The Arc Baltimore
The Arc Baltimore supports people with developmental disabilities to lead fulfilling lives with a sense of belonging, purpose and meaningful relationships.
“Since 2017 my volunteer work with The Arc Baltimore has been organizing museum, gallery and artist studio visits , art workshops and mentorships. Our amazing partners include MICA, Baltimore Museum of Art, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore Clayworks and School 33 Art Center.”
Artist Steve Geckle awarded Curator’s Choice from Walters Director Juiia Alexander at Art in the Round
Drawing on site at Baltimore Museum of Art
Monthly visits to Walters Art Museum
Portrait workshop with Walters docents Sharon Edlow and Sheila Vidmar
Quilting workshop at Baltimore Museum of Art with Marge Anderson (Volunteer Service Awardee)
Artist Raven Hilton awarded Curator’s Choice
Talking with resident artist Tiffany Jones at School 33 Art Center exhibition
Baltimore Clayworks class with instructor Mia Halton
Collage workshop with artist Tiffany Jones
Celebrating at Baltimore Clayworks’ Community Arts Gallery
Artist Jules Hinmon and mentor Dave Eassa at Art in the Round
Artist Seth Burdine in mentor Ernest Shaw’s studio
Arc visiting Steven Byram: The Visibility of Music exhibition at MICA’s Riggs Gallery with CP Graduate Fellow Andre Bradley
Lunch break at Kevin Brown’s Cafe Nancy at MICA with Arc’s Director of Volunteer Services Debbie Staigerwald
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) has an on-going community partnership with The Arc Baltimore. Once a month for the last 2 years, the BMA hosts a group from The Arc for a full day of art appreciation and art making. When they arrive, the docent and Dave Eassa, BMA staff, take them on a tour of the exhibits and the docent talks about each exhibit and engages them in a discussion. After the tour, the group has lunch at the museum and creates artwork based on what they learned. Dave Eassa and the BMA have made this community based art experience possible for people with disabilities.
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They have been welcoming and excited about this partnership. Friendships and growth have developed on both sides and everyone is excited to see where the partnership will lead to in the future. BMA's work in the community is definitely bringing the appreciation of art to people from The Arc. And we have seen first-hand how much this means to our
participants. Thank you Dave for being the conduit for making this possible.
Special Appreciation Award
These awards are given to individuals or groups who render truly outstanding assistance to The Arc Baltimore and the people with developmental disabilities The Arc supports.
George Ciscle retired last year as the Director, MFA in Curatorial Practice after a long career at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). He had the idea that he'd like to open doors for people with disabilities to enjoy fine art and he approached The Arc about it. George accompanies a group each month to the Walters Art Gallery and convinced them to expand the number of tours with a docent. He recruited School 33 to host an art-making project and then arranged for the Baltimore Museum of Art to hold a docent led tour for visitors from The Arc and an art project based on what they saw.
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George has also made it possible for people from two of our centers to work with MICA students to create an art installation in March. He's also connected us to Clayworks for a public art project beginning this fall. With this kind of roaring start, who knows where George may take us and what beautiful creations will be made.
Volunteer Service Award
This Volunteer Service Award is presented to an individual or group demonstrating commitment to The Arc Baltimore's mission by providing voluntary support to the agency and those it supports.
Marge is a volunteer docent and art instructor at the Baltimore Museum of Art, and once a month for the past two years she helps in the hosting of a group of visitors from The Arc's center in Dundalk. Marge greets them at the door and then they tour exhibits and discuss the art. Often they will then sketch their own versions of their favorite piece - right there in the gallery. Afterward they enjoy lunch and then work on art projects together. Marge guides them in their creations with kindness that makes it a wonderful and educational experience for all. She is a mentor and friend to many.
Volunteer Service Award
This Volunteer Service Award is presented to an individual or group demonstrating commitment to The Arc Baltimore's mission by providing voluntary support to the agency and those it supports.
Curator Night for Art in the Round 2021
October 13, 2021
Curator Night for Art in the Round 2020
October 15, 2020
Accessibility and Inclusion in Physical and Virtual Spaces
The Peale Center in Second Life, August 15, 2020
Arc/CP Fellowship
by Andre Bradley
In the fall semester of 2019, I began as the Arc/CP Graduate Fellow at the Maryland Institute College of Art. The program provided one Curatorial Practice student the opportunity to expand their practice in collaboration with an audience of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I taught weekly on-campus programs for 12 weeks. Each class began with looking, learning, and interpreting art. Following lunch, each one ended with a thematic and reflective artmaking workshop. This final report operates as a reflection on our experience.
Thank you for donating to make these programs possible.
Instructions : Choose Gift Designation and Beyond 4 Walls