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Join the Arts Funders Affinity Group for a conversation with Dr.
Over 300 arts organizations, hundreds of independent artists, and millions of Marylanders benefit from strong, statewide investment in the nonprofit arts sector. Sustained growth in funding means arts communities throughout Maryland can continue to cultivate robust impactful programming, providing a high quality of life to all residents.
Join Maryland Philanthropy Network for a peer learning exchange for arts and culture funders. Discuss trends you and other funders are seeing and dig into exciting projects folks are funding. We encourage you to prepare to share a link, video, or another example of the project with the group.
This September, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) welcomes only its second director in its 30+-year history with the appointment of Jenenne Whitfield by the Board of Directors to succeed Founder, Director and Primary Curator Rebecca Alban Hoffberger. Join the Arts Funders Affinity Group for a conversation with Ms. Whitfield to learn about her vision for AVAM, the current state of the museum, and other pertinent issues. Funders of arts and culture will have the opportunity to build relationships with one another and share their interests as well.
Join Maryland Philanthropy Network for a peer learning exchange for arts and culture funders! In the past year we’ve learned about the Financial Impact of COVID on the Arts in Maryland, Supporting Leaders of Color in the Arts and Creative Economy in Maryland, and Arts Grantmakers’ Changes in Practice and Sharing Session. We’ll now take some time to integrate our learnings, share what we are thinking about and focusing on, and discuss our plans for the coming year.
To kick off 2022, the Arts Funders Affinity Group is pleased to welcome Eddie Torres, president & CEO of Grantmakers in the Arts. In late 2020 and again in mid-2021, Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) surveyed their members about recent and upcoming changes in arts grantmaking practices in response to the pandemic and the movement for Black lives. Eddie will share his national perspective of arts grantmaking and discuss the findings from GIA’s latest survey. We’ll then bring it home with a brief update from Nicholas Cohen from Maryland Citizens for the Arts and have a whole group sharing session about our grantmaking practice and if it reflects the national trends in increased giving, flexibility, support for individual artists, and support for BIPOC organizations. Will also identify opportunities for collaboration and continued learning.
In October of 2019, Maryland Philanthropy Network hosted an engaging conversation about supporting an Innovative and Inclusive Arts Community. Building on that conversation and contemplating the challenges the pandemic brought on the arts community, join Maryland Philanthropy Network's Arts Funders Affinity Group to revisit and deepen your understanding of what’s happening to support leaders of color in the arts and creative economy in Maryland.
All arts and culture funders are invited to hear Nicholas Cohen, Executive Director, Maryland Citizens for the Arts, share findings from their research and to join in a discussion about the implications of these findings as well shifts in funding and support for the arts throughout Maryland and in Baltimore specifically. We’ll provide ample time for all participants to deepen collaboration by sharing information, current opportunities, lessons learned and queries about supporting the arts in Maryland.
We are starting the year with a Sharing Session so we can continue to build relationships with one another and share what we are thinking about and focusing on, as well as questions/struggles. We know the year ahead will be especially challenging for the cultural community and collective action on our part will be meaningful.
The purpose of the Arts Funders Affinity Group is to engage and educate Maryland funders about the dynamic local arts and cultural scene and the many opportunities it presents.
During this conversation, we’ll learn what arts intermediaries are hearing from their constituents as we move forward from the COVID-19 and related economic crises; what capacity arts intermediaries need to meet the demands and needs of the people they serve; and how arts intermediaries are prioritizing the work.