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April
23,
2008 New ad campaign targets in-state, regional travelers
Crafted to show the ease of access and pure beauty of Maryland, the campaign will focus on in-state and regional travelers. Ads will appear in formats for print, broadcast and the Internet. “With rising gas prices, travelers are staying closer to home and Maryland is a great regional destination that is both pretty and close,” said Margot Amelia, the office’s executive director. She pointed out that Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia comprise the top markets of origin for visitors, which is “why our campaign is targeted to those three metropolitan areas.” Zellweger movie will be filmed in Baltimore area
“Having
My One and Only shoot here will not only generate tremendous
publicity and attract visitors and businesses, but also
pump millions of dollars into the local economy, employ thousands
of residents in high-paying, creative jobs and provide many area
businesses with new opportunities.” Continue... The recent Maryland legislative session ended with passage of Senate Bill 458, the Tourism Promotion Act of 2008. The legislation calls for the annual state funding of tourism marketing according to a performance-based formula that’s linked to retail sales of tourism-related goods and services. Governor Martin O’Malley supported the measure. The governor had also recommended increases in funding for both the Office of Tourism and the Maryland Tourism Development Board in the 2009 fiscal year, which starts July 1. Tourism is Maryland’s fourth largest industry. It generates $11.4 billion in visitor spending and $895 million in state tax revenues, yearly, while employing more than 116,000 Marylanders.
The American Visionary Art Museum, Creative Alliance and Painted Screen Society will present a series of workshops, demonstrations and public discussions with support from Maryland Traditions, a partnership of the Maryland State Arts Council and Maryland Historical Trust. Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts, and Preservation Maryland are providing additional support. A recent issue of Urbanite magazine ran a feature about Baltimore screen painting and the family that started this folk art. For information about celebration events, contact Cliff Murphy at the Arts Council, 410-767-6450. Screen painting above by Dee Herget.
The Tourism Office and its partners, including the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, are continuing a series of stakeholder meetings around the state in order to make plans for a state-wide bicentennial celebration, 2012 through 2014. Maryland’s defense against British forces – the world’s greatest military power at the time – along with the penning of the National Anthem by Francis Scott Key at Fort McHenry, are among the most significant aspects of the state’s contributions to the nation’s heritage. A meeting was held a week ago at Riversdale Mansion in Prince George’s County. Another meeting will take place tomorrow at North Point State Park in Baltimore County. For more information about upcoming meetings and the bicentennial commission, contact Bill Pencek at 410-767-6289, or visit the Tourism Office’s web site.
Dietz is director of the annual Maryland festival, which celebrates its 10th year when it opens at the Brown Center on the Maryland Institute, College of Art campus and continues there and at the Charles Theatre in Baltimore, May 1-4, with showings also at the University of Baltimore Student Center. The festival screens about 100 full-length features, shorts and documentaries. Continue... Photo: Maryland Film Festival's Jed Dietz (l) and director Barry Levinson at The Senator Theatre in Baltimore for opening night of the 2003 festival.IN THE NEWS: Three Maryland cities named as top arts destinations Restaurant association selects new president “Often featured in the movies of camp filmmaker and native son John Waters, Baltimore has also developed increased cachet as a welcoming gay and lesbian destination, with its many GLBT-friendly businesses,” writes Andrew Collins in a favorable April 19 review of Baltimore for Camp, an alternative Kansas City publication. MSAC exhibit ties in to Baltimore Festival of Maps
UPCOMING EVENTS: Gourmet festival on Eastern Shore this weekend State poets featured at St. Mary’s, April 26 Wire exhibit opens at BMI with panel talk
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“Pretty. Close.” That’s the tagline for the
Tourism Office’s new spring marketing campaign, which begins
today. The campaign showcases the diversity of Maryland’s
landscape, using images of Maryland beaches, the Chesapeake Bay,
natural and theme parks, and urban neighborhoods.
My
One and Only, a feature film starring Renée Zellweger,
will begin shooting next month in Maryland for eight weeks, Governor
Martin O’Malley recently announced. The movie is set in the
1950s and is expected to be shot almost entirely in the Baltimore
area.
“Rowhouse Rembrandts,” a celebration of screen painting
and other urban arts – including wood graining, Formstone
making, brick stripping and tire-planter making – will be
held May 9-10 at various Baltimore locations. 
If
Jed Dietz has his way, the 
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