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PROGRAMS EVENTS GRANTS

NOVEMBER 2009

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TFA officials address Community Arts Alliance

STATUE UNVEILED AT INNER HARBOR


Public art honors Schaefer’s public service

William Donald Schaefer addresses the more than 1,000 people who gathered at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Nov. 2, for the unveiling of a bronze statue of the former governor, comptroller and Baltimore mayor. Gov. Martin O’Malley and Mayor Sheila Dixon (far right) spoke during the ceremony. The 7-ft. statute, financed by Willard and Lillian Hackerman (on Gov. O’Malley’s right), stands in Schaefer Sculpture Garden near the Baltimore Visitors Center. Sculptor Rodney Carroll also spoke at the event.

Folklore Society honors Maryland Traditions co-founder

Elaine Eff, co-founder of Maryland Traditions, was awarded the Benjamin A. Botkin Prize from the American Folklore Society for significant achievement in public folklore. It’s the society’s highest honor for folklorists who work outside a university. Eff was recognized for her community work. She has documented and promoted Baltimore City’s tradition of screen painting – the art of painting on window and door screens. She has also worked to make Smith Island (Maryland’s only inhabited island in the Chesapeake Bay) better known – from its culture to its cakes (the state’s official dessert). Botkin, the award’s namesake, was a prominent folklorist during the New Deal era of President Franklin Roosevelt.

'Right-brain' advocate addresses arts education

Author Daniel Pink discussed the value of arts in public education, Nov. 10 at Annapolis High School. Gov. Martin O’Malley, Anne Arundel County Public Schools Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell and the Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance (AEMS) hosted the event. Pink wrote A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. He has an upcoming book called Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.
MSAC joins radio salute to Piedmont Blues musician

Maryland Traditions and WYPR radio (88.1 FM, Baltimore) produced a one-hour salute, Oct. 23, to John “Bowling Green” Cephas, the late guitarist and singer who helped to maintain the regional tradition of Piedmont Blues – an East Coast style of guitar playing rooted in African-American rural music. Then, on Nov. 6, the Creative Alliance presented Blues Houseparty! – a tribute to Cephas that featured prominent Piedmont Blues musicians. The Maryland State Arts Council provided a grant for this concert.
TFA officials address Community Arts Alliance meeting

Hannah Byron, assistant secretary for the Maryland Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts, and two representatives of the Arts Council – Theresa Colvin, executive director, and Pamela Dunne, assistant director for grants and programs – addressed the annual Community Arts Alliance of Maryland meeting, which was hosted by the Frederick Arts Council last month. Discussion focused on economic conditions, updates on Imagine Maryland (MSAC’s strategic plan) and the Cultural Data Project. Representatives of Maryland Citizens for the Arts and Americans for the Arts, along with Maryland Delegate Rick Weldon, also spoke.

Arts Council director named to national group's board

Theresa Colvin, executive director of the Maryland State Arts Council since 2002, was elected to the board of directors of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), Nov. 6. NASAA is an advocacy organization for 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies that serve the 50 states and six U.S. territories.

"State arts agencies play an integral role in advancing the arts in our nation and that is certainly the case here in Maryland," Colvin said. "I am honored to serve on the NASAA board and represent our state, while working to strengthen all state arts agencies and enhance awareness of their value."

Canadian university selects Liz Lerman for award

The founding artistic director of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in Takoma Park received Simon Fraser University's 2009 Jack P. Blarney Award for Dialogue – an international humanitarian award given every two years. (It's named for a former president of the university.) "Liz Lerman has spent a lifetime building bridges between diverse communities, using dialogue as a tool in dance and cross-disciplinary arts projects," said Mark Winston, academic director of the Wosk Centre for Dialogue, a meeting venue at the university, located in Vancouver, British Colubia.

Arts center marks milestone with largest single gift

Imagination Stage in Bethesda received a $2.5 million gift from local philanthropists Jim and Carol Trawick. The gift – to be given over a 10-year period – completes the children's arts organization's capital campaign. Established 30 years ago, Imagination Stage is among the region's largest theater-arts centers for young people. It serves more than 100,000 children and families each year, according to Bonnie Fogel, founder and executive director of the organization. She said the gift "ensures the sustainability of Imagination Stage ... for generations to come."

NEWS
EVENTS
GRANTS

Check MSAC web site for linked information

  • Arts & Entertainment Districts Technical Assistance, Dec. 9
  • Arts in Communities, Jan. 21, 2010
  • FY2011 Community Arts Development (grant and RFP), Jan. 29, 2010
  • Public Art project, Feb. 4, 2010
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  Martin O'Malley, Governor Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor