BmoreArt

This Week: Motor House Discussion with Black Assets, Gen Fraser, Keyarra Johnson, and Rhea Beckett, The Amish Project at UMBC CIRCA, “20|02: A Story of Hope Buried in a Baltimore Attic” at Towson University and Morgan State University, SHAN Wallace at Enoch Pratt FREE Library, Jerron Herman at the BMA, the American Craft Council’s American Craft Made Baltimore at the Convention Center, and Baltimore Jewelry Center’s Ornamenta Signature Event — PLUS Columbia Festival of the Arts call for entry and more featured opportunities!

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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< Events >

 

For The Love Of Black Culture
Tuesday, February 28 • 8pm
@ Motor House

Often, when discussions of artistic voices in Black Culture occur, we tend to immediately consider the biggest names from yesterday and today. Kehinde Wiley,, Basquiat, Larry “Poncho” Brown and many more are artists who have had a great impact on Black culture. In addition to famous names like theirs, there are others who are fighting to be heard. They, too, have a story full of merit and fresh perspectives. Motor House is proud to offer four Black creatives the platform to publicly discuss their art and all things Black at “For The Love Of Black Culture” on February 28th at 8 pm. Everything (even the most controversial) will be up for discussion with the aim to: educate, inform, debate, and evolve our understanding of Black Culture.

Participants:

Black Assets
Ashley Lakayla Yates, also known by the stage name of ‘Black Assets’, the queen of the soulful bounce; is a dynamic queer vocalist/singer-songwriter from Baltimore, MD by way of Itta Bena, Mississippi, whose art is committed to reflecting the experience of Black people in the United States. She is an international artist who brings soulful vibes to over 20 different countries around the world, most recently Algiers, Taghit and Bechar. She is the creator of The Living Room Social (TLRS), a platform for musicians and music-lovers in the Maryland area to make and experience music together. For the past 3 years, TLRS has curated over 75 shows boasting loyal audiences of over 200 people per show. A natural leader, Ashley’s music is directly rooted within her community, love and life as she knows it, the good the bad and the indifferent.

Gen Fraser
Genifer Fraser is a Maryland-based community artist and educator who uses a multitude of mediums and expressive colors to create paintings, installations, and immersive experiences. In 2016, she graduated with a B.A. in Art History, a second major in African American Studies, a minor in History, and a certificate in Community Engagement from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has always sought out ways to marry her passion for the arts and affinity for learning with conscious social engagement. In 2021, she earned her MFA in Community Arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art and completed two terms in the Community Art Collaborative AmeriCorps Program as the Community Artist in Residence at Port Discovery Children’s Museum. In addition to creating public art and exhibiting in shows, recent projects have included programs developed with the EYL365 Project, The Greenmount West Community Center, and Jubilee Arts to name a few. She hopes to continue to expand her craft, pushing the themes of her work with the goals of meaningful social engagement and empathy building in mind.

Keyarra Johnson
Keyarra Johnson is a 24 year old community artist who is currently working as the Program Manager for the Jubilee Arts: Youth in Business program. In her spare time, she works on developing her skills as an animator and further developing her art with a huge focus on women and POC.

Rhea Beckett
Rhea Beckett is a curator and fifth generation educator whose practice centers knowledge sharing and collaboration.In addition to teaching at MICA, Rhea is also an adjunct professor of African American art history at Fisk University (Nashville, TN) and Trinity Washington (Washington, DC). She is the Founding Director of Black Artist Research Space (BARS), a hub for creativity, scholarship, and imagination located in Baltimore, MD. Rhea received her BA in Art from Fisk University and her MFA in Curatorial Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art. She is a classically trained pianist and vocalist who sings in four languages, and was a member of the Grammy Award-winning Fisk Jubilee Singers from 2009–2013.

 

 

The Amish Project: International Collaboration During the Pandemic
Wednesday, March 1 • 12-1pm
@ UMBC CIRCA

The international collaboration between UMBC Associate Professor of Theatre Nikki Hartman and Director of the Munich Film Akademie (MFA) Lou Binder, began in 2019 on the production of The Amish Project. Originally intended to open in Munich during the summer of 2020, the production was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the world’s gradual re-opening in 2022,

The Amish Project was re-envisioned for a new theatre and a very different, post-pandemic audience. Embracing the challenges of designing theatre internationally, the production team, which now included UMBC Theatre lighting and sound designer Adam Mendelson, began working with the Pepper Theatre months prior to arriving in Munich. With an international cast of actors from Croatia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany, rehearsals began in the Régisseur’s Studio at the Munich Film Akademie in June 2022. Running August 4 – 6, 2022, the production was poised to move into the Pepper Theatre for tech and dress rehearsals when it had to be postponed once again due to cases of Covid-19.

 

 

Artist in Residence Welcome Celebration
Wednesday, March 1 • 6-8pm
@ Enoch Pratt FREE Library Central Branch

We’re kicking off a new 6-month artist-in-residency program designed to bring creatives from around Baltimore to share and create at Enoch Pratt Free Library. Please join us in welcoming Pratt’s first artist, SHAN Wallace, on March 1st from 6:00-8:00 PM. SHAN will give a brief overview of the displayed work and upcoming projects.

 

 

20|02: A Story of Hope Buried in a Baltimore Attic
Thursday, March 2 | Ongoing through March 9
@ Towson University + Morgan State University

“20|02: A Story of Hope Buried in a Baltimore Attic” follows Towson University students and sisters Chloe ’21 and Kaylah Harvey ’23 in 2020 as they piece together a portrait of their father, Morgan State University alumnus David Harvey ’90, who died suddenly in 2002 in the midst of his plan to promote a flag celebrating African Americans.

Written by Chloe and Kaylah, “20|02” is the first student-written production to be produced at Towson University’s Main Stage Theatre. The play blends the past with the present, from the creation of the flag by David and Tonya Harvey in 1991 to David’s unexpected passing in 2002 and the sisters’ rediscovery of the flag in 2020. It also incorporates family home videos.

With performances at Towson University March 2–4 and Morgan State University March 9 and 10, the cast and crew includes students and faculty from both institutions.

“It’s going to feel very homey, nostalgic of the ’90s period,” Kaylah Harvey says. “We go back and forth in time. There are some elements from our childhood that Gen Z may really identify with. Then stuff from our parents in the ’90s, and conversations about Black history and Black culture that I think will resonate with a lot of people from a lot of generations.”

“We put together the creative team to support the vision on the stage as authentically as possible,” says Chloe Harvey. “Every aspect of design has somebody in it that will be connected to this production as a Black artist.”

Production details:
20|02: A Story of Hope Buried in a Baltimore Attic
Directed by Ruben Del Valle, written by Chloe and Kaylah Harvey
March 2–4, 7:30 p.m.
Main Stage Theatre, Center for the arts, Towson University
Tickets available here.

Talkback sessions after the performances on March 3 and 4 will discuss the flag, the creative process, and the real-life figures behind the characters.
March 9 & 10, 7:30 p.m.
Turpin-Lamb Theatre, Murphy Fine Arts Center
Tickets available here.

 

 

VITRUVIAN by Jerron Herman
Thursday, March 2 • 6:30-8pm
@ Baltimore Museum of Art

The Baltimore Museum of Art and Johns Hopkins University are proud to present: VITRUVIAN by Jerron Herman. Hailed by the Brooklyn Rail as “a triumph of intention and reinvention, centering disability and celebrating Herman’s rebirth as his own divine form,” VITRUVIAN shares an allegorical tale of the life cycle of the Vitruvian man as he traverses multiple hemispheres, now in the embodiment of a Disabled Black man. Based on Da Vinci’s famous sketch, the piece explores the ways natural phenomena and history enter and live in the body.

VITRUVIAN has been featured on NY1 and CBS New York as a show to see. The full evening was commissioned by Abrons Arts Center and developed during artistic and scholastic residencies at the Petronio Residency Center and Georgetown University. Other presentations have included a site-specific interpretation at Governor’s Island and virtual showings for the Passport Program at Lincoln Center as well as a month-long screening season at Abrons Arts Center. VITRUVIAN was archived into the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the New York Public Library of Performing Arts following its premiere.

Films: Cayla Simpson
Original Art: Chella Man
Music & Sound Design: James & JJJJJerome
Lighting & Set Design: John D. Alexander
Costumes: Gerald & Cynthia Herman
Produced: Candace L Feldman & Lauren B Hall

Free. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

 

 

American Craft Made / Baltimore
Friday, March 3 | Ongoing through March 5
@ Baltimore Convention Center

The  American Craft Council (ACC), a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting craft and its artists, is bringing its in-person flagship event to the Baltimore Convention Center March 3-5, 2023. The three-day American Craft Made marketplace is a celebration of all things handmade featuring a juried selection of artists from across the country working in a variety of mediums, including ceramics, glass, jewelry, clothing, furniture, and basketry.

With 350 contemporary craft artists selected following an application and jury process, the 2023 event will allow collectors, supporters and enthusiasts of design, craft and art to discover and shop the best quality craft in the country. This year’s marketplace will once again feature the Emerging Artist Program, an initiative that provides a pathway for early-career artists into ACC’s established craft marketplaces. With lower-cost booths, extensive exhibitor support, and marketplace award opportunities, this program gives emerging artists an unparalleled opportunity to grow their clientele and careers. The event will also include ACC’s School-to-Market program which bridges the gap between higher educational curriculum in craft and the marketplace by providing undergraduate and graduate students a public venue for a curated, collective exhibition of their work.

 

 

Ornamenta Signature Event
Saturday, March 4 • 7-10pm
@ Baltimore Jewelry Center

Join the Baltimore Jewelry Center for the return of our signature gala event, hosted at 2640 Space! This year, we are excited to be able to party with you again in person. Attendees will enjoy food by Blacksauce Kitchen, music by Aran Keating of Ridiculous Entertainment, and an open bar. The event will also include a raffle and silent auction featuring exciting prizes and jewelry works from artists around the country. Dine, dance, and drink while supporting the BJC!

Attire: Creative Cocktail. This year, be inspired by all things Emerald!

 

 

< Calls for Entry >

 

Circ Artist Grant
deadline March 3

The Circ Artist Grant is open to emerging, mid-career, and professional artists in an international open call.The Circ Artist Grant provides unrestricted funding to artists with a demonstrated commitment to their artistic work. Two artists per grant cycle are awarded $850 each to enhance and further their creative practice.

Artists are some of the most resourceful, multi-skilled individuals. You not only create important work but also manage marketing, financial management, grant writing, and administrative duties, on top of trying to live a life and manage home and family needs.

Circ Artist Grant believes that artists deserve to be paid for all aspects of their work, which is not limited to creating the actual art. Circ Artist Grants are unrestricted, allowing artists to have some financial breathing room to place their time and energy where they best see fit.

Circ Artist Grant is open to the following mediums of visual art; oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, ceramic, glass, photography, sculpture, fiber, wood, digital art. Video and film are not eligible for consideration.

The application requires 3-6 images of your work and a brief artist statement.
The Circ Artist Grant is open to emerging, mid-career and professional artists.

 

 

Call for Submission, Color
deadline March 5
posted by SE Center for Photography

The Color photograph. We want to celebrate Color in all its forms at the SE Center. Our jurors would like to see creativity and self-expression. She has no preference on subject or style but would like to be able to see the photographer’s mind at work, his or her use of visual composition and original thinking.

Our juror for Color is Fran Forman. Fran has mounted many solo exhibitions as well as numerous group shows, won numerous awards and prizes and has been featured in magazines and publications.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Fran studied art and sociology as an undergraduate at Brandeis University. Returning to her passion for making art, she began making staged photographs. She earned an MFA from Boston University in graphic design, a field in which psychology melds with art. She spent most of her grad school years experimenting in the darkroom.

35-40 Selected images will hang in the SE Center’s main gallery space for approximately one month with the opportunity to be invited for a solo show at a later date. In addition, selected images are featured in the SE Center social media accounts (FB, IG, Twitter) and an archived, online slide show. A video walkthrough of each exhibition is also featured and archived.

 

 

Invitational Fine Arts & Crafts Show 2023 | Call for Entries
deadline March 6
posted by Columbia Festival of the Arts LakeFest

Columbia Festival of the Arts LakeFest event is returning to the Columbia Lakefront June 16-18, 2023 for a spectacular celebration. Included in this not-to-be-missed free outdoor weekend is our Invitational Fine Arts & Crafts Show along with the live performances from national, regional and local artists on the LakeStage, interactive children’s activities, festival foods and fun for the entire family!

Our juried, Invitational Fine Arts & Crafts Show is currently seeking artisans with original work, representing a breadth of media including functional and wearable art to participate in this June 16-18, 2023, free outdoor weekend in Columbia, Maryland. DON’T MISS this opportunity to showcase your original artwork. Deadline to submit your entry is Monday, March 6, 2023.

To be considered for entry into the Fine Arts and Crafts Show, please:

Complete the required fields in the following form and submit it electronically. You will be prompted to submit the form on page 2. Note that you cannot submit the form without the required fields filled out, and your progress will not be saved until you submit the form. Therefore, please read through page 2 to ensure you have all of the required information at-hand before starting. Once you submit the form, you will receive a confirmation email with your responses.

Note that on page 2 of this form, you will also need to submit a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) digital images of your ORIGINAL work for review, along with an image of your booth display (if available). If you submit more than five (5) images, only the first 5 submissions will be considered.

 

 

The Jim Henson Foundation Artist Grants
deadline March 6

The Jim Henson Foundation awards grants each year for the creation of innovative works of contemporary puppet theater. Our definition of a puppet is an object that is given the appearance of life through direct or indirect manipulation by the human hand. We judge applications based on the excellence of the puppetry including puppet design, manipulation and theatrical execution.

There are three Artist Grants available: Workshop Grants ($3,000), Production Grants ($7,000), and Family Grants ($4,000). All Artist Grants are to be used towards puppetry. This includes the building and performing of the puppets and the integration of the puppets in the piece.

 

 

Summer Artist in Residence + Universal Access Artist in Residence | Call for Applications
deadline March 6
@ Artspace Raleigh

Two artist residency opportunities currently open: Summer Artist Residency for July 2023 and the Universal Access Artist Residency, a month-long residency for an artist who identifies as having a disability. Both residencies provides funding, studio space, and professional support for an artist to produce a solo exhibition immediately following the residency. Applications due March 6.

 

 

The Art of Racing | Call for Entry
deadline March 10

1/ST and the Maryland Jockey Club are pleased to continue their partnership with the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) as presenters of The Art of Racing, a nationwide-wide call for entries of original, two-dimensional visual art that depicts the unique elements of Thoroughbred racing and the Preakness Stakes. Last year’s inaugural program drew nearly 150 entries vying for the $4,000 stipend. The original artwork of Theresia Zhang, a MICA student, was selected and her winning piece was reproduced and available for sale during last year’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. This year’s The Art of Racing opens to artists nationwide on January 9th with a closing date for all submissions by March 10th.

The Preakness and MICA have an illustrious history dating back to the 1970s, when then-MICA professor Raoul Middleman led his classes in painting murals of Pimlico Race Course. The seven murals Middleman created with his students, which live in perpetuity behind the course’s grandstand, provide an intimate look at a tradition defined by history and character.

The Art of Racing encourages artists across the country to submit their own awe-inspiring portrayals of Thoroughbred racing, the Preakness and/or Pimlico Race Course. Using the submission portal below, professional and amateur artists may submit their renderings and earn a chance at receiving a $4,000 stipend and two VIP passes to Preakness 148 on May 20, 2023. The submission portal can be accessed below.

After March 10, 2023 closing, submissions will be available for public viewing. The public is encouraged to view and vote on their favorite piece of art. The top 10 vote-getters will be entered into a final round that will be judged by esteemed members of the community.