Special to Dorchester Banner/DCA
Tickets are on sale now for Dorchester Center for the Arts 9th Annual Guest Artist event, which will take place on April 16 in the DCA 2nd floor George B. Todd Performance Hall. Catering is being provided by Rock Lobstah, and the evening of live and silent auctions will also include Rich and the Roadrunners with special guest Daryl Davis providing music for the gala with the theme “Rock Around the Clock.” Tickets are $65 for DCA members; $75 for non-members and can be purchased by calling 410-228-7782. Pictured are one of the Guest Artist Teams of Artist Paul Winters working with Guest Artist All-Star Troy Hill.[/caption] Thanks to the efforts of arts advocates Maryland Citizens for the Arts (MCA), Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), the Governor, State and House leaders and other art supporters, the FY 2017 State budget proposed by Governor Hogan and recently enacted by the Maryland General Assembly includes a record $20.3 million in funding for the arts. Also, in response to a proposal developed by MCA, Governor Hogan’s Administration and the Maryland State Senate and House of Delegates developed and passed legislation transferring proceeds from the Special Fund for the Preservation of Cultural Arts to bolster the annual grants and other programs administered by MSAC. This legislation will continue to benefit the arts in FY 2018 and beyond as additional funds are annually transferred to MSAC. This is a bipartisan success story for the arts in Maryland, as a year ago the art sector faced a $2.2 million reduction in funding. Now, the arts sector has seen a nearly $5 million turn around in arts funding. Artist Talk is part of Second Saturday events This Saturday, at 5 p.m., Dorchester Center for the Arts (DCA) invites community members to join contemporary painter and muralist Michael Owen for an intimate discussion of his current show “Passion” at the Dorchester Center for the Arts. Owen will delve into his extensive portfolio to provide additional context for the work on display. Owen has created over 100 murals, beyond the Baltimore Love Project he is most known for, and has also founded an international artist residency program called HOME. While clients have ranged from Faberge, Hilton, and Ford, among others, Owen is most interested in conversations with the everyman, revolving around beauty, change, and the 101 of creating art. An artist’s reception follows, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., with live music and light refreshments. Chris Koch will provide live music with an acoustic collection of original and cover songs, and then will be joined by “Night Watch,” a local, loose gathering of musical friends that includes Liz Fisher, Randy Welch, Bob Roe, and Koch. For more information, call 410-220-7782. Editor’s note: Spectrum is the weekly column of the Dorchester Arts Center. It is written by Mickey Love, executive director.