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This year's Maryland Film Festival runs May 7-10 at and around the Charles Theatre in Baltimore, beginning with its traditional evening of short films. Another festival tradition occurs when filmmaker John Waters hosts a movie of his choice. The festival's "Tent Village" also returns. Tents will be set up in a parking lot across from the theater, where workshops, classes and outdoor screenings are planned. The Maryland Film Office, a founding sponsor of the festival, will present a filmmaker-panel series during the weekend. "The sessions provide an opportunity for the public to engage with the festival's filmmakers and people in the industry," says Jack Gerbes, director of the Film Office. Three of the four film festivals that received awards from a first-time grants program administered by the Film Office are taking place in April and May. The Baltimore Jewish Film Festival, which started April 1, runs to May 14. The Civic Frame Film Festival at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History & Culture in Baltimore is April 25-26 and the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Washington Film Festival runs April 26 to May 2 at the Rockville JCC. Legislature eliminates 'sunset clause' for public art commission The Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill that repeals the termination date for the Maryland Public Art Initiative Program, by a vote of 138-0. It was a year ago that the Maryland Public Art Commission was established. Although legislation authorized the commission in 2005, it was inactive until the O'Malley-Brown Transition Report identified it as a key initiative to advance. "Moving this program forward has been one of my priorities and is an integral part of expanding the state's national reputation as an arts leader," said Gov. O'Malley last year when the commission convened for the first time. The commission, chaired by Catherine Legget, and staffed by Lauren Dugas-Glover, a program director at the Arts Council, has worked with the Maryland Department of Transportation this past year to make public-art projects eligible for funding under proposed guidelines of the Transportation Enhancement Program. Events calendar offers targeted publicity Get exposure for your organization's event(s) by placing an announcement on the official Maryland tourism web site, visitmaryland.org. For $30, your message can appear in both the online and print versions of the Maryland Calendar of Events – detailed listings of more than 800 happenings in the state. The online calendar is updated regularly. The print publication comes out annually early in the calendar year. Call or e-mail Kat Evans, 410-767-6330, to place your event in the online calendar now. Applications for the 2010 print calendar, which includes an online message, will be sent out in late June to current subscribers and to those who request an application. Submission deadline is mid-September.
Tourism tax codes continue to outperform overall sales tax collections The Monitor details fiscal year-to-date sales and use tax revenues, as reported through January by the Maryland Comptroller’s Office. Tourism-related tax codes increased by 16.7 percent over last year’s figures, compared to a 12-percent gain for all sales tax categories – representing a 40-percent higher rate of growth. Also, the report indicates that year-round online advertising is generating more traffic at the Maryland tourism web site.
The Office of Tourism recently participated in two Motorcoach Association marketplaces, hosted by the Pennsylvania Bus Association (PBA) and the Maryland Motorcoach Association (MMA). Maryland fielded a strong presence at the PBA event in Harrisburg, which attracted more than 1,200 group leaders from 23 motorcoach companies. Representatives of suppliers, county tourism offices, attractions, restaurants and hotels hosted exhibits under Maryland banners. The Maryland event, held at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center in Baltimore, allowed 54 suppliers to promote their destinations and services to 475 group leaders and representatives of 17 tour companies. Toby's Dinner Theater hosted a lunch. "This year's marketplace has re-energized the association with a record number of group leaders in attendance," said MMA President Sam Shay. "As a small-business owner, it is important for motorcoach operators and suppliers to work together, to generate business for all of us." Arts Council folklorist explores traditional-arts landscape These days, Cliff Murphy has been spending time in Cecil County talking to musicians and the descendants of musicians who migrated to Maryland from the Appalachian Mountain region in North Carolina and Virginia during the Great Depression. Murphy is the folklorist at the Maryland State Arts Council. He has a doctorate in ethnomusicology – the study of music in its cultural context – from Brown University, where he researched country and blues music. Earlier, he had a 10-year career as a professional musician in an alternative-country group based in New Hampshire. "We traveled all around the country and even in Europe," he says. "However, I developed a deep dislike for the music industry. I wanted to stay involved with music and music makers, but not with the selling of music." Becoming an ethnomusicologist seemed like a natural fit, Murphy says. He recalls listening to Library of Congress field recordings of early American folk musicians – Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly ("king of the 12-string guitar"), for instance – while growing up. The music included blues, jug band and early-hillbilly, he says.
Maryland State Arts Council grants and opportunities:
Groundbreaking at Fort McHenry, April 27 Attention stewards of Maryland cultural heritage resources: Maryland Historical Trust Join the 1812 Commission's listserv
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