Annoucements

Frederick to Host Statewide A&E District Meeting

March 28, 2011

Leaders from Maryland’s Arts and Entertainment Districts will gather in Frederick for their annual meeting on Wednesday, March 30. Approximately forty people representing at least fifteen of the nineteen A&E districts across the state will attend a day-long session hosted by the Frederick Arts Council.

Representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will discuss how the arts can revitalize cities and towns. Jason Schupbach, Design Director for the NEA will also discuss Creative Placemaking based on a report released in November from The Mayors’ Institute on City Design, an NEA initiative. “(The) report lays out the elements, benefits, challenges, and how-to’s of using the arts in smart and sustainable community design,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “Art works across America to help shape communities where residents want to live, work and play.”

The event will also include a Business Meeting and Annual Report. Aldermen Karen Young, Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Frederick, will welcome the attendees at the start of the gathering. As part of the annual meeting, one district will be presented the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. The Outstanding Achievement Award is presented annually to a district board chair or executive director for excellence in one or more of five areas: marketing, public art, economic development, special events and festivals, and A&E education and outreach. In 2010, the Downtown Frederick Arts & Entertainment (A&E) District was received the award.

The meeting will conclude with a tour of Downtown Frederick’s A&E District, including stops at the Cultural Arts Center, Community Bridge, Delaplaine Visual Arts Center, and Weinberg Center for the Arts.

Maryland’s Arts & Entertainment Program was one of the first in the country and since 2001 has grown to include 19 districts located across the state, from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore. The program provides state incentives to help Maryland localities organize special zones that harness the power of their cultural resources. The Arts & Entertainment Program is administered by the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency of the DBED under the direction of the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts. For information on the program, call 410-767-6555 or visit www.msac.org.

The Downtown Frederick Arts & Entertainment District is co-managed by the Frederick Arts Council and Downtown Frederick Partnership. Frederick was designated as an Arts & Entertainment District in 2003.