Strathmore Hall Foundation

Performing arts: Strathmore continues to maintain and operate a world-class, 1,976-seat performing arts and education center, for the comfort and enjoyment of nearly 250,000 visitors year-round. It is dedicated to inspiring children to explore their creative potential and committed to reaching and serving diverse audiences through the presentation of more than 315 concerts, workshops, classes, and festivals each year. Key programs for fy23 included a series of environmentally themed projects including the sao paolo symphony orchestra's nature themed program focused on the amazon ecology, jazz percussionist allison miller's new work 'river in our veins', inspired by the east coast river ecology, and the return of toshi reagon's parable of the sower, which is heavily themed around (see sched. O) climate change and social impact. All three projects included expanded partnerships with community artists and environmental groups and connections to Strathmore's expanding arts and social justice initiative, which supports youth artists ages 14-18, who are working at the intersection of arts and social justice. Strathmore recently launched a program called "amplify" which provided funds, space and residency support to artists creating new work. Fy23 residencies included the development of new music by jazz composer, miho hazama and the workshop of an all-ages musical centered on protagonists with disabilities. Additionally, Strathmore expanded international programming in fy23. Highlights incuded angelique kidjo (benin), goran bregovic (sarajevo), dakhabrakha (ukraine), djavan (brazil), farruquito (spain), gravity and other myths (australia), soweto gospel choir (south africa), aynur (turkey) and nella (venezuela).

Retail and operations: Strathmore integrates the local artist community into its programs and operations through its gift shop, which features handmade items and work by members of the local craft guilds, its tea room, where local musicians perform weekly, and through its gallery sales program, which features the work of, and provides sales support for, visual artists.

Visual arts and education: art exhibitions at Strathmore continue to support visual artists throughout the full continuum of their creative life. The invitational gallery presents mid-career and emerging artists, often in their first professional gallery exhibit. Support for artists at this level may include assistance in writing artist statements and developing elevator pitches to supplying art media and framing materials. In our main galleries, we offer visitors a well-rounded program of traditional and contemporary artwork created by artists from across the region, nation and throughout the world in a wide variety of media and subjects. In fy23, Strathmore presented one solo exhibition featuring artist emon surakitkoson, and two curated exhibitions, one featuring senior artists jack boul, 90 (see sched. O) and jean hirrons, 72, and one group show with the artists of the historic dc location, o street studios. This exhibition included a diverse selection of art and storytelling. Collaborative exhibitions with guilds and organizations included the annual miniature painters, sculptors, and gravers' society of greater Washington, the studio art quilt associates, and the creative craft council. Additionally, we invited graduates of the master aritst program of the compass atelier for their thesis exhibition. Lastly, we presented our annual Strathmore juried exhibition featuring regional artists examining the power of play. Fy23 was also a full and exciting year of programs and partnerships for Strathmore bloom & education. Student concerts, student ensembles and all of our outreach programs took place in person, with robust enrollment. We continue to hold one virtual monthly creative writing workshop in partnership with community building art works. We continued to build on our signature programs, mostly in partnership with montgomery county public schools - east county strings, latin strings & percussion, think big cafe, in-school workshops, and summer camps in partnership with montgomery county recreation and linkages to learning.

Communications: Strathmore communicates regularly to engage with its patrons, sharing original artistic content and connecting audiences and artists. In addition to traditional media outreach, Strathmore employed its website, social platforms, and email to inform patrons and donors about programs, performances, exhibitions, and experiences at all of Strathmore's venues. Strathmore continues to work with embedded community connectors and curators to ensure that members of diverse communities receive information in the way it is most meaningful to them, whether that is in a special language newspaper, from trusted community conveners through group sales, or in heavily frequented gathering places.