We hope so, but there are a number of issues to address. First and foremost is finding a host organization. Harford Artists Association and ArtQuest, as of the vote at the Exposition separate divisions of a redefined Harford Artists Association, Inc., want this event to continue to grow and take on a life of its own. In that spirit we are talking to the Harford County Cultural Arts Board about assuming responsibility for Expo 2002. The obvious plus here would be an event that spans even more of the arts.
Early discussions are positive and hopeful.
At the same time some of the suggestions being loosely floated seem to come from the same sort of past attitudes that have prevented anything like the Expo from happening before this. The Exposition will only survive to grow if it is seen for what it is and nurtured rather than incorporated into serving the needs or wants of others. An Art Exposition in Harford County needs to preach to the Choir first, then the congregation. The only model I can think of is the annual Photography Exposition in Baltimore. The organizations and groups involved in the Harford Art Expo, seventeen this year but potentially over forty, must be treated as equals not only to one another but also to the Expo host and sponsors.