Allegany Arts Council

Infobox Company
name = Allegany Arts Council

type = non-profit
genre =
foundation = 1975
founder =
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location = Cumberland, Maryland|origins =
key_people =
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industry = Arts
products =
services = Support/promote the arts in Allegany County.
revenue = $365,000 (FY08)
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees = 4
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owner =
slogan =
homepage = [http://www.alleganyartscouncil.org www.alleganyartscouncil.org]
dissolved =
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The Allegany Arts Council is a non-profit organization, located in Allegany County, Maryland, working to ensure that Allegany County is "A Community Alive with the Arts"! Our mission is to promote awareness, understanding and appreciation of the literary, visual and performing arts in Western Maryland in order to enhance the quality of life in our area. Our ongoing goals are to champion the arts in Allegany County, to support practicing artists and local art organizations, to encourage economic development through the arts and to facilitate the growth of our community into a regional arts destinationa non-profit organization.

Originally incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) in 1975, the Allegany Arts Council is recognized as the official “umbrella organization” for the arts in Allegany County. With two full-time and several part-time staff members, and an FY'08 operating budget of approximately $365,000, the Arts Council receives about one third of its annual funding in grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, Allegany County and the Cities of Cumberland and Frostburg. The remaining operating income is generated from membership dues, individual and corporate contributions, other private and public sector grants, investment income, and program revenue. Although its offices are located at 52 Baltimore Street, in the heart of Downtown Cumberland's vibrant Arts & Entertainment District, the Arts Council's reach extends across the entire county. Membership in the Allegany Arts Council is open to everyone and anyone (not just artists), and dues are payable on an annual basis at the start of each new calendar year. Select program highlights are listed below:

Arts at Canal Place

In May 2003, the Allegany Arts Council committed the financial and administrative resources to open the Arts at Canal Place co-op gallery on behalf of the many talented visual artists in our community. Located in the Shops at Canal Place, adjacent to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, the cooperative gallery now involves over 30 area artists, provides an important outlet for the sale of local artwork, and is ideally located to take full advantage of the growing tourist traffic in Downtown Cumberland.

Maryland Symphony Orchestra

Through an established partnership with the FSU Cultural Events Series, and with the financial support of local patrons, the Allegany Arts Council is proud to be able to bring live symphonic music to our community each Fall. The annual performance, which is held at Frostburg State University’s beautiful Performing Arts Center, also includes a Patron’s Reception to acknowledge the many individuals and businesses that make the concert possible.

Saville Gallery Exhibitions

Operated by the Allegany Arts Council, the Saville Gallery is, without a doubt, the premiere exhibition space for the visual arts in Western Maryland. In addition to presenting a variety of individual and group exhibitions, the schedule also includes an annual Tri-State Photography Exhibition, the annual Members’ Exhibition and the Will’s Creek Survey, a juried art exhibition that attracts top artists from across the country and overseas.

Arts Bus

The Arts Bus program is an exciting, new initiative of the Allegany Arts Council that brings traveling art experiences to children throughout Allegany County. With financial support from Aircon Engineering, and assistance from the Center for Career and Technical Education, the Arts Bus has been transformed from an outdated county transit vehicle into a colorful and exciting “art-mobile” that travels throughout the community to provide fun and interactive art experiences for a variety of audiences.

General Operating Grants

In FY’07, the Allegany Arts Council awarded almost $35,000 in grants to more than thirty-five non-profit organizations to help support local art programming across the county. A committee of artists from various disciplines is convened each year to review General Operating Grants applications submitted by area art organizations and make funding recommendations for approval by the Allegany Arts Council Board of Directors.

Arts in the Schools Week

Every Spring, the Allegany Arts Council works with the Allegany County Board of Education to produce a weeklong “arts immersion” experience for students at two local elementary schools. The program introduces children to a wide variety of art-related performances, presentations and hands-on workshops, including everything from ballet to the blues, storytelling to Shakespeare, and poetry to painting.

Tourism Committee

The Allegany Arts Council works closely with the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce’s Tourism Committee (our Executive Director serves as Committee Co-Chair) to ensure that the arts will continue to have an important role to play as a part of the County’s overall tourism program.

Symphony Saturdays

Every Fall, in cooperation with musicians from the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and with financial support from the Iris & Peter Halmos Private Foundation, the Allegany Arts Council provides area children with a fun, hands-on opportunity to learn about the musical instruments in a classical orchestra.

Artist Recruitment

The Allegany Arts Council works closely with the City of Cumberland to attract new artists and art businesses to its State-designated Arts & Entertainment District. As new Allegany County residents, these artists and art businesses generate new property tax revenue and help to revitalize Downtown Cumberland by purchasing vacant or underutilized buildings and transforming them into re-modeled studio, residential and commercial spaces.

Lunch with the Arts

The Allegany Arts Council works with the Allegany College of Maryland to help produce an entire series of cultural and professional development classes and lunchtime workshops that focuses on the visual arts, theatre and poetry.

Bi-County Literary Journal

The Allegany Arts Council partners with the Garrett County Arts Council and the FSU Center for Creative Writing to produce the Backbone Mountain Review, an annual literary journal that features poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction and plays written by poets, authors and playwrights from throughout the region.

Roots Music Series

In cooperation with WFWM Radio and Dr. Ken Roberts, the Allegany Arts Council established the Roots Music Series to encourage and sustain "traditional" music in our community. Using a program format that includes afternoon workshops followed by evening concerts, the Roots Music Series is able to showcase a variety of musical traditions (such as bluegrass, folk, country, blues, gospel, etc.), to educate, instruct and nurture local musicians, and to increase awareness and interest in these important art forms among area residents.

Saturday Arts Walk

Each year, the Allegany Arts Council coordinates a series of Arts Walks in Downtown Cumberland’s Arts & Entertainment District. This free, self-guided tour of area art venues creates exposure for the arts and fosters cooperative working relationships among many of the Downtown merchants.

Sunday in the Park

Every Sunday evening during the summer months, the Allegany Arts Council partners with Cumberland’s Department of Parks and Recreation and local sponsors to provide a venue for live musical performances by local performers at the Constitution Park amphitheatre in South Cumberland. All the concerts are free and open to the entire community.

Hadra Scholarship Fund

Established in 2004 by the Allegany Arts Council, this program honors the memory of James (Jimmy) Hadra, a former leader in the local arts community. The purpose of the Hadra Scholarship Fund is to provide small monetary grants to individuals residing in Allegany County who are in need of financial assistance to pursue an interest or an experience in the arts.

Mountain Maryland Artists Studio Tour

This annual Fall event provides art patrons from throughout the mid-Atlantic region with a unique opportunity to visit working artist studios in and around Allegany County. Coordinated each year by the Allegany Arts Council, the 2006 Tour featured 40 participating artists.

Member Communications

In addition to the Allegany Arts Council’s bi-monthly newsletter, The Arts Connection, one of the most popular and valuable member benefits we offer is our weekly Arts Flash email. Every Tuesday, Arts Council members receive an email with comprehensive information about all of the art-related happenings for the upcoming week. In addition to providing a regular means for effective communication with our membership, the Arts Flash also helps to market and promote the many events, programs and performances that are produced by the Arts Council and our member organizations.

Rotating Community Art Displays

The Allegany Arts Council maintains rotating exhibits of local artwork at the City Halls in both Cumberland and Frostburg, the main branch of the Allegany County Library System, and in several other storefront windows in Downtown Cumberland. These venues provide additional exhibition space for our visual artists, and help to focus community attention on the arts.

Poetry and Prose Readings

The Allegany Arts Council works with local writing groups and individual writers to develop opportunities for public readings at various locations across the county, including the Saville Gallery, Main Street Books and the Frostburg Community Center.