Ad for Art in the Park June 4 2009

Ad for Art in the Park

Carroll County Arts Council annual Art in the Park

June 4, 2005 10 AM to 5 PM on the grounds of Westminster Maryland City Hall, Westminster Maryland

20050604 Ad for Art in the Park
20050504 SDOSM

http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/85754.html

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

"Voce Viaggio" The Power of Partnership By Diane Jones

The Power of Partnership

By Diane Jones, Other Voices Carroll County Times

Monday, August 09, 2004

"Voce Viaggio" of the Children's Chorus of Carroll County is back from a highly successful first trip abroad.

Undoubtedly there will be those who say, "Oh no, not the Chorus again," and that would be understandable since we have recently gotten such great press coverage. Please bear with me briefly so I can report a few of the benefits of our trip and extend a partial thank-you for the ground-swell of support we received.

We traveled to Finland, Sweden and Estonia and enjoyed the sights, the sounds, the foods and all of the sensory experiences of European travel.

However, the heart of our endeavor was the day we spent in a rather small town in Estonia named Paide, Westminster's Partner City. We had been in Helsinki with its Rock Church and Scandinavian intrigues; we had been in Tallinn with its medieval charm; we were in Stockholm with its cultural and architectural sophistication, but Paide captured our hearts and imaginations.

This is where we sang and danced with children who had awaited our visit as much as we looked forward to seeing them. This is where both the Estonian hymn and the Star Spangled Banner were sung and citizens from opposite sides of the world were moved to tears. This is where children from both countries sang in Estonian and English and even incorporated sign language into their presentation.

This is where our children learned Estonian folk dances and the Estonians learned the macarina in an impromptu gathering on the street in front of the town church. This is where e-mail addresses and gifts were exchanged with promises of seeing one another again. This is where friendships and the beginnings of international relations began. And this is where international peace was reinforced through learning to delight in the differences and commonalties of others.

Voce Viaggio has been the beneficiary of a successful series of partnerships that enabled us to make our dream a reality. The Westminster - Paide Partner City Program captured our imagination and provided our goal. Thomas Beyard, Kevin Dayhoff, Audrey Cimino and other Westminster - Paide Committee members supported us by networking within the community to raise funds and give our trip visibility.

Many organizations and individuals partnered with us, sharing our vision and helping make our trip possible. And of course, there are our Estonian friends, our new partners, with whom we have begun friendships with the promise of more personal and cultural exchanges.

This was more than just a trip to Europe with performance opportunities. In Estonia, the struggle between tyranny and freedom is very immediate and tangible; not one of us will be the same after experiencing this post-Soviet culture.

For example, our sense of materialism is put into perspective after being in a place where the standard of living is much simpler, but happiness comes from more fundamental sources, such as friendship and nature. The blessings of the United States are highlighted as we hear first-hand accounts of women and children being deported to Siberia just because they weren't Russian. Our own national anthem takes on greater significance as we meet Estonians who were forbidden to enjoy their national hymn or cultural heritage for 50 years.

The 24 students and the adults who traveled will be forever changed, their knowledge base and sensitivities having been greatly expanded. Sincere thanks to those of you who helped make this possible. It will be exciting to see where our partnerships take us next.

Diane Jones, of Westminster, is director of the Children's Chorus of Carroll County.

20040809 The Power of Partnership Jones
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Westminster envisions creating arts district

Westminster envisions creating arts district

By: Megen Wessel, Times Staff Writer July 25, 2001

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=2130100&BRD=1289&PAG=461&dept_id=156627&rfi=8

As the Carroll Arts Center project nears completion, Westminster officials hope to make the city more artist-friendly with possible help from newly passed legislation.

"The Carroll Arts Center is the first piece of the puzzle," said Westminster Councilman Damian Halstad, who broached the idea of an arts and entertainment district in Westminster during a City Council meeting earlier this month. "With that a reality, now would be a good time to start promoting the arts."

The legislation, signed in May by Gov. Parris N. Glendening, authorizes the secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development to designate one or more arts and entertainment districts within a county each year, a department spokeswoman said.

The measure, which the General Assembly passed on the last day of the session, followed a similar one in Providence, Rhode Island. The state law lets localities create arts and entertainment districts where a series of tax breaks apply.

In 1996, Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. proposed legislation that later passed and provided tax exemptions on personal income tax and sales-and-use tax for artists living in the Arts and Entertainment District in the Downcity Area of Providence.

Another piece of legislation passed that same year focused on tax incentives to property owners who convert buildings formerly used for industrial or commercial use into residential units.

In the roughly 10-block-square downtown Providence district, artists can receive income tax breaks, art purchases are exempt from sales tax, and developers who create spaces for artists to live and work can avoid paying property tax on the value of the improvements for 10 years.

Maryland's bill, sponsored in the Senate by Baltimore Sen. Barbara A. Hoffman, has some provisions that go beyond the Rhode Island law.

For instance, the Maryland legislation allows a local jurisdictioion to waive entertainment taxes in designated arts districts and expand a state economic development program so it can be used to fund arts-related projects.

The arts district concept has excited interest in many parts of the state, including Bowie, Hagerstown, Cumberland, Bethesda and smaller communities along the Prince George's County and Washington, D.C., line.

Although exact number of arts districts that can be created statewide in one year has yet to be determined, the law limits the number to six, said Karen Glenn, spokeswoman for the department of business and economic development.

Reach staff writer Megen Wessel at 410-751-5909 or mwessel at lcniofmd.com.

20010725 Wster Envisions Arts District cct

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