Pretty.

Just in time for the holidays, a new exhibit at the WCAC Gallery, "2x2" -- featuring dozens upon dozens of 2-inch-square works by several local artists. Here are a few of them. Embiggen for fabulousness!

Here's how it's done

Holiday performance traditions do not just occur naturally. Here's a drive-by scene that illustrates perfectly the glamourous back-breaking labor behind the scenes of some of the holiday's best. Honest, I wasn't trolling for material, I was just parking the truck on North Potomac Street and saw something interesting.

Here you have some of the volunteer board members I witnessed this morning on North Potomac Street, loading props and scenery into a rental truck, preparing for load-in at the Maryland Theatre for the Potomac Classical Youth Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. It was way below freezing, and the season's first snowfall was still on the ground from the night before. Chilly: very. Inspiring: VERY MUCH. These folks have done so much to run a quality program for young dancers over the past ten years that it is not possible to give them too much acknowledgement. The combination of young artists committed to their art, with adults who recognize passion and potential and and then answer with solid support is a wonderful thing to behold. Even when to the ordinary observer it's a bunch of middle-aged folks hauling assorted crap into a parking lot to a rental truck in the freezing snow.

Also, here's a sweet photo from last year's production to give you an indication of the colorful quality of this performance. It is charming, it is excellent, and it might be just the thing that reminds you of why we have a holiday season anyway. If we've ever needed a reminder, this is the year, and if we've ever been given a reminder, this is it.

At the Washington County Arts Council, we aim to encourage (and fund) artistic excellence, and this company of young people respond with a fabulous performance year after year. Speaking for the WCAC, we have good reason to be proud of this lovely program. May it continue for young dancers and appreciative audiences forever.

The Potomac Classical Youth Ballet performances of The Nutcracker are at the Maryland Theatre Saturday, December 8 at 7:30pm and Sunday, December 9 at 3pm. Give yourself a special gift and see this performance. It's been said that Christmas is for the young. Here's an instance where the young give Christmas to us. Do it. You can order tickets online from the Maryland Theatre, or call them to reserve at 301-790-3500.

My bologna has a first name.

Sometimes, art comes and finds you. Sometimes, the most intriguing visuals appear not only in our gallery space, but also on the streets of downtown Hagerstown. And a vision appeared in front of the arts council this morning and I couldn't resist dashing out to capture it in its rich wierdness. Or wierd richness. Truly an International Coffees moment to savour. The odd thing is that no one else noticed, or at least no one mentioned this icon of American pop culture pausing at a stoplight in the heart of the Hub City . Passers-by, drivers, no one seemed interested or tickled or even puzzled. Surely the load of kids on the schoolbus following the weiner should have been delirious, but nary a peep from the inmates. But is it so odd that no one seemed to notice? I'm thinking maybe not so much. Maybe corrective measures need to be taken. I feel some public art coming. No, not just murals. Something nuts and exuberant and unexpected. And excellent. As my college roommate used to say when he got a crazy but excellent idea about shaking things up, Let's Dance.

The last time I saw the weiner-mobile was in Illinois in 1963. It's gotten more swoopy and streamlined, but still a sight to behold.

Maybe I'll turn my snapshots into art for our December exhibition

But we got a lot more comin'

Happy birthday to us! we? us?

This evening the Washington County Arts Council celebrated-in a modest way-its 40th birthday. The proceedings involved handing out $19,950 in grants to local arts projects. Also there were a case or two of not-so-bad wine, several dozen representatives of organizations, public officials, artists, and general supporters; the local press. Also, since this is a birthday, an absolutely fabulous cake from Cones & Bones Bakery, our neighbors here on the Square in downtown Hagerstown.

Okay, first, the cake. Almond cake with cream cheese and apricot filling, encrusted with toasted almonds outlining the figure of the arts council's logo! Really the swellest thing anyone has done for us lately, and it certainly overshadowed our mediocre wine selections. Buy your pies and cakes from Bones & Cones... (I bought three pies last year for Thanksgiving, and they were so good that I didn't get any)

Great evening overall. It is great to support long-standing programs, but it is exciting to provide funding to brand-new programs. Good luck to our newbies. And God bless our oldies. This is such an advantaged community with arts opportunities. And there is SO MUCH on the horizon. Stay tuned.

Getting there.

Tuesday was a very important day for Washington County. Our Board of Education staged a key-turning ceremony for the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts in downtown Hagerstown. Oh, a key-turning ceremony is like a ground-breaking ceremony, except in this case the ground was broken sometime in the 19th century, and what we’re dealing with here is rehabilitating a hundred-year-old building into a modern educational facility.

Anyway, I went away with plenty to think about. The first thing is the support for this school from our business community was overwhelmingly evident, as was support from every civic and service organization as well as public officials. The breakfast reception (held at our Maryland Theatre, which neighbors the school) was packed. Bankers and lawyers cheek-by-jowl with nonprofit directors and county commissioners. One well-aimed grenade would have brought the city to its knees. Not that I’m recommending any such thing, I’m just saying it was a living, breathing Hagerstown Who’s-Who, with coffee and muffins on the side.

There was even a protestor, which I think always lends an air of legitimacy to any public event. The Board of Ed’s one-man chronic conscience stood at the curb, in the rain, with a large placard: Big Note$, Wrong Mu$ic. The sign looked to have been professionally produced. Which makes me wonder if the Board of Ed is dabbling in counter-intelligence these days. But still, it was effective. I learned years ago that the most useful opponent is one who comes across as a kook. Looks like the Barbara Ingram School is in luck!

Major props to schools superintendent Elizabeth Morgan. She’s guided this project from being an easily-dismissed pipe dream to an actual construction project that is being pushed along by enormous public and private support. The funding model—a blend of alternative financing and bond money and historic preservation tax credits and who knows what else—is the first of its kind in Maryland (which actually shouldn’t be a surprise, since Washington County had the first bookmobile in the country, the first arts council in the state, the first of a lot of stuff). Anyway, Dr. Morgan took a lot of hits along the path that brought us to this day, some of them pretty personal. I don’t know for sure what all Betty has in her protective arsenal, but at least two of them are made of brass. The ceremony concluded with an actual unlocking of a huge mock padlock on the building’s front doors.


Pay attention to what happens next. There’ll be the sound of hammers and saws for about year. The din will fade away to be replaced with harmony and rhythm, and if you listen real close, the gentle sounds of brush on canvas. A true symphony of young minds, eager to learn and to speak the special language of their hearts.

Tell her how you feel

If you see this person out and about in Hagerstown, introduce yourself. She is Lauren LaRocca, a columnist for the Frederick News Post who is highly critical of the cultural scene in her former hometown, Hagerstown. If you've ever enjoyed an exhibit at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, tell her about it. If you've ever been moved by a performance of the Maryland Symphony under the baton of Elizabeth Schulz, describe it for her. And if you are one of the thousands of people who support the arts in Hagerstown with your time or your energy or your money, lay it out for her.

If you feel like going one step further and informing the editors of the Frederick News Post how you feel about our community being unfairly slighted, you can do so easily by clicking here.

Don't diss my town

Yesterday, following a lunchtime concert in downtown Hagerstown, one of the musicians sent me an email saying "it turned out pretty well, a lot of folks turned out and we had one of our best crowds. Thank you for having us play, and we look forward to next year with you. Thanks for improving our County with all the great art/music programs." So, I was surprised then to read Lauren LaRocca's astonishing assertion that there is no support for the arts in Hagerstown.

According to her column published August 16, in the Frederick News-Post (a newspaper published in a neighboring city; we have our own daily newspaper here in Hagerstown) she's spent the better part of 15 years searching for evidence in bars around town. The truth is that thereis enormous support for the arts in Hagerstown, and you don't have to look very hard to find it.

Hagerstown is home to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and the community's sustenance of that excellent orchestra has grown over its inception 26 years ago. Last year more than 70,000 patrons heard the MSO's performances.Hagerstown is home also to the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, one of only four accredited museums of fine art in the state of Maryland. Every year tens of thousands visit the museum, tour its exhibits, take classes,and attend lectures and performances.

Working in partnership with the City of Hagerstown, the Washington County Arts Council presents more than 50 performances by local bands and actors during the summer months, and attendance at those events grows every year.LaRocca might find it instructive to visit our beautiful City Park on a Saturday evening. Or a Sunday evening. Or a Wednesday evening. Or visitUniversity Plaza at lunchtime on Thursday. Music all the time. There's so much of it going on that a person could scarcely take it all in. And it's all supported with dollars from local individuals and businesses. Onereason we have more arts events per capita than any other jurisdiction is because financial support by business and government consistently increases every year.

And what about the Western Maryland Blues Fest? Tens of thousands of Blues fans over four days, plus school workshops, art exhibits. A national magazine calls it one of the best-run and best-supported festivals in the country. It's been going on for twelve years, and it's 100% home-grown and locally supported. It's hard to miss.

While LaRocca was sitting alone in the Maryland Theatre, half a block away there were more than 60 guests packed into the Arts Council Gallery for an opening reception, and a few blocks away hundreds of listeners were attending a concert-featuring local musicians-at the bandshell in City Park.

It's worth noting that the historic theatre LaRocca visited last week was rescued from dereliction by community donors and volunteers. It took considerable support to save the Maryland Theatre, and Hagerstown is rightly proud of this cherished landmark.

Today, very real and progressive support for the arts is making magical things happen in Hagerstown. City and County officials have committed to the creation of the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts. A local businessman donated the building which will become that school. The entire downtown will serve as the school's campus. Some 300 students will attend the school, ontrack to open in January 2009. Sure, not everyone in the community is sold on the idea, but support for the school is so strong that it will become a reality. In Hagerstown.

Finding an audience

It was puzzling. After decades of presenting storytime for children in various parks around the county, the once-popular events just weren't attracting children the way they used to. Last summer it could be pretty disappointing to sit and stew in the heat on a Tuesday morning at a park in Boonsboro or Hancock, and it'd just be me and the storyteller and sometimes one or two children and their custodians.

So, this summer we tried something new, and teamed up with the folks at the Valley Mall and their "Mommy & Me" program. Every week, parents and children show up, get discount coupons for lunch in the food court, sign up for cool raffle prizes, and enjoy storytime in air conditioned comfort. And it's not just dozens of families, but rather dozens of dozens. Around a hundred on a good day.

Some people say that's a shame, to move out of the park. I guess people just don't live that way any more. We've found success in going to where the people are already, not just the Valley Mall but also at Municipal Stadium before Hagerstown Suns baseball games. Kudos to the Nora Roberts Foundation for sticking with us while we refine our methods!

Welcome to the neighborhood

Today I got to witness the induction of some 175 new teachers into our county's public school system. Some are veteran teachers from other counties. But most are recent graduates whose average age appears to be about 22. The event took place in the cafeteria of South Hagerstown High School, which was a sort of architectural triumph 50 years ago and still looks pretty snazzy.

Anyway, speeches were made about the quality of the our public schools, the value of qualified teachers, the breadth of local business support for education, the depth of our cultural traditions. While the various local officials took turns saying their piece, the the assembled teachers sat at the cafeteria tables, lunching on little sandwiches and brownies and fruit punch.

Yours truly was among the representatives of dozens of local agencies with display booths set up around the perimeter of the room. Prominent among these were local banks and credit unions, watching the new teachers like hawks considering their prey. Also present were usual suspects such as the library, the humane society, the tourism bureau. And along with all these were the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts as well as the Maryland Theatre. Because I wasn't actually invited (your arts council being a sort of after-thought, bottom-feeding kind of agency in the consideration of the organizers, far below the likes of the Museum and the Theatre), I sorta snuck in and staked out a corner of the Maryland Theatre's table (thanks, Brian!) and then acted like I was supposed to be there all along.

Unfortunately, there weren't that many takers. I'm hoping that as these young people new to our community get settled in, they'll venture out and see just how much arts-n-culture stuff is available to them. But, even if I didn't make a lot of contacts today, dragging myself across that scorching parking lot was worth it, just to see what a crop of new teachers looks like, but--more importantly--to witness firsthand the ways in which our community values education.

Fill the night with music.

This is how we spend a sultry late-summer Saturday evening in Hagerstown.

Dead Men's Hollow--one of my favorite Bluegrass bands--brought their lush harmonies and rich-yet-precise instrumentals (sounds like they're fanatics about pitch, which is appreciated) to an audience of hundreds this evening.

This series--a collaboration by the Washington County Arts Council and the City of Hagerstown begun four years ago--is intended to bring the experience of excellent live performance to people who don't get that very often. This year, thanks to the Maryland State Arts Council and the Hagerstown Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau, an underserved population is getting eight consecutive weeks of great music right in their own back yard. But--here's the cool part--people are coming into these folks' neighborhood as cultural tourists. Lord, did you ever think you'd see the day that people from Frederick would be coming to city-center Hagerstown for their cultural experience on a summer evening? I witnessed one exchange between a visiting couple (who had a blanket, brie, and LL Bean picnic equipment) and one of our downtown residents who lives in the neighborhood because services for low-income disabled persons are available there. The guy in the wheelchair possibly hasn't been in a restaurant in years. But he was helpfully explaining that the visiting couple should definitely after the concert go directly to Duffy's which is our new trendy nightclub on the Public Square. At first that sort of broke my heart; he's never been to Duffy's, and probably never will. But he gave careful instructions on where it is and where to park. But then I thought, good for you, good for us; how excellent for anyone to welcome people to their neighborhood with hospitality and grace. Once in a while I feel a flash of human respect and dignity here in Hagerstown, and it makes me think that our future is a hopeful one. The arts make that happen.

Don’t miss this. Time is running out.

Today my friend Caroline practically dragged me to see a photography exhibit at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. I’d been reluctant for a variety of reasons. I don’t really get turned on by most photography; there's great stuff out there, and like with any media, there's not-so-great stuff. And I’m pretty busy at the arts council during the summer. And the photographer is Norwegian, which I was sure would translate into sinister or at least overly-dramatic photographs. And I’ve never liked the way the WCMFA guards size you up when you enter our museum, and then they put a lurid green sticker on your clothes to indicate that you’ve been inspected. Creepy.
Anyway, this exhibit of exquisite photographs by Asle Svarverud is something you must must must experience. Breathtakingly and transformingly beautiful. I frequently harp about artistic excellence and merit. This is precisely what I am talking about.
Problem is that the exhibit closes this weekend. So take 45 minutes out of your weekend to give yourself a precious gift, and experience this show. The parking is free right outside the door. Do it on Saturday afternoon, then join us for a free concert by one of my absolute favorite Bluegrass bands --Dead Men's Hollow--at 7pm in City Park.
Oh, they don’t put those stickers on your clothes any more. The guard smiled at me when I walked in!
p.s. thanks, Caroline!

Getting ready.

It’s fair to say that we have a lot of arts and entertainment opportunities here, whether your tastes run toward the symphony or toward a minor league baseball came, or toward a retro “Summer of Love” concert. Or, as in my case, toward all three and more.


Before any of those excellent experiences comes our way, a lot of work is done behind the scenes to make it happen. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears in making art, but also there’s a ton of labor in bringing the art as well.


Here are scenes from two events tonight in the Hub City. First, there’s Lindsay, gallery manager for the Arts Council, putting the finishing touches on an artists’ reception this evening. Before she got to the little black dress and the canapés, there were a few days of slinging a paint roller, patching walls, wielding a tape measure to make sure all those beautiful paintings are hung just so. Then she made the canapés. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she had something to do with the little black dress, too. And kudos to her boyfriend Kelly, who really knows his way around with a vacuum cleaner.


Meanwhile, across town, the Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition was setting up at City Park. Lots of schlepping of speakers and monitors and other various heavy stuff in 80+ degrees. And they had just come from a four-set gig at a Harley dealership halfway across the state. By the time they went on, they had every appearance of having nothing on their minds but having a good time in Hagerstown.


That’s something I’ve loved about my career in arts/entertainment/event planning. After lots of work--which sometimes goes smoothly and according to plan, but more often does not--in the end you just brush the debris under the rug, wash your hands, lay out the wine and cheese, put on a clean shirt and a sincere smile. It’s showtime!

Look up once in a while.

I realized this afternoon that I’m guilty of something I’ve accused others of doing: failing to see the progress that’s been made in downtown Hagerstown. Not seeing the forest for the trees, so to speak. It occurred to me at lunchtime when I was sitting in our University Plaza. The lawns were lush, the landscaping was lovely, a fountain was running, a great local blues band was giving a free concert, and all sorts of downtown workers were lounging about with all sorts of fabulous carryout lunches. Tex-Mex, pizza, curry chicken wraps, salads. Someone even had some carryout Persian kabobs, for God’s sake. Persian food in downtown Hagerstown! People were holding conversations and relaxing and laughing. I saw a couple people reading books. It felt more like an idyllic college campus than the dumpy dreary downtown I’ve gotten all-too-used-to. When I walked back to the gallery to resume work, I noticed the new banners on the light poles and felt a definite swell of pride in my adopted hometown. Really, I have to remember to look up more often, and stop looking down. Because when you look up, you have to admit that things are looking a lot brighter around here.

Note: free lunchtime concerts every Thursday, and free professional cultural-and-literacy enhancement children’s storytelling every Wednesday at University Plaza. If that’s not a case of the City working for the people, I don’t know what is.

Summer, for sure

Here’s one of the surest signs of summer: children’s art camp. Over the next three weeks approximately 120 young people will get hands-on experience in drawing, painting, sculpting, music, dance, costuming and acting at Doub's Woods south of Hagerstown. Professional artists and credentialed educators—assisted by a corps of energetic camp counselors—work overtime to keep the lessons lively and engaging. The children receive the sort of focused and intensive arts instruction that goes way beyond what is available in the traditional school setting during the school year. It’s a pretty cool thing which I would have loved if such a camp were available to me 40 years ago. I enjoyed watching the drop-off this morning so much that I momentarily forgot that it’s about a kerjillion degrees in the park today.

Some of these children will grow up to be artists, some of them won’t. But all of these children will grow up knowing that artistic expression is an effective and meaningful (and accessible) language. And we hope they’ll remember fondly these lovely artsy mornings in Doub’s Woods. This, my friends, is why we do what we do.

Through younger eyes

Unexpectedly--and luckily (and probably undeservedly)--we got an intern for the summer. Her name is Claire Zalawa, and she come to us from Mazamet, a small city in the south of France (not far from Toulouse) where Claire has been working in festival organization and radio promotion/advertising. What in the world, I wondered, can she possibly learn from us here in Hagerstown? Oh hell, I thought, if she specifically requested a Washington, DC experience and she's landed in Hagerstown, she might be one very disappointed woman. Sure, we're only 70 miles from the Capitol, but our other-side-of-the-mountain traditions make that more like 700 miles (and countless years). Not that that's a bad thing. But could we make the best of an awkward situation?

The satisfying answer is that Claire had a lot to chew on here in Washington County. She cut her teeth on the Western Maryland Blues Fest, then went on to absorb all the data and processes and methods she could from the likes of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, the Maryland Theatre, and Hagerstown Magazine. Her assessment is that here we not only produce a remarkable amount of cultural promotion, but also it generally is of superior quality. She claims that our energy, creativity, and production values are in many ways better than she's used to, and that our commitment to making a plan and working a program have been instructive for her. And now that she's pointed it out, I have to agree that we do produce a surprising amount of postcards, websites, brochures, emails, TV ads, radio spots, billboards, t-shirts. When she saw the multiple huge binders full of Blues Fest plans in Karen Giffin's office at City Hall, and then saw that they were for one year, with shelves and shelves of similar binders from previous years on the shelves behind her, her eyes got wide for a moment.

Don't worry about Claire getting a lopsided impression of American life. She got away for several days (al by herself, solo, alone!) to Manhattan and in Boston. She's astute enough to know that there's more to life in the USA than steamers and pizza and cable television (but seriously, I've pointed out there are as many versions of American cuisine and American entertainment as there are Americans, which is one of the things that makes America America; ain't it glorious to live in a pluralistic society!). But perhaps the most generous thing she's accomplished in her time in Maryland is reminding us that we are doing a pretty good job for the arts in Hagerstown.

Oh, and I must point out that Claire's conversational English was laborious when she got here. After ten weeks, it's improved to the point that you'd assume she's lived here for a long time. If you get to meet her before she leaves for home, ask her to tell you about her bus trip to NYC.

Uncle John's Band (or, we are family)

Was it wildly innappropriate that during a memorial service for our friend Bonita Bush today I couldn't get a Grateful Dead song out of my head? You see, Bonita was famed for her exquisite musicianship. Her ability to communicate her love of music served the Maryland State Arts Council well. So, while a soaring Bach cantata filled the sanctuary, was it sacriligious of me to be singing to myself "well the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry any more..." and "anybody's choice, I can hear your voice, what I want to know is how does the song go." I suspect Bonita didn't mind.

Another thing that was on my mind was what a close family we arts administrators can be. Several of us from around the state of Maryland were in that church in Baltimore today, and it was clear that we share a strong bond. The common characteristic is that we don't accept the perception that community arts development is dull drudgery, but rather take it on willingly so that our painters and potters and musicians and actors and writers can soar, like that Bach cantata. No one did a better job of helping me understand what an arts council is all about than Bonita Bush. No one believed in the power of art more fiercely. She packed quite a wallop for a little lady who was almost five feet tall. And I reckon that's why she might appreciate a little Grateful Dead in her honor.

Go with God, Bonita. See you 'round.

Pretty.

Here's a view of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts on a picture-perfect June morning. There's something pleasing about seeing this treasure across the lake in Hagerstown's City Park, even if you don't go inside very often. And there's something reassuring in the realization that the WCMFA has been a repository of fine art since sometime in the Hoover Administration. Do yourself a favor and take a look at what's in there. Do it soon, repeat often.

For my fellow data-junkies, note that WCMFA is one of only four art museums in Maryland accredited by the American Association of Museums, and two of those are in Baltimore. (For you rocket scientists who are keeping track, the other one is the Academy Art Museum in Easton.)

So, I ask you: when visitors discover this lovely place in Hagerstown, many of them are startled to find it here. In Hagerstown. Does that offend you a little, or are you amused that we can keep a secret so well? I find it rewarding to surprise people with how much we have accomplished here in our great little city. Most people in the region know us for our outlet malls, the state prison, and a bunch of long-closed factories. Yes, that's part of what we are, but we have art, we have music, we have education, and we have baseball. Now if we can work on our self-esteem and then get some good-paying jobs in the community, we'll be all set.

Embiggen for ducks, swans, strollers. Pretty.

Hot and cold running Blues

Thousands of Blues fans attended the 12th Annual Western Maryland Blues Fest over four days, starting at Hagerstown's University Plaza last Thursday, then two scorchingly hot days at the downtown festival grounds, and concluding today in steady rain at City Park. Verdict? Best yet! Of course, it was a sort of endurance test for fans and volunteers alike, with that much great music and that many changes in the weather. See the photos: thousands of fans pouring into the festival grounds; Nora Jean Baruso left the stage to sing to the crowd; event manager Karen Giffin smiled through the rain; a little water didn't deter the audience from coming to hear the Mary Ann Redmond Band in City Park. (Credit the first two photos to the Herald-Mail.)

What I find interesting about this is that the Blues Fest delivers an excellent musical experience to thousands of people. It gets better every year, with higher and higher artistic merit in every aspect of the festival. How does that happen? Well, it's gained a reputation as one of the best-planned music festivals around. Everything, from musicians to marketing to merchandise, children's activities to weather contingencies, educational workshops, fundraising, beer, lighting, sound, portable toilets, medical services. Every conceivable detail is painstakingly mapped out (literally) by a committee of 20-some ordinary people who are passionate about this music festival. Every year they challenge themselves to do it better than the year before. Then hundreds (and hundreds) of volunteers throw themselves into executing the plan. It's why Blues Revue calls this the best city-sponsored blues fest they know.

Lest we forget, none of this would happen without the complete and unswerving support of public officials in Hagerstown. That means everyone. Mayor and Council, city management and staff, the Washington County Public Schools, the the local Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Maryland State Arts Council, the Washington County Arts Council. As someone from Blues Revue commented, it's an instance of government really working for you.

Not everyone likes the Blues Fest. There are locals who call it a nuisance. Others say it's a waste of money. Some dismiss it as "Booze Fest." Obviously, I don't agree. But what do you think? Blues Fest: good thing, or bad thing?

I've logged about a kerjillion miles on foot (okay, maybe about 15 or 20 miles, but it was 90-some degrees) managing the gallery exhibition and the beverage (i.e. lots of beer) sales over the weekend, so I'm calling it quits for now. Until tomorrow, when we start really refining plans for the 13th Annual Western Maryland Blues Fest.

A Blues Fest ain't born. It's built.

Blues Fest 2007! The annual transformation of downtown Hagerstown's Central Parking Lot into a venue for fantastic music and just plain fun has begun. It takes a few turns around the clock to make that happen, along with months of logistical planning, a dozen years experience, and a boatload of cooperation on the part of all of us who comprise Historic Downtown Hagerstown. Long live the residents and merchants (and the sponsors, the sponsors, the sponsors) who conspire to make this happen. And about 500 volunteers. By the end of the weekend, thousands and thousands (and thousands) of blues fans will have experienced some of the most memorable performances of their lives. And by the end of the weekend, your faithful reporter will be ready to sit down in a cool shady spot and reflect on the hot hot hot days of the Blues Fest. Photos indicate a dressed-up parking garage, a public works manager being interviewed by NBC25, a parking lot about to be transformed, and also one of the big stages-on-a-truck being waved through the barracades. Embiggen for the seriousness of it all. All photographed about 36 hours before lift-off. Let the Fest begin!

Bobbleheads are a kind of art. Aren't they?

Best-selling novelist Nora Roberts—who is a resident of Washington County and reliably generous supporter of the arts council—was honored this week when the Hagerstown Suns unveiled a new bobblehead in her likeness. At the news conference (hosted by our Convention & Visitors Bureau president Tom Riford) Miss Roberts claimed that the bobblehead was a sign that she’s finally made it, and that she will be the envy of all her writer friends. This from a woman who has been on the NYT best-seller list for years and who has sold nearly 300 million copies of her books. Be one of the first thousand fans at Municipal Stadium on July 6 and you’ll receive your own little Nora. Embiggen to see grown adults bust out laughing.

Surprise.

A chance meeting led me to a new painter this week. One thing led to another, and before long I had scheduled a studio visit, one of the cool things an arts council director gets to do. The artist, Dan Cumpata, welcomed me into his house in Hagerstown. I’d been in the neighborhood before, lovely curving tree- lined streets full of nicely-tended homes and gardens. I’ve always been curious what sorts of lives went on inside those houses. I didn’t imagine that there’d be an artist’s studio the likes of which I saw in Dan’s house.

The entire house is full of art. Fabulous art. Everywhere. And Dan’s own huge and luminous landscapes dominate the collection. He showed me his painting studio, in the basement, where he paints, paints, paints into the wee small hours of the morning. He works with the same paints
he’s used for years. He keeps a pair of pliers handy for opening those tubes of European paint that haven’t been opened in a decade.

He’ll have an exhibition in our gallery in 2008. Watch for it. In the meantime, when you’re driving around town, imagine what sorts of fantastic creativity might be happening around you. I’m inspired by the possibilities.

Two days in May

It was quite a sight, dozens and dozens of school buses rolling down Potomac Street to the Maryland Theatre, where Elizabeth Schulze and her Maryland Symphony Orchestra delivered an enthralling program to 4,000 ten-year olds this week. Hearing all those kids sing "My Country 'tis of Thee" accompanied by a professional orchestra was pretty darn enthralling, too. And here's an essential part of the picture: Citicorp Credit Services paid for the whole thing, as they have done for the past 22 years! This year, that nut was over $50,000. That's a huge gift to the children in this area, and an demonstrates an enormous commitment to the cultural life of our community. The MSO, in partnership with Citicorp and Washington County Public Schools, is a real champ when it comes to connecting children and music. Even if the logistics of unloading and loading all those buses in downtown Hagerstown can get a little nervewracking. Clipboards for days.

Can art make you smart?

Here are some students and staff at the end of the day at Fountaindale Elementary School for the Arts and Academic Excellence, the local public school that's putting into practice the theory that immersion in the arts has a positive effect on children's achievement across all disciplines. What that means is that instead of focusing solely on math and science, Fountaindale uses an interdisciplinary approach wherein the arts create a rich learning environment in which inquisitive children experience the interconnectedness of different subjects. A great theory which takes a lot of hard work and training to execute, but it seems Fountaindale has done it. I know in my bones that if I hadn't taken piano lessons, I'd never have made it through math in high school. Of course that was more than 30 years ago, long before arts immersion was legit. What do you think? Can the arts make you better at algebra or chemistry?

Aging audiences for the arts?

See this photo of our Maryland Theatre. How old must you be to ride this ride? Is the rising average age of an audience-member something to worry about? Or is it just how things are? For years now ArtsJournal.com has been touching on the matter occasionally. RAND has produced some dandy reports on this and other arts topics. This weekend, the topic surfaced in the pages of our own Hagerstown Sunday Herald-Mail. I tend to think that for arts presenters in general, and museums and symphonies in particular, it’s generally true that they’ll keep audiences up until they’re in their early 20s, then they won’t see them again until they’re about 47 or 48. But they will come back. However, this only will be true if the museum and symphony continue to focus on achieving the highest possible artistic merit in their products. Each symphony season, each exhibition, must aim high. Fancy marketing won’t save them over time. Obviously I agree that employing new media (hence this blog, and our occasional podcast) is affordable and effective, but ultimately it’s the art that counts. What do you think?

Art on the Avenue.

A beautiful day in Hagerstown. This morning under brilliant blue skies, dozens of artists and craftsmen set up shop outside the Benjamin Gallery in Hagerstown. I saw a lot of extremely nice work, everything from photographs to furniture, paintings and pottery. And I came away with two bags of lovely pottery (it's not all for me; I'm going to a wedding reception this afternoon and needed a unique gift). Also, I got a stack of business cards from people I'll want to show in our gallery downtown. Major props to Molly Amos and the Benjamin Gallery for continuing this annual event. See? Art isn't always about looking for funding; sometimes it can actually be lucrative. Yay! Embiggen the photos to see what a fine day it was.

Pretty.

It’d be a curious thing for an arts blog not to contain some art. Today’s offerings were created by Joan Bontempo of Sharpsburg, Maryland. “Wings” and “Whirlwind III” are on display at our gallery in downtown Hagerstown. Embiggen for the loveliness.

Art = Work = Dollars. It's a good thing.

The Maryland State Arts Council reports that there were 13,762 full-time arts-related jobs in Maryland last year. Out here in Western Maryland, that there was the equivelant of 508 full-time arts jobs, with an impact of $37 million in Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties. That’s calculated by salaries which are then spent and then spent some more. Otherwise, you’d conclude that the average salary is about $72k, which would indicate that I’ve chosen the wrong arts-related job. Actually, the average is probably more like $25k, which then gets spent at Martin's Foods and the mortgage company and the gas station, and in turn gets spent with the electric company and WJEJ's advertising department and Younger Toyota. See how it works?

Once in a while I’ll show you how glamorous these jobs can be, and introduce you to the arts workers around Washington County. Here’s Terri working the box office at the Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown. She has the patience of a saint. You can't see her face because she is always on the phone with ticket customers. Embiggen for the sheer elegance of it all . (Meaning, click on the photo and it gets bigger. And more elegant.)

In and out.

So many things in life are about money. Even art. And for arts organizations that produce and present a rich array of cultural opportunities in our community, Life can be pretty expensive. Even if you don’t have enormous personnel costs like the Maryland Symphony, all of us still have to pay the light bill, the phone bill, the rent. The search for money can get pretty competitive. Take a look at the pictures above: on the left, today's take was about $1600; on the right, today's bills totalled about $1575. A good day.

Even at a little place like the arts council, we need to take in an average of $769 every time the mail gets delivered to make our little annual budget. I thank my lucky stars we live in Maryland, where state funding of the arts is strong. Frankly, if I relied solely on local donor support, I wouldn’t be able to heat the place. In the county where I live and work, the county government accounts for about $41 of that $769 I need every day, which works out to about ten cents per county resident per year.

Sustaining the arts is a topic that will be coming up occasionally on this blog. What’s your opinion? Are there better ways keep our arts institutions alive without bleeding our donors dry?

An art school in Hagerstown?

Here’s the building Vincent Groh donated for the new Barbara Ingram School for the Arts in downtown Hagerstown (Barbara Ingram was Mr. Groh’s late wife). Imagine how exciting it will be to have 300 motivated students using our downtown as a campus!

As anticipated, the plan is not without its critics. But the bottom line is that finally budding artists—painters, potters, musicians, actors, dancers—in our public school system now will have the opportunities for preparation that they need and deserve. And the economic opportunities have downtown business owners feeling happier than they have in a long time.

Watch for construction and renovation to begin soon. Opening is targeted for January 2009.