The City of Cambridge Arts & Entertainment District committee will hold its first quarterly public engagement meeting of 2019 on Wednesday, April 3 at the Dorchester Center for the Arts. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. and feature an informational panel discussion, light food and beverages, and an opportunity to network with others interested in arts and entertainment in Cambridge.
“These events aren’t just for artists and entertainers, although the Arts & Entertainment District distinction offers a number of incentives for them in Cambridge,” said Brandon Hesson, the Associate Director of Economic Development for the City of Cambridge. “Culturally, visual and performing arts play an important role in communities like ours, and we’re hoping to get the public engaged in creating more opportunities here.”
The panel discussion will feature a trio of Cambridge residents involved in different stages of the arts:
- Joy Staniforth served on the original committee integral in the creation of the Cambridge Arts & Entertainment district in 2002, and operated a successful retail business, Joie de Vivre, focused on creatively-crafted merchandise. Joie de Vivre was recognized by the Maryland General Assembly in 2014 for its contributions to the community, and was regionally acclaimed as the Best Art Gallery in 2010 and 2012 by What’s Up Eastern Shore.
- Barb Seese has turned a lifetime of enthusiasm in the arts, as well as 14-years of professional creative leadership in California, into an incredible opportunity to serve as the Executive Director of Dorchester Center for the Arts. DCA is the Arts Center as well as the Dorchester County Arts Council, and is part of the County Arts Agencies of Maryland coalition, supporting Maryland State Arts Council initiatives here.
- Talley Wilford is the founding executive director of Groove Theater Co. and founded his own student-run theater company in Easton at the age of 16, where he returned every summer as director for eight consecutive years. He was on the board of directors for the Tred Avon Players and has toured children’s theater to elementary schools in the Northern Virginia area, teaching acting and improvisation to children.
The last Cambridge A&E District public engagement meeting featured Maryland State Arts Council Deputy Director Steven Skerritt-Davis, and the district steering committee hopes to continue this informational format on a quarterly basis. The committee is made up of city government, Chamber of Commerce, Dorchester Center for the Arts, and Downtown Cambridge representatives, as well as members of local galleries. There is no charge to attend the meetings, and anyone interested in helping the A&E steering committee, or for more information in the Cambridge Arts & Entertainment District, should contact Hesson at ced@choosecambridge.com.
