Back in June, I wrote an op-ed about how Baltimore is facing a moment of tremendous opportunity to rethink and transparently rebuild the way it supports one of its greatest assets — the arts. I am grateful to Mayor Brandon Scott for recognizing the arts as vital to the soul of our great city by declaring an “Arts and Culture Week” in Baltimore and investing $6.25 million to support artists and cultural organizations.

For those of us working in arts and culture, September is an especially busy time. School is back in session, and the whirlwind that comes with a new season of performances and exhibitions is well underway. As we roll up our sleeves and dig into our essential work, the need for opportunities to learn from and support one another is great.

Recognizing this need and upholding our belief that our sector is stronger together, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance (GBCA) is pleased to announce the creation of the Baltimore Informal Educators Roundtable (BIER).

Are you working to create a more equitable and inclusive workplace? If you are a cultural organization, hosting an Urban Arts Leadership Fellow can help you on your journey. Urban Arts Leadership (UAL), the flagship program of the GBCA’s equity and inclusion efforts, is celebrating 10 years of service and accomplishments. The initiative is a workforce development fellowship awarded to high-achieving, emerging leaders of color, and it champions policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, and equitable nation.

Baltimore has been named one of the 17 finalists for the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge! For this most recent round of funding, 154 cities submitted proposals for projects that demonstrate close partnership between artists, arts organizations, and city government.

It is with great pleasure that I am writing to introduce the 2024 class of Urban Arts Leadership! In a further celebration of the program’s tenth anniversary, the following emerging leaders have been accepted and have already begun their work as a cohort.

Rhythm Ajanku

Rhythm Ajanku is focused on marketing strategies, branding, and content creation. He believes his participation in the fellowship presents an exceptional opportunity to engage in valuable networking and collaborative endeavors with like-minded individuals.

Applications for the Analog Photography Residency at Full Circle Fine Art are now open.

The Analog Photography Residency at Full Circle Fine Art allows one selected artist access to both of Full Circle’s on-site color and black and white darkrooms. The residency ranges from one to three months based on project proposals.

Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis, with residencies typically beginning in the fall or spring.

Proposals should include:

As we say goodbye to June, we will remember it as a time to engender respect and honor the unity of the human spirit. Juneteenth was a time to learn, celebrate, and to contemplate the true meaning of freedom and independence for formerly enslaved African Americans in the United States. And, at time of backlash against LGBTQIA family, Pride month highlighted the need to safeguard and celebrate the communities' many contributions. Let’s continue our thoughtful relationships with one another for more than a day, a week, or a month and affirm our commitment to equity.

Happy Pride Month!

Yesterday, we in the United States paused to honor and mourn the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the Armed Forces. In our country, we have also fostered and supported arts initiatives that benefit living members of the military suffering from the effects of their service.