By Susan Sachs Fleishman

Cyd Wolf, co-owner with her husband of Germano’s Piattini, is passionate about the arts and her community. That’s why she founded and is the Executive Producer of both the Cabaret at Germano’s and the annual Modannari Arts Festival in Little Italy.

Cyd launched the Cabaret in 2008 to give the students at the Baltimore School for the Arts, which her daughters attended, a venue for performing alongside professional musicians, as well as an opportunity for the young artists to connect with the larger music community of Baltimore. The Cabaret features musicians, singers, and actors who perform a broad spectrum of American and international music. True to Cyd’s values, the entire amount of the ticket goes directly to the performers.

The Madonnari Festival takes place every year in September and features incredible chalk paintings on the sidewalks of Little Italy as well as music, street performers, participatory art, an art market, and dining al fresco. It was inspired by a 500-year-old Italian tradition of traveling artists. Today, artists come from around the globe to Baltimore to participate.

Cyd knows the value of relationships to get the word out, especially in “Smalltimore.” So as she developed the Festival in 2015, she reached out to GBCA to help her connect with the civic leaders who could help make the event a success. She is very grateful to GBCA for introducing her to key players and helping pave the way (on painted sidewalks!) for a new community tradition.