The Worcester County Arts Council (WCAC) recently announced that they will be joining over 400 arts advocates across the State of Maryland on Wednesday, February 12 for Maryland Arts Day. Advocates will descend upon Annapolis to rally and meet with local elected officials to express how important the arts are to the state of Maryland. “We will stress how we, the citizens of Worcester County, benefit directly from the annual grant funding provided by the Maryland States Arts Council,” said the Worcester County Arts Council in a press release this week.
According to the press release, on January 15, Governor Martin O’Malley introduced his eighth and final Maryland State Budget Request for FY 2015 and in that budget, public support for the arts reaches an all-time high in Maryland. $3 million has been proposed in additional funding for Maryland’s Arts Organizations, indicating a record breaking $19 million this year for arts funding, with Maryland State Arts Council’s total budget at $17.1 million and $2 million for special fund supplemental grants focused on organizational capacity building for arts organizations.
The Maryland Arts Day program will feature keynote speaker Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Fred Lazarus IV, and Governor O’Malley, who will receive the “Outstanding Leadership in the Arts” award.
To join in on Maryland Arts Day and to let your voice be heard, please go to http://mdarts.org. Registration is $50 and includes parking and a shuttle ride to the President’s Conference Center, continental breakfast and lunch. Online registration closes February 7.
The purpose of the day is to discuss with lawmakers the importance of a strong arts community to the economic and cultural vitality of Maryland. Here on the Eastern Shore, the arts community is continually growing, supporting one another and thriving. From local arts nights to the completion of area arts centers to the highly accomplished artists living in the area, the Eastern Shore is a valued part of Maryland’s arts community. We here at ShoreBread urge you to help support the arts whenever you can, starting with Maryland Arts Day.
