Happy New Year to all our regular GBCA Newsletter readers!
We are grateful for all your support and for helping us share news, victories, and issues of concern with the cultural community.
I felt like 2017 flew by at light speed. Having exited the holiday hyperspace, it's time to reflect on a few highlights from the year.
I was proud to participate in Mayor Catherine Pugh's Task Force on Safe Spaces for Artists. This task force was created in response to the tragic warehouse fire that occurred in Oakland, CA in December 2016 and the eviction of artists from the local Bell Foundry that followed. Its goal was to address the need for safe, affordable living and working spaces for Baltimore's artists. The final recommendations were presented by the Mayor on December 20 and can be found here.
The Rubys Artists Grants Program and the Baker Artist Awards made more than $200,000 available to artists in the region and spawned new projects, partnerships, visibility, and recognition. (A reminder that the applications are now open for the Rubys Media and Performing Arts grants!)
GBCA partnered with Young Audiences/Arts for Learning of MD to launch the first ever Bloomberg Arts Internship Program. This summer program created 25 new paid internships for rising high school seniors to Baltimore. The young people benefited from work experience at local cultural organizations as well as college mentoring.
In October, GBCA celebrated its 15th Anniversary at the John and Frances Angelos Law Center at the University of Baltimore. Donna Walker-Kuhne was the featured speaker for this workshop on equity and inclusion in the cultural workplace.
GBCA also launched its fifth year of the Urban Arts Leadership Program. The 2017-18 Fellows enter the second phase of their experience and start work at local cultural organizations this month (for more details see below). We continue to collect feedback from our alums, many of whom have gone on to exciting jobs in the cultural sector both locally and in other cities.
There is so much more, and you can be sure that we will be keeping up the momentum in 2018. Stay tuned for more news about the future and what lies ahead for GBCA.
May the arts force be with you,
Jeannie
