Press Releases

Save the Date: 3rd Maryland Traditions Folklife Festival, June 15 in Baltimore!

Mexico Vivo of Baltimore City performed Mexican dance at last year’s festival, accompanied by Mariachi band Son de America, of Montgomery County.  Photo credit: Edwin Remsberg

Maryland honors 87 for artistic excellence

Pictured: Horizon by Beth Hoeckel of Baltimore City

Maryland Names Poetry Out Loud State Champion
Blessed Sheriff, a sophomore at Richard Montgomery High School in Mongtomery County, placed first in the State competition

MSAC announces regional arts forums
Input from all regions to shape Strategic Plan update

The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) has announced that a series of regional arts forums will help shape the reassessment of Imagine Maryland, its five-year strategic plan. Each of the six forums, which are hosted by County Arts Councils, will be held at MSAC grantee organizations. Read more and RSVP to attend an arts forum in your region.

Nine Maryland Students Compete for Poetry Out Loud State Title
Winner advances to national final


Nora Sandler (pictured) of Montgomery County, now a junior at University of Chicago, returns to the Maryland POL State Final as a judge. In 2010, she was the Maryland State Champion and went on to place third at the national competition.

Fresh Strategy Assessement for Maryland Arts
State Arts Council plans for next five years

Governor O'Malley Receives National Honor For Arts Leadership
Award is the first for a Maryland governor, second for O’Malley

Nonprofit Arts Generate $1 Billion For Maryland
State’s investment in 244 Maryland organizations secures 52% direct tax revenue return; spurs recovery, growth

LITERARY ARTS WEEK IN BALTIMORE!
Free plays, workshops and more, Oct. 14-20

The 2nd Annual Literary Arts Week features a series of free events in celebration of Baltimore’s thriving literary arts culture. Hosted by the Maryland State Arts Council in partnership with the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and the CityLit Project, the week is part of Free Fall Baltimore, an initiative of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA). A radio documentary tutorial from WYPR culture guru Aaron Henkin, a literary tour of historic Mount Vernon and readings of short plays inspired by Edgar Allan Poe short stories are among the week of free events, Oct. 14-20.

Maryland State Arts Council Awards $50,000 In Grants To Support Living Traditions In Maryland
BALTIMORE, MD (October 9, 2012) – Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), has awarded $50,000 in grants for FY 2013. In total, $20,000 was appropriated for the Apprenticeship Awards program and $29,000 was appropriated for the Project Grants program.

New Maryland State Arts Council Officers and Councilors Take Positions
A new slate of Maryland State Art Council (MSAC) officers – elected at the Council's annual June meeting—and three newly appointed council members have assumed leadership.

Marylander Receives Nation's Highest Honor In Folk And Traditional Arts
Mike Auldridge named 2012 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow

MSAC ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE EDIT STUDENT ANTHOLOGY
Voices Fly features exercises and poems from the Arts-in-Education Program 

Voices Fly captures Virginia Crawford and Laura Shovan’s more than 20 years of combined experience teaching poetry to students through the MSAC Artist-in-Residence (AiR) Program. The program supports meaningful arts education experiences through grants that fund hands-on, intensive workshops for a small core group of students. Past and current MSAC artists-in-residence include visual artists as well as musicians and playwrights.

MSAC Hires New Public Art Program Director
Lucas Cowan joins the Maryland State Arts Council this week as Program Director of Public Art. 

Bethesda Receives 2012 Arts & Entertainment Outstanding Achievement Award
Public art, new businesses and dynamic events support thriving arts scene

Maryland Traditions announces food at the 2nd Annual Folklife Festival!
Maryland Traditions, a program of the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), has announced a list of distinctive food offerings at the 2nd Annual Maryland Traditions Folklife Festival.

Hands-on at the 2nd annual Maryland Traditions Folklife Festival!
Screen painters, muskrat skinners, letter pressers and boat builders among traditional artists leading free demos and workshops

2ND ANNUAL MARYLAND TRADITIONS FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED!
The Festival—an interactive, family-friendly celebration of traditional arts and foods from across the state—happens rain or shine, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., June 16 at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson.  A broad range of free performance and activities featured at the Festival include two music stages, a storytelling stage, and master artist workshops and demos in screen painting, decoy duck carving, Smith Island Cake-baking and more. Himalayan music, South African and Mexican dance, Bluegrass, Irish and Gospel music, and a big band orchestra (to name a few), plus distinctive Maryland food favorites, will be featured throughout the day. VISIT THE FESTIVAL PAGE FOR DETAILS!

Maryland Traditions @ UMBC Film Screening Series - Chesapeake Free - April 27, 12 p.m.
This is the exclusive, first screening of Chesapeake Free, a documentary film about three young Maryland watermen and women, divided into three 20 minute character vignettes. 
 

Maryland State Arts Council Announces Poetry Out Loud Maryland State Champion
The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) announced that Brian Gilbert, a senior at Marriotts Ridge High School in Howard County, placed first at the 2012 Maryland Poetry Out Loud (POL) competition on Saturday, March 3 at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

MSAC Seeks Program Director for Public Art program: Resume due March 16, 2012
The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Program Director within its Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). 

Second Annual Maryland Traditions Folklife Festival: June 16, 2012

Maryland State Arts Council announces Maryland Poetry Out Loud State Final Competition- March 3, 1PM
At the Maryland Poetry Out Loud (POL) state final, eight students selected from 15,000 will compete to represent Maryland at the national POL competition. Students will perform three poems before a panel of judges that will award the highest-scorer $200 and a trip to Washington, D.C. for the national final in May. The POL program, which encourages high school students to learn poetry through memorization and recitation, is supported by the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation.

MSAC ANNOUNCES 2012 INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AWARD RECIPIENTS

National Symposium on Arts/Cultural/Entertainment Districts: April 4 & 5, 2012

Study Reveals State's A&E Districts Spurring Jobs, New Business
An economic impact study just released by the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), an agency of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, shows that the State’s Arts and Entertainment (A&E) Districts, which were first approved more than a decade ago, supported more than 1,600 jobs and nearly $50 million in wages on average annually between FY2008 and FY2010. Maryland was the first state in the country to develop an Arts and Entertainment District program on a statewide basis.

SECRETARY JOHANSSON ANNOUNCES REDESIGNATION OF THE SILVER SPRING ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
Second of Maryland’s 19 Arts and Entertainment Districts to be redesignated for another 10 year period.

Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Secretary Christian Johansson today announced the redesignation of the Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District for a second 10-year period. The Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment (A&E) District is one of Maryland’s 19 A&E Districts and one of the first to be designated when the program was created in 2001.

Pictured:  Silver Spring Jazz Festival in Silver Plaza on Ellsworth Drive

Arts Generate $1 Billion in Economic Impact for Maryland
In fiscal year 2010, 7.6 million people attended arts events in Maryland, generating $1 billion in economic impact for Maryland, according to a study released today by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED). The study, prepared for the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), also showed the arts generated an estimated $36.5 million in state and local taxes, and provided 10,671 full-time equivalent jobs which generated $385 million in salaries. In addition, every $1 of the arts organizations’ operating budgets generated $3.78 in additional economic activity. Arts organizations once again engaged their communities by offering free arts events and more than 5 million attended these events in 2010.

MARYLAND TRADITIONS ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2011 ALTA AWARDS
Annual Achievement in Living Tradition & Arts Award Recognizes Key Contributors to Maryland's Living Traditions

Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, today announced the winners of its annual ALTA (Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts) Awards, recognizing living traditions in the State of Maryland. Names for folklorist and community leader Dr. Alta Schrock, the award is presented to three recipients for their ongoing efforts to preserve and maintain the state's living heritage.

This year's awardees are Rich Smoker, a master decoy carver who lives in Somerset County; the Patterson Bowling Center Duckpin Bowling Lanes, "Patterson Lanes", the oldest duckpin bowling alley in the world located near Patterson Park in East Baltimore; and The Singing & Praying Bands of Maryland from the Eastern and Western Shore which developed as a Christian tradition in the Delmarva

Maryland State Arts Council Announces Launch of Literary Arts Week
The Maryland State Arts Council, in partnership with the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and the CityLit Project, announces the launch of Literary Arts Week in Baltimore this October. This weeklong celebration of the many literary arts activities and artists in the city is a part of Free Fall Baltimore, an initiative of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts.

The literary arts community will offer 13 free, public events—including poetry readings, writing workshops, spoken word performances, and author appearances—during the week of October 15-22, 2011.

MSAC Gallery - Maryland Masters: Edwin Remsberg's Portraits of Maryland Traditions

Free Tickets for NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda on Sept 23
Maryland's own Warner Williams is a fellowship recipient and will perform!

Baltimore Receives Inaugural Our Town Grant from NEA!

National Residency Grant Awarded To Baltimore's Contemporary Arts Inc. and the Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra

Corporate Office Properties Trust one of 10 Best Companies Supporting the Arts in America

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES $11 MILLION IN ARTS AWARDS
Grants to 268 Maryland Organizations Maintain Jobs in the Arts Industries

Governor Martin O’Malley confirmed the significance of the arts to Maryland by approving more than $11 million in Maryland State Arts Council grants to Maryland organizations and county arts councils for fiscal year 2012 activities.

“Creativity is part of our state’s competitive edge in the modern marketplace,” said Governor O’Malley. “By supporting these arts organizations, Maryland spurs innovation and creates distinctive products and locales that attract tourists, businesses and residents, and improves the quality of life we enjoy in our state.”

Maryland's own Warner Williams receives NEA Lifetime Honor
National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2011 NEA National Heritage Fellowship Recipients
 

Maryland: Smith Island Cake one of National Geographic's Five American Desserts Worth the Trip!
Maryland: Smith Island Cake!
Some call it an architectural marvel—thin, buttery rounds of cake stacked high and stuck together with fudge frosting. Locals simply call it a Smith Island cake. Named after Maryland’s island in the Chesapeake Bay, where the recipe originated in the 1800s, Smith Island cake was declared the state’s official dessert in 2008. Taste the cake itself at the Smith Island Baking Company. Beyond the island, many places along Maryland’s Eastern Shore serve up the dessert, including the Watermen’s Inn in Crisfield.

Visits National Geographic for pictures and more deserts.

MSAC Individual Artist Awards Deadline - July 28, 2011
The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) Individual Artist Awards (IAA) are grants awarded to Maryland artists through an anonymous, competitive process to encourage and sustain their pursuit of artistic excellence.

MARYLAND TRADITIONS FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL DRAWS 3000 VISITORS!
The first Maryland Traditions Folklife Festival drew more than 3000 visitors to experience folk and traditional arts live and up close. The indoor-outdoor festival featured performances on multiple stages by singers, musicians, and dancers, as well as workshops for children, crafts demonstrations, and traditional foods. The event marks the 10-year anniversary of the founding of Maryland Traditions.
Learning how to do screen painting. Photo: Michael G. Stewart 

Station North Receives Arts & Entertainment District Outstanding Achievement Award
 Baltimore (March 30, 2011) – In recognition of significant contributions made to Maryland’s economy through art and culture, the Station North Arts & Entertainment (A&E) District was presented today with the Arts & Entertainment District Outstanding Achievement Award by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED).

“The Station North Arts and Entertainment District demonstrates the power of Maryland’s greatest asset: the talents, skills, ingenuity, education, and creativity of our people,” said Governor Martin O’Malley.

MARYLAND POETRY OUT LOUD COMPETITION WINNERS
The Maryland State Arts Council presented the 2011Maryland Poetry Out Loud Finals on February 26, 2011 at the Enoch Pratt Free Library. An audience of more than 175 listened as Kari Barclay was named the 2011 Maryland Poetry Out Loud State Champion.

Pictured:James L. Tucker, Jr., Fine Arts Coordinator, Maryland State Dept. of Educ.; Jamila Anderson, third place winner, Baltimore County; Susan Muaddi Darraj, Assoc. Prof. of English, Harford Community College, Kari Barclay, Maryland State Champion, Montgomery County; Gayle Danley, MSAC performing artist-in-residence; Kate Moran, second place winner, Talbot County; Stanley Plumly, Maryland Poet Laureate.

FREEWORKSHOP! LOGIC MODELING AND PROGRAM PLANNING , MARCH 31, 5PM
March 31, 2011 5-7:30 PM. Presented by Maryland Nonprofits at the MSAC offices.
This workshop will help program managers develop a framework for a comprehensive evaluation plan by reexamining the components of their programs. Program available to all MSAC Grants for Organizations (GFO) and Artist in Communities (AIC) grantees.

MARYLAND STATE POETRY OUT LOUD FINALS! FEB 26, 1PM AT ENOCH PRATT CENTRAL LIBRARY
Join us for this inspiring event hosted by WYPR's Aaron Henkin of The Signal with MSAC Individual Artist Award winner ellen cherry as musical guest. Nine regional winners will compete for the title of Maryland State Poetry Out Loud Champion, a prize of $200, and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, DC for the Nationals April 27-29, 2011.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS OPEN FOR 1812 BICENTENNIAL FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE PUBLIC ART PROJECT
The Request for Qualifications for the 1812 Bicentennial Francis Scott Key Bridge Public Art Project is open to artists and professional design teams (including artists, designers, artist-led team, architects, landscape architects, etc.) located in the United States.Qualifications due to Maryland State Arts Council on March 18, 2011.

93 MARYLAND ARTISTS RECEIVE INDIVIDUAL ARTIST AWARDS
BALTIMORE, MD (January 31, 2011) – Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that 93 Maryland artists have been selected to receive Individual Artist Awards totaling $246,000 from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. Pictured: "One and the Other" by Christian Benefiel

FORMER MSAC CHAIR, E. SCOTT JOHNSON, PRESENTED WITH MARYLAND ARTS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR AWARD AT MARYLAND ARTS DAY
Maryland Citizens for the Arts selected Maryland State Arts Council immediate past Chair, E Scott Johnson as the 2011 Sue Hess Maryland Arts Advocate of the Year Award. Scott was presented with the award at Maryland Arts Day 2011 on February 9, 2011 in Annapolis.

BALTIMORE’S ZIGER/SNEAD SELECTED TO DESIGN MARYLAND 9/11 MEMORIAL
BALTIMORE, MD (January 20, 2011) – Following a comprehensive review process, the Maryland 9/11 Memorial Committee today announced that Baltimore architectural firm Ziger/Snead has been selected to lead the design of Maryland’s 9/11 memorial.

TOWN OF BEL AIR SELECTED AS THE 19TH A & E DISTRICT
Newest district joins 18 communities across Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD (December 9, 2010)–Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that the Town of Bel Air has been selected to join the State’s Arts and Entertainment (A&E) Program. Administered by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) through the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), the program provides tax benefits designed to boost economic development and create a cultural district filled with artists and arts enterprises. Maryland was one of the first states to develop a statewide A&E program.
 

GOVERNOR RECEIVES ARTIFACTS FROM NEW YORK'S WORLD TRADE CENTER TWIN TOWERS
 ANNAPOLIS (November 23, 2010) — Governor O’Malley today officially accepted artifacts from World Trade Center in New York to Maryland. The twenty-two foot long artifact from the Twin Towers will be the centerpiece of the Maryland 9/11 memorial to be dedicated on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy - September 11, 2011.

MSAC AND UMBC FORM EXPLORATORY PARTNERSHIP IN MARYLAND TRADITIONS PROGRAM
Folklife Program Collaboration begins in Academic Year 2010/2011

PUBLIC ART PROJECTS ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING THROUGH MARYLAND’S TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM!
Applications accepted the first business day in January to the close of the first business day in March 2011.

Professional design teams sought for Maryland 9/11 Memorial project.
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Deadline:  November 22, 2010

RESPECTING HUMANITY: extended through MAR 18, 2011
 

PUBLIC ART PROGRAM DIRECTOR POSITION OPEN AT MSAC
The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Program Director within its Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). The primary responsibilities of this position will be to administer the MSAC’s Public Art program.

WORLD TRADE CENTER IN BALTIMORE TAPPED AS SITE FOR MARYLAND 9/11 MEMORIAL

Steel artifact from Twin Towers to be centerpiece of memorial

ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 10, 2010) – As the ninth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks approaches, Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that the World Trade Center in Baltimore will be the site of the Maryland 9/11 Memorial. The memorial will be installed next year on the 10th anniversary of the attacks along the Inner Harbor building’s pedestrian promenade and will include a steel artifact from the Twin Towers in New York that will serve as the centerpiece. The Maryland 9/11 Memorial Advisory Committee, comprised of businesses, public safety personnel, artists, the victim’s families and other stakeholders, will oversee the installation.

MARYLAND STATE ARTS COUNCIL ELECTS OFFICERS, WELCOMES THREE NEW COUNCILORS
A new slate of Maryland State Art Council officers was elected at the Maryland State Arts Council’s annual meeting in June and assumes leadership this month. Three new councilors also begin their terms July 1, 2010.

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES $11 MILLION IN ARTS AWARDS

Grants to 264 Maryland Organizations Maintain Jobs in the Arts Industries Governor Martin O’Malley today announced more than $11 million in Maryland State Arts Council grants to Maryland organizations and county arts councils, reaffirming his commitment to the arts in Maryland.

 “Our investment in the arts organizations in Maryland is another strategy to strengthen small businesses and create and retain jobs in the creative industries,” said Governor O’Malley. “Support of the operations of these arts organizations stimulates the economy and contributes greatly to the quality of life we enjoy in our State.”

MARYLAND TRADITIONS ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2010 ALTA AWARDS
Annual Achievement in Living Tradition & Arts Award Recognizes Key Contributors to Maryland’s Living Traditions

Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, announced the winners of its annual ALTA (Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts) Awards, recognizing living traditions in the State of Maryland.

New Program Recognizes Cultural Contributions of Maryland's Small Businesses
Traditional Small Business Recognition Program Supports Ongoing Efforts to Preserve Maryland’s Living Heritage

Maryland Folk Arts Celebrated at Creative Alliance
BALTIMORE, MD (May 5, 2010) – Maryland Traditions, a program of the Maryland State Arts Council, will present a traditional and folk arts showcase on Thursday, June 10, 7:30 p.m. at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore. Featuring performances by singers, musicians and dancers, the program also includes the Maryland Traditions 2010 ALTA (Achievement in Living Traditions and the Arts) Awards ceremony and recognition of the 2010-11 recipients of the program’s Master and Apprentice and Project Grants.

97 Maryland Artists Receive State Arts Council 2010 Individual Artist Awards
BALTIMORE, MD (May 19, 2010) – Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that 97 Maryland artists have been selected to receive Individual Artist Awards totaling $247,000 from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. A reception honoring the artists will be held at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore on May 20, 6:30 p.m.

MSAC Announces Maryland Poetry Out Loud 2010 State Champion
Nora Sandler of Montgomery County won a $200 prize and will move on to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC, April 25-27, 2010. This year 43 schools from 14 counties participated in the recitation competition which awards more than $100,000 to students and schools at the state and national levels. MSAC partnered with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation to conduct the competition.

Frederick Receives Arts & Entertainment Outstanding Achievement Award
In recognition of the significant contributions made to Maryland’s economy through art and culture, the Downtown Frederick Arts & Entertainment (A&E) District was presented today with the Arts & Entertainment Outstanding Achievement Award by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED).

Governor O'Malley Announces 2010 Individual Artist Awards
98 Maryland artists to receive total of $250,000 in arts grants