BmoreArt’s Picks presents the best weekly art openings, events, and performances happening in Baltimore and surrounding areas.
Howard County COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund
deadline on rolling basis
sponsored by Howard County Art Council
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating impact on the arts community, the Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) established the Howard County COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund, a temporary fund to assist artists whose creative practices and incomes have been adversely impacted by this public health crisis. In August, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball made available 50 Individual Artists Grants of $1,000 each, to be distributed through HCAC’s COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund.
“Howard County has a rich history of supporting local arts and culture,” said Ball. “I commend the Howard County Arts Council for working quickly to provide relief to many whose work has been disrupted. We have always valued and supported our arts community, and our support is especially needed during these tough times.” The grant application for the $1,000 individual grants will open August 28, 2020.
About the new initiative, HCAC Executive Director Coleen West says, “We have heard from many artists that after six months of lost work, they are struggling to support their families and creative practices. Relief funding for artists is needed now more than ever. We are so excited – and thankful – that the County has provided the Arts Council with funds to increase individual artist awards to $1,000.”
The purpose of the Relief Fund is:
To assist artists who rely partially or fully on income from gigs, contracts, and freelance work lost due to COVID-19.
Examples of losses the Relief Fund will support, but are not limited to, include financial losses from:
– Workshops and classes
– Exhibitions and festivals
– Performances in all performing arts disciplines at cafes, bars, concert halls, theatres
– Artist residencies
– Touring
– Loss of supplemental income for artists working other full- or part-time jobs that help support their creative practices
The Relief Fund will open for applications on August 28, 2020 for artists who have lost income and can document those losses. The Relief Fund will stay open on a rolling basis until available funds are fully distributed.
Eligibility:
Each artist is eligible to receive one $1,000 award. Grant applicants must be over the age of 18, able to demonstrate their income has been adversely impacted by COVID-19, and must have lived in Howard County for at least one year as of the application submission date. The Relief Fund is for individual artists only, not organizations or non-profits. HCAC Board of Directors and staff and their immediate family members are not eligible to apply.
Artists who wish to apply for a relief fund grant will find grant guidelines and the online application form at hocoarts.org/relief-fund-apply.
During this crisis, the Arts Council staff is working remotely and is available to assist applicants with any questions about completing this application by emailing grantsandprojects@hocoarts.org. Please understand that there may be a delay in our response due to working remotely.
Free Fall Baltimore 2020 | Applications Open
deadline September 6
sponsored by BOPA
The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) announces that applications to participate in Free Fall Baltimore 2020 are now open. The annual citywide celebration offers arts & cultural events at participating venues throughout Baltimore City. Free Fall Baltimore is held each October in conjunction with National Arts and Humanities Month, and showcases the importance of the arts with free concerts, dance and theater performances, festivals, lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, and special events. The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts provides grants, ranging from $250 to $1,500, to cultural organizations with operating budgets under $300,000 to provide free events during the month of October. Due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Free Fall Baltimore 2020 will occur as a hybrid of virtual and small in-person events. Applications for cultural organizations to participate in Free Fall Baltimore 2020 are available here and due by Sunday, September 6, 2020.
Out of concern for health and public safety, applicants are encouraged to submit applications with robust virtual programming elements. If applicants are planning to produce small in-person events, they must adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for public engagement and have an explicit public safety plan thoroughly outlined in the application.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a Free Fall Baltimore grant, the program must:
– Provide outreach and access to young adults, families and/or underserved audiences
– Be free of charge and open to general public without contingencies.
– Occur in Baltimore City between October 1 and October 31, 2020
Reminder: Cultural organizations with operating budgets over $300,000 are not eligible to receive grants. However, cultural organizations with budgets in excess of $300,000 are encouraged to participate in Free Fall Baltimore.
Timeline
Applications Due: Sunday, September 6, 2020
Awardees Notified: Friday, September 11, 2020
Contracts Due: Friday, September 18, 2020; 80% of grant paid upon receipt
Programs Occur: Thursday, October 1 – Saturday, October 31, 2020
Final Reports Due: Friday, December 4, 2020; 20% balance paid upon receipt
The application to participate in Free Fall Baltimore 2020 is available here and due by Sunday, September 6, 2020.
F.E.A.S.T. 2020 | Call for Entry
deadline extended to September 13
sponsored by VisArts
From your porch, yard, kitchen table, living room… Join VisArts for a Virtual F.E.A.S.T
Calling all artists, thinkers and dreamers! We encourage you to send in your proposals to F.E.A.S.T. 2020 addressing the theme of a more than human world.
This year’s F.E.A.S.T. event will take place over Zoom on October 4. The artist who garners the most votes is awarded a grant of up to $2,000. For a list of guidelines, visit the application page.
Lexington Market | Call for Vendors
deadline October 2
Since 1782, Lexington Market has been the epicenter of food and culture in Baltimore. Now, as the 238-year-old market undergoes a $40 million redevelopment, the search is on to find the next generation of food vendors and chefs to move in. When completed in early 2022, the transformed Lexington Market will be home to approximately 50 vendors. From fishmongers, butchers, dairy and fresh produce suppliers, chefs, and specialty foods and retail stalls, the new Lexington Market will incorporate the best examples of food culture from the region, and serve as a catalyst for community, culture, health, and wealth-building. The application process is open to both current vendors and new concepts. Vendor applications will be accepted online from now (Aug. 11) through Oct. 2, 2020 at www.transformlexington.com. A second round of vendor applications will be accepted beginning in January 2021, with a round two deadline in March 2021.
“Successful public markets have a wide variety of vendors and products in order to deliver an excellent shopping experience and appeal to a diverse customer base,” said Peter DiPrinzio, Seawall’s Food and Beverage Lead. “Along with an amazing line-up of fresh and prepared food vendors who sell foods like eggs, milk, meats, salads, soups, tacos, seafood, and pizza, we’re also looking for specialty vendors with products such as candy, cheeses, nuts, spices, and flowers.”
The planned redevelopment has continued during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Market’s vendors in the existing East Market recently reopened for in-person, socially distanced service Thursdays through Saturdays. In light of the pandemic, Seawall and Baltimore Public Markets Corporation are remaining flexible and attentive to the new needs of small business owners and operators.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought difficult and unpredictable times to food and beverage businesses – but extreme challenges often bring unique opportunities,” said DiPrinzio. “Baltimore’s Lexington Market has outlasted its fair share of tumult—from devastating fires to prior pandemics—and it will again. We believe the Market has a duty to help chefs and entrepreneurs emerge from this crisis and create businesses with affordable food and retail spaces that support and empower our Baltimore community.”
