Reading

Scene Seen: BMA Imagining Home Exhibit Opening

Previous Story
Article Image

Scene Seen: Inside / Outside: Christopher Kojzar [...]

Next Story
Article Image

Outside Ourselves: Thoughts on Contemporary Art, [...]

Imagining Home at the Baltimore Museum of Art
From October 25, 2015 — August 1, 2018

The inaugural exhibition for the BMA’s new Patricia and Mark Joseph Education Center brings together more than 30 works from across the BMA’s collection to explore the universal theme of home. Visitors will discover paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, textiles, and works on paper from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands, as well as four miniature rooms, plus a variety of interactive features presented in three thematic areas:

Façades & Thresholds: Transitional spaces such as doors, windows, and porches convey the history of a dwelling as well as the identity and values of its makers and occupants. Emile-Antoine Bourdelle’s sinister bronze Medusa Door Knocker (1925) and a colorful early 20th-century Suzani prayer rug from Central Asia show how we mediate the public and private through objects.

Domestic Interiors: Works made for or featuring domestic settings invite visitors to consider how we make home. Paintings like Marguerite Gerard’s Motherhood (c. 1795) and a selection of chairs, vessels, and other objects from an ancient Greek krater to a modern toaster reflect the individual, familial, social, and cultural identities and activities of their owners.

Arrivals & Departures: Objects that show a world of constant transformation and movement include Alfred Stieglitz’s Steerage (1907) photograph of passengers boarding a ship, Susan Harbage Page’s Hiding Place No. 3, Laredo, Texas (2011) large scale photograph of a temporary shelter for someone crossing the U.S./Mexican border, and an ancient Nayarit Model House (c. 200 A.D.) created for the afterlife.

IMG_3497

IMG_3496

IMG_3466

IMG_3465

IMG_3464

IMG_3463

IMG_3462

IMG_3460

IMG_3459

IMG_3458

Quick Nap
Walter Henry Williams. A Quick Nap. 1952. The Baltimore Museum of Art: Purchased as the gift of Eddie C. Brown and C. Sylvia Brown, Baltimore, BMA 2008
Laurie Simmons. Walking House. 1989, printed 1997. From the series "Walking Objects." The Baltimore Museum of Art: Given by the Board of Trustees and Staff in Honor of Arnold L. Lehman, Director, 1979‑1997, BMA 1997.130. © Laurie Simmons. Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94
Laurie Simmons. Walking House. 1989, printed 1997. From the series “Walking Objects.” The Baltimore Museum of Art: Given by the Board of Trustees and Staff in Honor of Arnold L. Lehman, Director, 1979‑1997, BMA 1997.130. © Laurie Simmons. Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94
Shower Curtain by Dave Eggers
Shower Curtain by Dave Eggers

IMG_3473

IMG_3474

IMG_3471

IMG_3469

IMG_3495
IMG_3475

IMG_3492

IMG_3493

IMG_3494

IMG_3491

IMG_3490

IMG_3489

IMG_3488

IMG_3487

IMG_3486

IMG_3483

IMG_3482

IMG_3484

IMG_3476

IMG_3478

IMG_3480

IMG_3479

IMG_3477

Interactive features include Home Stories videos that reveal an individual’s or family’s experience living with a reproduction of one of four objects for a month. Another group of artworks has Soundscapes that immerse visitors in the place where the object was made through authentic audio recordings. The BMA’s Go Mobile smartphone guide has been expanded with 40 new stops with original content for artworks in Imagining Home.

Friendly gallery hosts are stationed in the exhibition during weekends and events to provide information about the objects and experiences upon request. There is also a nook with seating, books, and magazines for visitors who want to relax.

This exhibition is the result of a collaboration between Director of Interpretation and Public Engagement Gamynne Guillotte and Associate Curator of European Painting & Sculpture Oliver Shell.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The media sponsor is the Maryland Transit Administration.

Celebrate the inaugural exhibition for the BMA’s new Patricia and Mark Joseph Education Center! Join us for a free and festive day-long event with activities for all ages. Enjoy creative art-making activities, fascinating demonstrations, lively performances, and intriguing in-gallery conversations that engage with the deep, varied, and complex connections we all have to home.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The media sponsor is the Maryland Transit Administration.

Related Stories
Neurodivergent Artist, Mother, and Activist Defies Invisibility

From the challenges of growing up with undiagnosed ADHD and autism, White-Johnson now celebrates the beauty in what others might see as symptoms. Sharing these insights, and genuine, authentic moments through her work, she hopes to amplify her vision of true justice.

From the Smithsonian to Forbes "30 Under 30," Baltimore Company ReBokeh is Changing How Audiences See Art

Named for the Japanese art of defocusing light sources in photography, bokeh, the app enables each user to custom-tailor their smartphone’s existing camera in real time to accommodate their unique vision requirements.

Baltimore art news updates from independent & regional media

This week's news includes: Glenstone Museum announces new exhibitions, the sublime Amy Sherald, Savannah G.M. Wood awarded Tabb Center humanities fellowship, from France to Baltimore, Ky Vassor installs work at Govans Presbyterian Church, remembering Susan Alcorn, and more!

A Conversation with the Instrument Maker on Rediscovering Play, Ancient Traditions, and Peace Through Sound

"I like to think that sound has information, so when we build and play and listen to these kinds of instruments today, it's like opening a portal to an experience that was designed in another time, in another world."