Please take this survey about arts and culture in Baltimore!

by

The 3-minute #geoloom survey gives you an opportunity to express what you like to do and what you define as arts and culture. This includes anything from visiting history museums to painting murals to singing in church choirs to going to a Ravens game. The goal is to reach as broad of an audience as possible and make sure each and every community in Baltimore is represented! The survey will help us highlight Baltimore’s assets, explore access to arts and culture, and identify elements of arts and culture that are overlooked. Take the survey today: http://geoloom.org/survey/

Call for Artists: School 33 Juried Group Exhibitions

by

Application Deadline:  Monday, April 10, 2017- 11:59pm.

School 33 Art Center is now accepting submissions from artists for our 2017 juried group exhibitions, to take place September 1 – October 28, 2017, and November 3 – January 6, 2018 in our first floor Main Gallery.  The call for entry is open to visual artists working in any medium. Through this open call, School 33 aims to present new work by emerging and established artists from the United States and abroad.  Our jurors will select between four and ten artists for each exhibition, based upon individual artistic merit and curatorial vision.  School 33 Art Center and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts will produce all related press materials, and will host an opening reception and coordinate exhibition-related programming.

Read More →

Call for Artists: Mini-Residencies at Sol Print Studios

by
Upcoming Mini-Residencies/Workshops at SOL PRINT STUDIOS

The spring is coming and we are open up for the workshops! We offer artists project-based, guided studio time in our print shop. Artist and printmakers Soledad Salamé and Randi Reiss-McCormick work individually with artists to create a strong body of work, offering enough guidance and freedom to enhance their creative identity and visual language. Our residencies are an opportunity for growth within your artistic practice; many of our artists have acquired new venues for exhibition with the portfolios they create in our classes.

These residencies are an immersive experience where all energies work to help the artist best develop their ideas in well-executed prints. The duration of the program is four days of intensive work and collaboration.
To sign up, contact us:
Soledad Salamé, Founder and Director, 443-414-6542
Randi Reiss-McCormack, 443-604-8236

Artscape 2017: Call for Artists, Anchor Projects and Charles Street Trail

by

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR ARTSCAPE 2017

Apply for Artscape’s Anchor Projects and Charles Street Trail by Friday, February 24

Have an idea for Camp Artscape? Interested in showcasing your take on an urban log cabin, faux campfire or artistic glamping? Do you want to create a large canoe sculpture or perform camp sing-alongs for festival-goers? Got a “campy” idea for showcasing Baltimore’s eclectic sensibilities? Artscape is welcoming ideas and encouraging artists to apply for its 36th year, July 21-23, 2017. The deadline for submitting a proposal for Artscape’s Anchor Projects and Charles Street Trail programs is Friday, February 24, 2017.  Program overviews and application details are below. A full list of available applications can be found on www.artscape.org/applications.

Anchor Projects (Large-Scale Art Installations):

Artscape includes approximately four large-scale outdoor performance and/or interactive artwork anchors. Artists and artist collaborative groups working in both the visual and performing arts are encouraged to apply. Projects should incorporate this year’s theme of camp. Proposals that both literally and/or conceptually include the theme of camp are encouraged. The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 24, 2017.

Read More →

Artist Resources: Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Art Spaces Meetings

by

Mayor Catherine Pugh has formed a Task Force on Safe Art Spaces to create a citywide network of:

Safe, Cost effective, Contemporary, Living, Live/Work, Studio, and Performance spaces for emerging and established artists.

The Task Force integrates the perspectives of artistic, design, development, financial, regulatory, and revitalization exports to develop straategies, identity resources, and propose a programmatic framework that will develop and sustain spaces that protect the safety of artists and patrons, while meeting the logistical and technical interests of today’s performers and audiences.

Want your voice heard by the Task Force?

Fill out the Safe Space Survey Here

and Join us on the following dates:

Tuesday, March 7 – Discussion of testimony from Public Listening Session, further Workgroup updates–Location TBD

Tuesday, March 21 — Location TBD

Tuesday, April 4 — Location TBD

Tuesday, April 18 –Location TBD

Tuesday, May 2 –Location TBD

Tuesday, May 16 – Final Meeting Date–Location TBD

Five Questions With Shelia Goodwin, BOPA’s Director of Special Events

by ⋅ Quote

1.What does it mean to be the Director of Special Events? And isn’t every event BOPA produces a “special event”?

Being the Director of Special Events means a lot to me, and it’s very exciting as you get the opportunity to be involved in international/national events such as Light City, Star-Spangled Spectacular or a Super Bowl Parade. But you also get the opportunity to do small community events like the MECU Neighborhood Grants where you have twenty people attending a small workshop compared to 100,000 people at major event.    I enjoy seeing people having a good time.  It’s especially exciting  when you’ve booked an attendee’s favorite band, and you see them at the front of the stage dancing,  singing,  and jumping with excitement in  seeing this band, and it’s all free.  It’s so rewarding to see people’s expressions and gratitude for the special events we present.

2. How did you become the Director of Special Events? What’s your history/background? What led you to this position?

It’s very funny because I went to Villa Julie College [now Stevenson University] to become a business legal secretary.   I did my internship here and was hired after I graduated.  I was the secretary for the Events Manager (I think that was her title). Then a Data Process Operator, then an events assistant, then was promoted to an events coordinator, then promoted to events manager and finally the Director of Special events.  So it has evolved over the years; I didn’t go to school for this or anything. So my role here has been a very interesting journey – talk about on-the-job experience!

3. How can your average Baltimorean can take advantage of, or find out about BOPA events?

I think the best way now is social media. Back in the day, you could look at a calendar listing in The Sun papers or in City Paper, but now it is most definitely social media and I think word of mouth too.  When folks have a great time at an event or festival they like to share their experience, especially when they find out a person is not familiar with the event or festival.

4. What goes into planning special events for BOPA?

It depends what the event is, but some consistent things include: attention to details,  a good timeline, sticking to the budget,  the support  of city services and the number one goal is for the people attending the event to have a good time, and plan to come back the next year.

5. What do you wish more people knew about BOPA and all the events that you produce?

I think a lot of people don’t know about us period. We need to do a better job of tooting our own horn.  We do a lot of events and special projects, and offer a lot of services that people don’t know about or think it’s done by “The City” so we need to celebrate and spread the word about ourselves more.

6. Is there any particular event that you’ve had a hand in that is your favorite?

My favorite event is the Monument Lighting and the Baltimore Book Festival.  Initially because they were both held in Mount Vernon and I love the intimacy of that neighborhood.  However, the Book Festival is held at the Inner Harbor now and I love it on the water. Probably the most exciting was when we did the first Super Bowl Parade. That was really, really cool.

6a. Was BOPA involved in both Super Bowl Parades and just the first?

We coordinated both of the Super Bowl Parades – makes me smile thinking about it.

6b. Are you a Ravens fan?

Yes!

6c. A lot of people are saying next year is our year [to win the Super Bowl again], so hopefully.

That would be fun! Another thing we’d like to do, hopefully one day, would be a parade for the Orioles.   We did do one, but we won’t mention how long ago that was. A couple of years  back we got excited about the possible chance of doing something, and I think we even met with the Orioles, but..   Now this is going way back, I’m telling my age.  When Cal Ripken hit 2,131 [games], we did a parade for him- marching bands, floats, etc.   The parade went down Charles Street, and somehow Sports Illustrated got a great picture of the float going down Pratt Street with me and another staff person walking behind the float.  The picture was in the special issue of the magazine dedicated to Cal.   I always said I was going to get a copy of the magazine, but never did.  I’ve done and seen a lot of amazing things working at BOPA.