By Cora Secore

On September 6th, 2026, I got to interview the President of MKAD’s Board of Directors: Jason Mones. He’s an easygoing ex-art professor who spoke very graciously about MKAD. He seemed like a good fit for the Board with how carefully thoughtful he was during the interview, and with how highly he spoke of MKAD’s processes. The perspective of Board members was one that I had not been privy to before, so picking their brains now proved to be valuable to me. I conducted the interview with Jason at The DRAW studio, where various art supplies were strewn about and setting the scene.

“I am an artist and educator,” Jason introduced himself, “I am currently chairing the organization. I have been on the board for, I think, four years now? I’m always excited to help MKAD in any way possible.”

I asked Jason what his particular role on the Board was, remembering it was President and wanting him to elaborate. I didn’t realize that ‘chair’ was his preferred word for it, which led to an amusing little exchange that helped me realize more what kind of person Jason is. “Well I’m President of the Board,” Jason clarified, “But I always say Chair of the Board because it feels a bit more subtle for some reason. President sounds too official. [Jason laughs]. For me, that role entails leading the organization to reach the goals that we hold dear.”

I didn’t know that Jason taught before then, so I pressed him for more information. “Yeah, I teach anything that needs to be taught,” Jason said, “I used to be an adjunct professor at a bunch of different schools. I taught drawing, painting, and printmaking. I actually miss it dearly. So MKAD, for me, it’s a great opportunity to connect with… I don’t want to call them ‘students,’ I’d say ‘interested creative people.’ I find it so valuable to tap into helping people be creative and finding a pathway to making art. There’s something personal about that, it’s hard for me to really put it in words.

“MKAD is so special in that way, our classes are taught with kindness and inclusion rather than imposing a discipline. It’s more open and free and communal. The obligations are less, so there’s more freedom for everyone to do what they wanna do.”

When I asked Jason about how MKAD had contributed back to him, he told me this: “One of the reasons why I am who I am creatively is because there were resources when I was young. There was a ceramic studio that I found on my own and, despite having no money, I was able to connect with the owner and exchange helping the kids’ class for free clay and free firing. I was able to be creative and make art in exchange for teaching. That was the beginning step to learning a process of giving and taking. That definitely propelled me in a direction of higher education and wanting to help others in that way.

“MKAD kind of is a more official version of that, and MKAD helps me fulfill that.”

I had learned a lot about Jason’s relationship with accessible arts programming, so now I wanted to learn about his relationship with the city of Kingston. “I have a fragmented relationship with Kingston,” Jason told me, “My father was born in Kingston and moved away when he was 11. My grandfather is buried in Montrepose cemetery. I’ve always had an odd relationship with Kingston, as someone who’s an outsider because I didn’t grow up here, but also knowing that there is a deep family history. I suppose MKAD helps in making me feel connected.”

I probed Jason for more specific ways that MKAD connected him to Kingston’s community. “Well, through teaching,” Jason started, “Through helping with our events and our workshops, we connect on an individual basis with people. I think the first steamroller event was an impressive way to show the community that we’re doing something out of the ordinary. There’s something incredible going on. And to watch that bloom, like now every year it keeps growing, this year was a full on block party, with food trucks, live music, and art making tents! It’s a beautiful way that we open our doors, go out into the street, and host an event for the community.

“I also love how we’re connected to a young audience. I think that it is particularly important and humbling and beautiful to be able to provide what we do to people of all ages.”

I wanted to know more about Jason’s art practice, as I do with every artist. When I said, “I’d like to know more about your art practice,” he replied with emphatic laughter, “Me too!” It was clear to me then that Jason had a fascinating personal relationship with his art. “So I went to school for painting and printmaking,” Jason continued, “But as I said earlier, I began my creative practice in ceramics. Recently, I’ve gravitated back to sculpture via ceramics. I’m having a delightful time combining three dimensional media that sometimes morph into installations. I am also still painting, so I’ve been entertained making those mediums work together.”

I then asked Jason what his art means to him. “On the days that I like it,” Jason laughed, “For me, my art is a reflection of the time that we are in as human beings, and there’s a lot to talk about. They’re political, they’re sociological, they’re ridiculous, they’re sometimes didactic, and I’ve grown to like holding that court.

“Every painting is different. It’s difficult to talk about them as a group because they each have their own voice, mostly born from my imagination. I have a lot of fun knitting them together as a series of personalities.”

I asked Jason to elaborate more on his love/hate relationship with art. “There are parts of the art world I don’t feel connected to. And there are parts that I love. I think one of the reasons why I feel at home with MKAD so much is because it embodies the parts that I like.

“I think an artist is anyone who makes time in their lives to be creative and to make value of that creativity. There is something reactionary about the creative process that isn’t just from a video or following something step-by-step. It’s a decision to go off-road and to be the odd duck that makes a practice serious. I think that’s what makes someone an artist, finding their own path.”

My conversation with Jason was quite enlightening. Each preceding interview I do gives me new insight into the mindsets of artists here. Each person has a completely different perspective on the arts, and their own individual stories that tie them to Kingston and MKAD. It keeps me excited to keep collecting perspectives from more artists. Jason has a website at jasonmones.com and can be found on Instagram @monesjason.