Executive Director's Letter: 3/17/20

Executive Director’s Letter

March 17, 2020

Warm greetings to all of our readers from your friends at the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. Like most of you, the GBCA staff is working remotely. We are exercising the safety precautions advised by the CDC and state officials, and are striving to maintain good mental and physical health. At the same time, we remain committed to being a source of information, support, and solace for you. The arts and humanities have a critical role to play during this uncertain and challenging time. (Remember Frederick the Mouse who told stories in the dark of winter?) Now more than ever, it is important for people to continue to engage deeply in the arts and humanities, even though (or perhaps because) we are socially isolated.

To help make those connections, GBCA is retooling the Culture Fly calendar so that we can amplify virtual arts and humanities experiences during this time of social distancing. Artists and arts organizations are encouraged to use Culture Fly as a way to make these events more accessible to the Greater Baltimore Community. Already, they are springing up online, from museum tours to the uniting of yoga communities. In addition to being a one-stop-shop for events, GBCA will be facilitating a twice-weekly online arts experience. So keep your eyes out for an invitation this week.

And right now? Practice artistic self-care and don't forget that the Baker Artist Portfolios currently has over 800 artists, 50,000 pieces of art, and countless hours of free music, performance, and film, just waiting to be discovered. Spend some time perusing the amazing art and artists from the Baltimore-area, and don't hesitate to make contact with artists you discover. With museums and galleries temporarily closed, this is a great time to become an Online Curator on the Baker site. This feature allows you to create a visual collection of work that you love. Starting next week, we'll be featuring several curated collections from the site in this newsletter and on social media.

P.S. Almost everyone is, or will be struggling financially. Please support your favorite artists and cultural organizations, and remember that your contribution (link here) to GBCA means that we will continue to be here when they need us.

Be well,

Jeannie

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