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AFTA award
Theresa Cameron, Americans for the Arts; Theresa Colvin, Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC); Barbara Bershon, MSAC; John Schratwieser, Maryland Citizens for the Arts, Gov. O’Malley; Hannah Byron, Maryland Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts and Doreen Bolger, Baltimore Museum of Art
Governor receives national award for arts leadership
Americans for the Arts and the U.S. Conference of Mayors jointly named Gov. Martin O'Malley as one of three recipients of a 2013 Public Leadership in the Arts Award. The governor received the award at the Conference of Mayors' annual winter meeting, Jan. 18 in Washington, D.C.
"I am honored to receive an award that recognizes how the arts continue to move Maryland forward," said Gov. O'Malley. "The arts support Maryland's identity as a dynamic, cultural and vibrant place to live, learn and visit. But most of all, they have a significant economic impact on our state's economy, supporting jobs for Maryland families."
The other two winners of the public leadership awards are David Coss, mayor of Santa Fe, N.M., and Mitch Landrieu, mayor of New Orleans. Gov. O'Malley previously won this award as mayor of Baltimore in 2004. He is the only public official to receive the award as both a mayor and governor.
In a letter supporting Gov. O'Malley's nomination for this year's award, Doug Mann, chair of Maryland Citizens for the Arts said: "While the governor has made difficult decisions necessary to balance the budget, he recognizes the critical role the arts play in the education of our children and the economic and cultural vitality of our state. Time and again he has shown the people of Maryland that a strong arts community is key to our quality of life and competiveness as a state."
Recently, the Maryland State Arts Council released a study that showed how the state's nonprofit arts sector generated $1 billion in economic impact for state and local economies, and supported more than 11,000 jobs with $399 million in salaries for Maryland residents. Read more.
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It’s time to show your support for the arts!
Join Maryland Citizens for the Arts (MCA) at the 15th annual Maryland Arts Day—February 20—to support broad access to vibrant arts across the state.
Maryland arts supporters will convene in Annapolis to network with each other and meet with state legislators in support of the Governor’s proposed General Fund appropriation to the Maryland State Arts Council of $15.2 million, an increase from $13.2 million in FY2013 that if passed, would be the first since the economic downturn.
Dr. Charles Limb, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine will present the keynote address. His internationally acclaimed research on the connection between arts and human brain development has been featured on NPR, Scientific American and The New York Times. Matt Wigler, a jazz and blues pianist, singer and composer, and a former Artist-in-Residence at Strathmore, will lead the Matt Wigler Jazz Trio in performance during lunch.
Also at Arts Day, MCA will award its annual Sue Hess Maryland Arts Advocate of the Year Award to Susan S. Farr, executive director of Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Ms. Farr is a nationally recognized arts administrator and advocate who has been twice been listed as one of “Washington’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Washingtonian magazine (2002 and 2006). Register for Arts Day online! |
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Cherry Adler Award goes to Magical Experiences Arts Company
In a January 22 ceremony at the Maryland School for the Blind, the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) presented its triennial Cherry Adler Award to the Baltimore-based Magical Experiences Arts Company (MEAC), an organization that presents therapeutic theater for audiences with disabilities in schools and adult care centers throughout Maryland and beyond.
The honor, which recognizes excellence in Maryland children’s theater, is named after the late Charlotte “Cherry” Adler, a former MSAC chair who also founded and directed the Library Theatre in Montgomery County. It was accompanied by a $3,000 prize funded by the Adler family.
“It is an honor to receive an award that recognizes how the arts benefit the lives of children and adolescents with multiple or severe disabilities,” said Joanne Lewis Margolius, founder and director of MEAC. “Part of the award will go toward expanding an MSAC supported Arts in Education residency at the Maryland School for the Blind to its Early Education program. This will mean that MEAC can enter the life of a child as young as three, and see that student through to graduation at 21.”
Emotional Stimulation Therapy, a method used by MEAC, is an interactive technique whereby performers interact with audiences through group dancing and touch, or by sharing props from the production. Former recipients of the Cherry Adler Award include Adventure Theatre MTC and The Puppet Company. Pictured, from left: Barbara Bershon, MSAC chair, Joanne Lewis Margolius, Theresa Colvin, MSAC executive director.
Watch MEAC perform at Maryland School for the Blind on YouTube.
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Arts Council to update strategic plan
The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) announced that Imagine Maryland, its five-year (2009-1013) strategic plan, will be assessed and updated by Dreeszen & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in strategic and cultural planning and has assisted more than 60 nonprofit cultural organizations and public agencies—including nine state arts agencies—develop strategic plans.
In making the announcement, MSAC Chair Barbara Bershon said “This important process will allow us to gauge the success of the past five years and building on that foundation, identify opportunities to broaden the cultural and economic impact of the arts in years to come.”
Updates to the strategic plan will measure advances toward its original goals and prioritize remaining opportunities. Bill Mandicott, an MSAC council member who was Council chair during the development of Imagine Maryland brings continuity to the process as chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. Read more.
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Colvin joins AFTA advisory committee
Theresa Colvin, executive director of the Maryland State Arts Council, will join the newly formed Cultural/Arts and Entertainment District Advisory Committee of Americans for the Arts (AFTA). AFTA’s Cultural/Arts and Entertainment District Project (District Project) will provide a national context for districts and lead the field in a progressive dialogue about their role and impact. It will also develop tools to assist with creating new districts and to provide ongoing maintenance and evaluation at the local level.
Under Colvin’s leadership, Maryland became one of the first states in the U.S. to pioneer A&E Districts statewide. In 2012, Maryland’s twentieth A&E District was designated, and the MSAC commissioned its first study on the economic impact of the districts. The study found that, on average, the districts support about 1,600 jobs, $37 million in total tax revenue, and about $147 million in GDP each year.
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Poetry Out Loud sweeps Maryland schools
More than 15,000 Maryland students have practiced, prepped, and taken to the podium in the hopes of making it to the 2013 Poetry Out Loud (POL) Final Competition in Washington, D.C. The POL program, which is supported by the National Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, is administered by arts agencies nationwide to promote the recitation and performance of poetry as an oral-art form. Students advance through tiers of competition – classroom, school, county and state contests – that lead to the national finals in March.
This February at regional competitions, county champions will recite poems chosen from the POL anthology in an attempt to outperform peers and advance to state finals.
REGION ONE (Allegany, Baltimore County, Frederick, Washington): Saturday, February 23, 2013, 1:00 pm at The Palace Theatre, 31 East Main Street, Frostburg, MD 21532.
REGION TWO (Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Calvert, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s): Saturday, February 16, 2013, 1:00 pm, Calvert Marine Museum, 14200 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, MD 20688.
REGION THREE (Dorchester, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Wicomico, Worcester): Saturday, February 9, 2013, 1:00 pm, Wor-Wic Community College, 32000 Campus Drive, Salisbury, MD 21804.
As many as 12 winners from regional competitions will advance to the Poetry Out Loud Maryland State Finals competition at 1:00 pm, March 9 at the Baltimore Museum of Art. All performances are free and open to the public.
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Farewell to a national treasure
Mike Auldridge, a guitarist who became one of the most distinctive dobro players in the history of country and bluegrass music while widening its popularity among urban audiences, died on December 28 at his home in Silver Spring, Md. He was 73.
Earlier in 2012, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded Aldridge the National Heritage Fellowship, the highest national honor for folk and traditional arts, in recognition of his artistic excellence and his contributions to traditional arts heritage in the U.S.
Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, honored the lifelong Marylander with a tribute concert at its annual ALTA Awards. The concert featured past and present members of The Seldom Scene, the band Aldridge co-founded and played with for more than 20 years. See Mike Auldridge’s obituary in the New York Times.
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IN THE NEWS
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Public Art Enriches Maryland (From Maryland Life)  Marylanders are fortunate to be surrounded by art on all sides—the natural beauty of the mountains, bay, and ocean; stunning monuments; spectacular private collections filling museums and galleries; and, increasingly, fascinating pieces of public art popping up everywhere from town squares to Metro stations.
“We know that communities across the state are invested in embracing the arts,” says Lucas Cowan, public art program director for the Maryland State Arts Council. Read the full story.
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EVENTS
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- Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance is co-hosting a brown bag lunch with the MSAC, February 8 from 12-1:30 pm at the Maryland Historical Society, with guest speaker Suzanne R. Schlattman of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative. Schlattman will cover the basic points of the Affordable Care Act as well as free or low-cost health care resources currently available in the region. Sign-up online to reserve a spot.
- The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is hosting “Hearts at War: Civil War Valentines and Love Letters from the Collection of the Museum of the Confederacy,” a Civil War lecture by Kelly Hancock, museum educator at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia. Hancock will present a collection of Civil War love letters, valentines and home-made items of affection. The lecture, 2:30-4:00 pm, Sunday, February 17, is free for members and children under 12; $5 for non-members.
- Stevenson University welcomes award-winning graphic designer Gail Anderson, the University’s Spring 2013 Artist-in-Residence, for a talk and presentation. Anderson served as creative director of design at SpotCo, an advertising agency specializing in artwork for Broadway and institutional theater, and her work resides in the Glaser Design Archives at the School of Visual Arts. She has also served as senior art director at Rolling Stone and designer at The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. This free lecture is on Tuesday, February 19, 6:00 p.m. at the Inscape Theatre on the Greenspring campus of Stevenson University.
- The new Fiber Arts Center in Denton is hosting “Weaving a Common Bond,” an exhibit of work by Eastern Shore artists Wende Woodham and Heidi Wetzel. The exhibit runs through March 17. Find out more.
- Bromo Seltzer Tower, the historic landmark of Maryland’s newest Arts & Entertainment District (Bromo Tower) is hosting an artist open house on Saturday, February 16 from 1-5:00 pm. Resident and guest artists will open their work studios to the public, showcasing one-of-a-kind artwork. Visitors can also purchase works of art directly from the artists, such as drawings, literature, mixed media, paintings and photographs.
- The 2013 American Craft Council Baltimore Show is February 22-24 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The annual flagship show features hundreds of the country’s best contemporary jewelry, clothing, furniture and home décor. Members of the American Craft Council enter free; the admission fee for non-members is $14 for one day or $25 for the weekend. Tickets are available online.
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OPPORTUNITIES
& DEADLINES |
Deadlines for Maryland State Arts Council programs:
- Maryland Touring Grant: The deadline for presenting arts organizations to apply for a FY2014 grant is Tuesday, April 30 by 5:00 pm.
- Artist in Residence Grant: The deadline to teachers or schools to apply for a FY2014 grant is Friday, May 17 by 5:00 pm.
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (MDVLA) is hosting six free legal clinics this winter and spring to teach artists about legal issues or opportunities that affect their work and business. All sessions are by appointment (email info@mdvla.org) or from 1-4:00 p.m. on these dates: February 9, 23 and March 9 at Maryland Art Place and March 23 and April 6 and 28 at City Arts Building. For more information, visit http://mdvla.org/.
The National Endowment for the Arts is accepting nominations for the 2013 National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists, arts organizations, and arts patrons in the United States. The American public may nominate artists and arts patrons for this award through the National Endowment for the Arts' website. The deadline is April 5, 2013. The National Medal of Arts are awarded annually by the President with the NEA managing the nomination process.
The Kennedy Center and VSA are accepting nominations for the 2013 Emerging Artists Program, a national juried exhibition of emerging artists, ages 16-25, with disabilities. Sponsored by Volkswagen Group of America, In/finite Earth aims to showcase artwork that illuminates innovative viewpoints at the intersection of environmentalism, creativity, and disability. Fifteen artists will be selected for an exhibition in fall 2013 in Washington, DC and will share $60,000 in cash awards. The deadline to apply is June 9, 2013 at midnight. Learn more or apply.
Erin Rehberg, artistic director of Core Project Chicago, is guest curating Connect the Dots, March 22 and 23 exhibit at EMP Collective in Baltimore. Rehberg is calling for artist to submit work featuring original movement, media, and audio work, as well as visual art that attempts to explore interpersonal connection. Submissions are due by Saturday, March 16. For more information or to obtain submission guidelines, email Erin at coreprojectchicago@gmail.com.
Adventure Theatre MTC (ATMTC), the Washington area’s longest-running children’s theater, seeks a dynamic Director of Development to plan, implement, and manage ATMTC’s comprehensive development program. Qualified candidates should have experience in several fundraising areas, and advanced communication, interpersonal skills, and organization skills. View the job description and application guidelines.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Art in Transit Program is calling for artists with public art experience to create site-specific artwork for six future Silver Line Metrorail stations and to create a light-integrated work of art for the future Metro Transit Police District II Substation and Training Facility. The maximum budget for each Silver Line station is $250,000. The maximum budget for the Substation and Training Facility is $100,000. The deadline to apply is February 15, 2013. To request a copy of application guidelines, email Kate McMillan, communications manager at the MSAC. |
175
W. Ostend St., Suite E
Baltimore, MD 21230 |
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410-767-6555 TTY1-800-735-2258 |
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www.msac.org |
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Martin
O'Malley, Governor |
Anthony
G. Brown, Lt. Governor |
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