Reading

BmoreArt Launches Print Issue 09: Craft with a New Subscription Service

Previous Story
Article Image

Messy Sex, Both Bold and Tender, in Garth Greenwe [...]

Next Story
Article Image

BmoreArt’s Picks: May 26 – June 1

BmoreArt’s next print edition, Issue 09: Craft, is now due out July 15, 2020.

We envision this issue as a bridge between fine art and craft, an artificial distinction that has historically separated European male “genius” artists from everyone else, certifying traditional media like painting and sculpture as culturally viable while designating others as “industry” or “hobby” and denigrating their worth.

Issue 09 recognizes a broad and diverse community of creative makers thriving in Baltimore, including crafters, quilters, woodworkers, fashion designers, jewelers, and small creative business owners, to expand a conversation around the way these practices enrich our cultural ecosystem every day.

Order Issue 09: Craft !

Kibibi Ajanku photographed by Phylicia Ghee for Issue 09: Craft

Our next issue features fiber artist Annet Couwenberg, fashion designer Jody Davis, artist and puppeteer Schroder Cherry, performer, mentor, and indigo-dyer Kibibi Ajanku, fine art jeweler Betty Cooke, quilter Monique Crabb, and so many others.

We are in love with the photos, artwork, and stories designed to reinforce a sense of creative solidarity, the rich Baltimore story this issue tells, but, like everything else, this project was interrupted by COVID-19.

Seemingly overnight, our entire production model for advertising support, big fundraising events designed to bring communities together, and distribution through a network of small, creative businesses was indefinitely on hold. We made a decision to do what many organizations are doing at this time: we shifted attention to our online presence, focused on making resources available to those in need, and put our print journal on hiatus.

Models wearing Jody Davis designs photographed by Kelvin Bulluck at the BMA

Over the past three months, we have considered postponing Issue 09 until we can safely host large events again, but this seems unlikely for the foreseeable future. We discussed releasing this issue online at this time instead of printing, but this felt disrespectful to the quality of work our contributors have produced.

Our team designed this group of stories to be told through a specific medium and format, and, despite all the hardships we are facing, we feel that there is value in producing something beautiful right now. Our print journal is a labor of love, and the quality of paper, design, and content are all interconnected. We decided to honor this vision and to shift into a new production and distribution model that is used by lots of periodicals, but will be a new process for our team.

Greenmount Tile Company at Open Works photo Joe Hyde for Issue 09

Our solution to the problem is simple: we are now offering a subscription service. For it to work, we need to add at least 200 new subscribers by July 15, 2020. Each new issue will be mailed out directly from our printer, Schmitz Press in Hunt Valley, MD, to be enjoyed in the safety of the home. Issue 09 will be printed in early July and this edition will be limited.

To guarantee that you receive this issue, we need you to subscribe by June 15, 2020.

If you are in a position to purchase a subscription to BmoreArt at this time, we thank you in advance. We are offering three subscriber levels to accommodate all kinds of readers.

The most affordable is a Standard subscription at $40 a year and includes two issues with shipping. The intermediate Artist subscription is $100 and includes 2 tickets to our next two launch parties (4 tickets annually), depending on our ability to host events. Our Premium subscription costs $250 and includes each print issue mailed to you, and two VIP tickets for each launch party (4 annually), limited edition art swag like totes and T-shirts, and invites to all VIP BmoreArt Connect+Collect events, Studio Tours, and Collectors Dinners, when we are able to convene together again in the future. All Premium subscriptions purchased by June 15 will be recognized in Issue 09 unless otherwise requested.

Make Studios by Jill Fannon

We know that many of our readers are struggling financially at this time and we want you to know that our online content will always be free. This includes lists of artist resources and news, emergency funding, online opportunities, and Baltimore stories told through the lens of artists and creatives during quarantine and beyond. Regardless of your ability to subscribe, we appreciate your readership, support, and sharing. 

We want you to know that your support goes directly to our contributors–artists, designers, photographers, and writers–and to cover our printing costs, which reflect the high production quality our readers have come to expect. Contributors to Issue 09 include: D. Watkins, Bret McCabe, Kelvin Bulluck, Jill Fannon, Phylicia Ghee, Joe Hyde, Dan Meyers, Justin Tsucalas, Nora Belblidia, Angela N. Carroll, Rebecca Juliette, and many others.

Health Care Workers in the Garden by Jill Fannon

NEWS: We are thrilled to report that, after one weekend of subscription announcements on social media, we have raised a half of our subscription goals!!!! THANK YOU for supporting our work and our vision for Baltimore! Please share our subscription services with your friends, family, and colleagues who would enjoy our publication and consider purchasing a subscription as a gift to others. 

Thank you, Baltimore, for your support and inspiration and grit and stamina. We love you!

Header Image: Annet Couwenberg sculpture worn by model and photographed by Dan Meyers

This story is from Issue 09: Craft,

Related Stories
What better event to host on International Women's Day?

As women's rights are being assaulted across the USA, a fashion show that challenges the status quo–and also, everything we think we know about pubic hair.

A Sampling of Local Artists Exhibiting in Museums and Galleries Outside of Baltimore This Month

Solo Exhibitions by Phaan Howng, Rene Trevino, Kei Ito, Latoya Hobbs, Murjoni Merriweather, Tony Shore, and Jackie Milad

Confusing Institutional Acquisitions, Big Paintings of Butts, and Heaps (Literally) of Ceramics

A Roundup of Madrid Art Fairs, including ARCO and its numerous satellite fairs, which close on Sunday, March 10

Two Community Organizers Were Immortalized in a Mural that Ended up on the Front Page of the New York Times as an Illustration for Baltimore's Clap-Back to Donald Trump

It takes a minute to wrench myself out of the cosmic nerve center of this 40-foot wide, 20-foot-tall mural, which Santos created in 2011, and move on to clues and cues that will help piece together the narratives that figurative murals promise to offer up... So, who are these women?