The first Harford County Arts Week kicks off Sept. 10

Jason Fontelieu, The Aegis, Bel Air, Md.
·2 min read

Aug. 31—The inaugural Harford County Arts Week runs Sept. 10-18 with over 25 events taking place throughout the county.

"It's an opportunity to celebrate our art scene up here in Harford County," said Visit Harford Executive Director Matthew Scales. "I think we have a very dynamic and robust arts and culture scene in Harford."

The weeklong arts celebration is a partnership between Visit Harford, the Maryland Center for the Arts, the Town of Bel Air and the Havre de Grace Arts Collective.

A variety of events, most of which are kid-friendly, are available for people to take part in, including the Sept. 10 showing of "Rent" at the State Theater of Havre de Grace, a performance from the jazz group The Eric Byrd Trio at the Liriodendron Mansion in Bel Air on Sept. 11, and ballroom dancing lessons Sept. 13 at the Bel Air Armory.

Some are ticketed events while others are free. A full list of events can be found on Visit Harford's website, visitharford.com.

The week will culminate with the 55th annual Bel Air Festival for the Arts on Sept. 18 in Shamrock Park.

"It's been around awhile and has a strong family with artists," Scales said. "That's a great event to lead up to."

According to Maryland Center for the Arts Executive Director Bob Willenbrink, the idea for Arts Week started as a conversation between himself, his administrative assistant Suzanne Zantop, the Town of Bel Air's Economic Development Coordinator Angela Robertson and former Havre de Grace Arts Collective Executive Director Rebecca Jessop.

"We started this thing and it's just grown exponentially," Willenbrink said. "I'm excited about it because there's so many things going on.

The Morning Sun

"It's important to showcase the arts community to show people how the arts engage the community in many different ways."

Willenbrink cited the importance of teaching the arts in schools from a young age.

"It teaches people to think in different ways," he said. "And it teaches people to look at problems creatively."

Kristien Foss, chairperson of the Bel Air Cultural Arts Commission, said arts is important in the way it connects people, noticing that her commission is "just silly about the arts."

The commission is hosting a "living history performance," where Harford Community College professor Colleen Webster will bring poet Mary Oliver to life in a one-woman show.

"You can't talk about the history and the culture of a place without looking at the art," said Foss, a history teacher at Southampton Middle School. "And art speaks volumes."

In addition to the week's featured events, there are also various art galleries across the county, as well as a mural trail and a barn quilt trail.