April 24, 2025
The mayor’s workplace says transitions are “underway” as town goes into pageant season with occasions such because the Baltimore AFRAM Pageant.
Town of Baltimore is reaching new heights beneath Mayor Brandon Scott’s management after he introduced the creation of the Mayor’s Workplace of Arts, Tradition and Leisure (MOACE) to heighten town’s arts and leisure sector, the Baltimore Banner experiences.
The announcement got here throughout Scott’s State of the Metropolis tackle after the efforts have been remoted. With MOACE, the purpose can be to centralize arts, occasions, nightlife, and movie efforts beneath one umbrella, much like different cities like Austin, Texas, Atlanta, and Chicago.
“We had over 28 million vacationer visits to our metropolis final yr. We’re additionally house to unimaginable outside occasions — together with Artscape, AFRAM, and Allure Metropolis Stay,” Scott stated. “With that stated, I’m excited to announce a brand new Workplace of Arts, Tradition, and Leisure, which is able to set up these occasions and others — and function a useful resource for native artists and creators.”
The mayor’s workplace says transitions are “underway” as town launches pageant season with scheduled occasions such because the Baltimore AFRAM Pageant, Artscape, and Allure Metropolis Stay. The division can be separate from Baltimore’s Workplace of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) and can be led by Morgan State College alum Tonya Miller Corridor.
Miller Corridor, who additionally serves as one in all Scott’s senior advisers, lists extra plans for MOACE to incorporate a lift for operational effectivity and in-house capability, expanded income by way of sponsorship and grant leverage, supporting native artists and community-based cultural teams, and rising Baltimore’s cultural infrastructure and inventive workforce pathways. “Via strategic funding in festivals, movie, public artwork, and nightlife, MOACE will function a catalyst for financial development, artistic innovation, and civic delight,” Corridor stated.
Scott’s announcement comes simply months after town minimize ties with BOPA in January 2025 amid monetary struggles and administration issues. The severed contract led to the previous CEO, Rachel Graham, being voted out, based on CBS Information. Town did not announce whether or not the MOACE workplace would change BOPA, which beforehand managed a number of occasions, together with the Baltimore Farmers Market, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, Artscape, and Mild Metropolis Baltimore.
MOACE goals to create an area the place “the humanities are central to Baltimore’s long-term financial development and identification.” “We’re ensuring Baltimore’s artists, creatives, and cultural staff aren’t an afterthought — they’re a part of the blueprint,” a press release learn. Nevertheless, it comes at a good time forward of the 2025 AFRAM Pageant, which can be celebrated through the Juneteenth weekend. Scott launched the lineup of the free two-day pageant, which incorporates legendary performers Patti LaBelle and Juvenile, in addition to rapper Saweetie and R&B crooner Teedra Moses.
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