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Marie Cieri, a consultant with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Space Gallery board member Donna McNeil join executive director Nat May and artist and grant juror Sharon Hayes as they celebrate the Kindling Fund's inaugural grant recipients at an early evening reception in Portland.
Pilar Nadal, one of a trio of artists creating the "Portland Brick" project, joins fellow grant recipients Tessa O'Brien and Will Sears, whose "Portland Mural Initiative" was also recognized by the Kindling Fund. The Jan. 9 reception was held at Space Gallery.
Kindling Fund grant recipients Wade Kavanaugh and Andrew Thompson share a laugh at the awards ceremony in Portland. Their works, "Proposal for an Appalachian Glacier" and "Interstices," respectively, each received $5,000 grants.
Tina Jackson and fellow Portland resident Anne Ponsor celebrate with grant recipient Elise Pepple, center. Pepple shares this grant with fellow artists Ayumi Horie and Pilar Nadal for their project entitled "Portland Brick."
Portland actor Michael Thomas with artist Genevieve Johnson, writer Douglas Milliken and Kindling Fund grant recipient Jenna Crowder at the event at Space Gallery.
Alena Shaughnessy and Amelia Garretson-Persans, friends and fellow MFA students at MECA, enjoy the awards reception at Space Gallery in Portland.
Grant recipients and dapper duo Chris Stiegler, left, and John Sundling, far right, are joined by Portland friends Avery Cox of Avery Cox Design and Tim Adams, co-owner and director of brewing operations at Oxbow Brewing at the Jan. 9 Kindling Fund awards reception.
Jane and Elliott Barowitz of New York and Peak's Island enjoy the Kindling Fund's festivities with Karina Napier of Portland.
Jenny Kowtko, an artist educator who lives in Portland, shows support for her friend and Kindling Fund grant recipient Ashleigh Burskey, whose new online arts journal called "The Chart" is one of 10 projects to be awarded the $5,000 grant.
Eliana Gray and her mom Sashi Kauffman of Westbrook celebrate with grant recipient Caroline Losneck, whose project "Home/Resilience" is an interactive social documentary installation and tribute to the last two 90-year-old residents of the St. Mark's Home for Women in Augusta.
Barbara Furey of Portland with Keith Luke of Augusta and Jessica Tomlinson, Space Gallery board member and Maine College of Art's director of Artists at Work at the Kindling Fund event.
Chloe Beaven, a New Media & Public Engagement student at MECA, with grant recipient Ayumi Horie at the Kindling Fund awards reception.
Diane Harris Brown, director of educational and community programming for the James Beard Foundation, with Jared Brown, at the Oct. 21 James Beard House reception for Chef David Turin.
Justin Holter and Jessica Schumcher attended the James Beard House reception for Portland chef David Turin.
Justine Harris, Cri Swift of South Portland, Herb Janick and Eric Seltzer at the James Beard House reception.
Jeff Fightmaster, Christy Bomba-Turin and Adam Beckworth at the reception before David Turin's October dinner at James Beard House.
David Van Slyke, Maine Adaptive's board president; Mark Stevens, Maine Adaptive's immediate past president; and Peter Adams, Maine Adaptive's executive director at the Oct. 23 Maine Adaptive Founders Society’s Season Kick-off event hosted by PretiFlaherty.