Delaplaine Foundation leaders see how students participating in Makers House studios are using the equipment that the foundation funded through a recent grant. Photos by Salina Lazarus
Mount St. Mary’s Associate Professor of Art and Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Nick Hutchings, MFA, received a $15,000 grant from Delaplaine Foundation for equipment in the Makers House.
The Makers House, a unique third space that focuses on community building through the lens of creative making, is comprised of five studios: shop, craft, ceramics, digital fabrication lab, and music lab. To meet the growing interest students have in shop and ceramic studios, specifically woodworking and atmospheric firing, Hutchings requested funds to purchase a new bandsaw, planer, and lathe to expand the scope and variety of woodworking projects available to the community through student-led workshops.
“The students are very grateful for the new equipment,” Hutchings said. “Many students have been diligently making cutting boards and wooden spoons to share with loved ones. None of this would be possible without the generous grant given to us from the Delaplaine Foundation, which affords students the opportunity to create in new and exciting ways.”
The student-led Makers House offers more than 60 free and open workshops per year to all members of the university community, regardless of skills, and works with various local partners in Frederick County to cultivate a 
creative community. From August 2024 to March 2025, the Makers House served approximately 1,500 students and collaborated with more than 25 student clubs, organizations, and departments across campus.
This spring, Hutchings received the Class of 1950 award during the Academic Awards Ceremony. The annual recognition highlights the dedication and impact of a faculty member and is the highest service award given by the institution.
“Delaplaine Foundation has been proud to support Mount St. Mary’s University through grant funding support for the past twenty years for various educational initiatives and advancements. The Makers House is something unique and very special in the Mount’s offerings to enrich the 
educational and creative experiences of its student body and indeed, the surrounding community. Art is a conduit for connectivity and community and this student-led initiative under the direction of Professor Nick Hutchings exemplifies that,” said Delaplaine Foundation’s Marlene Young.
“It’s not about what we make, but the community we share in making it,” Hutchings added. Delaplaine Foundation, founded in 2001, is a private family foundation based in Frederick, Maryland, dedicated to the enrichment of communities, families, and quality of life for all. The Foundation supports programs to strengthen the arts and culture, educational advancement, health, and human services in Frederick County, as well as historical preservation and spiritual enlightenment in Frederick County and surrounding areas.