June 25, 2020
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Leah Frelinghuysen
Leah@MonarchyPR.com, +1.917.280.5170
MdFF Awarded $80,000 Program Grant from
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
Only Arts Organization in Maryland To Be Awarded Program Grant
BALTIMORE – SNF Parkway, home of the Maryland Film Festival (MdFF), has been awarded an $80,000 grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to support programs of work that are more experimental in nature. MdFF is the only arts organization in Maryland, and one of a select few across the East Cost, to receive a program grant from this highly sought-after and distinguished foundation.
This grant will allow MdFF to continue to support two experimental programs at the SNF Parkway:
- Sight Unseen, a film series that focuses on contemporary image based work that explores innovative ways of working with materiality, sound and narrative. Curated by Margaret Rorison, this program has partnered with various Baltimore-based organizations and found a permanent home at the SNF Parkway in June 2017.
- Breaking Codes, a curated series that highlights practices of emerging filmmakers, who are building radical, expansive and wholly new definitions of what constitutes cinematic form. This series is incubated and inspired by the practice of emerging curatorial talent Zion Douglass.
“We are thrilled to be included among a group of grantees that are working to elevate important cultural conversations during a time when change is taking place and the contribution of arts organizations are more critical than ever in creating safe spaces for discourse,” said Sandra Gibson, Executive Director of the Maryland Film Festival and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway. “As a first-time grantee of this prestigious award, we are grateful for the support and recognition of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.”
“The Maryland Film Festival’s ability to evolve and adapt its programs in response to the shifting conditions we are living through is commendable. The unique access it provides to emerging and truly independent cinema aligns well with the foundation’s commitment to supporting experimental, risk-taking practices – and with Warhol’s legacy itself,” said Rachel Bers, Program Director, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
The Spring 2020 grants occur at a time when arts organizations are navigating the uncertainties around reopening timelines and protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In recognition of both the financial hardships and the increased responsibilities the cultural sector is taking on, the Foundation is permitting up to 50% of every grant to be used for administrative expenses to help alleviate economic stress.
The SNF Parkway serves as a crucial cultural anchor in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District and features a breathtaking auditorium in the original Parkway, two smaller theaters, state-of-the-art projection and sound, ground-floor bar and lounge, and classroom space for film students. The SNF Parkway provides year-round film, digital video, and educational offerings, community initiatives, special events, and live music concerts.
Since opening in 2017, the SNF Parkway has welcomed an audience of over 120,000, and screened more than 1000 films, from over 60 countries. Most of these films would not have screened in Baltimore otherwise. MdFF plays a transformative role in showing, cultivating, and fostering the careers of film talent in greater Baltimore.