Support the Arts, Support the Garfield!

Dear Friends,

If you have already made a donation to the Garfield we would like to express our heartfelt thanks for your generosity to our organization!

The Garfield Center for the Arts is more than bricks and mortar, more than just a local non-profit. With a mission “to invigorate the cultural life of our community by nurturing, celebrating and supporting arts and artists through performance and education,” The Garfield Center for the Arts is the very heart of our vibrant Kent County arts community.

With the help of our small, but dedicated staff, numerous volunteers and supporters, the GCA presents a wide range of arts programming:

Theatrical Productions
Featuring the talents of local actors, writers and directors. Our 2016 Season began with the locally written “Voices of Freedom” and continued with “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged”, “My Fair Lady”, “Short Attention Span Theatre”, “A Delicate Balance” and will close with “The 39 Steps”.

Music Series & Showcases
Enhanced by our NEW sound system. Our 2016 Blues Series wraps up with the return of The Nighthawks in November. We are adding classical, jazz and chamber music concerts to our schedule along with other exciting concerts. Kent Massive returns as does our monthly Open Mic Night.

Childrens Programming
Educational Outreach during the school year and our Playmakers Theatre Camp and MusicCamp during the summer months. We are proud to be able to provide scholarships for many campers; our camp classes are always full!

Weekend Festivals & Collaborations
Such as the wildly popular Chestertown Jazz Festival and magical transformation of the Garfield into Hogwarts for the annual Harry Potter Festival. We will continue bringing in diverse artists as part of our collaboration with The Mainstay in Rock Hall.

Community Events
We are proud to partner with local organizations to provide a one-of-a-kind venue for events such as Empty Bowls, MLK Remembrance, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Hugh Gregory Gallagher Theatre, Women Helping Women, Chester River Youth Choir and Sultana Downrigging.

At the Garfield, our “house” is seldom dark.  We have an annual schedule of over a hundred events, sometimes four or five in a single week. As a not-for-profit, community based organization, income from ticket sales covers only about 25% of our total costs – the very reason that appeals such as this one are so important to keeping the doors open and the stage lights on.

Please take the time to donate on line (garfieldcenter.org/donate) or send us a gift to Garfield Center for the Arts PO Box 37, Chestertown, MD 21620 to help us reach our goal of $40,000 by December 31, 2016.

Whether you are an actor, musician, dancer, spectator or donor (or all of the above!), The Garfield would be dark without your creative energy and generous financial support.  Thank You!

Sincerely,
The Garfield Center for the Arts Board
Jim Landskroener, President
Judy Kohl, Vice President
Morgan Ellis, Secretary
Vic Pfeiffer, Treasurer
Matt Garfield, Honorary Chairman
Pam Duke
Julie Lawrence
Kristen Owen
Mel Rapelyea, MD
Cheryl Saunders
Mark Sullivan

And Staff
Joyce Benton
Bryan Betley
Butch Clark
Tess Hogans
Sarah Lyle