Originally incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) in 1975, the Allegany Arts Council is recognized as the official "umbrella organization" for the arts in Allegany County. The Arts Council operates under the supervision of a fifteen-member Board of Directors, and currently has two full-time, three part-time, and two contractural staff. With a FY'10 operating budget of approximately $350,000, the Arts Council receives about one third of its annual funding in grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, Allegany County and the Cities of Cumberland and Frostburg. The remaining operating income is generated from membership dues, individual and corporate contributions, other private and public sector grants, investment income, and program revenue.

Located at 9 N. Centre Street, in the heart of Downtown Cumberland's Arts & Entertainment District, the Allegany Arts Council serves all of Allegany County, and its programming cuts across all of the artistic disciplines. At its Downtown Cumberland facility, the Arts Council operates the Saville Gallery, as well as a separate Community Room which is used for for small performances, live music, literary readings, workshops, meetings, and classes. To lean more about using our Community Room for arts-related programming, please email Robin Vereen at rvereen@allconet.org or call her at 301-777-ARTS (2787).

Membership in the Allegany Arts Council is not just for artists. Anyone who wants to be connected to the local art scene, or wants to support our growing arts community, is welcome to join. Dues are payable on an annual basis at the start of each calendar year, but new members may join at any time. For more information, give us a call at 301-777-ARTS (2787).

Program Highlights

Arts at Canal Place In May of 2003, the Allegany Arts Council committed the financial and administrative resources to open the Arts at Canal Place co-op gallery on behalf of the many talented visual artists in our community. Located in the Shops at Canal Place, adjacent to the Western Maryland Railway Station, the cooperative gallery currently involves 25-30 area artists, and provides an important outlet for the sale of local artwork.

Maryland Symphony Orchestra Through an established partnership with the FSU Cultural Events Series, and with the financial support of many local patrons (including lead corporate sponsor Susquehanna Bank), the Allegany Arts Council is proud to be able to help bring live symphonic music to our community each fall. The annual performance is presented to a sold-out audience in Frostburg State University's beautiful Performing Arts Center.

Shakespeare at Canal Place With financial support from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, the Maryland State Arts Council, and Betsey Hurwitz-Schwab & Doug Schwab, the Allegany Arts Council and Canal Place Live will present "Shakespeare at Canal Place," featuring a FREE public performance of William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" as performed by the Maryland Shakespeare Festival actors from Frederick, Maryland. The 2010 performance will be held on Wednesday, July 14 at 8PM at the Canal Place festival grounds in Downtown Cumberland.

Saville Gallery Exhibitions Operated by the Allegany Arts Council, the Saville Gallery is the premiere exhibition space for the visual arts in Western Maryland. In addition to presenting a variety of solo and multi-artist exhibitions, the annual schedule also includes the Tri-State Photography Exhibition, Allegany Student Art Showcase, Western Maryland Watercolor Society Exhibition, Will's Creek Survey (a juried art exhibition that attracts contemporary artists from across the country) and Members' Exhibition.

Arts Bus The Arts Bus program is a unique program of the Allegany Arts Council that brings traveling art experiences to children throughout Allegany County. With financial support from Aircon Engineering, and assistance from the Center for Career and Technical Education, the Arts Bus has been transformed from a surplus county transit vehicle into a colorful "art-mobile" that travels throughout the community to provide fun and interactive art experiences for a variety of audiences. The Arts Bus is a frequent visitor to the Board of Education's After School Program.

General Operating Grants/Special Project Grants In FY’10, the Allegany Arts Council awarded over $30,000 in grants to more than twenty-five non-profit organizations to help support local art programming throughout the county.

Arts in the Schools Week Every Spring, the Allegany Arts Council works with the Allegany County Board of Education and other local sponsors to produce a weeklong "arts immersion" experience for students at two local elementary schools. The program introduces children to a wide variety of art-related performances, presentations and hands-on workshops, including everything from ballet to the blues, storytelling to Shakespeare, and poetry to painting.

Mountain City Traditional Arts In cooperation with Frostburg State University and the FrostburgFirst Main Street Program, the Allegany Arts Council has established a new retail and educational venue in Downtown Frostburg that showcases the traditional art forms (visual arts, music, dance, etc.) that are unique to Western Maryland and the Appalachian region.

Symphony Saturdays Every Fall, in cooperation with the musicians from the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and with financial support from The Community Trust Foundation (Halmos Arts Fund), the Allegany Arts Council provides area children with a fun, interactive, and hands-on opportunity to learn about the musical instruments in a classical orchestra.

Artist Recruitment The Allegany Arts Council works closely with the City of Cumberland and the City of Frostburg to attract new artists and art businesses to the two State-designated Arts & Entertainment Districts in Allegany County. These artists and art businesses generate new property tax revenue and help to revitalize our downtowns by renovating vacant or underutilized buildings and transforming them into re-modeled residential and/or commercial spaces.

Lunch with the Arts In both the fall and spring semesters, the Allegany Arts Council works with Allegany College of Maryland to produce a series of cultural and professional development classes, presented during the lunch hour, that showcases the talents of various artists from our community.

Backbone Mountain Review The Allegany Arts Council partners with Frostburg State University’s Center for Creative Writing to produce the Backbone Mountain Review, an annual literary journal that features poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction and plays written by area writers.

Roots Music Series In cooperation with WFWM Radio and Dr. Ken Roberts, the Allegany Arts Council established the Roots Music Series to encourage and sustain "traditional" music in our community. Using a program format that includes afternoon workshops followed by evening concerts, the Roots Music Series showcases a variety of musical traditions that educate, instruct and nurture local musicians, and increase awareness and interest in these important art forms among area residents.

Saturday Arts Walks Every season, the Allegany Arts Council coordinates a series of Arts Walks in the Arts & Entertainment Districts in Downtown Cumberland and Downtown Frostburg. These free, self-guided walking tours of area arts destinations, retail establishments and restaurants creates exposure for the local arts scene and fosters cooperative working relationships among many of the Downtown merchants.

Sunday in the Park Every Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Allegany Arts Council partners with Cumberland's Department of Parks and Recreation, and local sponsors Papa John’s Pizza and First People’s Community Federal Credit Union, to provide a venue for live music by local performers at Constitution Park's amphitheatre.

Mountain Maryland Plein Air An annual event that was started in 2009, Mountain Maryland Plein Air is a juried art exhibition and contest that attracts talented artists from across the country to paint "en plein air" throughout Allegany County. In 2010, the event will culminate with a public reception and exhibition of artwork at the C. William Gilchrist Gallery of Art in Downtown Cumberland on Saturday, June 5, from 5-8PM.

Hadra Scholarship Fund Established in 2004 by the Allegany Arts Council, this program honors the memory of James (Jimmy) Hadra, a former leader in the local arts community. The purpose of the Hadra Scholarship Fund is to provide small monetary grants to individuals residing in Allegany County who are in need of financial assistance to pursue an interest or an experience in the arts.

Mountain Maryland Artists Studio Tour This annual fall event provides local art patrons and tourists with a unique opportunity to visit working artist studios in and around Allegany County. Coordinated each year by the Allegany Arts Council, the 2010 Studio Tour will take place on November 7&8 and 14&15, and will feature twenty-eight participating artists.

Member Communications In addition to the Allegany Arts Council’s bi-monthly newsletter, The Arts Connection, one of the most popular and valuable member benefits we offer is our weekly Arts Flash email. Every Tuesday, Arts Council members receive an email with comprehensive information about all of the art-related happenings for the upcoming week. In addition to providing a regular means for effective communication with our membership, the Arts Flash also helps to market and promote the many events, programs and performances that are produced by the Arts Council and our member organizations.

Rotating Community Art Displays The Allegany Arts Council maintains rotating exhibits of local artwork at the City Halls in both Cumberland and Frostburg, the main branch of the Allegany County Library System, and in several other storefront windows in Downtown Cumberland. These venues provide additional exhibition space for our visual artists, and help to focus community attention on the arts.

Poetry and Prose Readings The Allegany Arts Council works with local writing groups and individual writers to develop opportunities for public readings at various locations across the county, including the Allegany Arts Council's Community Room, Main Street Books, the Lyric Theatre, and the Frostburg Community Center. The annual "Pre-Valentines Day Reading of Love Poems" always draws a fun croud.