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Executive Director Letter 2/16/22

Executive Director Letter

February 15, 2022

Happy belated Valentine’s Day from your friends at GBCA! I hope you are surrounded by love, good health, and well-being.

Now that the Maryland General Assembly is in full swing, things are heating up in Annapolis and arts and culture are on the agenda. This Thursday, February 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. is Maryland Arts Day (register here).

Every year Maryland Citizens for the Arts (MCA) gathers arts professionals and advocates from around the state to spend a day networking, learning about the advocacy process, and meeting with delegates. If you are an artist, arts administrator, or patron, this is your chance to tell legislators about the importance of the arts in Maryland and the impact it has in your community.

You'll also get to hear from keynote speaker Quanice Floyd, who was recently appointed as the Executive Director of National Guild for Community Arts Education. Floyd previously served as the Executive Director at Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance. She is also the Co-Founder of the Arts Administrators of Color (AAC) Network, an organization committed to empowering artists and arts administrators by advocating for access, diversity, inclusion, and equity in the arts in the DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas.

Do we want to mention Cara Ober, who is receiving the Sue Hess Award? Info here.

Coming up next week for a vote is the Arts Equity in Education Act House Bill 0678: Arts Equity in Education Act, which is being championed by Arts Education in MD Schools, Arts Every Day, and the Baltimore Arts Education Initiative, of which GBCA is a member. This transformative bill is sponsored by Baltimore County Delegate Michele Guyton.

The Arts Equity in Education Act (AEEA) dedicates $25 million, annually, to supplement school district efforts in meeting COMAR’s current unfunded requirements and closing equity gaps. School Districts would be able to request funding to supplement their existing efforts to meet COMAR Fine Arts regulations and use funds to hire more staff, provide teacher professional development, or purchase equipment/materials of instruction. The Maryland State Department of Education would review district requests and administer funding based on the unique needs of the communities they serve. To learn more about the legislation and how you can express your support, click here.

It’s a great month to express your support for arts, culture, history, and humanities.

All my best,

Jeannie

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