Washington County Arts Council Gets Ready for Summer

Written by Mary Anne Burke

Out and About Summer brings many outdoor opportunities for every age and for every taste and interest.

When you begin to explore “Summer Camps” you will have only touched the surface. Your research can go on and on. Parents know the importance of home, school and extracurriculars for children’s growth and development. Summer Camp offers another type of learning and social experience. And summer camps and programs are for adults, too.

Summer camps provide a unique opportunity for growth and fun, allowing kids to become independent and self-confident, while socializing, making new friends and learning new skills. And camps and programs allow adults to build a new interest, create opportunities to meet a new group of people and often leading to new friendships.

This time of year, the scramble for summer programs begins. Where to begin? The Washington County Arts Council maintains a robust listing of summer camps with links to each provider (www. washingtoncountyarts.com/ summercamps) as well links to art programing for children (www.washingtoncountyarts. com/children).

As a new opportunity to encourage young artists for summer 2023, The Washington County Arts Council is providing scholarships for students to attend Barbara Ingram School For the Arts Foundation’s Summer Arts Academy. The Summer Arts Academy provides week-long sessions in visual arts, creative writing, playwrit- ing, filmmaking, sculpting, piano, dance, vocal, guitar and more. Applications are available through the BISFA Foundation: barbaraingramfoundation.org/ class-descriptions.

Next, as winter gradually disappears, plan to welcome over 100 films to the Maryland International Film FestivalHagerstown. MDIFF-H’s opening night this year is scheduled for Thursday, March 23, at The Maryland Theatre with the remaining days of the festival running from March 24 through March 26. The remaining festival days will take place from Friday, March 24, through Sunday, March 26, at the ACT Black Box, USMH, The Washington County Free Library – Fletcher Branch, and the Grand Piano Building.

All filming and after parties will be hosted in downtown Hagerstown facilities. Parking is easily accessible from the A&E Parking Deck located at 25 Renaissance Way. Use the main entrance off the 3rd level (Potomac Street Level). There is an elevator on each level for your convenience. For more information, visit www.marylandiff.org.

Out and About Summer brings so many additional outdoor opportunities for our community such as Big Cork Summer Concert Series in partnership with The Maryland Theatre; brewery and winery events; Imagine Hagerstown Fourth Friday gospel and band concerts; and the return of Wind Down in downtown Hagerstown. These and many more programs can be found at www. washingtoncountyarts.com/ summer-events.

And finally, through the summer, the Washington County Arts Council continues to host monthly new exhibits, artist receptions and virtual showings.