The Allegany Arts Council is a non-profit organization, located in Allegany County, Maryland

Allegany County, Maryland

Allegany County is a county located in the northwestern part of the US state of Maryland. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 75,087. Its county seat is Cumberland...

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Its mission is to promote awareness, understanding and appreciation of the literary, visual and performing arts in Western Maryland

Western Maryland

Western Maryland is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that consists of Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties. The region is bounded by the Mason-Dixon line to the north, Preston County, West Virginia to the west, and the Potomac River to the south. There is dispute over the...

 to enhance the quality of life in the area. Its 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 the community into a regional arts destination.

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. The Arts Council is located in downtown Cumberland and serves the entire county.

Arts at Canal Place

In May 2003, this cooperative gallery opened in Downtown Cumberland, near the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, to support visual artists in the community. Today the gallery involves over 30 area artistsand provides an outlet for the sale of local artwork in a growing tourist area.

Maryland Symphony Orchestra

Live symphonic music is available each fall through a partnership with the FSU Cultural Events Series and financial support of local patrons. The annual performance is held at Frostburg State University

Frostburg State University

Frostburg State University is a four-year university located on a campus in Frostburg, Maryland, in Western Maryland, and is part of the University System of Maryland. FSU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.-History:...

’s Performing Arts Center.

Saville Gallery Exhibitions

This exhibition space for the visual arts in Western Maryland presents a variety of individual and group exhibitions. Its scheduleof events includes an annual Tri-State Photography Exhibition, the annual Members’ Exhibition, and the Will’s Creek Survey (a juried art exhibition).

Arts Bus

This colorful, traveling “art-mobile” brings fun and interactive experiences to a variety of audiences throughout Allegany County.

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.

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

This program, in cooperation with WFWM Radio and Dr. Ken Roberts, showcases a variety of musical traditions (such as bluegrass, folk, country, blues, gospel, etc.), to educate local musicians and to increase awareness in the community. The format includes afternoon workshops followed by evening concerts.

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, this program honors the memory of James (Jimmy) Hadra, a former leader in the local arts community. The Hadra Scholarship Fund provides 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 the opportunity to visit working artist studios in and around Allegany County. In 2006, 40 artists participated.

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 local visual artists.

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, the Frostburg Community Center, and the newly opened Frostburg Center for Creative Writing.