Our Mission
For 40 years, Caroline County Council of Arts has served the residents of Caroline County, Maryland by pursuing our mission to:
- Enhance the cultural opportunities and access to the arts in each of the County’s unique communities
- Promote economic development and downtown revitalization through the arts
- Inspire creativity and personal development by supporting arts education programs in our schools and communities
Our Programs
CCCA hosts a series of classes and events, many of which are free, throughout the County. We also support public art projects and are one of the largest sponsors of Caroline Summerfest, an annual community arts festival.
CCCA provides funding for Artists in Residence programs that bring live, interactive Shakespeare performances and lessons to both of the County’s middles schools. We also provide the Mark Grande Scholarship to a Caroline County student pursuing higher education in the arts.
Our Funding
Our primary source of funding is a grant through the Maryland State Arts Council. We also rely on memberships and donations from the community. We invest 100% of our funds in supporting and developing the arts within Caroline County.
CCCA receives an annual contribution of $6,500 from the Caroline County Commissioners. We provide $10,000 back to the County as a grant to help fund Caroline Summerfest.
Several of our events are sponsored by local businesses who are wonderful partners and supporters of the arts. Tri-Gas & Oil is our lead sponsor for our popular Friday Nites concert series, and Shore United Bank has been our lead sponsor for our annual Literary Dinner event.
Mini-Grant Program
Caroline County Council of Arts is pleased to offer Community Arts Development (CAD) Mini-Grants, in amounts up to $1,000.00. This program is intended to provide financial assistance to Caroline County artists, businesses, non-profit organizations and local government agencies offering special arts activities, and to support cultural programs in Caroline County.
For more details, and to submit an application, please download the complete package here.Economic Impact
Caroline County Council of Arts is part of Maryland’s network of county arts organizations that help promote economic growth and small business development throughout the state. The arts have been proven to attract visitors, businesses, and residents to communities.
CCCA recently expanded the Denton Artsway, our state-designated A&E District in downtown Denton. The district offers a variety of incentives for artists and property owners. We have recently partnered with the Caroline County Office of Tourism and Caroline Economic Development Corporation to attract new businesses to the district.
CCCA has completely renovated and restored two previously blighted buildings in the Denton Artsway.
Built in 1850, The Foundry Community Arts Gallery was opened to the public in 2006 after extensive renovations. With its prominent location on Market Street in Denton, the restoration of the building has greatly improved the appearance of the downtown area (below, left). A complete history of the property is available for download here.
The Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore (FACES) is located in the Hardee House, which was restored and opened to the public in 2011 (below, right). The house was built in the early 19th Century and is one of the oldest homes in the A&E District.
CCCA operates The Foundry Community Arts Gallery and the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore
These venues provide space for artists to display and sell their work, and they also provide space for classes in a variety of artistic mediums. Both venues are located within the Denton Artsway, our state-designated Arts & Entertainment District in downtown Denton. For those who aren’t able to visit us in person, we also operate an ebay shop that allow our talented artists to reach a global market.
The Denton Artsway
An Arts & Entertainment District
The Denton Artsway was significantly expanded in 2015 to include 90 acres that encompass most of the downtown area. As a state-designated A&E District, the Denton Artsway provides incentives to artists and property owners. The recent expansion has created the opportunity for CCCA to partner with Economic Development to attract new businesses to the district.
Educational Impact
Caroline County Council of Arts believes that one of the most important parts of our mission is fostering creativity and confidence among our youth. To that end, we provide grants each year to both of the County’s middle schools for an Artists in Residence program. This week-long program brings live, interactive performances and lessons to students. For many, this is their first exposure to Shakespeare, and it sparks their creativity and passion for the arts at a young age.
CCCA also supports arts education through the Mark Grande Scholarship Fund. We award an annual scholarship to a Caroline County student pursuing higher education in the arts.
Classes for adults and teens in the fiber arts are regularly available through FACES, and classes in a variety of other artistic mediums are available through The Foundry. Subscribing to our newsletter (below) is a great way to stay current on upcoming classes and events available through CCCA.
Cultural Impact
Friday Nites
One of CCCA’s most beloved programs, the Friday Nites winter concert series brings free entertainment to venues throughout Caroline County. From bluegrass to gospel, Caroline County Council of Arts is proud to bring talented musicians and performers to our communities. Check our Events Calendar for upcoming concert dates.
Thank you to Tri-Gas & Oil for making Friday Nites possible by being our lead sponsor for the series!
Public Art
CCCA has supported a variety of public art projects throughout the County. The Musician and the Muses is one of CCCA’s most recognizable and iconic public art projects. The Musician is a life-size sculpture of a male figure constructed of baling wire. He is playing an acoustic guitar adorned with mosaic tiles.
Nearby, the female figure of The Muse, also constructed with baling wire, arches backwards with her arms extended toward the sky with whimsical accents among her hair and feet. She embodies a sense of grace and vitality, representing the performing arts in our community.
The installation also includes two decorative benches with iron designs representing the performing and visual arts. A large mosaic piece incorporates a tree design to represent growth of the arts. The mosaic includes the poem The Invitation, which represents possibility and inclusion, as well as a nod to the importance of the literary arts.
Lead Artist for The Musician and the Muses was Danielle Darling, who designed and made the wire sculptures and designed the ironwork for the benches. The benches were constructed by Matt Tamuty (ironwork) and Jake Jacobs (wood elements). The mosaics were created by Susan Belton, and the poem was created by Harry Burnett. Matt Ghrist oversaw production of the installation, and Damien Dowdall also helped with execution of the installation.
CCCA also led the creation of The Byway Quilt Trail, which includes 16 quilt block replicas on or near historic structures along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway in Caroline County. A brochure and driving guide is available for download.
Literary Evening
CCCA hosts an annual Literary Evening, a dinner event featuring a different author each year. The event includes theatrical readings of the author’s work and a dinner menu based on the settings of the author’s work. Past Literary Evenings have featured Robert Burns, J.R.R.Tolkien, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe, and Mark Twain.