BmoreArt

This Week: Fitsum Shebeshe, Jessica Bell Brown, and Rhea Beckett in conversation at UMBC, Baltimore Clayworks virtual artist talk with Clarissa Pezone, Charm City Burlesque and Variety Festival, Charm City Fringe, BROS’ The Gold Night, Create Your Own Indian Flowers Print workshop at Motor House, Charles Mason III reception at Goya, Everyman Theatre presents E. Faye Butler and Ultra Naté, Community Concerts at Second, and Ernest Shaw in conversation at JHU — PLUS Sweaty Eyeballs call for volunteers 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 >

 

States of Becoming | Curatorial Discussion
Tuesday, September 26 :: 5-6:30pm | Ongoing through December 9
UMBC Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture

In conjunction with the exhibition States of Becoming, curated by Fitsum Shebeshe and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI), the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culturepresents a conversation with the curator and Jessica Bell Brown, curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The discussion, moderated by Rhea Beckett, founding director at Black Artist Research Space, will focus on curatorial approaches to African diasporic experience and migration.

Fitsum Shebeshe is a curator and painter based in Baltimore and Washington D.C., and curator of States of Becoming, touring with Independent Curators International. Before moving to the United States in 2016, he was Assistant Curator at the National Museum of Ethiopia. In 2012, Shebeshe co-founded the 1957 Initiative to annually celebrate the liberation of African countries from colonialism through the arts.

Jessica Bell Brown is the Curator and Department Head for Contemporary Art at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Prior to the BMA she was the Consulting Curator at Gracie Mansion Conservancy in New York, and also held roles at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Creative Time. She is curator of the touring exhibition A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration, co-organized with the Mississippi Museum of Art.

Rhea Beckett is an artist, independent curator, and educator whose practice centers on knowledge sharing and collaboration. She co-founded the creative platform Black Artist Research Space (BARS) and is currently a professor of African American art history at Fisk University and the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she teaches in the MFA in Curatorial Practice program.

 

 

Baltimore Clayworks Nyburg Artist Talk with Clarissa Pezone
Wednesday, September 7 :: 12:30-1pm
Virtual Event

Ceramic artists are at the heart of Baltimore Clayworks. Artists are at the center of the mission of Baltimore Clayworks, and provide the organization with talent and innovation to inspire our community and to enliven the artistic impact of ceramics in our region. Their professional and personal networks provide a kaleidoscope of interactions with peers, galleries, and academic institutions, which keep the organization at the forefront of contemporary ceramic art.

Clarissa Pezone is a ceramic sculptor originally from Sacramento, CA, and now residing in Baltimore, MD. She received her BA in 2013 from Humboldt State University in northern California and an MFA from Indiana University Bloomington in 2021. Her current work depicts realistic figurative sculpture and found objects in installations that center in private space and moments. Her practice includes the construction of trompe l’oeil objects that depicts the power of personal objects to hold memory, legacy and self-hood. Clarissa has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the Young Sculptors Award, the Christyl Ann Boger Memorial award, as well as a Windgate University Fellowship to attend Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions nationwide, including the NCECA Juried Student Show in both Minneapolis (2018) and Pittsburgh (2019), The Indianapolis Art Center (Indianapolis, IN), The Morris Graves Museum of Art (Eureka, CA), and the American Museum of Ceramic Art (Pomona, CA).

 

 

Charm City Burlesque and Variety Festival
Friday, September 29 | Ongoing through October 1
@ Creative Alliance

The first annual Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival (CCBVF) runs Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1 at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance, home to some of Baltimore’s first burlesque and variety shows.

Burlesque is many things. It is sexy. It is sly. It is seductive. It shines a light on the morals and foibles of modern life and mocks them openly. In Baltimore, burlesque is all of those things, and it is also unabashedly weird, strange, dark, funny, and a little bit twisted. Baltimore’s burlesque and variety stages have always welcomed the different and the avant-garde. Baltimore marvels in the filthy, the strange, the strangely beautiful, and the sometimes questionable, and it makes it its own. The CCBVF celebrates all.

Additional performances for all 3 shows TBD! All performances will showcase our DMV burlesque & variety community!

 

 

Charm City Fringe
Friday, September 29 | Ongoing through October 8

The long-awaited Charm City Fringe Festival is upon us! Our beloved creative community has been on hold for what seems like ages. Join us for the high school reunion we never knew we needed!

You’ve zoomed long enough, now experience the magic of real life connections through stories that celebrate art, resilience and the creative spirit that pushes us forward.

Grab your berets, your bohemian scarves, or whatever “adult” version of your rebellious high school style you’ve got going on. It’s time to reunite with fellow art enthusiasts who’ve come into their own and showcase the incredible masterpieces that make us stand out in a world full of mundane adulting.

 

 

The Gold Night
Friday, September 29 | Ongoing through October 21
@ First Union National Bank, 1 E. Baltimore Street

The Gold Night is a survival horror story with a heart of gold. Set in the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, this experimental rock musical follows a group of prospectors, grifters, misfits, and a piano-playing sasquatch fighting for survival in a world threatened by money, monsters, and the unforgiving ice.

When an ancient Ice Worm awakens, an unlikely crew must come together or face an icy doom!

Location: This adventurous plot-twisting show will take place in the downtown Baltimore area at a new pop-up venue in the former First Union National Bank, located at 1 E Baltimore Street.

Date: September 29 – October 21
Time: Doors open at 7:20pm, Show starts at 8pm

 

 

Create Your Own Indian Flowers Print
Friday, September 29 :: 7-9pm
@ Motor House

No experience needed. Materials are provided. Contact Artist for waiver assistance if needed.

We will start on time 7pm! You will explore various experimental techniques to create textile designs that will be able to take home with you. You’ll learn about natural textiles, how to print onto them and the various ways you can use your art. Whether to sew into a jacket, hang onto a wall or add to existing piece you are already working on. You’ll learn how textiles are used in various ways expressed as art.

 

 

You Must Treat The Person(s) You Love With The Greatest Care | Reception
Saturday, September 30 :: 5-7pm
@ Goya Contemporary

You Must Treat The Person(s) You Love With The Greatest Care
Charles Mason III

On View: September 18 – November 16, 2023
Reception: September 30, 2023 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm

 

 

Everyman Theatre Presents: A Night for Baltimore
Saturday, September 30 | E. Faye Butler shows 6pm or 8pm, Ultra Naté celebration 9:00pm
@ Everyman Theatre

Everyman Theatre Presents: A Night for Baltimore, a new annual special event. This extraordinarycelebration supports Everyman’s education programming and community accessibility initiatives including its deeply discounted Pay-What-You-Choose offerings for every show.

A Night for Baltimore brings Everyman’s annual fundraiser back to our home at 315 West Fayette Street for an evening of performance, exquisite food and cocktails, theatrical fun, and a dance party. The event will feature a live musical performance by the incredible E. Faye Butler and her band as well as a post-show celebration with Baltimore icon, singer, songwriter, DJ, and producer Ultra Naté, named one of Billboard Magazine’s Greatest of All Time: Top Dance Club Artists. Guests will enjoy a broad selection of heavy hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and drinks, including a secret signature cocktail.

EVENT INFORMATION

E. Faye Butler shows at 6:00 PM or 8:00 PM
Ultra Naté celebration at 9:00 PM

Every ticket includes an evening of performance, exquisite food and cocktails, theatrical fun, and a dance party.

 

 

Community Concerts at Second | CHAMBER MUSIC BY CANDLELIGHT
Sunday, October 1 :: 7:30pm
@ 4200 St. Paul Street

Musicians from the Baltimore Symphony perform a program of lush and captivating music, including works by Nadia Boulanger, Erwin Schulhoff, Mozart’s playful String Quartet No. 16, and an arrangement of Claude Debussy’s Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun for flute, viola, & harp.

 

 

Conversations With Artists: Ernest Shaw
Monday, October 2 :: Artist Talk 5:30-6:30pm, Refreshments 6:30-7:30pm
@ Saul Zaentz Screening Room JHU MICA/ CVA Film Centre

Monday October 2nd 5:30 – 6:30
Refreshments to follow, 6:30 – 7:30
Saul Zaentz Screening Room JHU MICA/ CVA Film Centre, 2nd fl. 10 E. North Ave.
Free and open to the public.

 

 

< Calls for Entry >

 

2023 Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival | Call for Volunteers

The 2023 Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival is looking for lovers of animation to join our Volunteer Staff!
Volunteer Application Form

• ​We will accept student or non-student volunteers who are interested in helping out with the festival.
  
• All volunteers must dedicate a minimum of 6 hours during the week of the festival October 5-8, 2023.
  
• Volunteer tasks may include the following: ticket check-in, ushering, staffing information tables, setup and breakdown of merchandise tables, setup and breakdown for events
  

Volunteers will have access to view screening programs of the festival dependent on how many hours they volunteer/work. For further information or questions please feel free to contact Phil Davis – [email protected].

 

 

2023 Collect-A-Thon | Call for Entry
deadline October 1
posted by Motor House Gallery

The Motor House Gallery is the first space you experience when entering our building. Our gallery introduces you to the visual art work of Baltimore’s bold and vibrant artistic community. We focus on providing a platform for local emerging artists through a lens of justice and equity.

Collect-A-Thon is an exhibit of Local Baltimore Artists who have work priced under $500. There will also be vendor pop-ups every Friday during the exhibit, so any one with wearable works, small works, etc is encouraged to apply!

Important Exhibition Dates

Install – 12/6-12/7
Opening – 12/8 5-10pm
Exhibition – 12/8 – 12/22
Vendor Pop Ups Every Friday 5-10pm
De-Install – 1/2/2024 -1/3/2024

For questions email [email protected]

Call for Emerging Curators for Motor House 2024 Gallery Season
deadline October 1
posted by Motor House Gallery

Motor House is excited to receive submissions for our 2024 Gallery Season. The Emerging Curators Program’s purpose is to increase curatorial opportunities in Baltimore for early-career curators as well as exhibition opportunities for emerging visual artists. This program gives each of two curators the opportunity to do TWO exhibitions. One exhibition will be exhibited in the Motor House Main Gallery. The other will be in a partner gallery in Baltimore.

Motor House will select curatorial projects that are based on the inventiveness of the project, it’s curatorial boldness, and its relevance considering the mission of Motor House. Proposals should demonstrate a thoughtful exploration of a theme as well as innovative consideration of exhibition formats. Priority consideration will be given to proposals that include at least 3 individual artists. Applicants need not have curated an exhibition on their own before, but should hold an understanding of how gallery exhibitions come together. Gallery staff experienced in all aspects of exhibition production will support and work with curators as it best benefits both parties. It is recommended that you visit the gallery before submitting your proposal.

For questions email [email protected]

The Set List – Live Music Series Open Call
deadline October 1
posted by Motor House

The Set List is a live music series where we bring together Baltimore’s diverse and energetic musical community. All genres are welcomed to apply!

Performances happen monthly on the third Thursday of the month at 7pm. In 2024, Motor House will be presenting a bill of three musical acts and one dj. Each act will have a 30 minute set and the dj will spin throughout. The stipend for each act/dj is $100.

Please fill out the application fully and thoughtfully. Artists must provide 3 work samples in the form of links to videos or music. Performance videos are encouraged by not required.

 

 

2024 Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition
deadline October 15
posted by Museum of Science + Industry Chicago

Call for Artists 2024
For more than 50 years, the Museum of Science and Industry (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 across the United States.

Applications to the 2024 Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition are now being accepted. Submit your work!

Eligibility
General Category: Black artists 18 years of age or older.
Teen Category: Black teen artists in the Chicagoland area (within 100 miles of museum) currently enrolled in high school, grades 9-12.

Medium
Contemporary works created in any visual medium.

Jurors
Daria McMeans; Interdisciplinary Artist and Lecturer in Art at Lake Forest College
Gervais Marsh, PhD; Independent Curator, Writer, and Scholar
Janet Dees; Steven and Lisa Munster Tananbaum, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University

Fee (non-refundable)
General Category (over 18): $10
Teen Category (under 18): none

 

 

Nouvelle Bug International Workshop | Call for Entry
deadline October 16
posted by Il Varco

Il Varco is proud to host the second edition of its international workshop of cinema shot inside videogames and with Artificial Intelligence. An intensive week of webinars and live lessons in Rome where participants will be able to understand and put into practise this experimental frontier of Cinema, accompanied by the most renowned filmmakers of the genre.

Nouvelle Bug is an international workshop of cinema shot inside videogames, sofwares, metaverse and artificial intelligence where 40 directors will be selected to attend seminars, theoretical and practical lessons tutored by Andrea Gatopoulos and with workshops from Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis and Total Refusal Crew. The participants will then shoot a film inside the metaverse or videogames or using artificial intelligence. One of the projects will be chosen by Il Varco Cinema and co-produced and finalised by the company with the support of FedraHub and Gargantua Film Distribution.

1ST STEP_ 3RD JUL – 16 OCT
International call for entries, open to everyone under 35 years old, though our submission form.

2ND STEP_ 23 OCT
Selection of the 30 participants of the workshop that will be invited in Rome to participate in the live lessons or online tutoring sessions.

3RD STEP_ 5-15 DEC
Ten days of workshop in Rome with live lessons, online meetings, writing and shooting of some scenes.

4TH STEP_ 20 JAN
Selection of one project to be produced by Il Varco Cinema, with the post-production of FedraHub and distributed by Gargantua Film.

The application is free and no fee will be requested unless selected at the workshop

More info at
https://www.ilvarco.net/nouvellebug-us/

Read the call for entries
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19iCTtGQ-tygI6E5wlW_EDh9KDqYYqSvD/edit

Apply here
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hDFCjzU_Je0AY-pq3a_AeDU2YmMLIBYvEL1jgNHCvY0/viewform?pli=1&pli=1&edit_requested=true

 

 

Public Art Across Maryland: Call for Grant Applications and Panelists
deadline October 18
posted by Maryland State Arts Council

Grant applications are being accepted for Public Art Across America’s (PAAM’s) New Artworks and Conservation Grant opportunities. Both programs share a single application deadline in FY24: Friday, January 26, 2024. See the “PAAM Grants Applications” section below for details.

Panelist applications are also being accepted for individuals interested in serving to review FY24 PAAM
grant applications. The panelist application deadline is Thursday, October 12, 2023. See the “PAAM Grants Call for Panelists” section below for details.

MSAC relies on a diverse array of experts from across the state of Maryland to do the important work of evaluating applications. We invite participation through program-specific public calls for panelists. We select panelists with a focus on diversity of experiences, diversity of location, and expertise in varying artistic disciplines. Panelists must be Maryland residents.

Applications to serve as a PAAM panelist in winter 2024 are now open. By reviewing and scoring applications, PAAM panelists support artists and organizations applying for grants for the planning and creation of new public artwork, as well as the conservation and preservation of existing works. Serving as a PAAM panelist is a great opportunity to learn about public art granting processes.

 

 

BJC Exhibition Proposal
deadline October 20
posted by Baltimore Jewelry Center

The Baltimore Jewelry Center is currently seeking exhibition proposals for our 2024/25 gallery schedule. Proposals are not limited to jewelry and might include thematic exhibitions or exhibitions showcasing an artist or group of artists. We are looking for exhibitions that explore the gallery setting in an unexpected way, seek to place jewelry and craft within a larger context, and expand connections in our community at large. Our goal is to demonstrate unique curatorial viewpoints, expose our audience to fresh and emerging makers and ideas, and present art jewelry and metalsmithing in a broader art context. We are especially excited to see proposals that create a diverse and inclusive gallery space in order to elevate underrepresented voices. Proposals should consider the size and dimensions of the gallery space.

 

 

NOSTALGIA | Call for Exhibition (Free entry)
deadline October 20
posted by LOOSEN Art

Nostalgia is a feeling that mixes up pleasure and sadness in a perfect balance. Sometimes we feel nostalgic when we experience or see something vaguely familiar, some others when we re-live a collection of memories coming from the past. Studies say that we can become nostalgic even for places we have never visited before. This call wants to collect all the photographic, digital and video works revolving around the concept of nostalgia. Close your eyes and think about… what makes you feel nostalgic?