Sadly, 2024 was a year we lost many leaders in the Baltimore region's arts sector. That included the giants of achievement Carl Grubbs and Philip Arnoult whose depth of work will continue to influence and enrich the creatives, audiences, and community for years.

A new year, a fresh blanket of snow, and renewed energy to advocate for arts and culture. Here in Maryland, we are fortunate to have strong advocates for the arts, humanities, and arts education. This is particularly important as the Maryland General Assembly and Governor Wes Moore wrestle with an overwhelming budget deficit of over $3 billion.

It’s a beautiful time in beautiful Baltimore. Spring weather, flowers blooming, and singing birds. While some of you may have traveled far, my amazing eclipse adventure took place down the street in Druid Hill Park. Solo viewers were joined by parents with young children whose excitement for the event was barely controllable. Along with the ubiquitous viewing glasses, there were still plenty of homemade contraptions that undoubtedly not only protected eyes, but extended the science lessons of this awe inspiring event.

Congratulations to the 36 this year's finalists for the Baker Artist Awards who were selected from close to 700 artists Baker Artist Portfolio site!

The Finalists for the 2024 Baker Artist Awards are:

Visual Arts: Shroeder Cherry, Katie O'Keefe, Sara Prigodich, Andrea Sherrill-Evans, Tony Shore, Stephen Towns

Interdisciplinary: Selin Balci, Kelley Bell, Melissa Hyatt Foss, Phylicia Ghee, Bruce Willen, Pamela Woolford

Film/ Video: Albert Birney, Eric Cotten, Marnie Ellen Hertzler, Corrie Parks, Jimmy Joe Roche, Lynn Tomlinson

March has definitely come in like a lion with its blustery winds, making it a great time to make a kite and visit the wonderful cultural events and organizations around the region. Save the date for the 2024 Big Baltimore Kite Festival in Patterson Park on April 6th, organized by GBCA Member Creative Alliance.

The Community Arts Grant, awarded by BOPA, supports the design and implementation of new, exterior wall mural projects sited in underserved communities of Baltimore City. The art projects must be free and open to the public and exist in outdoor, publicly accessible space. Grant applicants may request up to $19,000 in funding support. BOPA will seek approvals on behalf of selected finalists. Mural projects must be completed by June 30, 2024. The deadline for grant applications is March 18, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Please join us on Wednesday, February 28, at 5:00 p.m. to celebrate and honor Kevin Brown (pictured here), Owner and Head Chef of Nancy by SNAC, with GBCA’s inaugural Cultural Innovator Award. Kevin is not only a fixture in Station North, but has a long and storied track record of innovation and dedication to the arts and people of Baltimore. To mark the occasion and fete Kevin in person, GBCA is hosting a special Black History Month Happy Hour, at the Motor House Showroom.

GBCA is happy to honor new Baltimore arts sector leaders during Black History Month.

Jason Steer was recently welcomed as the new Executive Director of GBCA member Creative Alliance. With over two decades of experience, he is known for his commitment to community engagement, inclusivity, nurturing talent on and off stage, strategic program design, and partnership-building. He comes to Creative Alliance from the famed Apollo Theatre in New York where he served in several senior roles spanning programming, educational leadership, and youth engagement.

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) announces the first round of applications for Artscape 2024. This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Charm City’s cherished free arts festival and we want to include as many people as possible in the celebration. An event the size and scope of Artscape has a lot of moving parts, so there are many ways to get involved both in the lead-up to and during the festival. Applications can be found at artscape.org/applications.