Maryland: Latino Arts Roundtable

The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) recently hosted the state’s first Latino Arts Roundtable. The roundtable was intended as forum where ideas could be shared about how to serve the state’s vibrant Latino artists and communities. MSAC has identified that the Latino community is underrepresented in most of its program areas. A goal in MSAC’s latest strategic plan, Imagine Maryland, is to recognize the state’s cultural diversity and to be proactive in seeking connections with diverse communities. Over the past months, MSAC has been reaching out to leaders in the Latino arts community about this initiative; the roundtable was the first of many steps in building relationships with and among Latino artist and arts organizations in Maryland. The roundtable included a brief presentation about MSAC’s grant programs and then opened up for a general discussion about how MSAC could better serve Latino communities. The meeting was conducted in English with bilingual Spanish and English speakers on hand for translation. For more information about the Latino Arts Roundtable, contact MSAC Program Directors Clifford Murphy or Shirley Howard.