Building a Creative Community: Wendy May Recognized by Quinte Arts Council

In just two years, Loyalist College’s Arts Experience has grown from a summer offering for about 60 participants into a year-round program welcoming more than 400 people annually through seasonal classes and workshops.

Helping drive that growth is Wendy May, Loyalist’s Experience Design Lead and a recipient of a 2026 Quinte Arts Council Arts Recognition Award for her contributions to the Bay of Quinte region’s arts community.

Through her work developing Arts Experience, Wendy has created new opportunities for regional artists to share their expertise and for community members to explore their creativity, develop new skills and connect with one another.

Building on summer

In 2024, Loyalist brought back its summer arts program for the first time in many years, offering weeklong courses in painting, quilting, beading, mosaics and more across Belleville, Bancroft, Port Hope and Tyendinaga. Led by practising artists, the Summer Arts Experience brought people together throughout the month of July to explore their creativity and try something new.

For Wendy, bringing back the summer program was just the beginning. She saw an opportunity to build something that extended beyond July, creating year-round opportunities for regional artists to share their expertise and community members to learn and create together.

By spring 2025, programming had expanded to include shorter courses and one-day workshops each season, offering everything from a skill-building class for lifelong learners to a creative day out for friends and family who may never have picked up a paintbrush.

“I wanted to build something for the community, for people who were looking for a creative outlet and a place to come together,” she says.

Shaped by the community

That community focus continues to shape how the program evolves. By welcoming participants, visiting classrooms and hearing feedback firsthand, Wendy gets a sense of what’s working, what people are interested in and where there are opportunities to improve.

Painting and other familiar favourites remain popular, while fibre arts, culinary workshops and a growing range of creative experiences have attracted new participants, including some who travel from as far as Toronto.

Finding the right instructors is equally important. Wendy actively seeks out regional artists, attending markets and studio tours, researching local talent and following recommendations from participants and instructors.

Some are experienced teachers, while others are artists and makers with specialized skills they may never have had an opportunity to share in a classroom. By bringing these individuals into Arts Experience, Wendy helps connect regional artists with new audiences while introducing participants to creative practices they might not otherwise encounter.

Beyond the classroom

As the program grows, Wendy continues to find opportunities to take Arts Experience beyond traditional classrooms and into the places where artists and makers practise their craft.

One example is a beekeeping workshop in Northumberland County, where participants learned directly from a local beekeeper, explored the practice of beekeeping and made their own beeswax candles.

Experiences like this reflect Wendy’s interest in making creative learning accessible while showcasing the skills and knowledge that exist throughout the region.

They are also helping shape the program’s future, with plans to work with more regional instructors and to offer additional learning opportunities in studios and community spaces.

The magic of community

Some of the most meaningful connections formed through Arts Experience continue long after a workshop ends.

Wendy has watched participants meet in a workshop, return for another course together and eventually form their own creative groups. Others follow favourite instructors from one class to the next, building relationships through shared interests.

“That’s the magic of the community,” she says. “You see friendships and relationships happen very organically.”

That sense of connection is reflected in the program’s growing popularity. About one in five participants returns for another course or workshop, and some offerings have developed enthusiastic followings. A cupcake decorating workshop that had just four participants in summer 2025 now often has a waitlist.

Wendy’s vision for Arts Experience, her commitment to supporting regional artists and the community she’s helped build speak to why she’s so deserving of the Quinte Arts Council recognition. For Wendy, however, the award has offered a rare opportunity to reflect on how far the program has come.

“I spend so much time focused on what needs to happen next,” Wendy says. “The award gave me a chance to step back and see how much the program has grown.”

She’s also quick to recognize the many people who have contributed to that success.

“It’s the faculty, it’s the students, it’s the college as a whole supporting the program.”

While the award recognizes Wendy’s individual contributions, the community she has helped build may be the clearest reflection of her work: regional artists finding new audiences, participants discovering creative interests and relationships continuing long after a workshop ends.

Explore upcoming Arts Experience classes and workshops at Loyalist College.