Maryland Citizens for the Arts

About MCA/MCAF: Mission & History

Our History
A generation ago, state arts funding barely topped $460,000. Many parts of the state relied solely on local support. Others simply went without. Driven by the possibility of increased arts funding and broadened arts participation, the late Judge Francis Murnaghan, Jr., founded Maryland Citizens for the Arts in 1977. A longtime chairman of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Murnaghan envisioned a statewide, umbrella organization under which arts organizations from every county and Baltimore City could unite their campaigns for state arts funding, giving birth our slogan, One Voice for All The Arts. The task of building the organization was given to Sue L. Hess, who led MCA for the next twenty years. Since 1977, state appropriations for the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) have increased dramatically, reaching a high point of $13.5 million in 2001. In Hess' words, Maryland Citizens' work "helped create a safe environment where the arts can be nourished-not only by individuals and businesses-but by our governor and state legislators...."

Our Mission

Maryland Citizens for the Arts, Inc. (MCA) represents Maryland artists and arts organizations of all disciplines. Its principle mission is to promote adequate funding for the Maryland State Arts Council and to advocate for the arts at the state and federal levels. Our companion organization, Maryland Citizens for the Arts Foundation (MCAF) seeks to increases public recognition and support of the arts through education and research.

Now a network with thousands of arts constituents statewide, Maryland Citizens for the Arts operates as a reliable source of information on all legislation and policy affecting the arts. Partnerships at the state and national levels have enhanced MCA's efforts to increase bipartisan support for the arts. Our participation in the 1992 Governor's Commission on the Future of the Arts in Maryland, which brought together leaders from the business, philanthropic and government sectors, set the stage for MCA's expanded role and two most successful legislative campaigns to-date. The passage of the Arts Budget Stabilization Bill in 1994, followed by the multi-year funding initiative 8/9/10% Plus for Arts begun in 1999, revitalized Maryland's commitment to funding stability and are responsible for multi-million dollar increases in arts council funding.

In 1989, the Foundation was created and began to work in concert with MCA to foster an ongoing, statewide dialogue about the value of the arts. Together, MCA and MCAF have inaugurated numerous arts advocacy and visibility campaigns, recognition programs, regional meetings and conferences. The Governor's Arts Awards at ArtSalute, implemented by MCAF in 1991, has honored over 30 of Maryland's leading artists, arts educators, patrons and visionaries while shining a spotlight on the partnership between government, business and the arts. These connections also take center stage at MCAF's biennial statewide conference, the only event of its kind to convene Maryland's entire arts industry and offer it the networking and resources for growth in the 21st century.