Performing arts and Bay cleanup projects don’t usually go hand in hand. But Maryland Hall in Annapolis is the exception.
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts is pairing with ten environmental groups in Anne Arundel County to restore local waterways. A couple dozen volunteers gathered at Maryland Hall this past Saturday, not for ballet lessons or art classes, but to install conservation landscaping and remove invasive plants.
The project “aims to showcase how the arts and the environment are connected.” It’s timed to promote GreenGive, an annual 24-hour online fundraiser, set for May 28-29 this year. In past years, GreenGive has raised more than $300,000 for water restoration in Anne Arundel County. Maryland Hall will host a launch party when the donation window opens.
“Real change requires a true collective effort. We hope to see our community members fully engaged in helping us restore local waterways, protect clean water and public lands and establish Anne Arundel County as an exemplary urban watershed,” says said Suzanne Kilby Etgen, executive director of the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy.
“People can accomplish much more working together than alone, and I’m pleased to see our local conservation organizations teaming up with Maryland Hall to protect our environment,” said County Executive Steuart Pittman.
The ten partner groups are Annapolis Green, ClearShark H2O, Friends of Jug Bay, Our Creeks and Conservancy, Scenic Rivers Land Trust, Severn Riverkeeper, Spa Creek Conservancy, St. Luke’s Restoration of Nature Project, Unity Gardens and Watershed Stewards Academy.
Maryland Hall is also putting water-related exhibits on display, including “Weather on the Water: Works by Annapolis Arts Alliance,” which emphasizes the beauty and drama of both sea and skyscapes of the Chesapeake Bay.
To find out more about GreenGive, click here.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
