Upholding our belief that our sector is stronger together, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance (GBCA) is pleased to announce the creation of the Baltimore Informal Educators Roundtable (BIER).
What is Baltimore Informal Educators Roundtable (BIER)?
BIER is a community of informal educators affiliated individually or through their organization with GBCA. This community of practice will provide a space in which individual educators can network with each other, share ideas, grow their own practice, and explore areas of overlap in their work.
What does BIER do?
The group will meet approximately six times per year for networking and learning experiences, including workshops, informal lunch and talk sessions, and invitations to cultural events. With this group, GBCA will collect resources and make them available to all members through a shared Google Drive.
What are BIER's Principles?
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Members of BIER are antiracist, and committed to principles of justice and equity, particularly as informal educators in our communities.
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In the 21st century where we find so many instances of isolation, BIER works intentionally to create a meaningful sense of belonging.
- The history, evolution, resilience, and aesthetics of Baltimore provide a context for and inform BIER's work. Members of BIER are committed to supporting rigor and excellence from all informal learning experiences, and building resilience and enrichment in our community.
- Members of BIER are committed to accessibility and anti-ableism.
BIER Steering Committee:
- David Armenti, Vice President of Education & Engagement, Maryland Center for History Culture
- Roslyn Esperon, Manager of Evaluation & Audience Impact, The Walters Art Museum
- Sam Green, Arts Integration Schools Manager, Arts Every Day
- Roz Kreizenbeck, Manager of Gallery Experience & Interpretation, The Walters Art Museum
- Beth Maloney, Director of Interpretation, Baltimore Museum of Industry
- Jeannette R. Marxen, Programs & Interpretation Manager, Johns Hopkins University Museums
- Tim Rhue II, Education Specialist, Space Telescope Science Institute
- Rebecca Shulman, Consultant, Museum Questions
- Tracy Stevens, Marketing Manager, Maryland Citizens for the Arts
- David London, Deputy Director, Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance
Upcoming Events:
Monday, November 4, 2024: Script Tease Play Reading: Glitter in the Glass by R. Eric Thomas at Everyman Theater. RSVP here
Everyman Theater's Script Tease reading series offers audiences an early look at new plays. On November 4, this series will feature Glitter in the Glass by R. Eric Thomas, and BIER invites you to join us to see and discuss this play.
Glitter in the Glass features Chelle, a Black mid-career artist who is running out of steam and faces a creative block as she attempts to replace a Confederate monument in Baltimore with her artwork. Despite securing a grant, she struggles to complete her piece, getting lost in the complexities of American history. Her journey is further complicated by her brother Willard, who is organizing a Juneteenth festival, and Thalia, an interior designer with a unique perspective. As Chelle reconnects with her childhood home, and caught between the past, present, and future, she embarks on a reflective journey that transcends time and space. Tis event will take place in Everyman's second-floor performance space.
Doors open at 6:00pm, with food and drink permitted inside. Performances begin at 7:00PM. Admission will be covered by GBCA and food and drink will be available for sale from 6-7pm, while BIER members gather and chat. Admission will be covered by GBCA.
Previous Events:
Increasing Accessibility as Educators – A BIER Learning and Networking Event: Thursday, September 12, 2024, at The Peale
This event will explore ways that we, as educators, can increase the accessibility of exhibits, performances, and programs. It will begin with a tour of the Founding Fossils exhibit at the Peale by the exhibit developer and accessibility expert, Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch of MuseumSenses. This multisensory exhibit reproduces fossils collected by early American leaders in a 3D-printed format so that they can be touched. The tour will be followed by some thoughts by a few other accessibility experts from around Baltimore and small group activities and discussions that explore other ways to create accessible experiences. There will be opportunities to think through ways to make experiences at your site more accessible to all and identify experiences that you didn’t even know could be improved.
Please join us for some learning, some networking, and a drink if that’s your thing.
Accessibiliy information for the Peale: https://www.thepeale.org/accessibility/
Informal Educator Speed Dating: June 5, 2024, Motor House
Inspired by the American Alliance of Museum’s Annual Meeting taking place in Baltimore this May, this event will feature discussions of lessons from the field, speed dating style. Informal educators from museums, theaters, arts centers, and more will lead five-minute conversations about their recent learnings from conferences, articles, or experiences at their site before a buzzer sounds, prompting attendees to move to the next conversation. After rotating through each conversation, there will be time for informal networking and a round of BIER, if that’s your thing. Come as you are, or sign up to lead a conversation. Have you attended a great conference recently? Learned something new at a peer presentation? Heard an idea you can’t stop thinking about? Bring a prompt from recent experience or nugget of learning to lead a conversation with.
Visitor Feedback: February 15, 2024, Maryland Center for History & Culture
Baltimore Informal Educators Roundtable (BIER) hosted a conversation with staff from The Walters Art Museum and the Maryland Center for History in Culture (MCHC). The discussion focused on how to invite, capture, and learn from visitor feedback.
Tour or Vision & Spirit: October 17, 2023, Reginal F. Lewis Museum
We're delighted to host BIER tomorrow, Tuesday, October 17, 2023 for a tour of Vision & Spirit: African American Art from the Bank of America Collection, a viewing of Blacks in White: African American Health Professionals, and a dialogue about ethical interpretation. This email provides logistics information on joining us at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum tomorrow.
