Embedded…

Monthly Brown Bag Discussions

These themed discussions take place in the Motor House 3rd floor conference room in two separate groupings… One for the UALP Cohort Members and one for the UALP Host Organizations. They are most often informal rap sessions, workshops, or events surrounding a topic. The purpose is to continue to unearth implicit bias in the cultural workplace, highlight victories and successes within the fellowship placements, support and correct difficulties, as well as interrupt the direction of misinformed good intentions.

Monthly Reports from Host Organization and Cohort Members

While these reports, by design, require very little time or effort, they are the paper trail that will record the experience of the Urban Arts Leadership Program in real time. Please consider them a valuable artifact and treasured historical programmatic confirmation. The reports represent the opportunity for frank and candid documentation that purposefully strengthens the case that a positive pipeline is necessary for under-represented emerging leaders. The monthly report is simply an email blurb (1-2 paragraphs)... successes, victories, difficulties, concerns.

Alexis has been an active contributor to the Walters in the month of February… Alexis has also been a part of our internal capacity building workshops that have focused on program evaluation. She contributed to the prototyping of a survey instrument for determining student interest in the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East galleries. These galleries are among our most frequently toured, as their content connects to middle school curriculum. However, the tour outline has not been substantially revised in what might be close to 20 years. We are working to make this tour experience more responsive to student interest and to then reframe docent training to better solicit and respond to the knowledge and curiosity that students bring to the interpretation of those collections.

-Verónica E. Betancourt, Walters Art Museum

Renz had his introductory meeting with several Clarice staff in late January and it quickly became clear there were lots of ways Renz could make meaningful contributions to the organization during his fellowship, in addition to enhancing his knowledge of and experience with working in a large arts organization. He is very mature, conversational, creative, confident and easy-going. These are all valuable assets in a colleague!... Renz’s projects allow him to collaborate with several Clarice staff members including Erica Bondarev Rapach, Associate Executive Director, Jane Hirshberg, Assistant Director of Campus and Community Engagement, Megan Pagado Wells, Associate Director of the Artist Partner Program, Rika Dixon White, Director of Marketing & Guest Experience and Richard Scerbo, Director of NOI+F.

- Erica Bondarev Rapach, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

I am happy to report that Kamera has already assumed a large and important role in Maryland Citizens for the Arts. Her current administrative duties are active on two fronts. Kamera has been tasked with being the primary communicator for our upcoming National Arts Advocacy Day (AAD) event in partnership with Americans for The Arts. Her jobs include: contacting Maryland Federal Lawmakers and setting up meetings, liaising with the MD delegation attending AAD and helping to organize and streamline the meetings between constituents and lawmakers. Kamera’s long-term project curating an individual artists survey and focus group is also off to a successful start…

- Nicholas Cohen, Maryland Citizens for the Arts

A Few Words from Our 2018 Cohort

I will start by saying, I am tired! I've had a professor tell me before to make sure I always "max out" in whatever work I'm doing. Run to the work, not away from the work. A typical week here includes staff meetings, paperwork, and 1-2 events. I love the service events that we do. Actually, on Monday, we did a "story circle" event with about 50 guests, centered on drug addiction and mental health. I enjoyed seeing the diversity in the room, from the Lexington Market stereotype, to the few Johns Hopkins students in the room. We are bringing into fruition the idea of making sure this theater is open for EVERYONE, not just people who can afford tickets.

Doing this work has put into perspective my career goals as a designer, because now I am considering being a teaching artist in Baltimore City Public School System as well.