Arts In Baltimore

HIS TWO NIECES persuaded John P. Kennedy to attend a ballet. It wasn't just any ballet. It was one performed by the pupils of Monsieur A. H. Durocher, the most fashionable dancing master in Baltimore. Durocher was a French refugee from Santo Domingo. He arrived here in 1824, and within a few years was one of dominant figures in the world of belle artes.Kennedy remembered little about the music or the performance of the "Ballet of Telemachus" on that artistic adventure in 1827. PeterKumpaIt was the audience that enthralled him."

Baltimore City has been chosen as the next school district to receive a comprehensive arts-education program from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the organization and city officials announced Monday. The program, "Any Given Child," will create a long-range arts education plan for Baltimore students in grades kindergarten through eight, and will be tailored specially for Baltimore city students by incorporating resources from city schools and other local arts organizations, according to a release.  The Kennedy Center will begin devising Baltimore's plan--which aims to have little administrative costs by partnering with renowned arts organizations and the local Arts Every Day program--with a comprehensive audit of arts education in city schools, which its consultants will conduct in the next six to nine months.

Many Marylanders know the cast by heart: The Meyerhoff is the home of Baltimore's symphony. Center Stage is a regional theater. The Mechanic presents Broadway-style shows, and the Lyric is for opera and touring productions. The Gilliam isn't yet such a household name, but it has the potential to be. "The Gilliam" is short for the James H. and Louise Hayley Gilliam Concert Hall. With 2,000 seats, it's the largest of several performing spaces inside the $40 million Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center that opens next month on the Morgan State University campus in northeast Baltimore.

There are a couple of small, predictable joys that occur daily during my workweek - and probably yours. It's likely you haven't noticed them properly before, nor the subtle influence they have on your mood. Fortunately, I have penned this opinion piece to help you understand why, against all odds, you are happy in Baltimore. The first experience happens on my morning commute around 7:30; it's that initial glimpse of the Howard Street Bridge after emerging from the tunnel. There is something ridiculously uplifting about the sight of the massive, festive, green-and-yellow painted structure.

A new journal offering information about the arts - from opera reviews to critiques of lounge acts - is being tested in Baltimore. Called Radar, the free monthly publication is sponsored by the Greater Baltimore Community Foundation and can be found at businesses and arts venues from the Roots Cafe to the Walters Art Museum. "We are trying to create a local culture of criticism and an on-going dialogue between writers and artists," said David Crandall, co-editor of Radar and editor of Link: A Critical Journal on the Arts in Baltimore and the World, another local arts publication.

Despite a sluggish economy and fears of budget cuts earlier this year, the arts are flourishing in Maryland this summer. A smorgasbord of events are scheduled over the next two months, from the popular City Artscape festival to the annual William Kapell competition, part of the International Piano Festival at the University of Maryland College Park, which runs through next Saturday.Artscape '92, which runs happens next weekend in the Mount Royal cultural corridor, promises new and better lighting this year on its main stage at the foot of the hill in front of the old B&O Railroad station as well as greater accessibility from the new Central Light Rail, which can deliver festival goers directly to the site.

Georgianna J. Lynch, a local artist whose paintings and sketches of Baltimore landscapes and portraits of prominent residents were displayed at area art exhibits and shows for more than 20 years, died Wednesday of heart failure at Glen Meadows Retirement Community in Glen Arm. She was 86.Since the 1960s, Mrs. Lynch created finely detailed works using oils and pastels in the basement studio of her Lutherville home."

Art is in windows on Charles StreetTen vacant storefront windows along Charles Street have become mini-galleries this month as part of the "Celebrate the Arts Downtown" window decorating campaign co-ordinated by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.The artists represented are David Jerusalem, Greg Fletcher, Charles Ford, Lucy Pealer, Mae Lucier, Derrick Buisch, Terry Thompson, Angela Franklin, Dave Lambard and D'Antell Johnson.Indian music and danceThe ninth annual Indian Music and Dance Competition, a two-day event celebrating the folk and classical traditions of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, is accepting entries for its 1992 competition, held Nov. 21 and 22 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Matt Zoll really has nothing against the 21st century, or even the 20th. The artist's Baltimore County studio is equipped with electric lights and two desktop computers that suggest his accommodation to the times, even if he paints in a way that much of the art world left behind centuries ago. On his painting days, he drives about 15 minutes from his home in Anneslie to a commercial strip off York Road. Once he shuts his studio door and goes to work, Zoll has turned his back on the march of art history that has occurred since before the Impressionists first rocked the academy in the 19th century.

Maryland Citizens for the Arts, working with the Maryland State Arts Council and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, is calling for nominations for the Governor's Arts Awards. The awards recognize individuals, small businesses, corporations and foundations that have made contributions to the arts in Maryland through artistic achievement, patronage or service to the community. There is no fee for nominating, and all members of the public are encouraged to participate.Singer and actor Harry Belafonte will present the awards March 20 at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

When film star Robert Redford was starting the Sundance Festival in Utah in the late 1970s, there were times when he felt like a barker outside a seedy nightclub. "Sundance was a rocky road, and there were a lot of near-fatalities along the way," Redford told about 1,000 arts administrators who gathered in Baltimore this weekend for the half-century summit of the advocacy group Americans for the Arts. "When the festival started, it was just me and two other people. We had one theater, and I'd stand by the front door and urge people to give us a try. I felt like a man who works in a strip joint saying, 'Why don't you come on in?

Matt Zoll really has nothing against the 21st century, or even the 20th. The artist's Baltimore County studio is equipped with electric lights and two desktop computers that suggest his accommodation to the times, even if he paints in a way that much of the art world left behind centuries ago. On his painting days, he drives about 15 minutes from his home in Anneslie to a commercial strip off York Road. Once he shuts his studio door and goes to work, Zoll has turned his back on the march of art history that has occurred since before the Impressionists first rocked the academy in the 19th century.

Native Berry Festival: Berries, barbecue and bands abound at the Native Berry Festival in Herring Run Park. The festival, which runs noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, features a berry dessert contest conducted by celebrity judges, live music starting at 1:30 p.m., and plenty of crafts, food and beverages. Cherries, blackberries, blueberries, elderberries, mulberries, strawberries and serviceberries will be available. The event is free and open to the public but the dessert contest requires a small donation.

People may come to the Baltimore Museum of Art to see the work of many internationally renowned artists, but a recent gathering there was to celebrate local talent. Six area artists, all finalists in the Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize competition, had work on display in a BMA exhibition. That work was the focus of attention for several hundred guests who wandered the galleries, many chatting with the artists themselves. Meanwhile, the museum's Fox Court was jammed with folks, enjoying music, drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

A new journal offering information about the arts - from opera reviews to critiques of lounge acts - is being tested in Baltimore. Called Radar, the free monthly publication is sponsored by the Greater Baltimore Community Foundation and can be found at businesses and arts venues from the Roots Cafe to the Walters Art Museum. "We are trying to create a local culture of criticism and an on-going dialogue between writers and artists," said David Crandall, co-editor of Radar and editor of Link: A Critical Journal on the Arts in Baltimore and the World, another local arts publication.

Many Marylanders know the cast by heart: The Meyerhoff is the home of Baltimore's symphony. Center Stage is a regional theater. The Mechanic presents Broadway-style shows, and the Lyric is for opera and touring productions. The Gilliam isn't yet such a household name, but it has the potential to be. "The Gilliam" is short for the James H. and Louise Hayley Gilliam Concert Hall. With 2,000 seats, it's the largest of several performing spaces inside the $40 million Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center that opens next month on the Morgan State University campus in northeast Baltimore.

People may come to the Baltimore Museum of Art to see the work of many internationally renowned artists, but a recent gathering there was to celebrate local talent. Six area artists, all finalists in the Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize competition, had work on display in a BMA exhibition. That work was the focus of attention for several hundred guests who wandered the galleries, many chatting with the artists themselves. Meanwhile, the museum's Fox Court was jammed with folks, enjoying music, drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

Arts cuts snip the heart out of BaltimoreIf Mayor Schmoke phases out city funding of the arts in Baltimore, as the Organizational Review Team recommends, he will be cutting out the infrastructure that breathes life, energy and vitality to this city.A common language linking citizens of all ages, races and creeds, the arts are our best opportunity to bring together the fractured, disparate cultures in our cities. The language of music, dance, visual arts and literature crosses all barriers, helping to bridge the gap between people, cities, states and nations.