in Fundraising Management from
the Indiana University School of Fundraising, and a Certificate in Arts
Management in Community Institutions from the National Guild of Community
Schools for the Arts.
Marianna McDonald
Visual Artist —
Lexington, KY
Marianna McDonald is a visual artist working in pastels
and oils with a BS degree in Art from Murray State University. In 2001 she left
a graphic design and management career with the Promotion Department at the
Lexington Herald-Leader to follow her dream of being a full-time artist. She is
a juried member of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen and a juried
artist with the Visual Arts at the Market program of the Kentucky Arts Council.
She has served on the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen board and as
promotion chair of the fair committee, as well as serving on the Kentucky Arts
Council’s Market advisory committee. She teaches pastel to adult learners
and has served as a juror for art competitions with local arts groups in
Kentucky. She has received Individual Artist Professional Development Grants
from the Kentucky Arts Council.
Marianna has mentored artists through
the Visual Arts at the Market program and for the Kentucky Guild of Artists and
Craftsmen (KGAC). She has art fair planning and promotion experience through
the KGAC and the Lexington Art League. As a manager at the Lexington
Herald-Leader, Marianna has had training and experience in work management
issues and promotion.
Dwight Newton
Marketing Coordinator/Webmaster,
University of Kentucky School of Music — Lexington KY
As a staff
administrator, Dwight Newton has created web sites for the University of
Kentucky School of Music, the Baldwin County (Alabama) Library Cooperative and
the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Dwight has been deeply involved in agency
long-range planning processes and has a special interest in integrating
technology planning with an organization's mission. He is also concerned with
universal access, ADA issues and making accessible websites. He has
participated in community development organizations, university and state
government planning committees to address these issues. His own website,
http://www.oriscus.com, contains resources
for non-profit arts technology planning. In addition to the cultural
organizations mentioned above, Dwight has held positions with The Learning
Channel and Centre College. He has done web development work for the Kentucky
Historical Society, Arts Kentucky, the Center for Old Music in the New World
(board member), Arizona ArtShare, ARTability (AZ) and a handful of small
commercial interests. Dwight has a Master’s degree in Musicology from the
University of Kentucky. He is available to advise on comprehensive technology
planning, accessible technologies, and web site re-visioning for small to
mid-size organizations.
Mary Reed
Appalachian Crafts — Irvine,
KY
Mary has been a full-time production craft artist for over 30 years
making cornshuck dolls, angels and flowers, as well as baskets made from the
bark of poplar and willow trees. She has marketed at both retail and wholesale
trade shows from city parks to the NY International Gift Show, sold to QVC
Telemarketing, national catalog companies and exporters. Mary is a juried
member of the KY Guild of Artists & Craftsmen, a lifetime juried member of
the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Crafted Program and part of their
Platinum 10 KY Product Development program. She has been active as a juror,
workshop presenter, panelist and arts advocate. Mary has led workshops on booth
design, marketing, jurying, pricing and has helped teachers integrate the arts
into the classroom as an artist-in-residence. She has provided technical and
grant writing assistance to groups and believes strongly in networking and
partnering with local, regional and state arts agencies and organizations.
As a Folklife Community Scholar, Mary has worked with festivals as an
advisor, helping to incorporate their cultural heritage, arts and folklore into
their festivals. She is involved with many non-profit art organizations and is
the founder of Appalachian Heritage Highways and the Estill Arts Council where
she still serves on the Boards of Trustees. Currently Mary is on the Advisory
Boards of the Kentucky Arts Council’s Market Advisory Committee, the KY
Guild of Artist and Craftsmen, the Appalachian Artisan Center at Hindman, the
Mountain Mushroom Festival and the Estill County Tourism Task Force.
Patricia Ritter
Visual Artist — Kettle KY
Patricia Ritter is a visual artist working in watercolor and acrylic
painting, pastels and photography. She is a juried, exhibiting member of the
Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, the Kentucky Arts Council’s
Visual Arts at the Market program, the Sheltowee Guild of Artists and Craftsmen
and is on the Arts Education roster of the Kentucky Arts Council and VSA arts
of Kentucky. She works in schools and communities as an artist-in-residence
teaching painting, photography, collage and other art programs to students of
all ages and levels of abilities; leads students in designing and creating
murals and also provides professional development to teachers geared towards
integrating the arts across the curriculum.
Patricia has completed
several large-scale murals in her community through tourism initiatives; is a
founding member of her community arts council; exhibits her work at fine art
and crafts shows and galleries and is an editorial assistant and illustrator
for LILIPOH Magazine, an international health and wellness publication. She
served as a Kentucky Arts Council Circuit Rider for South Central Kentucky and
has experience in arts programming for schools and communities, needs
assessment, project planning, publicity and developing and maintaining
community partnerships.
Jean St. John
Center for Great Neighborhoods
— Covington KY
Jean St. John is the Director of Community Arts
Initiatives with the Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington, formerly the
Covington Community Center. The position grew out of a three-year Kentucky Arts
Council Community Artist-in-Residency grant. As director, she facilitates arts
and cultural programs with community residents, partnering organizations,
artists and youth. She also co-directs the Center’s Art by
Covington’s Future, a youth art micro-enterprise program. The Center
received the 2000 Community Leaders award from the Cincinnati Inclusion Network
and the 2001 Kentucky Governor’s Award in Community Arts. Jean graduated
form the University of Kentucky and furthered her administrative training at
the Arts Extension Service at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has
completed Community Scholars Training from the Kentucky Folklife Program and
serves on the boards of Arts Kentucky and My Nose Turns Red Theatre Company.
Jean co-founded My Nose Turns Red Theatre Company with Steve Roenker and worked
as an Artist-in-Residence for the Kentucky Arts Council for many years.
Holly Salisbury
Arts Consultant —
Lexington KY
Holly was the director of the University of Kentucky
Singletary Center for the Arts from 1979 -2005. The Singletary Center includes
a 1,500 seat Concert Hall, a 388 seat Recital Hall, a Rehearsal Room and a
Reception Room/Art Gallery. She was responsible for general management of the
facility including programming of three series, supervising staff and interns,
physical plant, fiscal affairs, and fundraising. Under her leadership, the UK
Singletary Center for the Arts received the 2004 Governor’s Award for
Community Arts.
Holly is a seasoned consultant and grant writer who has
worked with theatre, music and visual arts organizations as well as local arts
councils. She is the author of ArtsWorks, a Children’s Art Activity
Book. She has been a panelist on many Kentucky Arts Council grant panels and
serves on the boards of directors of the Governor’s School for the Arts,
Explorium of Lexington and has served on many arts and community organization
boards throughout central Kentucky.
She can assist with Organizational
Development, Strategic Planning, Board Development, Financial Management,
Marketing and Promotion, Grant Writing, Programming and Audience
Development.
Carol Shutt
Photographer and Community Arts
— Hillsboro KY
“I enjoy helping create a new
organization… and especially enjoy sharing my past experience with
individual artists.”
Carol’s work with non-profit
organizations has centered mostly on program development and educational
offerings. She has worked with art groups, community service groups and church
groups in educational and developmental positions.
She founded Photos
in Common, developing the mission statement and most of the policies and
procedures. She served as Program Chair, Publicity Chair and Marketing Chair
and provided workshops on various topics to the organization. She was a
co-founder of Cave Run Arts Association, which eventually became non-profit.
She directed board development and was the Board President during the building
stages of this group. Carol developed and coordinated a Community Thanksgiving
Dinner through her church which is still held annually and involves members of
other churches and community groups in Russellville, KY. She brought a program
called Food Source to Russellville to provide low-cost food packages for people
on limited incomes and developed a health education program for the members of
her church. She worked with The Department of Social Services in Springfield,
TN to create an Adult Abuse and Neglect Prevention Task Force. She has served
as a board member with a variety of non-profit groups including the Montgomery
County Council for the Arts and the Peoples' Clinic Advisory
Board.
Carol enjoys helping create new organizations and developing new
programs and educational offerings. She especially enjoys sharing her
experience with individual artists as they develop their goals and contacts and
increase their experiences to include festivals, shows, exhibits and jurying
into organizations. Her graduate education has trained her in budgeting, grant
writing, long-range planning and organizational development. She has
successfully written grant applications through the Kentucky Arts Council, the
Kentucky Historical Society, the Kentucky Oral History Commission and the
Kentucky Foundation for Women.
Larry Watson
Ceramics — Alexandria
KY
Larry Watson has been a full-time ceramic artist working and living
in Alexandria, Kentucky for 15 years. He thrives on teaching two part-time
apprentices in his studio. He loves what he does because he is an idea person
who loves to work with his hands. He enjoys the fun of serving his customers
and adding joy to their lives through good art.
He is the recipient of
numerous awards at exhibits and fairs and has been published and featured in
Ceramics Monthly, Crafts Report, Arts Across Kentucky, and was an arts
feature writer for City Beat Newspaper in Cincinnati. He has taught several
professional-level workshops, including “Pricing & The Business of
Art,” and is adjunct professor of art in the Northern Kentucky University
Ceramics Department. He has served as board member and president of the
Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen, on the Market Advisory Committee for
the Kentucky Arts Council, Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, and the Kentucky
Museum of Art & Craft. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Technology from
Eastern Kentucky University, and his prior career was production manager of a
commercial printing firm.
Larry can assist in areas such as Business
Planning, Product Development, and Marketing and Promotion.
Kentucky Arts Council
500 Mero
Street
21st Floor, Capital Plaza Tower
Frankfort, KY
40601
502-564-3757
Toll Free: 888-833-2787
FAX:
502-564-2839
Page Updated: 04/07/2008