Strathmore Hall Foundation

Performing arts: Strathmore continues to maintain and operate a world-class, 1,976-seat performing arts and education center, for the comfort and enjoyment of nearly 250,000 visitors year-round. It is dedicated to inspiring children to explore their creative potential andcommitted to reaching and serving diverse audiences through the presentation of more than 315 concerts, workshops, classes, and festivals each year. The feature presentation of fy22 was the powerful opera written by toshi reagon and bernice johnson reagon based on octavia e. butler's novel "parable of the sower." Strathmore presented two sold-out performances and created a suite of educational experiences and a microsite of related resources that have been attended/accessed by more than 50,000 people.

Visual arts and education: art exhibitions at Strathmore continue to support visual artists throughout the full continuum of their creative life. The invitational gallery presents mid-career and emerging artists, often in their first professional gallery exhibit. Support for artists at this level may include assistance in writing artist statements and developing elevator pitches to supplying art media and framing materials. In our main galleries, we offer visitors a well-rounded program of traditional and contemporary artwork created by artists from across the region, nation and throughout the world in a wide variety of media and subjects. In fy2022, Strathmore presented 4 solo exhibitions featuring artists begonia morton, julio valdez, ezequiel taveras and terence nicholson. (see sched. O)valdez and nicholson were guest curators leading to a more diverse selection of art and storytelling. Collaborative exhibitions with guilds and organizations included the annual miniature painters, sculptors, and gravers society of greater Washington; additionally, we invited the north bethesda camera club and the women, artists, masters group for their first exhibitions in our gallery, and hosted the returns of the baltimore watercolor society and Maryland pastel society.strathmore began fy22 with a combination of in-person and virtual programming. Art camp was in-person, while ukefest, creative writing workshops and student concerts for 22,000 2nd and 5th graders remained virtual. More in-person programming was added throughout the year, including student ensembles and think big cafe. Off-site programs for recreation centers, the ymca (youth and family services) and linkages to learning were hybrid as well.

Retail and operations: Strathmore integrates the local artist community into its programs and operations through its gift shop, which features handmade items and work by members of the local craft guilds, its tea room, where local musicians perform weekly, and through its gallerysales program, which features the work of, and provides sales support for, visual artists. During the pandemic, Strathmore created online versions of its museum shop holiday market and gift shop to expand the awareness of its local artists and extend its revenue options at a critical time. In fy22 in person and hybrid versions of these popular events reengaged artists and patrons.

Communications: Strathmore communicates regularly to engage with its patrons even when they cannot gather, sharing original artistic content and connecting audiences and artists. In addition to traditional media outreach, Strathmore employed its website, social platforms, and email to inform patrons and donors about programs, performances, exhibitions, and experiences at all of Strathmore's venues. Additionally, it shared important details about safety and comfort as patrons began to return to Strathmore spaces for live events. Strathmore continues to work with embedded community connectors and curators to ensure that members of diverse communities receive information in the way it is most meaningful to them, whether that is in a special language newspaper, from trusted community conveners through group sales, or in heavily frequented gathering places.