Influential arts leader Jeannie Howe to exit Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance

After nearly 15 years at the helm, Jeannie Howe, a leading figure in Maryland’s arts scene, will step down as executive director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance at the end of the year.

As head of the nonprofit, Howe has helped connect artists and arts organizations across Baltimore and its closest five counties since 2012.

The organization is best known for identifying opportunities for growth and visibility for creatives, from advocacy work to running the Baker Artist Portfolios and its annual awards competition for local artists across a range of disciplines.

Howe’s planned exit is a drama-free, amicable split, she said. At 65, she is ready to take a beat and figure out how she can contribute to the local arts community in new ways, she said.

“From a personal perspective, I’m just really ready to be in a place where I can explore my own creative side,” said Howe, a Takoma Park native with a master’s degree in theater.

GBCA Board President Randi Benesch said the organization is grateful for Howe’s stewardship and commitment to collaboration between artists and arts groups across the region.

“Those partnerships have left a lasting imprint on the broader creative ecosystem throughout Baltimore and beyond,” Benesch said.

Looking back on the past decade and a half, Howe is particularly proud of GBCA’s response “in moments of crisis in the city,” like its Cherry Hill Cares campaign. The collaboration between GBCA, the Youth Resiliency Institute and the Cherry Hill Community Coalition was created to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the South Baltimore neighborhood, including using visual art to highlight CDC guidelines.

Perhaps most of all, Howe is proud of GBCA’s commitment to equity and inclusion, exemplified by its Urban Arts Leadership fellowship program, which trained and awarded more than $150,000 to more than 50 participants from underrepresented backgrounds.

“Just being able to provide a space that supported that kind of work was really pretty amazing,” she said.

Steven Skerritt-Davis, executive director of the Maryland State Arts Council, said Howe’s best talent has been “hearing and understanding the needs of artists in the art sector and looking for ways to address it.”

Howe also keeps artists and art fans informed by writing GBCA’s newsletter, a weekly resource with events, grant opportunities and job postings. The platform allows Howe to share her thoughts on issues as they pop up in the local arts scene.

Given her many relationships in the arts world, Howe said she plans to continue to write in some capacity.

With Howe staying on through 2026, GBCA has a long runway to find her successor.

Adam Frank, GBCA board member and former Baltimore Center Stage managing director, is chairing a “strategic visioning” committee that will map out the organization’s path for years to come, Benesch said. “We’re just taking a minute to kind of realign ourselves before we launch the search,” which will likely begin by the summer, she added.

Benesch said it’s too early to name the challenges Howe’s successor should prioritize in the role. One key, she said, will be finding someone well-versed in the region’s arts and culture scene.

“I think it’d be very hard to come in without having any of those relationships,” Benesch said.

Now, after spending much of her career as a liaison for others, Howe is looking forward to stepping back and figuring out what will fulfill her most.

“I feel very privileged to be able to do this and to have the time to be able to say, ‘OK, this is more about time for me,’ as selfish as that may sound,” she said.