BmoreArt's Best of 2014: Dwayne Butcher's Top 10

This season, BmoreArt will feature Top Ten Lists of 2014 from a number of our contributors in a range of art, culture, media, design, events, pop culture, and anything else they care to include.

Dwayne Butcher is an artist, writer, curator and chicken wing connoisseur living in Baltimore, MD. Butcher moved here from Memphis in the summer of 2013. In that time he has continued to have international exhibitions, published articles in local, regional and national publications, and curated an exhibition of Baltimore-area artists titled “Bawlmer” at Crosstown Arts in Memphis, TN. To see his work and curatorial projects, visit his website and follow him on twitter @dwaynebutcher.

2014 is my first full year living in Baltimore and a lot has happened. Guerilla and non-traditional exhibition spaces have come and gone, as they will always do. Alloverstreet was created to help organize events in and around the Copycat Building. Established fixtures on the art scene, MAP and Jordan Faye, relocated to the same building on Saratoga, and the BMA turned 100 years old and opened their renovated American Wing. Thankfully, the BMA still offers free admission. It was good to see such transitions and as many awesome, as there were terrible, exhibitions in and around the Baltimore area.

Here is my list, in no particular order. One thing did seem to resonate with me as I was looking through all of my images, and all of the posts and events on BmoreArt and the City Paper: I am a nerd. Oh, and I like beer.

1. MICA Open Studios and Spring BFA/MFA Exhibitions, 2014

I love art schools. As a graduate of one myself, I can attest that they are the greatest collection of people/artists anywhere. Just look at these images. Oh, and I need to create business cards like this ASAP.

Jesse Yuhasz’s work is not bad either. Actually, this says everything I believe in. (fuck art let’s fight)

>>>><<<<

2. The Young Blood Exhibition at MAP

>>>><<<<

3. The Sondheim Finalists Exhibition at The Walters

The terrible part of this exhibition was how they crammed way too much work in for each artist. Especially Kyle Bauer, he needed more space around the work.

>>>><<<<

4. Alternative Art Fair at Artscape

Hands down the best part of Artscape was the Alternative Art Fair organized by Nick Peelor. I love this idea, so much so that I am stealing it and taking it on the road to Memphis.

>>>><<<<

5. Joanna Fields at Current Space

Joanna Fields is a clown enthusiast and that is all I needed to know before I bought a piece of her work, the first piece of art I have bought since living in Baltimore.