Rosiland Cauthen, Interim Executive Director

Welcome to Baltimore School for the Arts’ 2022 Expressions Gala! “Survival is insufficient”

This intriguing Star Trek quote has been on my mind quite a lot in the past few weeks. Survival is a good thing, don’t get me wrong. I have just decided that enduring is not enough. We must do more. We must do more than just survive. As difficult as things have been living with the pandemic, we here at Baltimore School for the Arts have found a way to do more than survive. We dig deep. We carry on. We make conscious and intentional efforts everyday to move beyond what feels like just enough. We move on to re-establish ourselves as artists, scholars, and activists for social change. We did not let the pandemic stop us. We did not let weekly covid testing stop us. We did not let contact tracing stop us. We did not let high rates of infection in late December and early January stop us. We dug our heels in the sand and said not only will we survive, but we will thrive. We have found ways to host public performances again. We have found ways to reimagine The Nutcracker. We have found ways to play our instruments, and mount our plays and have gallery openings and conduct film screenings. We are working to return to our expected level of artistic excellence in spite of all the perceived setbacks and challenges of this year. We are not just surviving, we are thriving, and one day soon we will be flourishing.

It has not been easy. Empathy and understanding are values near and dear to us. We lead with empathy and a recognition of the social and emotional needs of our community. We of course had to slow down. Things take more time now. We need more time to process and take care of ourselves. We care about our well-being. The courage, passion and resiliency of our staff and students motivate and inspire me everyday. I am humbly proud every time I walk through the doors of 712 N. Cathedral Street. I feel grateful to be a member of this unique artistic learning community.

This years’ Expressions’, entitled Masquerade: The Stories Behind the Masks, is our way of sharing a window into our soul. We want to share our fears, passion, worries and frustrations. We want you to know how hard we’ve worked and how far we’ve come. We take this time to celebrate our students, faculty, parents, board members, and entire community. We thank you for all you do to support our young artists here in Baltimore.

We would like to thank those who have supported this performance event, especially the tireless efforts of the Expressions Committee and its leadership, and all of our sponsors and donors.

We hope that you will enjoy this communal celebration of BSA’s excellence, resilience, as well as the joy that fuels us all.

We thank you for your generous support of Baltimore’s young artists and scholars!

Rosiland Cauthen Executive Director