Baltimore City Council advances BOPA funding restoration following Artscape; concerns linger about proposed trademark, lack of artists on BOPA board

With the return of Baltimore’s marquee Artscape festival now in the books, a Baltimore City Council committee voted in favor of restoring $581,334 Tuesday to the beleaguered Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts. The funding represents one-quarter of BOPA’s operating budget that is not dedicated to grants for arts organizations. The money will cover the group’s operations from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. The restoration, already approved by the city’s Board of Estimates, still faces a final vote of the full council on Oct. 2.