April 9, 2008
IN BRIEF: TOURISM, FILM AND THE ARTS NEWS

New appointments to join Tourism, Arts Council boards

Governor Martin O’Malley announced the confirmation of four appointments – two each – to the Maryland Tourism Development Board and the Maryland State Arts Council.

Christopher S. Schardt and Greg Shockley will join the tourism board. Schardt is senior general manager at Harborplace & The Gallery in downtown Baltimore. Shockley is the owner of Shenanagan’s Irish Pub in Ocean City.

Nancy M. Haragan and Susanna Nemes are the newest members of the Arts Council. Haragan is director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. Nemes, who has a doctorate in clinical psychology, is director of OBRAS Art Gallery in Baltimore. She is also president and CEO of Social Solutions, International, Inc.

All four appointments will become effective at the start of the new fiscal year, July 1.

Maryland showcases A&E districts at Main Streets conference

Maryland officials presented a 75-minute workshop at the National Main Streets Conference, April 1 in Philadelphia. The National Trust for Historic Preservation hosted the conference – a four-day educational and networking event that focuses on economic development, commercial revitalization and historic preservation.

Amy Seitz (Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development), Elizabeth Carven (Maryland State Arts Council) and Andy Vick (Allegany County Arts Council and Maryland Tourism Development Board member) discussed how government-designated districts can strengthen revitalization, stimulate development, and attract residents and visitors. They pointed to Maryland’s Arts & Entertainment, Historic and Main Street designations as examples. Continue ...

New sports marketing executive to promote Maryland venues

Looking to promote Maryland as a destination for both amateur and professional sporting events, the Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), along with the Maryland Stadium Authority, is recruiting for the newly created position of Director, Sports Marketing.

"From my tenure as the senior vice president of the 2012 Washington-Baltimore Olympic Bid Coalition, to my service on the executive host committees for the Army-Navy games and lacrosse championships, I recognize the tremendous economic opportunities sporting events afford our state,” said DBED Deputy Secretary Clarence T. Bishop.

“I am confident the committee will recruit a seasoned professional who has the strategic planning expertise and vision necessary to help us fully realize the potential of this expanding market,” he said. The new sports marketing executive is expected to begin work July 1.

James Backas Gallery hosts reception for map exhibit

An April 17 reception and Gallery Talk, 5 to 8 p.m., celebrates Look Now Look All Around, at the Maryland State Arts Council’s James Backas Gallery, 175 W. Ostend St. two blocks from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The show, part of the Baltimore Festival of Maps, features the interpretive works of a dozen artists. Information, 410-767-6555. (Pictured: !!Brand NEW Rides!! by Tim Horjus)

State House Visitors Center temporarily closes, exhibit opens

The Maryland State House Visitors Center temporarily closed April 7 as the State House undergoes renovations, which are expected to be completed by year’s end. For now, travel information is available in Annapolis at the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau, 26 West St. Travel information will also be available at the House of Delegates Office Building, 6 Bladen St., beginning April 14. Continue ...

Eastern Shore county plans to lure film industry

Kent County, in coordination with the Maryland Film Office, has taken steps to entice production companies to film in the Eastern Shore county, according to Jack Steinmetz, director of the county’s Office of Economic Development.

It has compiled a pictorial inventory of high-potential locations. Owners of these properties have signed an agreement that allows access to their sites and a willingness to share them with film industry professionals. Continue ...

2008 Destination: Maryland now available

The Tourism office released its 2008 edition of Destination Maryland: The Official Guide to Maryland State Travel. With more than 2,000 tourism-related listings, the full-color publication features a “Maryland Welcome Passport,” good for up to $2,500 in savings at 250 participating attractions, restaurants, retailers and accommodations.

Destination Maryland is designed to help prospective visitors plan their trips to Maryland. The Guide provides information by region, as well as by type of trip - family fun, romantic getaway or golfing, for instance. Call 800-719-5900 for a free copy or order online.

National Geographic tour map features historic Maryland road

National Geographic Traveler magazine, in conjunction with the Appalachian Regional Commission, recently released an Appalachia Driving Tours Map in its April issue. Maryland’s Historic National Road – a mountainous route stretching from Boonsboro to Grantsville – is one of 24 Appalachian driving tours featured.

The map identifies places to visit along the Maryland stretch, including Wilson’s Bridge, the Hancock Tollhouse, the Great Allegheny Passage Trail and the Casselman River Bridge. Known as “The Road that Built the Nation,” the National Historic Road was the first federally funded road in America. Continue ...

IN THE NEWS:

Baltimore artist working with Eastern Shore students
About 65 Berlin high-school students have been working with a Baltimore stained-glass artist since the fall to create a stained glass window, according to an April 6 story in the Salisbury Daily Times. The Worcester County Arts Council is funding the project and the artist is a participant in the Maryland State Arts Council’s Artists-in-Residence Program.

The Maryland Theatre hires new director
When she was in middle school, Jenni Hatcher helped to clean out the lobby of The Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown after a fire. Today, she is the new interim director of the theater. The Hagerstown Herald-Mail profiled her in an April 6 article.

City Paper reviews Arts Council exhibit
Look Now Look All Around, the Maryland State Art Council’s gallery exhibition linked to the Baltimore Festival of Maps, “… conveys a shadowy apprehension of being deceived by a map's presumed certainty,” writes Deborah McLeod in a review of the exhibit for the City Paper.

State dessert boosts Smith Island economy
Smith Island cake, now the official state desert, is helping the residents of the Chesapeake island community cope with the economic affects of shrinking work for local watermen, according to an article in The New York Times, March 21.

D.C. Metro rules prompt Baltimore subway filming
Maryland transit officials accept their role as understudy to the Washington, D.C., area Metro system when it comes to filming subway scenes for movies, reports The Washington Post, April 1, in an article headlined “Rail to Reel.”

Buying art doesn’t have to break the bank
A fat wallet is not the secret to starting a great art collection, according to a story in The Washington Post, March 30. Tips for buying art from four artists accompany Dan Zak’s article.

Gaylord National opens in Prince George’s County
The Prince George’s Gazette had expanded coverage of Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center’s April 1 opening in its March 27 edition. The Washington Post also reported on Prince George’s “long-sought upscale development.” Gaylord National is the cornerstone of the new 300-acre National Harbor project on the banks of the Potomac River in Prince George’s County.

Public Arts panel prepares for second meeting
Members of the Maryland Commission on Public Art will meet April 17 at the Maryland State Arts Council’s Baltimore office. The panel held their first meeting March 19 in Columbia, where they gathered for this photo.

Back row (l-r): Rand Griffin, Alex Castro, Ann Coates, Brit Kirwan, Bill Gilmore and Joel Hendricks. Middle row (l-r): Nancy Kurtz (Maryland Historical Trust), Lauren Dugas Glover (MSAC), Hannah L. Byron (Tourism, Film and the Arts), Catherine Sharp Leggett, Donna L. Rice and J. Rodney Little. Front row: Mark Beck (University System of Maryland). View larger photo.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Irish ensemble in concert at College Park
The Irish Chamber Orchestra performs at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Dekelboum Concert Hall, Sunday, April 18 at 3 p.m. This performance is one of seven stops on the orchestra’s U.S. tour. Information, 301-405-ARTS.

Pop culture icon shows work at Baltimore’s Harborplace
Artist Peter Max presents Colors of a Better World – a retrospective of more than 100 pieces of his artwork – at Harborplace’s Light Street Pavillion in downtown Baltimore, April 25-May 4. The celebrated artist will make personal appearances on May 3 and 4. Free admission, reservations suggested, 888-513-8385.

Howard arts council stages yearly fundraiser
The 11th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County features visual, performing and culinary arts, and a silent auction at The Jim Rouse Theater for the Performing Arts in Columbia, Saturday evening, 6 to 10 on April 26. Rising Star Competition showcases emerging performing artists. Tickets, information, 410-313-2787.

Arts workshops for nonprofits run through June
The Maryland State Art Council’s Organizational Development Assistance Program provides development, financial and management support services to nonprofit organizations that present or produce arts programs and projects to the public. Free workshops continue through June 30. Eligible arts and non-arts organizations must be nonprofit, incorporated in Maryland and have an operating budget of $250,000 or less. Contact Shirley Howard for information, 410-767-6542.

In Memoriam:
Expert on Baltimore culture killed in accident
Baltimore historian Alvin Brunson, 49, died March 30 when a building he was renovating collapsed. Brunson served as a distinguished panelist for the Maryland State Art Council’s Arts in Communities program for the past three years. The (Baltimore) City Paper named Brunson as “Best Community Historian,” calling him a walking encyclopedia of Baltimore life and culture. Brunson operated the Center for Cultural Education, a nonprofit located on Pennsylvania Avenue.