The Baltimore Artist Emergency Relief Fund coalition is happy to announce that it has exceeded the initial goal of raising $125,000 to award $500 mini grants to artists living in Baltimore City. To date, nearly 200 grants have been awarded. At this rate, the available funding will be exhausted this week.

As a result, the coalition is no longer accepting submissions. All applications submitted through Friday, May 1, at 11:59pm, will still be considered for the last round of granting.

For applicants still awaiting a response, you can expect to hear back about your status within the next 5 business days. Please contact Jocquelyn Downs, Arts Council Director at the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, with any questions: jdowns@promotionandarts.org.

To all of the funders and supporters, the Baltimore Artist Emergency Relief Fund was made possible because of your generous and expedient response to a dire situation. This has been an amazing representation of citywide collaboration. We thank you all.

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, France Merrick Foundation, Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, Abell Foundation, Grit Fund and Baltimore Creatives Acceleration Network. A special thanks to WTMD for contributing a portion of their recently received donations to the Baltimore Artist Emergency Relief Fund.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the Baltimore City Health Department website.

M:BRACE is a FREE professional development series for Maryland’s creative education force: Arts Educators, Arts Integration Teachers, and Teaching Artists.

Expert facilitators will examine the intersections of art and wellness by exploring creative practices to keep us open, curious and reflective during COVID-19. 

For the workshops, space is limited, so register early to reserve your spot in the workshop/s of your choice. After registration, you will receive a Google Hangouts link to the online session.

Partnership of the Fine Arts Office of the Maryland State Department of Education and Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance.

Upcoming Workshops

CREATIVE SPACE & INTENTION

In this workshop we will activate creative and conscious space after reflecting on our values, goals, and fears using mindfulness exercises.

Tuesday, May 5 at 1:00 PM-1:45 PM

REGISTER NOW

Facilitator:
Tavish Forsyth
MC3 Roster Artist
Bio

---

HUGGING THE POET INSIDE OF YOU

This empowering session will guide you through Master Poet Gayle Danley’s nourishing, fun and instructive process of writing and sharing your own slam poem.

Thursday, May 7 at 1:00 pm-1:45 pm

REGISTER NOW

Facilitator
Gayle Danley
MC3 Roster Artist
Bio

---

PIVOTING TOWARD CREATIVITY

Participants will identify emotional distress related to current daily life and uplift those feelings through the creative process.

**Bring your favorite pen, pencil and journal along with the courage to dig deep and respond creatively.

Monday, May 11 at 1:00 pm-2:00 pm

REGISTER NOW

Facilitator
Ken Skrzesz
Executive Director, Maryland State Arts Council
Bio

---

Registration closes one hour prior to the workshops.

The full schedule of workshops is available here.

This issue of BOPA’s Newsletter focuses on up and coming filmmakers as we announce the winners of the Baltimore Screenwriters Competition. Many do not realize that the Baltimore Film Office is part of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, and in addition to championing new talent in the industry, the office and its indomitable director, Debbie Dorsey, have a significant influence on showcasing our City’s talent and locations through the lens of great filmmakers and as backgrounds for great performances.

Baltimore lights up movie and television screens with our City’s unique architecture and streetscapes and it is Debbie, and Logistics Coordinator, Fran Carmen, who are the official liaisons between filmmakers and city agencies, businesses, crews and communities to ensure that Baltimore magic is captured on film and shared with the rest of the world. If you have some time during this mandated time at home, look at our city in a different light through the films and television shows created here. On the Baltimore Film Office page on BOPA’s website, there are a myriad of options to see Baltimore City in a starring role. Stay home, pop some popcorn and take a movie tour of our great City.

With the announcement of the Baltimore Screenwriters Competition winners, the Baltimore Film Office continues to cultivate the film industry for the future, because every production begins with a script. Note the names of the winners because hopefully, sometime in the near future, in a darkened theater or streaming from the comfort of your living room—when the credits roll—you may recognize the name of the screenwriter and remember that the production you just watched got its start in Baltimore.

Enjoy!

Donna Drew Sawyer

CEO, Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts

“Paint the Town” is an initiative of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District to bring more public art murals to downtown Bethesda. Proposals are currently being accepted for the Woodmont Avenue Parking Garage Mural.

Application Deadline: Monday, May 4, 2020

Click here for the pdf diagram and project details for the Woodmont Avenue Garage Mural.

This project is a partnership between the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Montgomery County, MD and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The mural is also generously supported by The Donohoe Companies, Duball, Greenhill and Stonebridge.

ELIGIBILITY
Artist must be 18 years of age or older to apply.
Artist must be a resident of Washington, D.C., Maryland or Virginia.
Artists are expected to carry their own general liability insurance. 

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
Artist is required to use a paint specific to outdoor and concrete use such as Keim, SherKryl, NovaColor by Artex or Golden Artist Colors, etc.

PROJECT STIPEND
$32,500 will be provided to the artist. This sum is inclusive of all artist(s) fees, insurance, fabrication, installation, travel, and all other project related expenses. Necessary lifts and scaffolding will be provided and associated fees will not be the responsibility of the selected artist.

PROJECT COMPLETION
The project must be completed within four weeks of the start date.  The artist or team of artists will coordinate their work schedule with the Bethesda Urban Partnership.

Please submit the following items to be considered for the “Paint the Town” Woodmont Avenue Garage Mural Project.

1. Completed Artist Application
2. Artist Statement
3. Resume
4. Three professional references
5. Include a scale rendering of the proposed mural to be completed with your application following the general dimensions for the Woodmont Avenue Garage Mural.
6. Upload 10 images of your work
7. Image description sheet

Click here to complete the Artist Application and upload the required attachments.

The Baltimore Film Office at the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) announces the winners of the 15th annual Baltimore Screenwriters Competition.

In the features category, Stephen Schuyler won first place for “Stealing Cars,” Evan Balkan won second place for “King of the Freaks” and Miceal O’Donnell won third place for “Wooden Nickels.”

In the shorts category, Stephen Schuyler also won first place for “Derby Night,” Chung-Wei Huang won second place for “Squeegee Boy” and Schuyler won third place for “Like You Think You Know Me.”

Winners will receive cash prizes and Movie Magic Screenwriter Six software.

Read More →

The 2020 Community Arts Grant applications are now available online. The Community Arts Grant awards funding of up to $15,000 to Baltimore City artists and neighborhoods who work together to creatively re-imagine and enliven public spaces through new, exterior wall mural art projects. The artist-neighborhood collaborative projects must be free and open to the public and exist in outdoor, publicly accessible space.

The Community Arts Grant is made possible by Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) and the generous support of the Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development, Maryland State Arts Council, and Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young, City of Baltimore.

The application deadline is Monday, May 25, 2020 and applications are available here.

Working together, artists and community groups design and propose an exterior wall mural art concept for their community, submitting their proposals for the chance to win a grant to help fund the project. Artists and communities are encouraged to submit exciting art design concepts that represent the distinct character and quality of a local community, with consideration to local cultural heritage and diversity. Projects must employ community engagement in the creative process and must be openly accessible, free of charge. Applications will be evaluated by an independent panel of jurors comprised of regional arts, culture and community development leaders, local residents and stakeholders. If selected, prize winning communities work with support from the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts to realize their project concept.

TIMELINE

• Applications Open: Monday, April 27, 2020
• Application Deadline: Monday, May 25, 2020
• Grant Award Notifications: June 2020
• Project Completion Deadline: Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Visit the 2020 Community Arts Grant Application for the full application guidelines. For more information on the Community Arts Grant, contact Chris Brooks, Community Arts Specialist at BOPA, cbrooks@promotionandarts.org or 410-752-8632.

This Friday, May Day, a day celebrated for the tribulations and triumphs of working people, Baltimore City Council President and Members, led by Councilwoman Shannon Sneed, ask that we applaud Baltimore’s frontline workers.

Utilizing social distancing protocols join your neighbors, co-workers, family and friends on Friday, May 1 to thank those on the frontline who are working to keep us all safe and sustained. 

For two minutes, please step outside and cheer, ring bells, bang pots, and honk horns. Let’s make some noise and unite Baltimore’s neighborhoods in solidarity, gratitude, and celebration!

#CharmCityCheers
Friday, May 1, 7:00 pm – 7:02 pm (cheer for two minutes) Everywhere across Baltimore