BmoreArt

This week’s news includes: BMA exhibits Elizabeth Talford Scott’s work, City Hall needs a few good portrait artists, paid internship honoring Valerie Maynard at the BMA, Acme Corporation at The Voxel, Joe Squared is closing, Dan Rodricks’ play, Holiday Market at Hotel Revival, MICA Art Market, Frederick Arts Council magazine, VisArts + Rockville win Asphalt Art Initiative grant, climate protestors at National Gallery, and more reporting from The AFRO, Baltimore Baltimore Banner, Baltimore Magazine, and other local and independent news sources.

Header Image: Stuffed ham, pound case, fried turkey, Uncle Nearest Whiskey, yams, cornbread dressing with crab meat, mac and cheese, sauerkraut and collard greens, by Book Karnjanakit for The Baltimore Banner

Baltimore Museum of Art spotlights quilted art of Elizabeth Talford Scott
by Jannette J. Witmyer
Published November 18 in The AFRO

Excerpt: “Eyewinkers, Tumbleturds, and Candlebugs: The Art of Elizabeth Talford Scott,” an exhibition comprising 19 of Scott’s intricately stitched and colorfully adorned fabricated works of art, coupled with an extensive array of community programming and a focus on accessibility, opened on Nov. 12 at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Presented in partnership with the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Estate of Elizabeth Talford Scott at Goya Contemporary, the exhibition marks the 25th anniversary of its namesake and original presentation as MICA’s inaugural Exhibition Development Seminar (EDS).

Guest-curated by MICA’s curator-in-residence emeritus George Ciscle and organized by BMA’s associate curator of contemporary art Cecilia Wichmann, the exhibition builds on a mission to expand recognition of Scott’s artwork and engage the community. It is supported by current EDS students, who, following the guidance of 2023-24 EDS instructor Deyane Moses, are organizing “No Stone Left Unturned: The Elizabeth Talford Scott Initiative.” That campaign will culminate in presentations and free public programs from February through May 2024 at eight area museums and institutions: Cryor Art Gallery at Coppin State University, George Peabody Library of Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC), Decker Gallery at MICA, James E. Lewis Museum of Art(JELMA) at Morgan State University, The Peale, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African AmericanHistory and Culture, and the Walters Art Museum. There will be an opening celebration for the presentations at the BMA on Feb. 4.

Mayor Brandon Scott is seeking artists to paint portraits of five Baltimore mayors not depicted in City Hall
by Ed Gunts
Published November 17 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: Mayor Brandon Scott is looking for a few good artists.

The Scott administration is seeking artists to paint portraits of Baltimore mayors who aren’t represented in the Hyman Aaron Pressman Board Room at City Hall, where the Board of Estimates (BOE) meets and portraits of city mayors have traditionally been displayed.

Tonya Miller Hall, Senior Advisor of Arts and Culture in the Mayor’s Office, told a meeting of Scott’s newly-formed Arts and Culture Advisory Committee this week that the city plans to issue a Request for Proposals from artists who would like to paint one of the portraits.

BMA Creates Paid Internships Honoring Valerie Maynard
Published November 10 in ArtForum

Excerpt: The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) has announced the creation of a paid internship program in partnership with the Valerie J. Maynard Foundation (VJMF). The collaborative program honors and was originally conceived of by Valerie Maynard (1937–2022), who was a pathbreaking member of the Black Arts Movement and for decades a vibrant and important presence on the Baltimore art scene. The Valerie J. Maynard Legacy Internship launched earlier this fall, with the two inaugural interns chosen from among those already engaged at the foundation. Participating students are given the opportunity to work at both the BMA and the VJMF, where they will have the chance to learn practical skills in research and preservation, exhibition development, and the work of artist estates. Each intern will receive a stipend for the semester, the amount of which has not been publicly revealed. Paid internships have been shown to be a way toward increasing job opportunities for those from marginalized communities, thus shrinking the wealth gap between the socioeconomically privileged and those who must contend with the barriers of race, gender, and straitened economic situations, among other factors.

The Harlem-born Maynard, a sculptor, printmaker, designer, and teacher, was the first artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem and founded the institution’s renowned printmaking shop. A member of the Black Arts Movement that flourished in the 1960s and ’70s, she examined themes of Black identity and experience through the lenses of social inequity and the development of the civil rights movement. She taught for years at the Baltimore School for the Arts, establishing a sculpture program there. “Valerie Maynard is one of the most important postwar American artists that most people have never heard of,” Bill Gaskins, founding director of the Photography + Media & Society program at the Maryland Institute College of Art, told the New York Times on her death.

How the Black diaspora will influence your holiday meal
by John-John Williams IV
Published November 22 in The Baltimore Banner

Excerpt: When you sit down to a holiday meal this season — particularly in Maryland — there’s a good chance you’ll be eating at least one dish invented or inspired by the Black diaspora.

Although Black people in America account for 13.6% of the population, their influence on the country’s food landscape is undeniable.

Whether it be macaroni and cheese, fried turkey, collard greens or candied yams, these holiday favorites are directly linked to the culinary greatness of Black Americans, according to food historians and chefs.

“You really can’t talk about holiday foods and American food without African Americans,” said chef David Thomas, who along with his wife Tonya Thomas are owners of H3irloom Food Group. “The origins of food in this country start with our people. Whether it is the ingredients that were imported by the colonizers and us. We have been involved since the beginning. We’re not only the influencer but the originator.”

In new three-act opera, Acme Corporation invites audience members to watch ‘theater that blows up in our faces.’
by Aliza Worthington
Published November 21 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: Admit it. You were introduced to opera by Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes. No shame, most of us were. But how many of us created a theater company based on the tragic persistence, scientific creativity, and undeniable artistic talent of Wile E. Coyote?

“Well, I think of one of Looney Tunes’ cartoons as one of my biggest artistic influences,” Lola B. Pierson told Baltimore Fishbowl.

Pierson is co-founding artistic director of The Acme Corporation, an experimental theater company in Baltimore, which is premiering a new piece at The Voxel running from Nov. 30 through Dec. 17.

Joe Squared in Station North will close by end of year: ‘How is this happening?’
by Matti Gellman
Published November 16 in The Baltimore Banner

Excerpt: Joe Squared, the beloved Baltimore City eatery and entertainment venue, announced plans Thursday to shutter its doors by the end of the year.

Known for its pizza, music and full-throated support of local artists, Joe Squared has been a community anchor in the Station North neighborhood for nearly 20 years. The spot received national acclaim in 2014 for a stint on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” during which the bombastic food star called the bacon and clam pizza “crazy good.”

The decision to close comes after months of incurring pandemic-era losses that left Nic Johnson, vice president of the restaurant’s workers-owned collective, searching for ways to keep their doors open.

With a second play, the stories of Dan Rodricks come to life on stage
by Walinda West
Published November 21 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: For the last 47 years, Rodricks has been a mainstay at the Baltimore Sun, where he has produced award-winning stories and columns that take readers behind the scenes of current issues, into the Baltimore neighborhoods we may never visit, and introduce us to people we don’t know, but should. Simply put, Rodricks, through his writing, makes us feel.

“When you’re a columnist, you build relationships with people,” said Rodricks, whose column is among the longest running of its kind in the country. “Not being from Baltimore, I try to get a sense of the person’s sense of place, who they are to Baltimore and what they are going through. I empathize with ordinary people going through extraordinary experiences.”

Holiday Market at Hotel Revival shares locally sourced holiday cheer each Friday
Press Release :: November 21

The holidays have begun, and Hotel Revival is getting in on the season of giving.

Featuring at least a dozen unique vendors, the hotel’s first-ever Holiday Market can be found in the second-floor lobby every Friday from November 24 to December 22.

Visitors and community members should feel free to shop for their loved ones from a rotating and intimately curated selection of small businesses, makers and artists, including:

• Maxi Cif Designs
• Sacred Ashes
• Happy Little Paper Co
• Kate Rowe Creations
• Hobby & Co.
• + Many more

MICA Art Market Returns for 2023 Holiday Season
Press Release :: November 16

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is thrilled to announce the return of MICA Art Market, a craft fair featuring original artwork for sale from MICA students, faculty, staff, and alumni on December 2nd and December 3rd in MICA’s Brown Center from 10am-5pm both days.

As part of the Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship’s vision for student entrepreneurship, students selling their work have enrolled in courses that expand their knowledge of craft fair vending, sales tax, and marketing. The Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship (RCCE) hopes to empower students to take their original art to market with the skills and resources the Art Market courses provided.

This year, over 200 participants will showcase their work during the event. Alumni span over the last 50 years, and students range from sophomores to seniors. Artists will sell original works including handmade ceramics, prints, knitted scarves, jewelry, quilted bags, wooden boxes, hand sewn baskets, original paintings, wall art, stickers, cards, and more.

And this year, the MICA Quilt Raffle Club has also created a quilt that will be up for raffle, with proceeds benefiting Fiber student scholarships. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the event as well as online: https://shop.mica.edu/mica-quilt-raffle-basket-weave-bright-quilt.html

“This is a great opportunity for student mentorship and professional development, as well as a way for MICA to support our alumni community and the greater Baltimore art scene,” Sarah Barnes, MICA fabrications studio manager and Art Market Chair, said.

Art Market 2023 — which is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2nd and Sunday, Dec. 3rd — will have different vendors on different days. The public is encouraged to attend the event on both Saturday and Sunday to see new vendors each day.

Admission is free and open to the public, and free street parking is available. As always, a portion of funds raised go to MICA Endowment Student Scholarship.

For more information, visit https://www.mica.edu/annual-events-series/art-market/

Frederick Arts Council Publishes Magazine Featuring Artwork by Recipients of the C.A.N. Recover Grant Program
Press Release :: November 13

The Frederick Arts Council released a magazine featuring the artwork of dozens of artists and arts organizations as a result of receiving funding that was made possible by a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) American Rescue Plan (ARP) Grant to Local Arts Agencies (LAA) awarded in the amount of $500,000 to the Frederick Arts Council for sub-granting.

The Frederick Arts Council awarded a record number of grants and stipends to arts organizations and individual artists last year. The publication Frederick Artists Create & Activate Now: Impact of the FAC/NEA C.A.N. Recover Awards provides a snapshot of some of the artistic productivity that resulted from this grants program.  The images and testimony in this publication is a record of highlights of what resulted from the C.A.N. Recover grants.

“We are excited to document some of the wonderfully creative artwork that resulted from this unique influx of support for the arts in Frederick,” said Louise Kennelly, Executive Director of the Frederick Arts Council. “There is no recovery engine as effective as the arts to restore a sense of joy and optimism, to contribute to a community’s vibrant economy, and to propel a collective sense of healing.”

The awards were designed to support arts organizations and artists in Frederick County who were impacted by the Coronavirus. Artistic activities were supported to strengthen our county’s—and the nation’s— cultural infrastructure. The magazine shares testimony of how the subgrants helped restore the local community’s cultural infrastructure, benefiting arts workers, artists, and audiences. The magazine, linked here, was designed by Pulse Publishing. The magazine can also be found on the Frederick Arts Council’s website.

Asphalt Art Initiative grant awarded to City of Rockville in partnership with VisArts
Press Release :: November 21

VisArts is pleased to announce that Bloomberg Philanthropies has awarded the City of Rockville, in partnership with VisArts, a $25,000 Asphalt Art Initiative grant.

The City of Rockville is one of 25 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to receive a grant to install a project that uses art and design to improve street safety, revitalize public spaces, and engage residents. The proposed project was selected from more than 200 applications.

According to Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, “The Asphalt Art Initiative has proven that when cities invest in these low-cost projects, streets become safer and communities become stronger.” He continues, “…the initiative creates vibrant public spaces… and increases each city’s capacity to work with artists and community groups on creative projects.”

The project will transform Beall Avenue with a mural designed to engage our community, delight visitors to Rockville Town Square, slow traffic, and improve pedestrian safety.

Alice Nappy, VisArts’ executive director, says, “VisArts is thrilled to work in collaboration with the City of Rockville on an arts initiative that will make our streets safer and provide artists with a paid opportunity to create public art.”

Climate Protestor Vandalizes Wall Next to Civil War Monument at National Gallery of Art
by Karen K. Ho
Published November 16 in ArtNews

Excerpt: A climate protestor recently painted words in red on a wall near a Civil War exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The protestor’s aim was to demand that President Joe Biden declare a climate emergency.

A man in red and lavender purple shirts, identified by the climate activist group Declare Emergency as Geor Green, painted the words “Honor Them” on the wall adjacent to the sculpture The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial (1900).

The 17-foot-long patinated plaster monument by Augustus Saint-Gaudens “commemorates the valiant efforts of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the men of the Massachusetts 54th, one of the first Civil War regiments of African Americans enlisted in the North,” according to the museum. The wall next to it features a list of the names of the soldiers of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment who were killed, wounded, captured, or missing following the Battle of Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863.