Shelton Nonprofit Expands Leadership Team

Information via cARTie

SHELTON, CT — cARTie, Connecticut's first and only nonprofit art museum bus, announced this week two new additions to its growing leadership team.

According to a news release provided by cARTie, Janai "Jay" Kemp has been named the organization's community partnership director, while Carly McGannon has been named school partnership director.

"We are thrilled to welcome Janai and Carly to the cARTie team," Co-Founder and Executive Director Clare Murray said in a news release. "Their unique backgrounds and shared care for children's early education and wellbeing will help expand our reach and impact in Connecticut communities."

As cARTie's first-ever community partnership director, Kemp brings over 18 years of experience working with youth and communities to the role.

A passionate advocate for creating safe spaces and fostering meaningful connections, Kemp boasts a robust background in social-emotional development, coaching, media production, and community organizing, according to cARTie.

At cARTie, Kemp will organize the organization's annual jurying and co-curatorial processes, while focusing on nurturing relationships with community partners and student-artists.

"I am thrilled and deeply honored to join the cARTie family," Kemp said in a news release. "As an arts educator, this role offers an invaluable opportunity to empower young children to envision and create the world they aspire to see."

McGannon, who joined cARTie in 2024 as an early childhood art museum educator, is moving into the new role of school partnership director.

With prior experience working as a registered nurse, McGannon transitioned into the field of art education to combine her love for art and teaching and thereby make a lasting impact on young students across Connecticut, according to cARTie.

As school partnership director, McGannon will manage school partnerships, coordinate cARTie visits, and collaborate with educators to ensure cARTie provides the best of the best art museum enrichment.

"It has been so impactful to witness the transformative power of the arts in action aboard the bus, truly connecting heARTs and minds," McGannon said in a news release.

According to the organization, cARTie is Connecticut's first and only nonprofit art museum bus committed to bridging inequities in education and arts access across the state.

On an annual basis, cARTie exhibits a juried art exhibition of diverse middle and high school students' art in accessible, interactive, and participatory ways for young students and their communities, according to the organization.

cARTie focuses programming on PreK-2 audiences and communities with limited access to the arts in education, ensuring them positive and prolonged early introductions to art museum-based learning and opportunities for developing critical and creative thinking dispositions, according to the organization.