The Maine Arts Commission has awarded Wiscasset’s Maine Art Gallery $8,700 in support of the commission’s goal of strengthening the state’s creative workforce.

The matching grant will enable the gallery to fund more time for the organization’s part-time gallery manager from December through June, as well as fees for class instructors and honorariums for exhibit jurors and curators.

“We are thrilled with this grant,” said Wendy Ross, president of Maine Art Gallery’s board of trustees, according to a news release from the gallery. “It’s a validation of the hard work by our board, staff, and volunteers in creating exciting exhibits and programs that increased outreach and visits in 2021. The grant helps us move toward our vision of making the Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset again a premier center for the arts in midcoast Maine.”

The Art Jobs Grant aims to support public projects that develop opportunities and encourage employee retention. The grant is made possible through funding by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

Gallery director Kerry Hadley noted that Maine Arts Commission Executive Director David Greenham lauded the changes that Wiscasset has undergone, and that the community is still transforming and growing.

The Maine Art Gallery, at 15 Warren St., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and preservation of painting, sculpture and graphic arts through exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations, and educational programs for children and adults.

The gallery opens for the 2022 season on May 7. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The gallery will again offer opening receptions.

More information can be found at maineartgallerywiscasset.org and on Facebook at Maine Art Gallery Wiscasset.