awards for arts achievement

Each year, in cooperation with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Americans for the Arts recognizes elected officials and legendary artists who have exhibited outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the national, state, and local levels. The recipient of the 2004 National Award for Local Arts Leadership was Mayor Martin O'Malley.

Mayor Martin O’Malley first took office in 1999, and since then he has helped Baltimore begin to realize its economic potential for the first time in years by using a community development strategy that encompasses the arts and the city’s cultural heritage. He created the Mayor’s Cultural Tourism Council and elevated the Office of Promotion and the Arts to cabinet level to highlight Baltimore’s cultural assets and enhance the city’s quality of life. His concern for education and desire to provide opportunities for kids led him to create the “Be Instrumental” initiative that has made the restoration of fine arts education programs in the Baltimore City Schools a priority for the entire community. As he looks to the future, Mayor O’Malley has proposed initiatives to increase funding to small community arts organizations, expand the city’s mural program, revise Baltimore’s percent for art and street performers ordinances, and redevelop commercial property to serve as artist studio and exhibition spaces.