Annual Report 2021

Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture

From Our Board President & Executive Director

Dear Friends of the Park,

This was an exciting year! In 2021 we paid tribute to the 100th anniversary of our historic Dentzel carousel which was installed in the Park in 1921 with a months-long Carousel 100th Anniversary Celebration The celebration included lectures, family days, story time, a virtual carousel tour, a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, a new carousel history booklet, a carousel-themed art exhibition, and more! We honored the historic legacy of the carousel as an icon of the Washington DC area civil rights movement with a newly-commissioned mural, created by Future History Now, and which is still in the Park for visitors to view. In all, more than 23 events and activities for the community to participate in were held over seven months. Many of the events were virtual and can still be viewed on our website and on YouTube. Attendance at in-person events was over 5,000, and virtual attendance and subsequent views also reached more than 5,000 You can read all about the events in a special section in this report

We also marked the 50th anniversary of the Labor Day Art Show, which took place in the Park's historic Spanish Ballroom with the work of more than 200 artists represented and the highest sales on record And we welcomed a new resident arts organization to the Park the Washington Revels who presented their beloved Christmas Revels in the Spanish Ballroom. The Revels bring people together through music, theater, dance, and storytelling, and we are so pleased that they have made their artistic home here at the Park.

Our outdoor summer concerts series returned in person in 2021 after a Covid-related pivot to virtual in 2020 We presented a hybrid version so that those who were not ready to venture out yet could still enjoy these popular concerts And what is summer without Glen Echo Park summer camps? As Covid-19 restrictions lifted, we were once again able to host a plethora of camps in-person at the Park From theater to fine arts, nature to animation, more than 650 kids ages four to seventeen enjoyed fun and enriching experiences at our camps

With our Carousel 100th Anniversary celebration, as well as concerts, camps, and special events, we reached out to many new audiences through new partnerships with local organizations that serve diverse communities in the Washington region. We partnered with Story Tapestries, Montgomery History, Identity, Community Bridges, Future History Now, and others And we produced many of our marketing materials as well as our Carousel Fact Sheet in Spanish in order to reach more county residents in their native language

Those are just a few of the highlights of the year 2021 And, of course, none of this would b ibl ith t wonderful donors and sponsors! We thank you! Re to our community!

Katey Boerner Executive Director

Martha Morris President, Board of Directors

About the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture

The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, Inc. manages one of the liveliest visual and performing arts sites in the Washington area. Each year, more than 350,000 people come together at Glen Echo Park to renew their creative spirit through classes, festivals, exhibitions, dances, children’s theater, music performances, nature programs, and more. Established by Montgomery County in 2002, the Partnership is a nonprofit organization charged with managing Glen Echo Park’s programs and facilities. In collaboration with Montgomery County and the National Park Service, the Partnership works with resident artists and organizations to develop distinctive arts programming; operates the historic Dentzel carousel; presents an extensive social dance program; produces festivals and special events; conducts fundraising and marketing; and manages and maintains all facilities.

Mission

The Partnership presents vibrant artistic, cultural and educational offerings at Glen Echo Park and promotes the Park as a unique destination for our region's diverse population. We inspire creativity and offer shared artistic experiences in a welcoming historic and natural setting within a National Park.

Vision

Glen Echo Park fosters creativity and community well-being through the power of the arts and nature. We seek to:

Become a premiere arts and cultural destination in the region and a national model Increase our capacity to serve a broad and diverse population reflecting the demographics of our region Develop and maintain Glen Echo Park to be economically and functionally sustainable Offer and support innovating programs that serve the greater community

Values

These values guide our working relationships and operations:

Inclusion and access for all individuals in the life of the Park Collaboration with various partners to enhance and sustain programs Creativity in fostering the artistic production of community and resident artists Innovation in providing opportunities for experimentation and change Excellence in serving as a model of best practices in all areas of our operations

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)

Our responsibility is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all people to enjoy Glen Echo Park We are dedicated to ensuring that the core values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) are embraced at the Park and to developing engaging programs that serve diverse audiences We have embarked on the process of crafting our DEIA initiatives and we look forward to sharing our progress on our website

Carousel 100th Anniversary

1921-2021

February - September 2021 glenechopark.org/carousel100

Carousel Anniversary Launch Carousel100thAnniversary

Live from the carousel building, emcee Liz Dapo from the Puppet Co. and her sidekick Penny –as well as Glen Echo Park Partnership Executive Director Katey Boerner and Partnership Board President Bonnie Casper – told viewers all about the upcoming months-long Carousel 100th Anniversary celebration, with special messages from Senator Chris Van Hollen, Congressman Jamie Raskin, and others.

Carousel100thAnniversary

Carousel Lecture Series

The Carousel 100th Anniversary lecture series was produced in collaboration with Montgomery History and included four engaging topics related to the historic carousel The lectures and Q&A sessions were presented on Zoom, and the recorded versions are available on our website.

April

August

February 24 | Carousel Civil Rights Story by Ilana Trachtman

14

Glen Echo's Two Great Carousels by Barbara Fahs Charles

by Rosa Patton

Virtual Carousel Tour Carousel100thAnniversary

Viewers joined National Park Service Ranger Kevin Patti to learn about the 100-year history of the Glen Echo Park Dentzel carousel. Installed in the Park in 1921, the carousel is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been part of a century of cultural change Montgomery History also collaborated on this project The tour has now been viewed close to 2,000 times on YouTube.

Carousel Story Time Carousel100thAnniversary

In collaboration with the Puppet Co , Carousel Story Time offered young children and families a delightful free fantasy ride on a carousel each month from April through September. Through the power of storytelling, families enjoyed a different carousel-themed book brought to life on the screen by talented performers from the Puppet Co., an award-winning children’s theater residency at Glen Echo Park.

Carousel100thAnniversary

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

To mark the opening of Glen Echo Park’s Dentzel carousel for its 100th Anniversary season, we held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony – live streamed from the carousel building on our website and YouTube with government officials and other dignitaries – to celebrate this local icon that has been a treasured part of the Park and the community for a century. The event included a ceremonial first ride with officials and sponsors.

Carousel Exhibition Carousel100thAnniversary

Glen Echo Park Partnership Galleries presented a special exhibition in the Park’s Popcorn Gallery and Stone Tower Gallery: The show celebrated the 100th anniversary of our iconic Dentzel carousel and honored the historic origins of Glen Echo Park as a theme park, exploring feelings of nostalgia, outdoor recreation, nature, and play. The show was curated by Tiffany Williams, who also filmed a tour of the exhibition that can be viewed on YouTube

100 Years in the Present

May 7 - 30, 2021 https://youtu.be/77qBD-C9O88

Carousel Mural Project Carousel100thAnniversary

In collaboration with Future History Now, a mural was brought to life on the grounds of Glen Echo Park, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the historic carousel and celebrating it as a place of fun and childhood memories, as well as its historic role in the Washington, D C civil rights movement We also partnered with two Montgomery County-based nonprofit youth organizations: Community Bridges and Identity. The project was funded by the Corcoran Women's Committee.

May 21-22, 2021 https://youtu.be/_6Ot4VB5mCM

Carousel100thAnniversary

Carousel Family Days

We presented five FREE Carousel Family Days that included hands-on art projects and entertainment. Hundreds of families turned out to celebrate the carousel’s birthday with days of activities in Glen Echo Park’s unique setting all following CDC guidelines for everyone ’ s safety. We partnered with Glen Echo Park resident artists at Washington Conservatory of Music, Chalk R!ot, and the Carousel Organ Association of America.

Carousel100thAnniversary

Carousel History Booklet

Glen Echo Park Carousel:

A Brief History of the First Hundred Years of the W.H. Dentzel Carousel at Glen Echo Park by Barbara Fahs Charles.

Carousel Oral History Video Project Carousel100thAnniversary

"Carousel Stories," our 100th anniversary Oral History Video Project, included the premieres of three short videos featuring the personal stories of Park visitors ranging from 8 to 98 years old! In a joint project with Story Tapestries, the Partnership invited the public to share their memories with us, first written and then on film. All of the stories are archived, and some of these important memories are told in three episodes of "Carousel Stories" on YouTube.

Social Media Contests Carousel100thAnniversary

To engage the public in celebrating the Carousel's 100th birthday on social media, we ran contests through the months-long anniversary event, including:

Vote for Your Favorite Carousel Animal – The Rose Horse was the winner!

Guess the Year! Photo Contest – Each month we posted a historic carousel image, and those who guessed the correct year the photo was taken were entered in a drawing to win a Carousel 100th Anniversary tote bag! There were two winners each month.

What Carousel Animal are You? – The public answered questions designed to tell them which Carousel animal they resemble most.

April - September 2021

https://glenechopark.org/contests

Carousel100thAnniversary

ThankYouToOurSponsors!

CarolTrawick

Carol Sue and Chris Fromboluti; John and Heather Hanson; Les Mardiks; Ed and Susan O’Connell; Martha Morris and Joe Shannon; Karen Wilson; A R Landsman Foundation; Mara and Bruce Mayor; Margo Reid, Capacity Partners*; Marjorie and Harley Balzer; Lois Ireland and Pierre Huggins; Harry and Susan Stern Family Foundation; Anonymous; Adrienne Dominguez; Joan Geer; Christine Mayo; Emily Porter; Ann Schnare; Adeptus Partners, LLC; Deb Jung and Ben Bialek; Peter and Charlotte Dean; Daphne Clones and Eric Federing; Fiona and Burr Gray; Alyssa Merwin and Richard Henderson; Gretchen Gaston and Craig Hille; Elizabeth Kellar; Law & Associates, Inc ; Jane Pettit; Susan Gilbert and Ron Schechter; Emily Parsons and Thom Amdur; Steve and Kate Baldwin; Dorothy Boerner; Carol Bowis; Capital Bank; Arthur Curtze; Founders Bank; Polly Hahn; Patty Howie; Emi Lotto; Print1 Printing & Copying*; Paris Singer; Stacey Galik and Steve Strawn; Total Wine & More*; Beth Rogers and Mike Zangwill

*In-kindsponsor

The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msacorg) and also by funding from the Montgomery County government and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County (creativemococom) All programs are produced in cooperation with the National Park Service and Montgomery County Maryland

This project has been financed in part with State Funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority This project has been financed in part with funds from Heritage Montgomery and Montgomery County Government

More 2021 Highlights

50th Annual Labor Day Art Show

2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the Labor Day Art Show, and took place in the Park's historic Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park This free exhibition event featured the work of over 200 artists from the mid-Atlantic region. The show included a wide variety of media such as sculpture, painting, photography, ceramics, glass, furniture, jewelry, and works on paper. Artists of all ages and skill levels were invited to showcase original works of art

Opening Reception: Friday, September 3 from 7:30-9pm

Show Dates: Saturday, September 4 through Monday, September 6 from 12pm-6pm

Highlights, continued

After moving into a classroom on the third floor of the Arcade Building in the fall 2020, Washington Revels officially relocated to a permanent space within the park and joined the ranks of Glen Echo Park Resident Artist Organizations in July of 2021 With over 35 years of experience as a cultural arts nonprofit in the greater Washington region, Washington Revels is well versed in bringing people together through music, theater, dance, and storytelling. With multiple performing ensembles across all age groups and backgrounds, Washington Revels offer performances throughout the year, including the spectacularly popular Christmas Revels, took place in the Spanish Ballroom in December of 2021. Since joining the Glen Echo Park community, Revels has also participated in park-wide festivals such as Carousel Day with parades, performances, and more. Their contributions to the Park's artistic and cultural programming and communities have been greatly beneficial so far and their involvement will undoubtedly continue to complement ongoing Park events in the coming years.

New Resident Arts Organization: Washington Revels

Highlights, continued

Chanukah Celebration

In December 2021, we partnered with Chabad of Bethesda, Adventure Theatre MTC, and the Puppet Co. to host a Chanukah Celebration for families. Adventure Theatre's production of Winterfest combined three different plays, including Uri & Ora Light the Menorah by Robyn Shrater Seemann. And the Puppet Co.'s annual production of Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins allowed younger audiences to learn about and celebrate the holiday. This collaborative event was the first of its kind at the Park and enabled families to attend a free party and/or take advantage of discounted tickets to one or both of the shows! With upwards of 150 people in attendance, the event was a very well received and appreciated by families.

Reaching a Broader Audience: Marketing Materials in Spanish

In an effort to broaden our audiences, we began producing many of our promotional materials in Spanish. We also distributed materials more widely in Montgomery County: to parts of the county, including libraries and community centers, where much of the population is Spanish-speaking.

While many understand English, most people prefer to communicate in their native language We want to build relationships with potential new audiences by having professionally-translated content that speaks to them.

We printed both English and Spanish versions of our Carousel Fact Sheet, Summer Concerts promotional rack card, Carousel operations promotional rack card, and Classes promotional rack card.

Summer Concerts Return In Person

For a decade, our summer concerts series had offered music for family audiences under the glittering lights of the Park’s covered, open-air Bumper Car Pavilion, but in 2020 all concerts were presented virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic Like so many other arts nonprofits, we made a quick pivot to online concerts, with musicians streaming live from their living rooms, basements, and backyards. It was a way to keep music going and audiences engaged; but 2021 saw in-person concerts return to the Park –with audiences eager to hear live music again. One concert boasted our biggest single concert audience ever: more than 500 people came out on a beautiful summer evening for the United States Military Band Big Band. We are proud to present music in a broad range of styles and from places across the globe, including reggae, blues, swing, African, Russian, Latin jazz, and more For those who were still not comfortable with in-person events, the concerts were also live streamed YouTube and available to watch later.

SUMMER CAMP AT THE PARK ENRICHES KIDS' LIVES: Campers & Camp Parents in Their

Own Words ...

"The teachers are fantastic great ideas and very engaging! "

~ Camp Parent

"My son loved the art camp, especially getting familiar with tools and mediums he had not used before, like sumi ink."

~ Camp Parent

"My girls have done the same camp multiple times, and Emma always comes up with new projects and ideas."

~ Camp Parent

"Photography was already a small interest of mine, but it's become larger now because of the camp."

~ Camper

"My son really enjoyed this camp It was the first time he has been able to be independent doing art and learning a new skill. I was impressed at how he was able to follow the process and really produce."

~ Camp Parent

"The kids loved everything! And the Carousel was a highlight."

~ Camp Parent

Thank You Donors!

$10,000+

Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County

John Britton and Martha Zieger

Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

Estate of Joan Candace Clifford

Bruce Douglas Long and Foster Realtors

Maryland State Arts Council

Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation

Montgomery County, Maryland

Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordy and Ecker*

Carolyn Sullivan

$5,000-9,999

Corcoran Women's Committee

Carol Sue and Chris Fromboluti

GEICO

John C Hanson

Jewell Foundation

Joe Shannon and Martha Morris

OPaL Design + Build

The Secret Magic Garden Society

Carol Trawick

Bradley and Katherine Vogt

$2,500-4,999

Combined Federal Campaign - National Capital Area

Freddie Mac

Ted and Elisa Geier

Julia Geier

Dan Hanlon

Deborah Winn and Allan Jaworski

Loring Consulting Engineers

Lester Mardiks

Edward and Susan O'Connell

Quinn Evans

Greg Simon and Margo Reid

Amy Snyder

SugarLoaf Associates/Photoloaf*

Karen Wilson

$1,500-2,499

A. R. Landsman Foundation

Marjorie and Harley Balzer

Stuart Barkley

Cole Birches Foundation

Heritage Montgomery

Lois Ireland and Pierre Huggins

Jon Robinson and Carol Hurwitch

Andrew Lang

Mara and Bruce Mayor

Sanjiv Kumar and Mansoora Rashid

Geza Serenyi

Amy Snyder

Susan and Harry Stern

Stacey Galik and Steve Strawn

The Town of Glen Echo

$1,000-1,499

Bannockburn Civic Association

David M Schwarz Architects

Adrienne Dominguez

Joan Geer

Heather Hanson

Linda Kelly

Jim Cole and Elizabeth Lee

Ike and Catherine Leggett

Marilyn Marcosson

Barbara and John Martin

Christine Mayo

Betsy Paull O'Connell

Cathie and Willem Polak

Emily Porter

Liz and Steve Robinson

Ann Schnare

Catherine Crockett and Lafe Solomon

Kathleen Frankle and John Stodola

*In-kind sponsors

$500-999

Adeptus Partners, LLC

Katherine Arendt

Deb Jung and Ben Bialek

Mark Winston and Bonnie Casper

Harriett Crosby

Arthur Curtze

Barbara D Davis

Peter and Charlotte Dean

Jennifer English

Daphne Clones and Eric Federing

Harley J Frazis

Gay Gellhorn

Susan Gilbert

Trish and Tony Glowacki

Burr and Fiona Gray

Stacie Psaras and David Greenbaum

Ruth Harris

Colin and Fran Helmer

Patty Howie

Ken and Beth Kellar

Joseph and Kathryn Sullivan Kolar

Law & Associates, Inc

Charlotte Leighton Troup

Linkedin

Tracey McCutcheon

Alyssa Merwin

Jane Pettit

Queenan Foundation

Rita and Bob Reaves

Corey Roush

Susan Saunders

Irena Savakova

Denice Selvaggi

Susan and Jeff Shipp

Scott Smith

Marianne Sullivan

Total Wine & More*

Dudley Winthrop

Beth Rogers and Mike Zangwill

$250-499

Emily Parsons and Thom Amdur

Charles Applegate

Tiffany Russo Audas

Ed Sharp and Roslyn Bacon

Jacob Melamed and Robert Baker

Steve and Kate Baldwin

Sheila Bassett

Laura Bocalandro

Dorothy Boerner

Katey Boerner

Carol Bowis

Margie Bryant

Michael and Caity Callison

Capital Bank

$250-499 (continued)

Jeaneen Riely and David Cavanaugh

Yi-Wen Chen

Patricia Ciazza

John and Sheila Compton

Pete Epanchin and Rebecca Epanchin-Niell

Sarah Epstein

Juliette Searight and David Evans

Founders Bank

Irene Fraser

Pete G Freeman

Alisa Gravitz and Joe Garman

Peter Gimbrere

Ellen and Mike Gold

Jinny and Michael Goldstein

Gregory Grant

Polly Hahn

David Haresign

Michelle Jaconi and Bart Hawe

Kevin Rackstraw and Joanne Hustead

Loretta Ingalls

Marlene Kelly

Maria Kozloski

Dorothy Levy

Randall and Pat Lewis

Emi Lotto

Michael Mann

Lisa Martin

Sue Mason

Alex Hoehn-Saric and Loren Mayor

Lily and Pat McGovern

Barry Miller

Elizabeth Milnarik

Meredith and Adrian Morris

Debbie Mueller

Robert and Aimee Nover

Margaret Parlato

Katrin and Sam Peck

MayField and Christopher Piper

Eric and Marcia Polhamus

Sharon Polidoro

Stephanie and Ethan Posner

Edward Ramsdell

Ana and Jack Rasmussen

Allen Salyer

Tazuko and Charles Schmitz

Julian Schweitzer

Judith Weil Shanks

Marc A Shepanek

Paris Singer

Allan Stevens

Charles Su

Daniel Yonan

Julie Zirlin

*In-kind sponsors

Board & Staff

Board

Bonnie Casper, President

Martha Morris, Vice President

Dan Hanlon, Treasurer

Susan Stern, Secretary

Peter G. Freeman

Hon. Andrew Friedson*

Christopher Fromboluti

David Greenbaum

Polly Hahn

Kenneth B. J. Hartman*

Ronda Keys

Les Mardiks

Mara Mayor

Neeraj Mistry

Samir Paul

Willem Polak

Ana M. Rasmussen

Irena Savakova

Frankie Stankovic

Mike Zangwill

*Ex-Officio Members

Staff

Katey Boerner, Executive Director

Jenni Cloud, Marketing & Communications Director

Kim Cuthbert, Programs & Registration Assistant

Laura Doyle, Events and Venue Manager

Janice Fischer, Registrar

Clara Ferrari, Operations Assistant

Cheryl Fuller, Business Manager

Allison Garner, Marketing Assistant

Trevor Gordon, Facilities & Maintenance Supervisor

Bert Kenyon, Carousel Operator

Susie Leong, Membership Manager

Mikea Martin, Rentals Associate

Marlene McConnell, Assistant Registrar

Ama Mills-Robertson, Director of Visual Arts & Education Programs

Debbie Mueller, Director of Development

Emily Mah Rogers, Site Operations Manager

Emily Stone, Exhibitions Coordinator

Resident Artists & Programs

Adventure Theatre MTC

Art Glass Center at Glen Echo Glen Echo Glassworks

Glen Echo Park Aquarium Glen Echo Pottery Photoworks

the Puppet Co.

Sculpture Studio

SilverWorks Studio & Gallery

Stone Tower Studio

Washington Conservatory of Music Washington Revels

Yellow Barn Studio & Gallery

Non-Resident Partners

American Swing Music & Dance Association

Capital Blues

Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance Folklore Society of Greater Washington

Friday Night Dancers

Metropolitan Ballet Theatre & Academy

Tango Brillante DC

Waltz Time

Young Creative Spirit

& Other Individual Artists & Arts Partners

"[The Carousel] is my connection to home. The one thing that doesn't change.

Throughout my childhood, throughout being a teenager, throughout my twenties, moving away, getting married, I've watched Montgmery County change in so many ways. I've watched the places and people turn into thing I no longer recognize. Family members have passed away, my high school was torn down, all the places I used to play have been changed, or destroyed, or turned into something else entirely, to fit the changing times, but not [the Carousel]... The sound of the carousel whirring, the band organ, that specific smell--it's home. I'm completely, 100 percent at peace here, everything is all right with the world for just the two minutes of the carousel ride."

~Emi Lotto, Park Visitor & Carousel Rider Carousel 100th Anniversary Oral History Project >>

National Park Service