An evening of performance and culinary art await at Young Audiences’ 10th Annual Taste the Arts Fundraising Gala, Friday, May 6 at the Hippodrome Theatre. Taste the Arts supports Young Audiences’ programs and mission to bring high quality, low cost art experiences to Maryland school children.

500 artists, educators, students and arts supporters will gather at Taste the Arts to celebrate the arts and honor leaders in arts education. Gala highlights include:

Performances by award-winning artists

• Collaborative performance by artists from the Peabody Institute and Young Audiences-affiliated musicians, including 2015 Baker Artist Award Winner Wendel Patrick, and 2016 Artist of the Year Jamaal Collier

• Acoustic roots and blues music by Curtis Blues

• Interactive design-and-build demonstration by maker-educators FutureMakers

• Indian classical dance performance by NRITYA

• Pantomime theatre from DC’s award-winning Synetic Theater

Tapas-style offerings from 25 of the Baltimore area's best restaurants, including:

Clavel • La Cuchara • Alma Cocina Latina • Absolutely Perfect Catering • Argosy Café • Baltimore Waffle Co. • Blue Pit BBQ • Brio Tuscan Grille • Charm City Cakes • The Charmery Charmington’s • Gertrude’s • Golden West Café • Heavy Seas Alehouse • Mothers • The Local Oyster • The Oceanaire • The Scratch Mill Kitchen • Tio Pepe • Beer from Union Craft Brewing

Awards ceremony honoring arts-in-education leaders

2016 Nina Collier Arts Champion Award: Paul Wolman

Paul Wolman, founder, Chairman, and Chief Impact Officer of Feats, Inc., is a true champion of the arts and education throughout Baltimore with a strong focus on the development of leadership talent.

2016 Artist of the Year Award: Jamaal Collier

Jamaal 'Mr. Root' Collier, a dedicated and versatile hip hop artist, has more than a decade of experience facilitating workshops and live performances.

2016 Visionary School Award: Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle School

A shining example of a school that keeps the arts central to teaching and learning, Baltimore’s Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle School is dedicated to providing an arts-integrated and arts-enriched education for all its students.

2016 Josephine L. Kohn Leadership Award: Lois & Michael Mark

Lois and Michael Mark’s involvement in Young Audiences spans more than twenty-five years, with each serving as Board President through critical periods of the organization’s development.
They have generously given their time, talent, and resources to help hundreds of thousands of students benefit from the arts.

The gala will also include roaming performers and both a live and silent auction. Tickets to the event are $100 and can be purchased at http://www.yamd.org/support/taste-the-arts/.