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KPAN Consultant Profiles

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.

Dick AlbinRichard 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 AlexanderConstance 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.

Phillis AlvicPhilis 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 BanksPat 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 CarrCynthia 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 CaudillDave 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 ClarkMarilyn 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 CulbrethSarah 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 CuppsDavid 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 FentressLiz 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 FrederickSarah 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 GeagleyJudy 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 HainesSharon 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. HenrichSarah 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 LeonardAndrew Leonard
Performer, Educator, Arts Consultant and Lecturer — 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 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 NewtonDwight 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. He currently manages websites for the UK School of Music, American Musical Instrument Society, Mozart Society of America, and a half dozen sites of his own. 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 and ADA issues as they relate to websites. 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. He is an expert builder in the virtual worlds of Second Life, and has built several of the main buildings on University of Kentucky Island. 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 website re-visioning for small to mid-size organizations.

Fran RedmonFran Redmon
Independent Artisan Business and Programming Consultant — Frankfort, KY

Former director of the Kentucky Arts Council’s (KAC) Craft Marketing Program, Fran is currently working as an independent artisan business and programming consultant. Her 28-year state government career began as a graphic artist in the Department of Public Information. For 25 years she spearheaded numerous initiatives including the award-winning Kentucky Crafted: The Market, national marketing campaigns, and the Product Development Initiative establishing the Craft Marketing Program as a national model. Fran has extensive experience in program development and implementation, assessment/evaluation, marketing, technical assistance to artists and arts groups, shows/events/exhibits, employee management, and strategic planning. Fran has served on numerous state government committees including the Rural Heritage Development Initiative, the Cultural Heritage Tourism Master Plan, the Agri-Tourism Working Group, Economic Development Strategic Plan Tactic Teams, the KAC Advocacy team, and the Kentucky Artisan Center Program Committee. She is currently on the Kentucky School of Craft National Advisory Council and the Appalachian Artisan Center board of directors. She served as a founding and long-time board member and conference host for the national Craft Organization Development Association, receiving the 2007 CODA Leadership Award for Outstanding Service. Fran has participated as a national panelist at the New York International Gift Fair, the Craft Business Institute, the Asset Based Economic Development Conference and presenter for the Festival Networking Conference and the Georgia Governor’s Conference on Tourism. She has consulted nationally on the topic of artisan based economic programs and served on the National Craft Advisory Council for the Handmade Institute on Creative Economies. She received a BFA in commercial art from Western Kentucky University.

Mary ReedMary 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 RitterPatricia 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 ShuttCarol 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 WatsonLarry Watson
Ceramics — Alexandria KY

Larry Watson has been a full time ceramic artist working and living in Alexandria, Kentucky since 1980. He is the recipient of numerous awards at exhibits and fairs and has been published and featured in Ceramics Monthly, Crafts Report, and Arts Across Kentucky. Larry was selected for Art Exchange programs to Kharkiv, Ukraine (1992) and Nancy, France (2006) 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 Art Department. He has served as board member and president of the Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen, and in advisory capacity for the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program, the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, and the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft. He is a recent recipient of the Kentucky Crafted Emeritus award. Larry holds a B.S. in Industrial Technology from Eastern Kentucky University, and formerly worked as plant 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: 06/23/2008

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