At the Maryland State Arts Council, July is a month for reflecting on the past year’s initiatives while discussing new goals and next steps. The staff, Council and I are excited to share MSAC's new strategic plan at seven Regional Arts Institutes in September. The Institutes will provide an opportunity for statewide constituents to learn about new strategies to improve our services while asking for recommended actions. Dialogue with constituents drives every decision we make and I look forward to our next discussion.
Ken Skrzesz, Executive Director, Maryland State Arts Council
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The MSAC Online Resource Bulletin, maintained by Maryland Art Place, includes regional, national, and international exhibition opportunities, grants, fellowships, residencies, and information on available studio spaces in the area. The Resource Bulletin is updated on a weekly basis and maintains hundreds of listings of arts opportunities, organized by subject and deadline date. Check out the
MSAC Resource Bulletin
today! To post your call for entry,
email Caitlin, the Registry Coordinator, at
caitlin@mdartplace.org
.
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Please consider inviting MSAC Staff and Board Members to any public event that may include donor recognition as part of the programming. Public acknowledgement of MSAC funding, particularly when a staff, board member, or local legislator is present, allows arts audiences to understand the connection between the vote they cast for local officials, the local official’s support of MSAC funding, and how that funding returns to the communities of arts-connected constituents. Please send all invitations to
msac.commerce@maryland.gov
.
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MARYLAND A&E DISTRICTS SUPPORT MORE THAN $1 BILLION IN TOTAL STATE GDP
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A report completed by Towson University’s Regional Economic Studies Institute and released in July found that in FY2018 new businesses and event spending in Maryland’s A&E Districts supported approximately $1.04 billion in total state GDP, $72.1 million in state and local tax revenue, and 9,987 jobs that paid $320.8M in wages. Read the full report
here
, and download the A&E Districts FY18 Economic Impact brochure
here
.
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PLAY IN COLOR: THE PAINTING OF THE COURTS
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In June, Shelton Hawkins’ dream, “Play in Color,” the refurbishment of the basketball courts at Idlewild and Moton Parks in Easton as “Destination Art” basketball courts, was realized. Volunteers gathered to help Shelton, Easton Town Councilman Megan Cook, and Sam Peterson of Project Backboard of Los Angeles, to measure and mark the grid to be painted. Several days of painting revealed a magical sight – a vibrant, colorful canvas on which people will play basketball and unite as a community.
Megan comments, “Easton is an art destination – this provides art in a non-conventional way.”
The project began when Shelton wanted to pay tribute to his cousin James by refurbishing the basketball court at Idlewild, while also encouraging kids to get outside and play. He said, “The goal is to use the courts – to get kids excited about playing basketball.”
The project received a $5,000 Public Arts Across Maryland Grant submitted by the Talbot County Arts Council and approved by the Maryland State Arts Council. Matching funds were raised by Megan and Shelton through the Play in Color Fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation. Easton will be the first community in Maryland to have two “Destination Art” basketball courts in one town.
Read the full story by Jennifer Latham
here.
Photograph: Garrison Dennis (left), Devon Beck, Sam Peterson, of Project Backboard, Easton Town Councilman Megan Cook, Shelton Hawkins, Patricia Hawkins, and Olivia Marrison helped paint the “Destination Art” basketball court at Idlewild Park in Easton.
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MARYLAND'S TENTH POET LAUREATE, GRACE CAVALIERI, IS ON THE MOVE ACTIVATING POETRY THROUGHOUT MARYLAND
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Poetry in Maryland has never been more active. Since her inauguration by Governor Hogan, Maryland Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri has visited several Maryland counties with readings and workshops.
- July featured a poetry festival in Hagerstown's Flying Camel Literary Cafe, with open mic poetry round ups, workshops and concerts with Cam Millard's jazz trio.
- Grace is recording Maryland poets for a Maryland Poet's Archive. Six poets are now ready for podcasts, including Seema Reza, with weekly recording sessions scheduled through 2019-2020.
- Baltimore was the scene of An Die Musik with musician, critic, and songwriter Geoff Himes.
Future Notices:
Grace will visit Baltimore's Augsburg Lutheran Home and Village in August and has visited several other similar facilities since her tenure began including the national Lutheran Home in Rockville.
Workshops for teens, ages 13-18, are planned monthly, beginning September 2019: scheduled in Wicomico, Dorchester, Harford, Prince George's, Talbot, and Allegany counties.
Photograph: Grace Cavalieri reading at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
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AKEA BRIONNE BROWN IS THE WINNER OF THE JANET & WALTER SONDHEIM ARTSCAPE PRIZE
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It’s official:
Akea Brionne Brown
is the winner of the
Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize.
On Saturday, July 13 the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts hosted the 14th annual Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize ceremony at The Walters Art Museum, where jurors selected Akea Brionne Brown as the 2019 winner of the highly esteemed prize. The 14th annual Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize awards a $25,000 fellowship to assist in furthering the career of a visual artist or visual artist collaborators living and working in the Greater Baltimore region. The Sondheim Artscape Prize also provides regional artists the opportunity to exhibit their works at the Walters Art Museum.
The exhibition of Akea's work, along with six other finalists who were awarded $2,500 prizes, will be on view at the Walters through August 11, 2019. Additionally, there will be an exhibition of the 24 semifinalists work on view at One Charles Center located at 100 N. Charles Street with a reception to be held this evening. Additional information can be found
here.
Akea Brionne Brown (Baltimore, MD) is an emerging photographer that investigates the implications of historical racial and social structures in relation to the development of contemporary black life and identity within America. With a particular focus on the ways in which history influences the contemporary cultural milieu of the American black middle class, Brown explores today's African-American community as it relates to historical forms of oppression, discrimination and segregation in American history. She received a Visual Task Force scholarship from the National Association of Black Journalists. Her work is featured in the Smithsonian’s Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, and was recently acquired by Los Angeles Center for Digital Art. She was the 2018 winner of Duke University’s Archive of Documentary Arts Collection’s Documentarian of Color award. Her series, Black Picket Fences, was acquired for their permanent collection at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. She was also chosen to attend the 7th annual New York Portfolio Review in 2018.
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Summer is here at the Natural Dye Farm and both black-eyed Susan and marigold flowers are in full bloom! The black-eyed Susan, Maryland's state flower and one of many bioregional plants, produces a beautiful olive green shade of dye on fabric. Marigold flowers produce a variety of yellow shades. All of these beautiful blossoms are waiting to be harvested for the next step, and we need your help! Please contact Claire Runguist at
claire.runquist@parksandpeople.org
if you are interested in volunteering at the Natural Dye Farm with the Parks and People Foundation.
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Artist Highlight:
Eileen Carson Schatz, Director of Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble (1953 - 2019)
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Eileen Carson Schatz, 66, director of Anne Arundel County’s Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble and co-founder of the Fiddle Puppet Cloggers, passed away on July 10, after an illness. Firmly rooted in Appalachian traditional clogging, Carson Schatz devoted her life to performing and teaching the art form that inspired her. The Maryland State Arts Council sends its deepest sympathies to her loved ones.
Remembrances have begun to appear for Carson Schatz, who is remembered as talented, tireless, and exuberant soul. Striking among these are the words from John Lawless of
Bluegrass Today
:
“Knowing that the end was near, Eileen kept working right up to her last day. She taught a scheduled class on Monday at Common Ground On The Hill’s music and arts camp near her home in Maryland, and was able to attend a star-studded benefit concert for her on Tuesday night at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA. It was hosted by friends Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, with guests on stage including Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Danny Paisley, and of course, husband Mark Schatz. Undoubtedly, it was an emotional and fulfilling evening for her, and she passed away at home later that night.”
Read the full
Bluegrass Today
article
here
.
Read a full bio of Eileen Carson Schatz
here
.
Photograph: Eileen Carson Schatz performing at the 1976 Philadelphia Folk Festival. Photo by Jamie Downs.
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MSAC Staff Highlights: New Program Directors, Arts Services
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MSAC Councilor Highlights:
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Emily Sollenberger Dobbins is the Program Director, Arts Services at the Maryland State Arts Council, where she works with a team who encourages and invests in the advancement of the arts for all Marylanders. Emily works directly with arts organizations and individual artists across the state through grant programs that are offered. Prior to MSAC, Emily raised funds for nonprofit arts organizations rooted in Baltimore, including Maryland Art Place, Baltimore Clayworks, and most recently, the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.
Emily obtained her Master of Arts in Arts Administration from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and her Bachelor of Arts in Art and Business from Muskingum College. Emily is an active member of the Junior League of Baltimore, where she is currently the VP of Communications on the Board of Directors. She is also a board member of the Baltimore Chapter of the Awesome Foundation, and an active volunteer in the community. Originally from Ohio, Emily has called Baltimore home for nearly 10 years. She lives in Mt. Vernon with her husband Ryan, where you will find her working on home renovations, rearranging artwork and furniture, or actively working on knitting projects.
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Laura Weiss comes to the Maryland State Arts Council with 13 years of non-profit arts management experience. Previous to MSAC, Laura was a long-time administrative staff member at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore. During her tenure there, she served in multiple roles including Associate Director of Marketing and Media Relations, Special Assistant to the Artistic and Managing Directors, and Development Operations Manager. Laura holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Musical Theatre from The Catholic University of America. She is a Baltimore area native, having grown up in Towson and attending Carver Center for Arts and Technology for high school. The arts have always played in important role in Laura's life, and she is proud to support individual artists and arts organizations across the State in her new role as Program Director for Arts Services at the Maryland State Arts Council.
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Carole Alexander is a resident of Annapolis, Maryland and formerly of Prince George’s County. She has been active in arts advocacy for the last 20 years. She is an independent consultant specializing in creative special events, marketing, fundraising and community outreach. Carole attributes her professional successes to serving with creative people on numerous boards, including the Maryland State Arts Council,
Maryland Citizens for the Arts
and the
Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance (AEMS)
.
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Timothy App received a BFA from Kent State University and an MFA from Tyler School of Art. He has taught painting and drawing at MICA since 1990 at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in painting and an individual artist's grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. In addition to his painting and teaching, he has written on the work of other artists, lectured on his own work, juried many shows, and curated exhibitions of abstract painting.
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Shelley Morhaim was appointed to the Maryland State Arts Council in July 2013. She is a writer and filmmaker. Among her credits are the award-winning documentary The Next Industrial Revolutionand the Arts Education in Maryland Schools (AEMS) film Hard Fun: Transforming American Education Through the Arts. Morhaim has served on the boards of the Baltimore Jewish Council, the Women’s Institute of Notre Dame and the Democratic Party State Central Committee. She earned her BA degree from Antioch College and JD from Boston University. Morhaim is a therapeutic music practitioner for hospice and hospital patients.
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Artist in Residence Program:
The MSAC's Artist in Residence (AiR) Program provides grants to Maryland schools that cover half the cost of a teaching artist residency. Guidelines for the FY20 Program can be found
here
and applications can be accessed in
eGrant
.
Presenting and Touring Program:
The Maryland Touring Grant assists eligible nonprofit organizations by, subsidizing the presentation of any performer on the Maryland Performing Artist Touring Roster. Guidelines for the FY20 Program can be found
here
and applications can be accessed in
Smart Simple
. All applicants will need to register for a new account.
Creativity Grant Program:
The purpose of the Creativity Grant Program is to strengthen the vitality and sustainability of artists and small organizations, in order to maintain a strong arts infrastructure in the state. The Creativity Grant also provides opportunities to serve the growing needs of relevant arts projects and collaborations within Maryland communities. Guidelines for the FY20 Program can be found
here
and applications can be accessed in
Smart Simple
. All applicants will need to register for a new account.
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