Maryland Arts Day 2010

Following is an announcement for Maryland Arts Day, which is scheduled for February 9, 2010 in Annapolis.



Maryland Arts Day 2010
Many Voices, One Song

On February 9, 2010, Maryland’s statewide arts advocacy organizations, MCA (Maryland Citizens for the Arts) and MCA Foundation, will host the 12th Maryland Arts Day in Annapolis. Nearly 500 arts advocates and leaders from across the state will converge on the state capital to meet with legislators and to celebrate the continuing importance of public support for the arts and its positive effects on the economy of Maryland. Detailed information on the event can be found at http://www.mdarts.org

In the morning, attendees will hear from Maryland state political leaders, including Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, and the keynote speaker, Liz Lerman, legendary choreographer and Founder/Artistic Director of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, who speech is entitled “Art Matters: A New Place to Stand.”

Liz Lerman founded the Dance Exchange in 1976 and has since cultivated the company’s unique multi-generational ensemble, with dancers’ ages spanning six decades, into a leading force in contemporary dance. Liz Lerman’s dance theater involves intensive collaboration with other dancers and communities, and her working process emphasizes research and translation between media. In 2002 her work was recognized with a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, and she has received numerous other prestigious awards. A writer and frequent guest speaker, Mr. Lerman will be addressing the audience as inspiration for the day’s advocacy activities on the topic of ‘Art Matters: A New Place to Stand.’

Following those remarks, MCA Board Members will address the crowd, providing advocacy training and strategies. Then, each county delegation, led by the local county arts council’s director, will meet with their state representatives. Elected leadership will hear from their constituents about the economic, cultural, educational, and social value of the arts, and these Arts Advocates will ask for their support in funding the Maryland State Arts Council budget allocation.

The afternoon features a newly expanded educational program. Roundtable facilitated conversations during lunch will cover a variety of disciplines from theater to the folk and traditional arts as well as addressing challenges in the arts field such as reaching non-traditional audiences and the need to improve the future of the arts in schools. After an instructive performance by Maryland storytelling group Stoop Stories, combining entertainment with tips on the benefits of being able to convey your own story, the attendees will have the option of several workshops. A session on Cool Collaborations and Mind Melds will be led by Carol Trawick of the Trawick Foundation and Shuan Butcher of the Frederick Arts Council; from Pittsburgh, Kate Sphar from the non-profit consultants of Dewey & Kaye will be leading a session on Surviving Financially in Today’s Economy; and Rebecca Goering, Manager of Digital Media and Social Networking at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts will be presenting Free Marketing: Leveraging Technology.

For the second year, the “Sue Hess Maryland Arts Advocate of the Year Award” will be presented at Maryland Arts Day. Sue Hess has been a leader and staunch defender of the arts in Maryland for over thirty years, becoming Chair of MCA soon after its founding in 1977. Sue is the longest serving member on the Board of Trustees, and over the years, she has been instrumental in driving the tremendous change and growth in MCA/MCAF. On behalf of MCA, Sue will be presenting the award to an individual whose advocacy efforts have significantly increased support for and public recognition of the arts in Maryland. The award recipient for 2010 is Nancy Haragan, founding director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and a longtime advocate for the Arts in Maryland.

Nancy Haragan has acted as Executive Director for the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance (GBCA) for the organization’s first decade, after founding the organization in 2001. GBCA is a member-based organization that creates a cohesive cultural community for the Greater Baltimore region, bringing together 81 arts organizations, the City’s arts and culture coalitions, and individual artists. GBCA serves as a unifying voice and bridge-builder, acts as a convener, and provides information and services. One of their most significant initiatives is the Maryland Cultural Data Project which standardized a statewide Web-based data collection system for arts and cultural organizations. It provides information to grant-makers; facilitates benchmarking by arts managers of key performance indicators; creates reliable, objective and comprehensive data about arts and culture in the region and the state; and reduces the burden of application preparation for potential grantees.

Maryland Arts Day is hosted by MCA and MCA Foundation. The principal mission of MCA is to promote adequate funding for the Maryland State Arts Council, and to advocate for the arts at state and federal levels. Since 1977, MCA has pushed for the support of the arts, highlighting its importance to the growing number of artistic communities, schools and cultural organizations from all corners of the state of Maryland.

MCA Foundation is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities.

Maryland Arts Day is also supported by a grant from the Dorothy Wagner Wallis Trust, and a Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts’ NEA/Baltimore City Job Retention Grant, a Recovery Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and Baltimore City supporting the Conference Planner position that organizes the educational portion of the program.

What: Maryland Arts Day
Where: Annapolis- Miller Senate Building, President’s Conference Center East
When: Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 8:30am-3:30pm
Contact: Maryland Citizens for the Arts, 410.467.6700

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES:

8:50-10:00am: Elected officials address conference at President’s Conference Center East

10:00am-10:30am: Liz Lerman delivers keynote speech.

12:00-1:00pm: County arts advocates meet with legislators in Lowe House Office Building- county delegation rooms

1:45-2:00pm: Presentation of the Sue Hess Maryland Arts Advocate of the Year Award

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