We are an umbrella organization devoted to promoting the creation, production, presentation and appreciation of the arts in Kingston and the surrounding region.
To achieve our mission, we:
Advocate for artists and arts organizations
Foster and encourage dialogue within the arts community
Coordinate arts initiatives
Gather, organize, store, and disseminate arts related information
Promote the strengths of the arts community
Encourage excellence in the arts
Foster education in the arts
The Kingston Arts Council is a registered non-profit organization, originally founded in 1963 to rescue the Grand Theatre from demolition.
In June 2007 the Council agreed to partner with the City of Kingston in taking charge of the arts portion of the Healthy Community Fund , administering and adjudicating these grants to the community. These City of Kingston Arts Funds grants (CKAF) are described in more detail on the grants pages of this site.
Annual Juried Art Salon
Kingston Portrait Prize, Julian Brown
Kingston Arts Council Gallery, Sally Chupick
Advocacy Committee, Jessica Rovito,Secretary
Fundraising Committee, Alison Migneault
Grants Committee, Ian Hodkinson
Strategic Planning Committee, Michele La Rose
Margaret Hughes, President
Julian Brown, Acting Past President
Alan Grant, Vice President
Molly Higginson, Treasurer
Marcia Shannon, Secretary
Julian Brown
Sally Chupick
Alan Grant
Michele Larose
Molly Higginson
Larry House
Margaret Hughes
Alison Migneault
Elspeth Murray
Anna Robertson
Liz Schell
Marcia Shannon
Michael Shumate
Mary Syrett
Mary Ann Higgs, Pro Bono Lawyer
Krista Oulton Welsh,
Office Administrator
Ted Worth, Grants Director; Business Manager
Jennifer Radford Gibson, Grants Administrator
As an arts umbrella, the KAC does not make art, literature, archecture, crafts, design, music or theatre, but seeks to support in every way possible the work of those arts professionals, amateurs, students, and other members of the arts community who do.
There are several ways the council serves the arts community.
The KAC works with those who play a role in the success of the arts community in Kingston, seeking to support the quality of artistic work produced here and its importance to the city.
Further to this activity, the Advocacy Group of KAC has begun to offer information to decision-makers at the City of Kingston on issues pertaining to the arts, including increased funding for the arts.
The KAC helps nurture and raise awareness of the arts through special projects and partnerships in community initiatives. Some of these are:
Juried Arts Salon
Kingston Prize for Canadian Portraiture
Gardening Festival
Birch Bark Canoe Building Project
Kingston Arts Council Gallery
KISS Project
T.C.C. Cummings Project