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Citizen Artist Baltimore

Executive Director's Letter
December 15, 2015

At this critical time for Baltimore, the region, and the country, the creative community is making an important contribution to political discourse and building a strong Baltimore. To further these efforts, GBCA, Maryland Citizens for the Arts, and the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation have launched Citizen Artist Baltimore, a non-partisan advocacy effort that will help mobilize the arts and culture sector. It will also provide an excellent opportunity for candidates to outline their positions and goals. Citizen Artist Baltimoreis a call to action for individuals, organizations, and institutions to work together to advance inclusion of the arts, culture, and humanities as an issue in the April 2016 Primary Mayoral Election and beyond.

Through a series of public listening sessions, Citizen Artist Baltimore will identify priority issues and advance them to Baltimore’s 2016 mayoral candidates for comment and publication on the website http://citizenartist.vote. The group is also organizing a mid-March public forum in which the candidates will field questions, resulting in a better-informed populace, and demonstrating the cultural community’s invaluable and formidable constituency in Baltimore City. The initiative will encourage voter registration and long-term engagement in the democratic process.

As we move toward the New Year, the GBCA Board and staff thank you for your part in the area’s amazing cultural community. We hope you will consider making a year-end contribution to GBCA and help us meet the Straus Foundation’s generous challenge grant. We have just $12,000 left to raise, so every gift helps!

In other news, GBCA is pleased to announce the hiring of Kibibi Ajanku as interim program manager for the Urban Arts Leadership Program. Kibibi has been involved with the UALP since its inception, and will guide the program during the search for a permanent full-time program manger. Kibibi is the director of Sankofa Dance Theatre, and a MFA Candidate in MICA’s Curatorial Practices Program. We are excited to be working with her and the wonderful UALP Fellows.

Wishing you peace,
Jeannie

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