BmoreArt

This Week:  Afro House streaming from the Creative Alliance, Angel Kristi Williams and Myrtis Bedolla in conversation, Invisible Structures opens at Julio Fine Arts, Megan Lewis at Eubie Blake Cultural Center, plus Frederick Arts Council Call for Gateway Art Proposals and more featured calls for entry.

BmoreArt’s Picks presents the best weekly art openings, events, and performances happening in Baltimore and surrounding areas. For a more comprehensive perspective, check the BmoreArt Calendar page, which includes ongoing exhibits and performances, and is updated on a daily basis.

To submit your calendar event, email us at [email protected]!

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Racial Justice Concert Series
Tuesday, October 5 • 12-1pm
presented by JHU SOURCE + Creative Alliance

Join us on Tuesday, October 5th from 12:00pm-1:00pm PM ET for our third concert in the series, featuring Afro House in support of Backyard Basecamp.

This event is part of JHU SOURCE’s 2021 Baltimore Week, a celebration of the Baltimore community through a social justice lens.

How to watch:

To get your ticket, click the orange “Select a Date” button, choose the October 5th option and register.

If the correct date is already selected, simply click the green “Register” button and claim your ticket.

This ticket will grant you access to the Youtube Livestream on the day of the performance.

Our performers will be hosted by Creative Alliance in a COVID-safe environment.

About Afro House

Founded in 2011 by Alisha and Scott Patterson, Afro House is a Baltimore-based, music-driven performance art house. Afro House is grounded in the belief that art can disrupt and transform the human imagination, providing fresh eyes to view both past and present, challenging artists and audiences to create a better future.

One Maryland One Book Author Tour with Ross Gay – Stop 5: Enoch Pratt Free Library & The Ivy Bookshop
Tuesday, October 5 • 7pm
presented by Maryland Humanities

This year, 2021 One Maryland One Book author Ross Gay will make virtual visits to Maryland to discuss his book, The Book of Delights: Essays. Maryland Humanities, which coordinates One Maryland One Book, has partnered with organizations across the state for six free virtual events October 3–6. Participants must register to receive a virtual event link.

The Book of Delights is a collection of lyrical essays. Gay wrote one essay per day over a year and took the time to find “delights” in his everyday life. The essays range in topic from the beauties in nature to what it is to be a black man in America. Readers can look to Gay’s collection as a guide to finding their own daily “delights.” The book was chosen by a committee of librarians, educators, authors, and bibliophiles in February from more than 160 titles suggested last fall by readers across the state for the theme, “Hope.”

“As we look towards recovering from the traumas of the past year and a half, people hunger for hope, which is what makes The Book of Delights a perfect selection for One Maryland One Book this year,” says Lindsey Baker, Executive Director at Maryland Humanities. “Ross Gay also doesn’t shy away from life’s hardships. It’s the first book of essays ever chosen for the program, giving Marylanders a wide range of topics to discuss. We look forward to these timely conversations.”

Gay says: “I’m so grateful that The Book of Delights was chosen for One Maryland One Book. It feels lucky to get to share this collection of questions and wonderings with you all for so many reasons (one of them that my big brother was an English teacher in Frederick a couple decades ago!). And I’m really looking forward to the conversations we’ll have about the book this fall.”

Read BmoreArt’s Review of Gay’s book Be Holding.

Cleft: An Art & Engineering Collaboration
Tuesday, October 5 • 7-8pm
@ UMBC Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts + Streaming

Are we becoming an extension of the machine or the other way around?

Artist Annet Couwenberg posed this question as she began a unique collaboration in Fall 2020 with UMBC engineering students led by Professor of Mechanical Engineering Tim Topoleski with the assistance of software developer and engineer Alan Grover to create her interactive sculpture Cleft. Join us for a lively conversation with Annet Couwenberg, Alan Grover, Dr. Topoleski, and participating students to learn more about the process behind Cleft’s creation, which will be on view in her exhibition Annet Couwenberg: Sewing Circles at the Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture at UMBC in Fall 2021. The conversation will be moderated by Lori Rubeling, curator of the exhibition and Professor of Art and Communication Design at Stevenson University.

Cleft (2016-21) is based on a Dutch ruffled collar as an example of a piece of clothing acting as both a constraint and a beautiful enhancement. Based on the concept of clothing as metaphor, the work examines the precarious balance between the constraints of social norms and our private desires. There is an intertwined yet conflictual relationship between immigration and citizenship, a state of anxiety that defines our contemporary condition. By putting the audience in charge as the “digital puppeteer,” Cleft explores the untangling of this conflict between self-determination and dependency through the syntax of the body, and the boundaries of our social interactions through computer software, which translates our ‘movements’.

Visiting Filmmakers Series and Women and Gender Studies present: Really Love with Angel Kristi Williams and Myrtis Bedolla
Tuesday, October 5 • 7:30pm
presented by George Mason

Virtual Conversation

“The Visiting Filmmakers Series is pleased to host a conversation with director Angel Kristi Williams and gallerist Myrtis Bedolla. Her new film, “Really Love,” is set in a gentrifying Washington, DC.  Here, a rising Black artist, Isaiah (Kofi Siriboe), spends most of his days pouring his heart into his paintings but still struggles to find his place in the prestigious and competitive art world. At a gallery show, Stevie (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing), an impressive and intelligent law student, catches his eye. A chance encounter is one thing, but the stars align and they meet again, leading to a whirlwind romance. When both Isaiah and Stevie hit crossroads in their careers, they are forced to consider if their relationship is a love for a season or a love for a lifetime.

Williams’  debut feature delivers a poignant look at the sacrifices we make for careers and life-changing relationships. This well-crafted script by Felicia Pride and Williams is complemented by an impeccable soundtrack and incredible art.

See the film’s website here.

Through Our Lens – The Way Forward for AAPIs in the Media
Wednesday, October 6 • 7pm
presented by Towson University Asian Arts + Culture Center

Explore artwork by Asia in Maryland artists Yifan Luo, Ellie Rha, and Kiddo Pan and how it reflects the intersections between media representations of AAPIs and consequent perceptions of AAPIs in society at large. Delve into how art can serve as activism, be a source of cultural power, and play a role in correcting and realigning current representations and perceptions. Join the artists in envisioning a future for AAPI voices and visibility. Moderated by WeiAnne Reidy.

Suggested donation: $10. Make a donation at bit.ly/aacc-donate

Details pictured (L-R): 수박 (Watermelon) Summer, Ellie Rha; AAPI Role Models – Varshini Prakash; video still from Moth on Fire, Kiddo Pan.

Exhibition: Asia in Maryland 2021, featuring the works of thirty-three Maryland-based Asian and AAPI artists, on view at the Asian Arts Gallery, Sep. 8 – Dec. 11, 2021. towson.edu/asianarts

Invisible Structures | Opening Reception
Thursday, October 7 • 5-7pm | Ongoing through November 12
@ Julio Fine Arts

The Julio Fine Arts Gallery is proud to present, Invisible Structures, a post-sabbatical exhibition by Loyola Photography Professor Jon Malis. Invisible Structures invites the viewer into Jon Malis’ research studio, presenting an ongoing catalogue of the various ways tools, techniques and situations influence how we produce, view and experience art.

The exhibition runs from October 7 to November 12, 2021, with a free public opening reception on October 7 from 5-7pm where the artist will give a brief talk about his work and ongoing research. **Note that properly fitted masks will be required at all times in the gallery—please help us keep everyone safe and healthy!

Our current gallery hours are Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 10AM-4PM; Thu 10AM-8PM; and Sat/Sun 12-4PM. These hours are subject to change based on current health guidelines. To learn more about the Gallery’s programs and exhibitions visit julioartgallery.com or call 410-617-2799. Follow us on social media @JulioArtGallery for updates!

Cordially Invited | Opening Reception
Friday, October 8 • 4:30-6:30pm
@ Make Studio

Make Studio is pleased to present the 4th installment of Cordially Invited, our invitational exhibition and events featuring art created in innovative U.S. and international studios that serve artists with disabilities. Cordially Invited celebrates the exciting and thought-provoking art produced in progressive art studios as a way to better understand and appreciate our neuro-diverse world.

For this year’s Free Fall Baltimore, there will again be a hybrid in-person/online format including a feature exhibition in our gallery, a virtual exhibition, and both online and in-person events.
Cordially Invited will be on view online beginning October 1st and in-person October 2nd. The physical exhibition closes October 30th.
Cordially Invited 4 is a recognition of the diverse, beautiful, and thought-provoking art created by disabled artists/artists with disabilities, as well as the ongoing work of progressive studios to champion these artists even during turbulent times.

Healing and the Art of Compassion (and the Lack Thereof!)
Saturday, October 9 | Ongoing through September 2022
@ The American Visionary Art Museum

The American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) debuts its latest and 26th thematic mega-exhibition – HEALING & THE ART OF COMPASSION (and the Lack Thereof!) – on Saturday, October 9, 2021. This unique, trasnformative show represents the capstone exhibition of AVAM’s Founder, Executive Director and Primary Curator Rebecca Alban Hoffberger who announced plans this past July to conclude her internationally-acclaimed, three-decade tenure in March 2022.

The theme of this original year-long exhibition was inspired in good part by a request from the current Dalai Lama and features the works of 22 visionary artists, alongside the scientific research, global folk wisdom, and humor which highlight the twin forces of good in any society – healing and compassion. Visitors on entry will be greeted by a suspended wooden barge created by artist Michael Green and paired with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s observation, “We may all have come in different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

Rebecca Hoffberger explains, “This very special exhibition represents my final love song to our beloved AVAM, which has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Through it, our aim is to point a healing way forward beyond fear, violence, greed, bullying and the twisted need to feel superior to someone else—the malignant pantheon of anti-compassion forces that has always sought to divide and debase our common humanity. I hope all who come to experience our HEALING & COMPASSION exhibition will leave with heaping portions of both, and the cherry on top of real hope that life can indeed be transformed for the far kinder, fairer, healthier, and more joyful.”

Included among the twenty-two exhibiting artists from across the United States, the United Kingdom and Turkey is one of Baltimore’s own, Gerald Hawkes, who is widely celebrated for his intricate artistry expressed with wooden matchsticks. A native of Baltimore’s Turner Station, Hawkes was given the honor of being the first person to enter the American Visionary Art Museum on Opening Day in November, 1995.  Hawkes sold and exhibited his works widely – from ardent Japanese collectors to front-page coverage in the Wall Street Journal. Some works sold for thousands of dollars and an early one-man show at the George Ciscle Gallery broke attendance records. The American Visionary Art Museum has the largest collection of Gerald Hawkes matchstick works as part of its permanent collection and his ashes rest in the museum’s wildflower garden, as was his request.

Other featured artists include:
• Bobby Adams • Anonymous • Sermet Aslan • Andrew Benincasa • Johanna Burke • Peter Eglington • Serene “Mari D” Elfrei • Michael Green • Alex Grey • Nahum HaLevi • Arthur Hammer • David A. Haughton • Maura Holden • Nancy Josephson • Jon Kolkin • Paul Lancaster • Arthur Lopez • Mantu • Chris Roberts Antieau • Richard C. Smith • Kim Edgar Swados • Stan Wright

Language of the Soul | Opening Reception
Saturday, October 9 • 6-9pm | Ongoing through November 20
@ Eubie Blake Cultural Center

Megan Lewis (b. 1989, Baltimore, MD) lives and practices in the city of her birth. Lewis graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida (2011). Lewis is an extraordinary figurative painter and muralist. As a painter, she wields a palette knife with the precision of a surgeon. Her fantastical subjects are rendered in bold colors and geometric patterns and enlivened with beautiful textiles, some sourced locally and others embellished with Ankara fabric acquired during Lewis’ trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

There is a physicality to Lewis’ subjects, who appear poised to leap from the canvas. Their outward gaze and gestures beckon the viewer to contemplate their thoughts and emotions. But there is a greater question, who are these individuals? That will always remain a mystery because Lewis draws inspiration from chance encounters, a passer-by, and her imagination.

Embedded within Lewis’ beautifully layered canvases are conversations on the social and historical portrayals of the Black body and particularly those inhabited by Black women. Her bright hues are laid down intentionally and purposely, as serious discourse lies within.  One that examines “critical views on Black beauty, fashion, body image, and their linked histories.”

As a muralist, Lewis’ has made a profound imprint on the city of Baltimore. She is the first Black woman commissioned to design artwork for Baltimore’s Penn Metro Station. Her murals appear on the walls of Orioles Park “City Corner”, Target’s “Mini Pitch”, Reginald F. Lewis Museum “inside mural “Reflections of Baltimore: Arabbers” and beyond. Recent concept commissions include Doritos-Solid Black, Dicks Sporting Goods, HBO Max, and the US Open BLM exhibit that transformed the front-row seats of Arthur Ashe Stadium at the 2020 opening. Lewis’ multi-talents also extend to her furniture making.

Calls for Entry // Opportunities

Portraits of a Still Life | Call for Entry
deadline October 10
sponsored by Monochrome Collective

Monochrome Collective is calling for submissions of artwork within the theme Portraits of a Still Life for an upcoming exhibition.

• Acknowledging our collective stillness
  Portraits of objects, spaces, people
  Celebrating simplictiy

Artwork submissions should include a brief description of the works place within this theme. No more than 3 submissions per artist. The work should be ready to display.

Deadline: October 10, 2021

Gateway Art | Call for Proposals
deadline October 22
sponsored by Frederick Arts Council

The Frederick Arts Council is seeking qualifications for Artist /Teams for an exhibition of ideas for artwork at key roundabouts and gateways across the county.

Models will be displayed in an exhibition at the FAC Art Center in Winter of 2021-2022. Applications are due on Oct. 22, 2021.

The goal of the charrette is to spark discussion and innovation about the potential for artwork at Fredrick gateways to activate Frederick’s unique identity. Proposed designs should explore a coherent approach across the county and build upon a common idea/ theme to enhance the entryways and roundabouts, turning important transitions in and out of Frederick into unique and memorable experiences.

Artwork may consist of variations that are unified by a consistent theme, but vary across multiple gateways and roundabouts throughout the county (i.e. if the concept is Frederick’s agricultural products then a series featuring a different product at each roundabout could be explored). In addition to the example of an agricultural theme, additional themes to consider include history, natural resources, and scientific innovations or alternatively the artwork can display an abstract style. The exhibition of models for gateway artwork will serve as a catalyst for gathering even more ideas and approaches for these gateways.

The call for proposals is opened to all artists and the deadline has been extended to October 22, 2021. The FAC requests that interested applicants submit their CV, examples of past work via a link to their website or portfolio. Selected artists will receive a budget of $600 to create a model of their concept that will then be displayed in the winter of 2021-2022 at the FAC’s Art Center located at 5 E. 2^nd Street Frederick, MD.

The FAC believes exceptional public artwork can become the best possible emissary for our community. Our vision is a Frederick where public art connects residents and visitors, expresses an authentic and unique sense of place, drives economic prosperity through creativity and advances a culturally inclusive and empowered future.

Please visit the Application Portal to submit your submission:

https://frederickartscouncil.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/63771

Applicants should contact Nicole Ringel, Public Art Program Manager, FAC with any questions: [email protected]

What: Charrette for Gateways and Roundabouts

Where: Models to be displayed at FAC Art Center, 5 East Second St.

Submission Extended Deadline: October 22, 2021

GMF Legacy Grant | Call for Application
deadline October 23
sponsored by The Gutierrez Memorial Fund

The Gutierrez Memorial Fund is pleased to present its 2021 Legacy Grant. The project-based arts grant calls for proposals from arts organizations, individual artists, and educators who are residents of Maryland and whose programs or projects serve Maryland communities. Special consideration is given to projects that build skills, engage the community and permanently transform the built environment.

For more information on eligibility and to download an application please visit our website.  https://gutierrezmemorialfund.com/grant-info/.    

The deadline for submissions is October 30, 2021.

2022 Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition
deadline October 24
sponsored by Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI)

For more than 50 years, the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) has hosted the nation’s premier exhibition of African-American art. This annual show presents more than 100 works of art from professional and emerging Black artists from around the world.

Applications to the 2022 Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition are now being accepted. Submit your work!

Medium
Contemporary works created in any visual medium are accepted including: Architecture + Design │ Ceramics │ Digital Art │ Drawing │ Mixed Media │ Painting │ Photography + Video │ Print Media │ Sculpture │ Textiles

Accepted work must be finished, dry and ready for professional installation (see Specifications and Accepted Work for more details below).

2021 IT’S A SNAP! Baltimore Photo Contest | Call for Entry
deadline October 29
sponsored by Baltimore National Heritage Area

No matter your level of expertise, here’s your chance to share your special photographs that reveal the best of Baltimore – the people and places of Charm City!

Winning photographers receive prizes, and the best images will be showcased on BNHA’s social media channels and a special Baltimore National Heritage Area promotional product in 2022.

Photographs must be taken within the Baltimore National Heritage Area. All hi-res entries must be submitted electronically by October 29, 2021.

National & NYS Artists Invited to Propose Iconic Artwork in LGBTQIA+ Welcoming Building | Call for Entry
deadline October 31
sponsored by Rochester Contemporary Art Center

Home Leasing and Trillium Health are collaborating to develop a four-story mixed-use and mixed- income building that will provide for a wide range of households. The project will consist of 72 housing units, first floor commercial space, and a community health facility to be operated by Trillium. The units will be available to households with a range of incomes, which will continue to help establish downtown Rochester as a diverse neighborhood. The development team is dedicated to creating an inclusive community providing amenities and access to downtown living to all members of the community in an LGBTQ+ welcoming environment. All partners are committed to supporting a significant work of public art on the location.

Versión en español disponible aquí

LOCATION
The project is located at the eastern gateway to downtown Rochester, NY between East Avenue and Broad Street, on the west side of Union Street on Site 3 of the Inner Loop East Redevelopment Project.

ART OPPORTUNITY
The artwork will be located in the building passthrough. Artists are encouraged to think expansively about the space, engaging with the wall, ceiling, and ground area. This public artwork is intended to be an iconic work that represents, welcomes, or supports the LGBTQ+ community in some way. The resulting commission should be bold, eye-catching, and thoughtful. The installation should be engaging day and night. Artists or teams may propose a painted mural – however, we especially encourage projects that use sculptural and permanently durable materials – and engage the walking/seating area in front of the wall. See drawings for more detail.

SCOPE
The selected artist(s) or team will have a comprehensive contract that will cover the artwork design and engineering, fabrication, materials, installation, insurance, travel, meetings with staff as necessary, and related incidental expenses.

BUDGET
Up to $45,000

ELIGIBILITY
This opportunity is open to professional artists or artist teams who meet the following criteria:
• Artists should have completed other public commissions of a similar scale.
• Artists must have a statewide or national reputation and experience.
• Artists must have success in translating innovative concepts into public artworks of significant size.
• Artists must demonstrate a high-level of creativity when engaging with public space, community involvement, and unique ways of approaching existing architecture and landscape.
• Artists must have experience in coordinating large-scale public art installations with a diverse team.