The executive director of protocol and special events, a founding member, says being on the council for a decade has been an “absolute joy and rewarding experience.”
As part of its 10th anniversary celebration, the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Council for the Arts & Culture is featuring Q&As with its members on The Elm. This week, we shine the spotlight on Nancy Gordon, a founding member of the council.
What is your name, department, and job description?
Nancy Gordon, Executive Director of Protocol and Special Events, Office of External Relations. I have been at UMB for 28 years and am responsible for planning and executing most of the president’s major events. I have had the privilege of working with three presidents, all of whom have had different styles and ideas about the events that best reflect(ed) their personalities. To say the least, my job is never boring, and I enjoy exercising the creativity the position affords me.
Why did you join the Council for the Arts & Culture?
After conspiring with Jennifer Litchman beginning in 2014 about her desire to start an arts council, how could I then not join?! Her enthusiasm was contagious! My participation has been an absolute joy and rewarding experience.
Can you share a memorable experience from your time working with the arts council?
I loved the Community Festival we did for a number of years, working in conjunction with former Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan and her team. It was very heartwarming and rewarding to see so many of our West Baltimore neighbors come out for the performances, activities, art vendors and refreshments we offered — even one year in the driving rain — and I mean driving — rain!
What is your favorite arts council initiative/event?
The UMB Council for the Arts & Culture has provided so many interesting and fun events open to the entire UMB community. The Cicada Parade, when in the summer of 2021 we purchased and placed a number of Baltimore artists’ cicada art pieces around the campus. UMB Night at Everyman Theater. The murals painted on West Baltimore schools with the help of their students. The galleries featuring submissions from the various issues of 1807, our art and literary journal, that now adorn what were just blank walls on campus. And the list goes on and on!
Is there an art organization, exhibition, performance, etc., in the area that you would recommend others to attend?
In addition to the many cultural venues in the Baltimore area, we are fortunate to have two world-class theaters just steps from UMB. The Hippodrome and Everyman theaters present amazing opportunities for our community to attend stellar performances. The arts council has formed partnerships with these venues to offer discounted tickets to UMB faculty, staff, and students! Be sure to check out our website often!