Baltimore County, MD smARTS, 27 Sep 2018

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From YouTube: Kathy O'Dell, Arts Advocate

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Kathy O'Dell, Arts Advocate

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What makes a place a great center for the arts?

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well,? Today's guest is uniquely qualified to answer that question.. She is an art, historian,, professor, arts, advocate,.

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And special assistant to the dean for education and arts partnerships at umbc and she is kathy o'dell.

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We're so glad to have you here in the studio.

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Thank you, thank you., all right,. Well, let's talk a little bit,.

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'cause, you really are kinda the arts, lady of maryland.,.

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(Laughing) but your background is visual art.

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Correct, and art history,, modern and contemporary.

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okay,, so I'm gonna ask you a question.. What do you think,? What is the direction you see contemporary art, going in right, now?.

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That's a great question and I'll give you my personal opinion., okay. okay. and probably because it's the most interesting and exciting to me. and that is socially engaged. Art practice.

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Equitable community engagement. [carolyn] okay. many artists are engaging in this way, they're doing their own work,, but they're also engaging with communities on a horizontal level.. A good example is mark bradford.

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Who's show opens on september 23rd at the bma.

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Who represented the united states at the venice biennale last year.

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and he's known for his work,, his large scale installations.

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And so forth,, but also for his engagement with community in la.

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working with, setting up a non-profit that works.

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With foster kids and so forth., and when he was in venice, he worked on a project that trains prisoners,.

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In prison and as they come out. and when he's here at the bma, he'll be working with greenmount west community center.

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So,, that's the kind of.

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That's an example of community engagement exactly, exactly, and I think that that's really.

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One of the most interesting directions.

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In which contemporary art is going.

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Not to downplay other,, it's just a new dimension.

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All right,, let's be a little bit more parochial,. What do you think makes baltimore, now you mentioned mark bradford's exhibit coming up,, but what makes baltimore.

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Kind of a thriving art, center?.

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I think, because baltimore has such deep roots.

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In community engagement, going way back to the 19th century,.

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In terms of african american traditions and the important institutions on the avenue, for example.

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You know, performing arts as well as visual arts,.

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Its just always been, in the last few centuries,.

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A dynamic, place. right., so those cultural traditions gave way to other traditions.

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Okay, now we mentioned about you,, you are at umbc,.

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So how does arts education, kind of also feed into this.

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Sense of creating a great environment for the arts and a great community?.

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Also a great question,, because I think that the arts bring people together,.

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And so in an educational system,, we need to,.

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And arts are also very natural to kids.

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And the educational system can continue to foster that, or it can get shut. It down.

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So it's very important to keep nurturing those artistic instincts in kids,, so the educational system is very important, k through 12 and then on up to higher ed,.

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To continue to build systems and engage.

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In policy making that support all of that.

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[Carolyn] so tell me about some of the local organizations.

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Who, you think are helping foster a great sense of art.

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And community here in the region?.

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Sure, sure,, I think, on the educational end, just to continue there would be arts education in maryland.

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Schools alliance,, which is called aems alliance,.

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A lot of acronyms are gonna come out in the next couple seconds., but I'm glad you at least said what it was.

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And that's been in existence since 1992,.

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Founded by mary, ann mears, and very important in terms of art, advocacy,.

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And adding media arts, for example,.

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Is the fifth discipline in schools now, beyond the four usual suspects of dance, music, theater and visual arts.? Greater baltimore cultural alliance exists for building up.

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Art and community engagement to our city.

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Speaking of acronyms gbca, how many people know it.

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Greater baltimore cultural alliance,. Thank you very much..

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And,, that's in baltimore city, but also serves.

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The five surrounding counties.

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[Carolyn] very much so, yeah.

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And then of course,, you know right here in baltimore county, we have baltimore commission for arts and sciences.

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[Carolyn] yay yay.

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Yay, yay. so,, the arts councils in any jurisdiction are very important too. as are, the arts and entertainment districts.

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Right, okay,: let's talk about how families now,.

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Can also, and parents can help nurture this kind of love.

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For the arts and your ideas on that?.

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Well, I mentioned schools and how important the school systems are.

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if parents have time, and of course, that's rare.

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I realize, 'cause a lot of working parents,, including you and me. yeah, right.

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but,, being able volunteer in schools,.

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Is really a great way to go.

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and also, libraries, libraries are free, they're, open, late.

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I heard one renowned arts advocate in baltimore city.

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Say recently, that, libraries are the future museums.

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[Carolyn] yeah.

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They're free,, you can get on the computers,.

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You can find more information.

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Alright, well, speaking of information, you've, given us a lot., always good to see you kathy, thanks, so much for being here.. Thank you very much., I'm carolyn black sotir,, and this is smarts,.

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The baltimore county arts and culture show.