On June 4, I attended the funeral of Norman Ross whom I worked for as the graphic artist of the Cultural Arts Program and whose obituary by Jacques Kelly also appeared that day ("Norman E. Ross," June 3). One minor correction, I'd make: The article stated the program lasted until 1983 but it definitely was operational some years after that because I worked there through mid-1986. He hired me when I was fresh out of college and about to start graduate school at MICA and I ended up working there for 10 years.
It was an amazing program that served inner city neighborhoods all around the city giving instruction in art, music, dance and drama at a high level from teachers with excellent teaching and performing credentials and bringing in guest performers of the caliber of Alvin Ailey Dance, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, the Modern Jazz Quartet and Dance Theatre of Harlem because that's the kind of man he was — he firmly believed you didn't need to water the material down or lower expectations for inner city youth. There are people in their 40s and 50s all over town who remember getting a chance to take those classes and be in performances like the community Nutcracker we put on at Dunbar High School with 100 dancers from age 3 to adult, artists like me who worked for him and remember getting a chance to support themselves in the arts and community members who were hired to staff the centers which were generally located in city school buildings.
Then Ronald Reagan came to office and the money dried up. I have thought of Norman Ross and the Cultural Arts Program often since the Freddie Gray incident drew everyone's attention to those neighborhoods. The program gave inner city children, teens and adults the kinds of opportunities to explore the arts that affluent families take for granted. Last summer, a group of former students and staff presented a program at the University of Baltimore where some former students shared their personal stories of what the program meant to them. It was very moving. It seems unlikely that we'll ever see the kind of federal money that supported the program again but surely we could use a leader with his initiative and vision now.
Helen Glazer, Owings Mills