Who We Are
MdVLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Maryland artists’ legal rights. We believe it’s our responsibility to stand up for artists who need legal representation. Your work is precious. We can help protect it.
How We Do What We Do
Through the help of our professionally trained network of lawyers, we proudly provide pro bono legal referrals and services to artists in the state of Maryland. We hold lectures and seminars as well as Art Law Clinics for consultations, and we generate educational materials to keep you in the know.
Here’s How It Works
Step 2: We Determine Your Eligibility
Step 3: We Attempt to Match You with a Lawyer
Other Services We Offer
Lectures and Seminars
Art Law Clinic
We regularly hold lectures and seminars to educate you on your rights and the services available to you through our programs.
Through this program, our volunteer attorneys meet with artists for a 30-minute consultation to go over their short-form legal issues related to their creative endeavors.
Educational Materials
- June 10, 2025
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Fair Use for Artists and Creatives
June 10, 2025 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Have you ever sampled another artist’s music? Pasted a photo from the internet on your website? Or, in some other way, incorporated another artist’s creative work into your own work? Join MdVLA and the Maryland State Arts Council for a deep dive into fair use. Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows the use of copyrighted material without permission in very select instances. This session will demystify the concept of fair use through real-life examples and consider how it applies to your work. Join if you’re a collage artist, writer, teacher, musician, filmmaker, or any type of creative who has wondered how to build on existing artistry without infringing on other people’s work.
Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/maryland-state-arts-council-17190128438
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- June 17, 2025
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Maryland Art Summit
June 17, 2025 - June 18, 2025
Center For Performing Arts, 301 Largo Rd, Largo, MD 20774, USAThe Maryland Arts Summit, hosted at Prince George’s Community College Center for the Performing Arts, is a statewide conference presented by and for the Maryland arts sector, which includes, but is not limited to: Arts Advocates, Arts Educators & Teaching Artists, Independent Artists, Arts Organizations, Youth, Community Stakeholders, Arts, and Entertainment Districts, County Arts Agencies of Maryland, Public Artists, Boards of Directors, and Folklife Artists.
It is an opportunity to network, share the fantastic work that is being done across the state, learn about communities different from your own, celebrate the accomplishments of what we as a sector have achieved, and, through dialogue and action, bring to light where systems have fallen short of the support required to help artists and organizations thrive. The Maryland Arts Summit is a place for productive conversations to move the Maryland arts sector forward and ensure its long-term success.
Learn more and register: https://mdarts.org/summit/
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- June 18, 2025
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Maryland Art Summit
June 17, 2025 - June 18, 2025
Center For Performing Arts, 301 Largo Rd, Largo, MD 20774, USAThe Maryland Arts Summit, hosted at Prince George’s Community College Center for the Performing Arts, is a statewide conference presented by and for the Maryland arts sector, which includes, but is not limited to: Arts Advocates, Arts Educators & Teaching Artists, Independent Artists, Arts Organizations, Youth, Community Stakeholders, Arts, and Entertainment Districts, County Arts Agencies of Maryland, Public Artists, Boards of Directors, and Folklife Artists.
It is an opportunity to network, share the fantastic work that is being done across the state, learn about communities different from your own, celebrate the accomplishments of what we as a sector have achieved, and, through dialogue and action, bring to light where systems have fallen short of the support required to help artists and organizations thrive. The Maryland Arts Summit is a place for productive conversations to move the Maryland arts sector forward and ensure its long-term success.
Learn more and register: https://mdarts.org/summit/
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Call MdVLA at 410-752-1633.