Although we have made it through a historic election; with rising COVID-19 rates and economic instability, this continues to be a tough time for everyone. Staff at GBCA have found solace in reading. For our team, discussing what we read is a way for us to connect professionally and personally. Right now, we are focused on Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson.
The book provides an opportunity to explore this country's structures of inequity. To do this and our personal reading, staff are accessing materials using tools like Libby, a centralized library card application to download books and audiobooks for free; Thrift Books, a business that sells used books at cut-rate prices; at our beloved Ivy Bookshop; and through Audible.
Books on our virtual and physical night tables include:
On the Beast Side: Living and Dying While Black in America, by D. Watkins
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Water Dancer, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Woman Who Loves Reindeer, by Meredith Ann Pierce
As we face the possibility of a new shutdown, I cautiously ventured out to Photojournalist Susan Laub’s current exhibit at UMBC Center for Art Design and Visual Culture. In 2002, Laub was sent on a magazine assignment to Mount Vernon, Georgia to document the lives of teenagers in the American South. Southern Rites is a decade long exploration that presents events like the segregated prom, and later, the tragic killing of a Black, unarmed 22-year-old whose segregated high school homecoming Laub had photographed. Visit https://cadvc.umbc.edu/southern-rites/ for timed tickets or access to the virtual gallery.
In other news, we say thank you to Governor Larry Hogan who announced a $250 million ‘Maryland Strong: Economic Recovery Initiative,’ which will provide funding from the Rainy Day Fund to directly assist restaurants, small businesses, local entertainment venues, arts organizations, and Main Streets across the state. The initiative doubles the state’s total commitment to COVID-19 emergency economic relief for Marylanders to $500 million. All applicants for arts funding are required to complete an application to the Maryland State Arts Council through Smart Simple. Applications are open and must be submitted by 5 p.m. on November 13, 2020 to be considered for funding. Sharpen your pencil!
Don’t forget your mask,
Jeannie
P.S. Visit this link to view the 2020 Baker Artist Awards Special on MPT!
