Kathryn Vicere, Managing Director, MET. I would like to thank the City for ensuring that MET’s Fun Company and its In-School programming are always included in the annual budget. With your help, we are making sure that all FCPS students have equal access to arts-integrated programming in their home schools and we are serving children who otherwise might not have the means to participate in the arts. The arts are proven to shape such cognitive skillsets as concentration, motivation, and empathy in students, and the MET wants to continue to help.
What is true regarding the significant benefits and impact the arts have on the children of our community is also true of all members of our community. A positive relationship exists between the arts, particularly theatre, and the mental health of our citizens. Recently, an open letter was penned to President Biden calling for Cabinet-level representation supporting arts and culture. A portion of that letter reads that: “…Arts and culture not only matter but are integral to recovery itself. Arts and culture not only represent a vital part of the economy but speak to the mental and physical health of the American people.” Also noted is the impact the arts have on our workforce: “This is both an issue of values and a labor issue: arts workers are vital members of the American labor force.”
The art that MET creates on behalf of the Frederick community for the last 20+ years has been a lifeforce to the culture of Frederick. Not only has MET’s total economic impact on the Frederick community totaled nearly eight million dollars, since 1998, based on the MD Department of Commerce, but MET serves a far more humanitarian purpose: MET contributes to the overall mental health and positive quality of life in all of the Frederick County residents we reach.
The work we do is for the benefit of Fredericktonians. And this year, more than any other, MET needs the support of our local government. The financial stability of our organization is essential to be able to continue to provide the people of our county with arts, culture, and recreation once we can get back to business, re-hire our artists, and welcome the public back into the theatre.
Frederick is blessed to be a regionally acclaimed and thriving arts and culture hub, and we hope to get back to the mission-relevant service we provide this summer. We humbly ask for the inclusion of MET in the FY22 budget.
Thank you.
Kathryn Vicere, Managing Director, MET. I would like to thank the City for ensuring that MET’s Fun Company and its In-School programming are always included in the annual budget. With your help, we are making sure that all FCPS students have equal access to arts-integrated programming in their home schools and we are serving children who otherwise might not have the means to participate in the arts. The arts are proven to shape such cognitive skillsets as concentration, motivation, and empathy in students, and the MET wants to continue to help.
What is true regarding the significant benefits and impact the arts have on the children of our community is also true of all members of our community. A positive relationship exists between the arts, particularly theatre, and the mental health of our citizens. Recently, an open letter was penned to President Biden calling for Cabinet-level representation supporting arts and culture. A portion of that letter reads that: “…Arts and culture not only matter but are integral to recovery itself. Arts and culture not only represent a vital part of the economy but speak to the mental and physical health of the American people.” Also noted is the impact the arts have on our workforce: “This is both an issue of values and a labor issue: arts workers are vital members of the American labor force.”
The art that MET creates on behalf of the Frederick community for the last 20+ years has been a lifeforce to the culture of Frederick. Not only has MET’s total economic impact on the Frederick community totaled nearly eight million dollars, since 1998, based on the MD Department of Commerce, but MET serves a far more humanitarian purpose: MET contributes to the overall mental health and positive quality of life in all of the Frederick County residents we reach.
The work we do is for the benefit of Fredericktonians. And this year, more than any other, MET needs the support of our local government. The financial stability of our organization is essential to be able to continue to provide the people of our county with arts, culture, and recreation once we can get back to business, re-hire our artists, and welcome the public back into the theatre.
Frederick is blessed to be a regionally acclaimed and thriving arts and culture hub, and we hope to get back to the mission-relevant service we provide this summer. We humbly ask for the inclusion of MET in the FY22 budget.
Thank you.