Patricia Young of North Kensington, Maryland, is a long-time craft advocate and an eclectic collector. She cut her “craft teeth” attending American Craft Council shows in her early 20s. These experiences sparked a lifelong interest in learning about all craft media through hands-on classes, meetings with its makers and other collectors and extensive travel to craft studios here and abroad. 

She served on the boards of the James Renwick Alliance (2009–2014) and ACC (2013–2019). Since 2018, she has served with the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+). She is proud to have contributed often to JRA’s efforts to support the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, including donating Sebastian Martorana’s Impressions (2008) as part of the JRA’s 40 Under 40 show. Later in 2019, choosing mixed media as the focus, she proudly sponsored JRA’s Chrysalis Award for Emerging Artists (2019), an honor won by Richard James. 

Trained as a Clinical Social Worker/Psychotherapist with an MSW from the University of Maryland at Baltimore’s School of Social Work, Young said she likes to see herself as a “craft chaplain” by always thinking of and implementing new ways to strengthen and keep the craft village together as well as inspire emerging artists along with the next generation of collectors.