Study also shows increases in tax revenue, number of attendees and total income

More than 13 million people attended arts events in Maryland in Fiscal Year 2006, generating a record breaking $1.05 billion in economic impact for Maryland-up from $970 million the previous fiscal year-according to a study generated by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED). The study, prepared for the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), also showed the arts generated an estimated $37.3 million in state and local taxes, up from $35 million, and provided 13,762 full-time jobs. In addition, for every dollar of direct spending by audiences attending arts events, another $2.10 is generated on other goods and services, according to the study. Full Article

When it comes to advocating for the arts, there is arguably no greater supporter in Maryland than Ida Ruben. Because of her dedication to the arts, the former Maryland legislator and outgoing Maryland State Arts Council board member was honored with a host of citations, gifts and many kind words during a recent Arts Council board meeting. Former and current Arts Council board members gathered to pay tribute to the former senator, who had served in the Maryland State Senate for 20 years, part of her 32 years in the Maryland General Assembly. Full Article

Eighty-seven Maryland artists representing seven artistic disciplines have been selected to receive Individual Artist Awards totaling $243,000 from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. Fiscal Year 2007 competition categories include Choreography, Music Composition, Playwriting. Full Article

The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) has awarded its esteemed Cherry Adler Award to the Black Cherry Puppet Theater, a Baltimore-based theater company that offers the art of puppetry to wide audiences through live performances and workshops and develops strategies to use puppetry as an educational tool. The award was accepted by Michael Lamason, the theater's co-director, at the January 19 MSAC board meeting. Full Article

IN MEMORIAM

Ronnie Wells-Elliston died March 7, 2007. She was a jazz vocalist and educator in the Washington, D.C./Maryland region for more than 30 years. With her husband Ron Elliston she co-founded the East Coast Jazz Festival in Montgomery County, which supported the Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship Fund awards to young, emerging jazz musicians.

Edda M. Jakab , visual artist, died on at age 61 on March 2, 2007. She was born in Germany, married an American soldier in 1963 and moved to Baltimore in 1977. Jakab's artistic explorations included a variety of media, and she is best know for her painting. She exhibited regionally, is in several corporate collections, and received a MSAC Individual Artist Award in 1999. Jakab's has two daughters, both working artists - one a sculptor and one a photographer.