Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance

Executive Director’s Letter
May 14, 2013

The membership tour continues!  I hope you had a chance to take in some of the amazing work that was part of the Maryland Film Festival last weekend.  Closing night at the Charles Theatre included the incredibly beautiful, and disturbing, 12 O’ Clock Boys about the dirt bike culture in Baltimore and wrapped with a screening of Mother of George hosted by Andrew Dosunmu and Bradford Youngwith.  My only regret is that I didn’t get to see more films.  Congratulations to Jed Dietz and his legion of volunteers who pulled off a flawless and hugely successful event.  The Festival is one of Baltimore’s gems.

If you haven’t already heard, the American Alliance of Museums conference kicks off this weekend bringing more than 5,000 museum professionals to Baltimore from around the world.  UMBC’s inspirational leader Freeman Hrabowski will give the keynote speech at the opening session on Monday.  That should knock their socks off!

Watch for a special supplement in the Baltimore Sun and check out Baltimore Museum Week.  Locals can take advantage of a wide-range of Buy One Get One Free offers from local museums and attractions.  You can visit the special website created by Visit Baltimore to learn more about the conference and activities throughout the week. Area museums and attractions make vital contributions to our regional economy and quality of life.  It’s time to celebrate them!

As a host for the 2013 MICA Artwalk, I hope to see you all out on Thursday evening for the art, an evening stroll, and a great crowd.

Best,
Jeannie

P.S.  Absolutely loved New York-based Parallel Exit’s hilarious comedy, Room 17B at the Theatre Project last Friday…

Executive Director’s Letter
May 7, 2013

The tsunami of leadership change in Baltimore continues with the announcement yesterday that Dr. Andrés Alonso will be leaving his post as CEO of the Baltimore City Public School system.  Amid the accolades for his dynamic leadership, we are grateful for Dr. Alonso’s commitment to arts education.

I hope you caught the Maryland Public Television Announcement of the latest Mary Sawyers Baker Prize winners: installation artist Jonathan Latiano, photographer Lynne Parks, and cellist Dariusz Skoraczewski.  You can learn more about their work on the Baker Artists Award site.  Watch for the Baltimore Museum of Art exhibition of the Mary Sawyers Baker Prize winners starting with an opening celebration on Wednesday, February 26.  Special plans are underway for the 2013 b-grant exhibition!

Continuing my tour of GBCA members, last night our Arts & Culture Happy Hour was at the incredible Peggy and Yale Gordon Center for the Performing Arts.  The facility includes a state-of-the-art 550-seat theatre, black box, dance studios, and more.  The new Managing Director of Arts & Culture, Randi Benesch, will soon announce her first season and is already developing exciting regional partnerships with artists and organizations from the surrounding counties and Baltimore City.

Hope to see you at the Maryland Film Festival!
Jeannie

P.S.  Don’t forget to sign up for the incredible Mind Your Business event on housing this Monday, May 13 at the Charles Theatre.  The event will be packed with useful information on navigating the purchase of a new home including accessing special discount programs and tax relief.

Executive Directors Letter
April 30, 2012

Well, we knew it would happen eventually, but who wasn’t shocked by the announcement of Fred Lazarus’ plan for retirement?  A towering figure in Baltimore and the national arts community, Fred’s leadership and contributions at the Maryland Institute College of Art and elsewhere have demonstrated extraordinary vision.

The news of his retirement has led me back to the early history of GBCA and the role Fred and others played in bringing to life this organization as a convener and voice for the cultural community.  Even in the early years, GBCA’s commitment moved through the continuum of its constituents from services to individual artists, to organizations small and large, to institutions, colleges and universities.  We are grateful to Fred for his contributions to GBCA as well as his generous spirit, brilliance, creativity, and style.

On the home front, GBCA is pleased to welcome Lauren Saunders as its new Membership and Administrative Assistant.  Lauren is a Goucher graduate, actress and aspiring Julia Child.  She will split her time between GBCA and the Maryland Humanities Council. Please help us in welcoming Lauren and look for her at upcoming GBCA events.

As the landscape of cultural leadership changes in Baltimore and as I continue my membership tour, I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with Julia Marciari-Alexander, the new Executive Director of The Walters Art Museum.  Julia’s wit, intelligence, and enthusiasm for the Baltimore area and its cultural assets are exciting.  What a great addition.

Last week’s tour was punctuated by two wonderful performances: Top Dog/ Underdog at Everyman Theatre and Two Gentlemen of Verona at UMBC.  Two Gents was the inaugural production of, and really showed off, the university’s new Performing Arts and Humanities building.

Hoping to see you at our Arts & Culture Happy Hour at the Gordon Center next Monday,

Jeannie

Executive Director’s Letter
April 23, 2013

Whew, springtime in Baltimore is a whirlwind of cultural activity! If you can believe it, this was my first year to make the Marquis Ball at the Creative Alliance. And what a party it was, but I have to say the highlight of the evening was Jane Brown and Neil Didricksen’s acceptance of the Golden Formstone award for their work through the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation. In a relatively short period of time, this foundation has made a tremendous impact on Baltimore artists and the cultural sector. We applaud them loudly and can’t wait to see what comes next!

It was also my pleasure last week to host a fact-finding conversation with several young arts collectives. A special thanks to Maggie Villegas from EMP for bringing me together with Annex Theatre, Baltimore Rock Opera Society, and Glassmind Theatre to start a conversation. David Mitchell was also at the table and added his perspective and experience to the mix. We expect the conversations to continue and the group to expand to include a range of organizations.

Among the upcoming activities in the next few weeks, be sure to mark your calendar for the next Mind Your Business session that will provide the creative class with loads of information about home ownership. Springing from questions at the Mayor’s Cultural Town Hall meeting last fall and spearheaded by PNC Bank and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, many partners have come together to make this an incredibly informative event. Now all you have to do is come on down to the Charles Theatre on Monday, May 13. Pizza (a la Joe Squared) will be served.

And all I have to do is just stop with the chocolate chip cookies and café Americano from Milk & Honey…

Best,
Jeannie

P.S. Be sure to catch the 2013 Mary Sawyers Baker Prize Winners announcement on MPT Artworks Thursday, May 2nd 2013 at 8:30pm!

Executive Director’s Letter
April 16, 2013

Those of us at GBCA are deeply saddened by yesterday’s events at the Boston Marathon and our hearts go out to everyone affected by this act of violence and hatred. At times like these, our other worries and concerns can seem very small.

But it is also a time when we can take great comfort in those events and experiences that bring us together and allow us to celebrate the human spirit in all its glory. I feel so fortunate that my member tour this week took me to the production of Appalachian Spring at the Baltimore School for the Arts. This celebration of the American Spirit was brought to life with the energy and vigor of youth and strengthened by its cast.

I hope you saw the good news from Maryland Citizens for the Arts. The General Fund Appropriation for the Maryland State Arts Council for FY 2014 will be $15.2 million. This is a $2 million (15%) increase after three years of level funding. MCA has asked that we reach out to Governor Martin O’Malley and our state legislators to extend our thanks for their support. However, let’s make sure we also let the staff and Board of MCA know how grateful we are for their work on our behalf. For more information about the outcome of the 2013 Session for the arts visit the MCA site here.

The sequestration continues to impact employees and organizations in the cultural sector. Phoebe Stein Davis, Executive Director of Maryland Humanities Council, made an eloquent statement to Senator Ben Cardin during his presentation at Monday’s Downtown Partnership-sponsored discussion on the topic. In it she spoke of the extreme difficulty caused by not only the current cuts, but also the impact that the uncertainty has on an organization’s ability to plan and manage for the future. Employees, operations, and programs are all affected by the sequestration’s irrational cuts. Our elected officials must consider what is best for the country and compromise on the budget.

Here’s hoping for better days and thoughtful conversation,
Jeannie

Executive Director’s Letter
April 9, 2013

How sad to start the day with news about the many layoffs at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The economic shifts brought on by the recession and other pressures continue to be felt in the cultural community and we are far from the leading edge of the recovery. The sector is responsible for more than 9,000 jobs in Baltimore City alone, but that is small comfort to the BMA and those folks who lost their jobs today.

On a happier note, my quest to visit GBCA members went into full swing on Friday night at the Maryland Art Place Out of Order event. Billed as “the much-anticipated Do-It-Yourself spring benefit exhibition, silent auction and party!” there was an amazing array of work from talented Baltimore artists.

GBCA Board president Leslie Shepard and I met with the new executive director of Arts Education in Maryland Schools, Mary Cary. She is an impressive leader off to an impressive start and we look forward to working with her. In the meantime, mark your calendars for the AMES Alliance CAFÉ 2013 on May 30 at Towson University for what promises to be a lively and thought provoking discussion about the National Core Arts Standards.

I hope you plan to join us for the GBCA Happy Hour this evening at The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum and that you are enjoying this fabulous August weather.

Best,
Jeannie

Executive Director’s Letter
April 2, 2013

Recently I had the first-time pleasure of taking in The Charm City Roller Girls—new members of GBCA. It was a great crowd, a great derby, and an inspiration to break out the roller skates. Special thanks go out to Ellie Vation for explaining the rules. The only thing better would have been a win for the home team! While hovering on the edge of being a cultural event, it did remind me of the amazing range of work being undertaken by our members throughout the region.

So with that in mind, I am hatching a plan—a mission of sorts. Although I know most of them already, I am going to visit every GBCA member and report on what I find. This Friday night, it’s Out of Order at Maryland Art Place. Next week, it will be conversations with the Baltimore Collegetown Network and Arts Education in Maryland Schools. God willing and the creek don’t rise (and assuming I can get back from Philadelphia in time) it will be the April 13 City Lit Festival at the Enoch Pratt Free Library (is that a two-for-one?).

I hope to see you out there and welcome your suggestions for can’t-miss events, meet ups, and discussions.

Is it spring yet?

Jeannie