On November 27, 2011, Baltimore lost one of it’s most significant and dedicated arts advocates with the passing of Nancy M. Haragan, founding executive director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. She was an iconoclastic cultural warrior who described herself as an “accidental arts administrator”. Her work with the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund was instrumental in the development of the Baker Artist Awards.
Photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor for The Baltimore Sun
A graduate of Dominican University in River Forest, IL, Nancy arrived in Baltimore in 1974 and began her career in this city, which would quickly become her home, working as associate director of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA). She then worked at the Greater Baltimore Committee, Chessie System, and then served as vice president in government affairs at USF&G for over 10 years.
Nancy and 2011 Mary Sawyers Baker Prize winner Gary Kachadourian
In 1997, working with artists and arts administrators, she launched the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance (GBCA),an association of over 95 Baltimore-area arts organizations that serves as a convener, a resource and an advocate for the local arts and cultural community. With her exceptional entrepreneurial skills and technical prowess, she immediately created the BaltimoreFunguide.com, an on-line calendar of events with weekly half-price tickets, a resource developed on two platforms—one explicitly for college students and one for the general public. Discovering a model project that debuted in Pennsylvania, Nancy contacted and worked directly with Pew Charitable Trust to bring the Maryland Cultural Data Project here. This system, implemented in 2007, is a web-based system that standardizes all financial information from arts organizations and builds a clear financial picture of the strength of arts sector.
Nancy and Melissa Warlow, Executive Director of The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund
When the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund was investigating options for an awards platform to support local artists, it was Nancy who suggested an online format and connected the fund with Fastspot, developers of The Baker Artist Awards website. As someone who embraced cutting edge technology and its capacity to connect people, she played a vital role in many of the decisions about the site’s features and its appearance. She was responsible for our first PR and marketing campaign, and was an asset throughout the creation, launch, and continuation of the awards.
“Nancy had a deep sense of fairness and justice that she brought to her commitment to the arts community and making Baltimore the best it could be”, said Melissa Warlow, Executive Director of The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund. “She mixed a heavy streak of pragmatism and flexibility with her idealism that resulted in a whirlwind of action, projects and programs. I never saw her perceive anything as a barrier, rather she intuitively found ways to use difficult situations in support of her goals. Her insight, energy, humor and irreverence served her well and made life interesting and rewarding for her colleagues and friends.”
Nancy and J. Buck Jabaily, Executive Director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance
Melissa also shared a story Nancy’s sister tells about her as a child, riding her bike down their driveway with her hands waving above her head while all her siblings yelled for her to hold on to the handlebars. “I think this image says a lot about how she lived her life- with enthusiasm, bravado and skill”, Melissa says.
When Nancy retired as the GBCA’s founding director a little over two years ago, The Baker Artist Awards named an additional award after her in honor of her years of creative service to the Baltimore arts sector. Shodekeh Talifero was the first recipient of the Nancy Haragan award for the 2010 season, followed by Bruce Nelson for 2011.
Nancy behind the scenes at Maryland Public Television
After ten years with the GBCA, she continued to support the Baltimore cultural sector by remaining active on multiple boards, including Arts Every Day (where she served as board chair), Maryland State Arts Council, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, Art on Purpose, and Station North Arts and Entertainment District. In 2007, Nancy was honored by the Creative Alliance with the the “Golden Formstone” Award for “Form-Idable Contributions to Baltimore Through The Arts.”
Known for her signature red lipstick and her eclectic fashion sensibility, Haragan, a self-described newspaper and political junkie, read broadly and was interested in everything. She is survived by her long-time partner Gwen Davidson; her father and step-mother Mary Ann and Robert Haragan of Ft. Myers, FL; five siblings, James Haragan of Louisa, KY, Ellen Haragan of NYC, Christopher Haragan of Louisville, KY; and Mary Radway of Louisville, KY; and Robert Haragan, Jr, from Los Altos, CA; seven nieces and three nephews.
~ Thank you Nancy for all of your contributions to the arts community, all of your hard work and insights that helped develop The Baker Artist Awards into what it is today, and for enriching our lives through your strength and dedication in making Baltimore the best it can be ~
A celebration of Nancy Haragan’s life will be held at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Friday, December 2, 2011 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. In lieu of flowers, her family has indicated that donations in her memory can be made to the Nancy Haragan Memorial Fund at the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. GBCA’s address is 1800 N. Charles Street, Suite 810, Baltimore, MD 21201.
Remembering Nancy Haragan
On November 27, 2011, Baltimore lost one of it’s most significant and dedicated arts advocates with the passing of Nancy M. Haragan, founding executive director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. She was an iconoclastic cultural warrior who described herself as an “accidental arts administrator”. Her work with the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund was instrumental in the development of the Baker Artist Awards.
Photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor for The Baltimore Sun
A graduate of Dominican University in River Forest, IL, Nancy arrived in Baltimore in 1974 and began her career in this city, which would quickly become her home, working as associate director of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA). She then worked at the Greater Baltimore Committee, Chessie System, and then served as vice president in government affairs at USF&G for over 10 years.
Nancy and 2011 Mary Sawyers Baker Prize winner Gary Kachadourian
In 1997, working with artists and arts administrators, she launched the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance (GBCA),an association of over 95 Baltimore-area arts organizations that serves as a convener, a resource and an advocate for the local arts and cultural community. With her exceptional entrepreneurial skills and technical prowess, she immediately created the BaltimoreFunguide.com, an on-line calendar of events with weekly half-price tickets, a resource developed on two platforms—one explicitly for college students and one for the general public. Discovering a model project that debuted in Pennsylvania, Nancy contacted and worked directly with Pew Charitable Trust to bring the Maryland Cultural Data Project here. This system, implemented in 2007, is a web-based system that standardizes all financial information from arts organizations and builds a clear financial picture of the strength of arts sector.
Nancy and Melissa Warlow, Executive Director of The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund
When the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund was investigating options for an awards platform to support local artists, it was Nancy who suggested an online format and connected the fund with Fastspot, developers of The Baker Artist Awards website. As someone who embraced cutting edge technology and its capacity to connect people, she played a vital role in many of the decisions about the site’s features and its appearance. She was responsible for our first PR and marketing campaign, and was an asset throughout the creation, launch, and continuation of the awards.
“Nancy had a deep sense of fairness and justice that she brought to her commitment to the arts community and making Baltimore the best it could be”, said Melissa Warlow, Executive Director of The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund. “She mixed a heavy streak of pragmatism and flexibility with her idealism that resulted in a whirlwind of action, projects and programs. I never saw her perceive anything as a barrier, rather she intuitively found ways to use difficult situations in support of her goals. Her insight, energy, humor and irreverence served her well and made life interesting and rewarding for her colleagues and friends.”
Nancy and J. Buck Jabaily, Executive Director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance
Melissa also shared a story Nancy’s sister tells about her as a child, riding her bike down their driveway with her hands waving above her head while all her siblings yelled for her to hold on to the handlebars. “I think this image says a lot about how she lived her life- with enthusiasm, bravado and skill”, Melissa says.
When Nancy retired as the GBCA’s founding director a little over two years ago, The Baker Artist Awards named an additional award after her in honor of her years of creative service to the Baltimore arts sector. Shodekeh Talifero was the first recipient of the Nancy Haragan award for the 2010 season, followed by Bruce Nelson for 2011.
Nancy behind the scenes at Maryland Public Television
After ten years with the GBCA, she continued to support the Baltimore cultural sector by remaining active on multiple boards, including Arts Every Day (where she served as board chair), Maryland State Arts Council, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, Art on Purpose, and Station North Arts and Entertainment District. In 2007, Nancy was honored by the Creative Alliance with the the “Golden Formstone” Award for “Form-Idable Contributions to Baltimore Through The Arts.”
Known for her signature red lipstick and her eclectic fashion sensibility, Haragan, a self-described newspaper and political junkie, read broadly and was interested in everything. She is survived by her long-time partner Gwen Davidson; her father and step-mother Mary Ann and Robert Haragan of Ft. Myers, FL; five siblings, James Haragan of Louisa, KY, Ellen Haragan of NYC, Christopher Haragan of Louisville, KY; and Mary Radway of Louisville, KY; and Robert Haragan, Jr, from Los Altos, CA; seven nieces and three nephews.
~ Thank you Nancy for all of your contributions to the arts community, all of your hard work and insights that helped develop The Baker Artist Awards into what it is today, and for enriching our lives through your strength and dedication in making Baltimore the best it can be ~
For more on Nancy Haragan from The Baltimore Sun, click here.
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A celebration of Nancy Haragan’s life will be held at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Friday, December 2, 2011 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. In lieu of flowers, her family has indicated that donations in her memory can be made to the Nancy Haragan Memorial Fund at the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. GBCA’s address is 1800 N. Charles Street, Suite 810, Baltimore, MD 21201.