Garrett County Arts Council

The gallery shop and the gallery shop, too at grant's mercantile: a program of the Garrett County Arts Council to support business and economic development, the gallery shop is a retail storefront in the heart of the oakland Arts & entertainment district providing a venue for local visual artists to show and sell their artwork. Monthly special exhibitions with lectures, workshops and demonstrations, and entertainment were scheduled throughout the year. During the summer months/height of tourism, we offered eight saturday morning visual artist demonstrations in mediums such as colored pencil, oil and cold wax, quilling, paper-cuts, basket weaving, tatting, woodturning, balloon smash art, and yarn spinning. Due to the success of the gallery shop, gcac opened the gallery shop, too in grant's mercantile in the grantsville Arts & entertainment district to offer artists, artisans and rural entrepreneurs another accessible artist marketplace and workshop/demonstration space along the i-68 interstate. As part of a partnership with the mountain fresh farmers market, the gallery shop and the gallery shop, too at grant's mercantile feature local, Garrett County food producers and artisans to increase their business and economic development year-round as part of culinary Arts programming development. In fy25, we will continue to focus on expanding opportunities for artists, artisans, rural entrepreneurs and community members of all ages to come together to participate in additional activities/events, lectures and socialization in both grantsville and oakland locations.

Mart art'Arts's rural entrepreneurship professional development, workshops and community events: in september 2020, with funding support from both the Maryland state Arts Council and rural Maryland Council, gcac implemented the strategically planned mart art: shared workspace in the oakland a&e district, an ada- accessible shared community workspace equipped with a variety of digital and traditional tools/processes and services that assist rural art entrepreneurs to flourish in the global digital based economy. The development of gcac's mart art program and spaces was both a timely response to the unpredicted covid-19 pandemic and an informed gcac organizational goal to respond to survey data and membership feedback indicating the need for technical assistance and resources to help overcome the lack of skills in digital platforms, production, marketing and business acumen necessary for expanding successful entrepreneurship. In addition to workspaces equipped with art supplies, community worktables, and gallery hanging systems for artists, entrepreneurs and community members to use, we have desktop computers, a 70" monitor for virtual meetings and events, ipads, a digital camera and lightbox to use for marketing and promotions, a packing station to ship products. Artists, educators and professionals are employed by gcac in a resource capacity increasing their personal economic development, so our rural artists, entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout the region are also being supported. The physical transformation occurred at 108 s. 2nd street, in the heart of the oakland a&e district. Construction began on february 24, 2021, with additional online, free programming offerings for the community starting in march 2021. Gcac's mart art project was both a timely response to the unpredicted covid-19 pandemic and an informed organizational goal to respond to survey data and membership feedback indicating the need for technical assistance and resources to help overcome the lack of skills in digital platforms, production, marketing and business acumen necessary for expanding successful entrepreneurship. Gcac staff and contracted professionals will provide key education and professional development services with the creation of additional needed employment opportunities for artists and professionals to participate in a resource capacity.

Arts & entertainment districts: grantsville and oakland the Garrett County Arts Council serves as the managing entity for both of our Garrett County Arts & entertainment districts. Maryland's Arts & entertainment (a&e) districts help develop and promote community involvement, tourism, and revitalization through tax-related incentives that attract artists, Arts organizations, and other creative enterprises to towns across the state. A part-time staff position was filled in 2020 (a&e district coordinator) to manage the creation, execution, and marketing of events and activities within both a&e districts. Both a&e districts underwent strategic planning in fy21 to assist with programming goals moving forward in preparation for their state re-designation processes that will begin in 2024 (grantsville) and 2026 (oakland). Both a&e districts run an average of 12 community events annually plus their new, public art programming, which require staff coordination and support. Due to demonstrated workload and funding availability, gcac was able to make the a&e district coordinator a full-time equivalent position in fy24.

The board of directors and staff are committed to aiding, encouraging, advising, and coordinating activities dedicated to the promotion of cultural Arts in Garrett County, and to integrate such activities into the life of our community. Such programming areas the Garrett County Arts Council continues to develop and strengthen are: artist studio tour; Arts- in-education with Garrett County public schools and the community; literary Arts: ginseng, page-to-stage, play bake oakland writing & literature club, and pirates, poets & scribes; grant-making in the Arts: arts-in-education, program/project, independent artists awards and emergency artist relief fund awards; grantsville and oakland Arts & entertainment districts; performing Arts center at Garrett college; public art programming; the gallery shop and the gallery shop, too at grant's mercantile; and mart art'Arts's rural entrepreneurship professional development, workshops and community events.