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Executive Director’s Letter May 22, 2018

The Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance (GBCA) and the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund are thrilled to announce the 2018 Baker Artist Awardees to kick off its 10th anniversary season. This year, one artist per discipline (Visual, Literary, Film/ Video, Performance, Interdisciplinary, Music) was adjudicated to receive a $10,000 Mary Sawyers Baker Prize. Congratulations to the 2018 winners Amy Sherald, Lisi Stoessel, Lafayette Gilchrist, Margaret Rorison, Dora Malech, and Abraham Burickson. From these six artists, Amy Sherald was selected to receive the 2018 Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize, which includes an additional $30,000. At $40,000, this is the largest art prize in the region. Awardees were selected by an anonymous jury from over 900 Baltimore-region artists who created a free, online portfolio at www.bakerartist.org. Selected artists exemplify a mastery of craft, depth of artistic exploration, and a unique compelling vision.

The Baker Artist Awards act as a vital catalyst to forward area artists’ careers and practices. The awards are an affirmation of excellence and encouragement to persevere. GBCA is grateful to have a long-term partnership with the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, is proud of all we have accomplished together over the past ten years, and honored to be a part of the lives of so many exceptional artists.

The 2018 awardees were announced on last Friday, May 18th on a special episode of Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) Artworks program, which is hosted by Rhea Feikin. The MPT Artworks broadcast included profiles of the six awardees, offering insight into their creative evolution and process. The episode can be viewed here. This year’s awardees in Visual and Interdisciplinary Arts will also present their work at the Baltimore Museum of Art this fall, along with the 2017 Awardees in the same categories. 2018 Awardees in other disciplines will present a short showcase of their work at the opening reception at the BMA on Thursday, September 12, 2018.

I look forward to seeing you at Baker Artist events throughout the year.

Can we put our galoshes away yet???

Jeannie

P.S. Applications are currently being accepted from exceptional, recent college graduates for the Urban Arts Leadership Program. Are you an emerging leader, or do you know someone who would be ideal for the UALP? Checkout GBCA’s website here for more information and application.

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