Happy 2024! It feels like we have turned the corner on the pandemic and are reclaiming and recognizing the many contributions that artists, creative workers, and organizations make to Baltimore City and the region. While there are challenges ahead, including in the State budget, there is so much to build upon.



In my crystal ball, 2024 will include:

• A thriving, productive, and independent Baltimore City Arts Council that operates separately from the pressures of events management and politics;
• The election, or reelection of a Baltimore City Mayor who both supports arts and culture, and embraces the sector as an asset in addressing their priorities and the needs of the City;
• The Baltimore CIty Mayor’s support for a clear role and new leadership at the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) and the strategy for and execution of crucial citywide events;
• The Baltimore County Executive’s support of a strategy to repair the Baltimore County Commission for the Arts and Sciences and its operation as the Baltimore County Arts Council, an extraordinarily important funder of the arts in Baltimore County and the region which has struggled administratively in recent years; and
• A return of audiences, and development of new audiences for performing arts organizations whose recovery from the pandemic has been slower than other types of cultural organizations.

GBCA’s New Year’s resolutions include:

• Fostering a collective will to organize the creative sector for the equitable benefit of all;
• Convening artists and organizations to connect, learn, and create opportunities for collaboration;
• Strengthening the creative economy through earned income opportunities;
• Providing access to resources and professional development that address the core needs of the sector; and
• Increasing philanthropic support of the cultural ecosystem;
• Working in partnership with organizations such at the Greater Baltimore Committee to ensure the healthy inclusion of arts and culture in their regional planning goals;
• Working with and participating in the Baltimore City’s Mayor’s Arts and Culture Advisory Committee;
• Increasing the visibility of and audiences for cultural events and experiences in the Baltimore region.

And so much more! We look forward to working with our partners and supporters in 2024. It is our fervent wish that there will be world peace and understanding in the coming year.