Skip to main content

Executive Director’s Letter June 11, 2019

The other day, while taping a segment for Charm TV someone asked what was my favorite part of my job. There are so many things that excite me about GBCA and the area’s cultural community, but I had to say the chance to meet and learn from the many brilliant people I come into contact with every day. My mind is constantly being opened, my notions challenged, and my heart filled or broken.

It's only Tuesday and my week has already included a conversation with a historian and former Senator about the women’s suffrage movement in the United States, an investigation into the feasibility of licensing software to support artists, and the observation of a Cherry Hill pre-kindergarten classroom engaged in arts learning.

Last week, the first-ever Maryland Arts Summit was a super intensified version of my day-to-day life. The artists, scholars, folklorists, and more all created an amazing stew of ideas, energy, and inspiration. Like any really great conference, I was only disappointed that I couldn’t be in two places at once. There were so many options, I had to choose among several in which I had a keen interest. Even during our session on developing a culture of inclusion in Board recruitment and management, Navasha Daya, co-founder of the Youth Resiliency Institute, and I were being fed by the energy and wisdom of the group.

Congratulations and thank you to the conference presenters, Arts Education in MD Schools and Maryland Citizens for the Arts and their partners the Maryland State Arts Council and the Maryland State Department of Education Department of Fine Arts. Being on the beautiful UMBC campus was the icing on the cake! Take it from me, you should mark your calendars the minute dates are announced for the Maryland Arts Summit 2020.

Are you on the hunt for amazing experiences for your children this summer? Check out GBCA’s second annual Creative Summer Camps listing. GBCA members are offering an eclectic and exciting range of activities. Want to list an event? Contact Nick Horan at [email protected] to find out how.

Finally, I hope to see you this Friday evening at Maryland Art Place for a performance by the Todd Marcus Orchestra. The event is free and is part of the Ten Year Retrospective of Baker Artists. Come for the concert and take in the exhibition. It closes on Sunday and you won’t want to miss it. You can reserve your FREE tickets here.

All my best,

Jeannie

Become a Member

As a member of GBCA, you will not only gain access to wonderful benefits, but you will also become an active participant in a broader cultural community. Your organization and employees will directly benefit from opportunities to collaborate, connect, learn, network and share with your colleagues in the cultural community. Join our growing constituency of over 300 individual artists and organizations representing the region's extraordinary range of arts, culture, history, heritage, humanities, and attractions.

Join Today

Charity Bavigator Four-Star Rating Badge
Support for GBCA encourages transformational creativity throughout Greater Baltimore and ensures the continued progress of our region’s cultural community. Please consider making a gift to our Annual Fund today. Thank you!