Getting smart about art

Art councils converge

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by GRETCHEN PHILLIPS Barbara Bershon of the Arts Alliance of St. Mary’s County speaks to participants of the strategic planning session for the future of art in Southern Maryland. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Hosted by the Arts Council of Calvert County, Southern Maryland was selected as a site for one of six similar sessions throughout Maryland.

Kathy Sears and members of the Arts Council of Calvert County showcased local art within a classroom at the college in preparation for the session. Sears said she was honored that Calvert was chosen for the Southern Maryland session.

According to its Web site, Imagine Maryland is a broad based planning session to help improve the future of the arts in Maryland.

Theresa Colvin, executive director of the Maryland State Arts Council, said the purpose was, among other things, to ‘‘get a sense of what the most important things are and what the issues are” surrounding art in the area.

Colvin said she liked seeing the collaboration on the local level such as the collaboration with local arts groups and school systems.

Colvin said the state was looking at how to best serve the needs of Southern Maryland during Thursday’s session.

Art enthusiasts, artists, teachers, local officials and patrons came out to participate in the strategic planning session as everyone had the opportunity to voice ideas, concerns and comments throughout the meeting.

Ideas spring boarding from Thursday’s meeting included building a large gallery in Southern Maryland similar to the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, a Web site with links to various art related places, and events, more venues, creating a tri-county arts alliance and more.

Whether or not one or all of the ideas suggested at the planning meeting will take off, the purpose of the meeting was to get communication started with plans on the future of the arts in Southern Maryland.

‘‘We are all going to leave here with a sense of more of a community for the tri-county area,” said Sherri Mervine of Lusby.

Bob Rausch of Waldorf, founder of the Charles County Arts Alliance, said during the meeting that the Maryland Arts Council does not want to see any of the art communities fail.

‘‘They don’t want you to fail, but at the same time, it’s not a hand-out,” he said of the support given to the arts in the area.

Ingrid Swann of the Arts Council in St. Mary’s County added that the support from the state is tremendous.

Sessions such as Thursday’s are continuing throughout the state and information gathered at each session will be available online at the Maryland State Arts Council Web site.