Arts Council releases strategic plan, details for stimulus
grants
The Maryland State Arts Council unveiled Imagine Maryland: A Strategic Plan for
the Arts, 2009-2013, on April 15, at the Reginald F. Lewis
Museum of African American History and Culture in Baltimore.
DBED Secretary Christian S. Johansson
joined Scott Johnson, chair of the Arts Council, and Theresa
Colvin, the Council's director, to announce upcoming initiatives
for the Council and the receipt of a $318,000 grant from the
National Endowment for the Arts – derived from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Funds from the grant
are being used to stabilize jobs in Maryland’s nonprofit arts
community.
“Gov. (Martin) O’Malley and I are committed
to maintaining a robust arts economy in Maryland,” Secretary
Johansson said. “This five-year strategic plan is a key element
of our mission to create, attract and retain jobs and to promote
our state’s creative economy.”
Imagine Maryland is designed to help the
Arts Council increase participation, patronage, employment
and technical assistance in Maryland's arts industry. More
than 4,000 Marylanders contributed their comments and responses
to surveys during the development of the plan in 2008.
“Imagine Maryland affirms Gov. O’Malley’s
commitment to supporting artists and arts organizations by
advancing life-long learning in the arts, encouraging partnerships
across sectors and promoting the creative use of new technologies
to elevate visibility of the arts,” Johnson said.
Arts Council's new logo available for
publications and ads
Organizations that receive funding from the Maryland State
Arts Council (MSAC) must credit the Council in all appropriate
communications, including print, broadcast and Internet usage.
Style guidelines and MSAC logos are available on the Council's
web site in the Grants section.
Walking tour
Councilors and staff from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC)
went on a walking tour of the Downtown Frederick Arts and Entertainment
District. Shuan Butcher, executive director of the
Frederick Arts Council, and John Healey, director of the Weinberg
Center for the Arts, led the tour. The tour included a stop
at The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center. During the
planning process that established Imagine Maryland – MSAC’s
five-year strategic plan designed to strengthen the arts as
a vital asset in the state – participants said they wanted
to see MSAC councilors and staff visit local neighborhoods.
Workshops
The Arts Council teamed with the Greater Baltimore Cultural
Alliance to present Marketing Your Company Online, a workshop
held May 28. Then, on June 8, the Arts Council and the Liz
Lerman Dance Exchange presented a workshop for performing artists:
Beyond
the Studio and Stage: Engaging Your Community. These
two workshops were a byproduct of Imagine
Maryland’s call for
the Arts Council to increase communication and engagement with
local communities.
The first Baltimore City Arts and Entertainment District Workshop
was also held June 8. It was designed by the Arts Council to
inform artists, business and property owners, and real estate
agents and developers about the tax and business benefits of
an arts and entertainment section. Representatives of the two
Baltimore A&E
Districts – Highlandtown and Station North – attended the session.
Artists learned about local registries and had an opportunity
to meet each other.
Literary Arts
The Arts Council convened a Literary Arts
Summit for the Baltimore area, June 13, in partnership with
the CityLit Project. A second one is planned for the Washington,
D.C. metro area, July 18, in partnership with The Writer’s
Center, a Bethesda-based organization.
