The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts opened applications for a 12-member Community Advisory Committee on Monday.
The committee will “act as a bridge between Baltimore residents and BOPA’s leadership,” according to a press release. The deadline to apply is July 15.
“We believe the best way to serve Baltimore’s vibrant creative community is by listening to it directly,” said Robyn Murphy, interim CEO of BOPA. “The CAC will ensure our work is grounded in collective imagination and reflects the richness and diversity of all Baltimore neighborhoods – from Highlandtown to Pigtown, and everywhere in between.”
Selected applicants will meet quarterly and serve two-year terms. Applicants must live in Baltimore or be connected to the city through “professional or lived experience.”
Committee members will be responsible for assisting BOPA’s operations and using their “diverse experience” to serve the Baltimore community. The position is unpaid, and serves as an auxiliary to the board.
BOPA has organized Artscape, the Baltimore Book Festival, Sondheim Art Prize exhibitions and award ceremony (in collaboration with the Walters Art Museum), among many other events.
The new committee forms following many changes to the relationship between the City of Baltimore and BOPA over the past year and beyond.
Last fall, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott sent a letter to BOPA saying the City of Baltimore would terminate its contract with BOPA early this year. However, the city said it planned to make case-by-case arrangements for ongoing projects and events.
“The persistent financial difficulties that have come to light in recent months have led us to conclude that this is the best course of action to ensure the long-term sustainability of our city’s arts and cultural programming,” read the Oct. 16 letter.
Although its contract as Baltimore’s official event producer has ended, BOPA continues to work with the city to produce many of its events, such as last month’s Artscape festival, with programming on Saturday alone seeing 90,000 attendees; the Baltimore Farmers Market under the Jones Falls Expressway; and the Top of the World observation deck.
“Artscape 2025 stands as a testament to what’s possible through intentional curation and true partnership,” Murphy said in a statement after this year’s festival. “I am incredibly proud of what the BOPA team accomplished this year in collaboration with the City of Baltimore. Together, we created a festival that not only celebrated our city’s vibrant arts community but also reflected a shared commitment to excellence. Our artists and the citizens of Baltimore deserve the very best, and I believe this year, they received it. The success of Artscape 2025 sets a strong foundation for what’s to come.”
In December 2024, BOPA retained its designation as Baltimore City’s Arts Council for Fiscal 2026. It also named Lou Joseph as the Arts Council’s new director.
Following the re-designation, BOPA approved two new board members. Restaurant owner Janeen Simon and founder of RAUNJIBA Design & Construction, Scott Tucker, joined in January of this year.
The BOPA bylaws were updated at that time, and the new CAC committee was written into the bylaws, a BOPA spokesperson wrote in an email to Baltimore Fishbowl.
According to Monday’s approved Baltimore City budget, BOPA is set to receive $2.8 million for the next fiscal year, the same amount as the 2025 fiscal year.
Interested applicants can apply to be part of the Community Advisory Committee here or on the BOPA website. The BOPA Board of Directors will then review all applicants.
This article has been updated to clarify BOPA’s relationship with the City of Baltimore and its role in city events.
