The New York Times recently profiled the rigorous four-year academic and arts program, The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, at Suitland High School in District Heights, MD. The program has survived budget cuts, neighborhood violence, a constant shortage of art supplies, and dwindling enrollment to be a crucible for emerging artists, many of them African-Americans, and some now rising to national prominence.

In collaboration with the Maryland State Arts Council and the Maryland State Department of Education, Maryland’s First Lady Yumi Hogan opened the First Lady’s Gallery, which is located in the House of Delegates Office Building in Annapolis, the state capitol. The gallery’s inaugural show features a selection of student artwork from more than 20 Maryland school systems and will run through November 13. The student art program will continue with future showcases every fall and spring.

Americans for the Arts wants you to elect art professionals from the field to serve on one of four network advisory councils: Arts Education, Emerging Leaders, Private Sector, and

Americans for the Arts invites all Americans to celebrate October as National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM). Towns and communities across the country are hosting special events that capture the spirit that the arts and humanities bring to everyday life. 

On Friday, July 31, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that the city will further develop its three designated arts and entertainment districts—Station North, Highlandtown, and Bromo Seltzer Tower. The city’s plans for supporting the arts areas was outlined in a 37-page report; it stated that the arts areas will “be improved through collaborative marketing and programming, more flexible code and zoning variances for artist workspaces, and other initiatives.”

The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) will receive the National Planning Achievement Award for Economic Planning & Development from the American Planning Association (APA) at the 2015 National Planning Awards Luncheon in Seattle Washington on Monday, April 20, 2015. The 12 Achievement Award recipients were selected by a prestigious awards panel and the awards range from transportation planning to environmental improvements to urban design, among others.

On Thursday, June 4^th, Americans for the Arts is participating in Do More 24. Powered by United Way of the National Capital Area, Do More 24 is a local movement that brings together nonprofit organizations, companies, and people committed to making a difference in our community. Make a gift to Americans for the Arts on June 4^th and together, let’s do more for the arts.

This morning, First Lady Michelle Obama joined the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Acting Director Maura Marx to present the 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Ten institutions from across the country attended the White House Ceremony to be recognized for outstanding service to their communities. These organizations demonstrate significant impact and high quality of programs, services, and partnerships, and were selected among thirty finalists. Robert Lynch, CEO of Americans for the Arts, attended the ceremony today. 

Today, April 29, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra hosted a “free concert in support of our community” at noon outside its home at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, a short drive from some of the city’s worst looting.

They posted photos and videos to social media throughuot the concert using #BSOpeace, and ended their performance with a quote from Leonard Bernstein: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

In February, USA Today asked the public to vote for their favorite art and cultural districts based on a set of hand-picked districts and neighborhoods within the U.S. and the results are in.

The winners in the 'Best Art District' contest category for USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice are as follows:

Station North, one of three Baltimore Arts and Entertainment Districts, has been working to assist the community after last week's protests. Located in the heart of Baltimore and spanning the neighborhoods of Charles North, Greenmount West, and Barclay, Station North is a diverse collection of artist live-work spaces, galleries, rowhomes, and businesses.

Register today for the 2015 Annual Convention, taking place June 12–14, 2015 in Chicago!

The conference will take place at the Chicago Sheraton, with more than 40 breakouts, three keynotes, three preconferences, two Workshop Intensives, a dozen ARTventure Tours, and an opening reception at the Museum of Contemporary Art! 

In support of those who serve wounded veterans, ArtStream, a community based arts organization in Silver Spring, MD, is proud to offer “You Are a Work of Art” (YAWA). This project, sponsored by Prince Charitable Trusts, is designed for nurses, medics, and technicians on the 4th Floor Wounded Warrior Unit at Walter Reed National Medical Military Center (WRNMMC) to practice stress-management and self-care while building friendships through the arts.

In September, we held a call for nominations for our Network Councils. Now it's time for you, our members, to cast your vote to determine which nominees will be elected to the following four Americans for the Arts' Network Councils.

The Annual Healing Arts Exhibit opened October 16 in the America Building pavilion at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Maryland.  The exhibit, jointly sponsored by the John P. Murtha Cancer Center and ground-breaking Creative Arts Program of WRNMMC, featured poetry, and music, accompanied by the artists explaining the role that art is making in their recovery.  The show is given each year in “memory of those who lost their battle or were lost in battle; and in celebration of those who continue on…”

The greatest month of the year is upon us - National Arts & Humanities Month!

It's that time again: Americans for the Arts is seeking at least 200 partners to make this Arts and Economic Prosperity Study larger and more comprehensive than ever before--and we invite YOU to be a part of it!

Consumers spend nearly $150 billion annually on entertainment and the arts. How does this breakdown to spending on the arts in your individual community?

Americans for the Arts, a leading partner in The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS), will launch in partnership with NCCAS the 2014 National Core Arts Standards in a streaming webinar on Wednesday, June 4, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Join arts education leaders from around the country to learn more about the new standards. The event will feature interviews with a broad spectrum of arts education providers, including certified educators, teaching artists, administrators, national/state policy makers, and arts education advocates.

In September 2013, Governor Martin O’Malley’s P-20 Leadership Council unanimously voted to establish a statewide task force on arts education in Maryland schools. The task force is in place to ensure that all students in Maryland have access to a quality education, which includes the arts. In order for this to happen, the task force will make recommendations on policy, regulations, curriculum, instruction, professional development, and resources regarding student’s PreK-12 education in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts.

With 2013 ending, we at Americans for the Arts find ourselves grateful for so many great arts achievements this year. There are so many partners doing amazing work in towns, cities, and states across the country--and in reflecting on this work, we wanted to especially thank the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and its staff for serving as the national lynchpin for the whole US arts field.

Since spring 2006, The National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation have been partnering with U.S. state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, “a contest that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.” Participating students recite a poem of their choice, using materials that schools receive by partnering with their state arts agency.

Since National Arts Advocacy Day on April 8-9,  Senator Angus King, Jr. (I-ME) joined the bipartisan Senate Cultural Caucus. The Caucus is co-chaired by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and currently has 33 members.

Liesel Fenner, Americans for the Arts’ public art program manager, was a guest on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show on September 26.

The show discussed public art’s role in placemaking and community building. She appeared alongside Angela Anderson Adams, public art administrator for Arlington Economic Development, and Roger Lewis, architect, “Shaping the City” columnist at Washington Post, and Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of Maryland College Park.

Brunswick Acres Elementary School in Kendall Park, NJ was very dedicated to winning the third annual "€œArt of Education"€ contest sponsored by KRIS Wine and Americans for the Arts.

Americans for the Arts and The United States Conference of Mayors today announced that Grammy Award^®-Winning Musicians John Legend and The Roots will receive the 2013 Citizen Artist Awards. In addition, Santa Fe, NM Mayor David Coss, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Maryland Governor Martin O'€™Malley will receive the 2013 Public Leadership in the Arts Awards.

Liz Lerman, renowned choreographer and Americans for the Arts board member, is launching a new project commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

The National Civil War Project begins on March 6 and events will take place throughout the DC/Baltimore Metro area for the next two years.

The Baltimore Sun's coverage of this exciting event follows: