Supporting the Art and Soul of Baltimore
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Reaching New Heights
by S. Rasheem; Pho
to Credit: Asha Holmes; Art@Work, 2018;
4800 block of Pimlico Rd.
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Despite all the bad news we endure during this health crisis, there is some good news. Many are discovering friends and partners have their backs. Individuals and organizations within the community are neighbors helping neighbors. Landlords and creditors are waiving rents and payments, there are food and diaper drives, Baltimore City is ensuring that children are fed and neighbors who never knew each other run errands for those who need support.
We are also joining together to celebrate our strong Baltimore spirit with the arts—vibrant chalk drawings appear on sidewalks, an impromptu choir sings from the front steps of their homes, young artists display their work in the front windows of their homes and yesterday, I even saw a teddy bear dressed to go to the opera. Visual, literary and performing artists are taking to the Internet to entertain and enlighten us. Even though we can’t gather the arts can still amaze and engage.
The arts community is also coming together to support our own. A grassroots movement sprang up to become a full-fledged coalition of arts groups to support artists from many disciplines who lost commissions, contracts, or had scheduled performances cancelled and don’t qualify under the current rules for unemployment or government support. These are the people that give Baltimore its cultural soul. They need and deserve our support for all that they give to enliven our City. The
Baltimore Artist Emergency Fund
launches this week and BOPA is proud to be just one of the many organizations involved.
You can read more about the fund, the amazing people who brought the fund to fruition and how you can support our community artists in this week’s newsletter or on the
BOPA website
. This partnership BOPA is privileged to be a part of is not just about the funding, it is about creating an environment where the arts community knows that we’ll always have their backs—not just now but always.
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Donna Drew Sawyer
CEO, Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts
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The
Baltimore Artist Emergency Relief Fund
is a coalition-led initiative designed to provide direct assistance to Baltimore-based artists and creative entrepreneurs who have lost income due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) crisis.
Inspired by the generosity of artist-led relief efforts in Baltimore and across the country, this fund was developed through a partnership between 20 artists and arts organizers committed to working together for the collective good of the Baltimore creative community,
and is made possible by administrative and funding support from
T. Rowe Price Foundation,
Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts
,
Maryland State Arts Council,
Robert W. Deutsch Foundation,
Grit Fund
and
Baltimore Creatives Acceleration Network
.
As the Fund’s fiduciary agent, the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts will distribute one-time $500 grants to individual artists who demonstrate an emergency financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
Artists of any discipline and creative entrepreneurs over the age of 18 who reside in the City of Baltimore are eligible to apply. Only one grant application per person will be accepted. Grant funds are solely intended for use by the grantee and may not be transferred or re-granted. Although applicants can apply on a rolling basis, the funds are limited and grants are made based on the availability of funding.
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Support the Baltimore Artist Emergency Relief Fund
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The coalition has a fundraising goal of $125,000. For individuals and foundations considering supporting this effort, help at any level is greatly appreciated. Supporting the Baltimore Artist Emergency Relief Fund helps ensure the livelihood and well-being of the artists whose work and creativity strengthen Baltimore City.
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To support artists during the COVID-19 crisis, a coalition of national arts grantmakers have come together to create an emergency initiative to offer financial and informational resources to artists across the United States.
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In response to the COVID-19 State of Emergency, the
Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC)
has created special grant opportunities that provide emergency funding to
arts organizations
and
independent artists
in Maryland as they adjust to losses sustained because of programming, operations, and events that have been modified or cancelled. Full guidelines and rubrics are available
here
.
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Creative Conversations are discipline-specific virtual gatherings in response to COVID-19, presented by the
Maryland State Arts Council
. Find more information, including topics and dates,on
MSAC website
.
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Applications open on April 3rd and will close on Friday, April 17th at 5pm. Grants will be awarded the week of April 27th. Twenty $500 grants will be made available to artists working in all disciplines.
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#ArtOfBaltimore
Call for Entries
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#ArtOfBaltimore
is a digital campaign launched by Downtown Partnership of Baltimore (DPOB), in partnership with Maryland Art Place, and BROMO Arts & Entertainment District, that will feature digital versions of works by local artists, in any original medium, on DPOB’s large format advertising channels.
The aim of the campaign is to increase public visibility and promote the works of local, Baltimore artists with an uplifting and positive message. This creative campaign comes in response to the often heavy content and news that is frequently being shared in light of COVID-19.
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Anonymous Was A Woman Arts Grants
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The author, Susan Unterberg, during the Skowhegan Awards Dinner 2019 on April 23, 2019 in New York City, in front of previous award winners. Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images.
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The
Anonymous Was A Woman
awards have supported women artists over 40 since 1996, distributing more than $6 million in grants to a population that has historically and systematically been overlooked when it comes to major accolades and support. Now, for the first time ever, the organization is doubling its annual offering with an additional $250,000 of emergency relief grants in response to the ongoing health crisis that has shuttered museums, galleries, and other businesses around the world.
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As Baltimore’s Arts Council, we are committed to focusing on the importance of having a complete Census count of our creative community.
Through the promotional campaign
"I'm Creative & I Count"
BOPA has distributed brochures, buttons, stickers and information about the importance of the Census citywide. BOPA will continue to promote the 2020 U.S. Census on social media.
Look for your Census invitations in the mail at home.
Participation is easy
and
responses can be submitted online, by mailed paper form or by calling the Census Bureau
.
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Artist Spotlights:
I'm Creative & I Count
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Baltimore City is launching a
#BMoreCensus
Challenge on Facebook to spread the word that the Census is safe, easy and important to complete!
1. Post a Census 2020 themed picture or meme with the hashtag
#bmorecensuschallenge
2. It's as easy as posting a picture with your census envelope, sharing information from this message, or sharing an existing meme. Or, get creative and create your own!
3. Tag at least 3 friends.
5. There will be great prizes for both English and Non-English posts.
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As part of the
"I'm Creative & I Count"
campaign, BOPA spoke with Baltimore-based artists about what it means to be a part of our vibrant creative community.
Watch the
Artist Spotlights
to to hear from
Crystal Micriotti
, a mixed media and community artist;
Sharayna Christmas
, dancer and founder of Muse 360 Arts; and
Eli Ben-Yaacov
, recording engineer and musician. Plus, take a virtual tour of
Baltimore's stunning murals
with BOPA CEO and novelist
Donna Drew Sawyer
and artists
Michelle Santos
and
Gary Mullen
.
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While we actively engage in social distancing at home, make sure to keep virtually in touch with BOPA! Follow us
@promoandarts
for your dose of #ArtonInstagram, to receive local arts resources, and to learn about how Baltimore's creative community is keeping the arts thriving remotely.
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#ArtonInstagram
Baltimore—
The Greatest City in America.
Stay home and be safe. Together we can get through this.
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Baltimore Arts Groups
How Baltimore arts groups are creatively serving their audiences during the coronavirus pandemiic. Via the
Baltimore Sun
.
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Resources from Maryland State Arts Council
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Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar
Cookbook
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The
Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar
Opening Day, originally scheduled for this past Sunday, April 5, has been postponed. We hope to gather once again soon to celebrate its 43rd season under the JFX.
Until then, w
ith all of us preparing more meals at home during this health crisis, the BOPA team has assembled some of their favorite seasonal and farm-to-table meals that can be created straight from a market or farm.
We hope you'll enjoy the first edition of the
Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar Cookbook.
Keep in touch and share your meals with us on social media!
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Alternative Access to the
Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar
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While the market's opening day is postponed, there are still plenty of opportunities to access your favorite Sunday morning farmers, food vendors and bazaar spots.
Visit the links below for more information on farms, food delivery, produce pickup and more.
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BOPA is proud to serve as your arts council, event center, and film office. As a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization, we are committed to ensuring Baltimore remains a vibrant, thriving arts community. We cannot do it without the support of our community – philanthropic funders, program partners, artists, volunteers, and you!
Please support BOPA to keep the arts thriving in Baltimore. Click the donate button below and follow the instructions. Thank you!
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