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BmoreArt’s Picks: January 2-8

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Swing Sanctuary: Mobtown Ballroom

This Week:  Motor House DAP Showcase featuring The Storage Unit Collective at Keystone Korner, Hyunsuk Erickson, Kini Collins, and Fanni Somogyi exhibition opening at Creative Alliance, Vagabond Player’s “Witness for the Prosecution,” CrankieShop workshop with Katherine Fahey and Dan Van Allen at Creative Alliance, Kim Keller opening reception at Hamilton Gallery, and author Linda Rabben’s Through a Glass Darkly: The Social History of Stained Glass — PLUS the 2024 Sondheim Prize deadline 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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We’ll send you our top stories of the week, selected event listings, and our favorite calls for entry—right to your inbox every Tuesday.

 

 

< Events >

New Year Same Me GIF - New Year Same Me - Discover & Share GIFs
 

Motor House DAP Showcase
Wednesday, January 3 :: 7:30pm
@ Keystone Korner

Motor House presents “The Motor House DAP Showcase” featuring The Storage Unit Collective at Keystone Korner!

This event will take place at Keystone Korner and will feature DAP Alum Sheritta Harris as she brings her talents and band to the Keystone stage! Tickets are $20-$25 and available here

 

 

Deb Jansen

Blooming Scapes! Exhibition | Opening Reception
Friday, January 5 :: 6-9pm | Ongoing through February 17
@ Creative Alliance

Blooming Scapes! is a group exhibition focusing on the variation of use of the landscape within art. Vibrant hills, topographic scenes, and more will be on view! Featured artists include Kini Collins, Lyndie Vantine, Hyunsuk Erickson, Fanni Somogyi, Paula Zaremba, and Deb Jansen.

Artist Bios

Kini Collins
Upon graduating from high school in 1970, I moved to New York City where, driven by the need to protect myself from armed robberies, I began a study of martial arts that was to be the focus of my life for 20 years. I studied in the US and Japan and received ranking in several different movement forms; a third degree black belt in aikido, first degree black belt in iaido, second degree black belt in jujitsu, and I was the first non-Japanese to receive a master’s level ranking in Toda Ha Bukkyo Ryu. I taught classes in Tokyo, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tulsa and Baltimore. In the pursuit of these rankings, I supported myself by teaching and working as a Japanese-English interpreter.

Other than a wealth of personal combat skills and some injuries, the most useful things I took away from those years of study was an understanding that failure is a misnomer and that discipline and desire are as important as talent. After being injured and unable to practice martial arts, I began working as a freelance writer and editor in 1994. With the thought that learning to draw would improve my observation skills and help me be a better writer, I decided to study drawing. Over the course of two years, I slowly stopped writing, and art-making became the focus of my life, where it has remained since.

I took art classes, read and looked voraciously, and over the course of 20 years, became established and respected in the Baltimore art scene. I had gallery representation locally and nationally. Coupled with a lot of luck, my success is, I believe, mostly a product of the regard for patience and trust of process I learned during my study of martial arts. To support my life as an artist I have held a series of “day jobs,” careful to choose work that is meaningful to me and jobs that contribute to the community in which I live. I also have an extensive history of volunteerism with neighborhood associations and arts organizations, most notably as a trustee for The Creative Alliance.

Hyunsuk Erickson
Hyunsuk Erickson (b. 1969, Seoul, Korea) is a multidisciplinary artist and art instructor. Hyunsuk seeks a harmonious balance between industrial materials, self-identity, and cultural hybridity in her studio practice. She explores surrounding materials from her Korean and American life within those materials utilizing Korean traditional craftsmanship and incorporating traditional philosophy ideas that she has been carrying unconsciously. She asserts the failures of our consumption, including the lasting presence of plastics and other industrial consumer products. These materials transform something alarming and uncomfortable into something beautiful in an unsettling way. Her work is symbolic of the duality of her cultures—her cultural spirit and her experience of the American materialistic world reflected on her body of work. This combination of intangible (spiritual) belief and tangible (materials) creates something between a flora and fauna of an imaginary unknown world, opening the way for conversations about culture and consumerism to take shape.

Fanni Somogyi
Fanni Somogyi (b. Budapest, Hungary) is an emerging artist working in Detroit, Michigan. She creates biomorphic metal and plant assemblages that explore environmental kinship and disconnectedness. Somogyi completed an MA in Curatorial Studies at the Node Center in Berlin in 2023 and earned her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Interdisciplinary Sculpture and Creative Writing in 2019. Her work has appeared at Target Gallery (Alexandria, VA), at Maryland Art Place (Baltimore, MD), and at Vox Populi (Philadelphia, PA) among others. Somogyi’s sculptures range in scale from tabletop pieces to large-scale installations, including a public sculpture at the Franconia Sculpture Park (Shafer, MN), and the traveling art installation Pop Sheep at Olala Street Festival (Linz, Austria) in 2018 and at Sziget Music Festival (Budapest, Hungary) between 2015 and 2017. Somogyi is currently completing her MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Lyndie Vantine
Lyndie Vantine is an artist from central northern Maryland. Interested in creating work about the forms of topography, as well as the patterns and cadence of organic forms, she sees landscape as not just vistas or scenery. It’s also about the earth’s elemental life forces, harmony, and healing. She has exhibited regionally for the past 35 years. She earned her BFA from University of the Arts, an MFA from Mt. Royal Graduate School at Maryland Institute College of Art, and an MLA from the Advanced Academics Program of the Krueger School of Arts and Sciences at The Johns Hopkins University.

Paula Zaremba
Paula is an artist based in Baltimore, MD who explores her creative musings through photographs and photo painting to create digital collages and illustrations. She is most inspired by her journey to nurture her mental wellbeing, her loved ones, reflect on her travels, and use her art to connect with viewers in a way that allows them to see themselves. She would call herself an expanding artist/artivist with hopes to share her work, and therefore herself, with the world.

 

 

Agatha Christie’s WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION at Vagabond Players
Friday, January 5 | Ongoing through January 28
@ Vagabond Players

Join Vagabond Players as we continue our 108th season with Agatha Christie’s renowned thriller, WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, directed by Robert W. Oppel.

Whooodunit????? Certainly not handsome young Leonard Vole, whose curious friendship with a brutally murdered wealthy older widow is now the cause of his arrest and a possible encounter with the hangman’s noose. Leonard is a happily married man (but is it a really happy marriage?), and he couldn’t have committed such a terrible crime. Or, could he?

Dame Agatha, The Queen of Mystery has conjured up a startling tale of passion and revenge with any number of shocking surprises that will keep you guessing until the very end — BUT PLEASE, DON’T REVEAL THAT ENDING TO YOUR FRIENDS!

“Twisted plots and intriguing characters remain the hallmark of Christie’s literary contribution to British crime literature.” – West End Theatreland

“Christie’s play is easily her most ingenious.” – The Guardian

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION opens Friday, Jan. 5 and runs through Sunday, Jan. 28, with weekly performances Fridays/Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with a special “$10 Thursdays on Broadway” performance Jan. 25 at 8 p.m.

For tickets, cast and show info visit www.vagabondplayers.org. Special discounts and group rates are available online.

Located at 806 S. Broadway, Vagabond Players is easily accessible to patrons.

“Witness for the Prosecution” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

 

 

CrankieShop: Matchbox Marvels
Saturday, January 6 :: 10am
@ Creative Alliance

Discover the wonders of crankies* by making a matchbox into a storytelling machine! Explore the art of basic crankie making on a miniature scale. Get creative, by drawing your own scroll and proscenium or use the ones provided. This workshop will feature a crankie performance by teachers Katherine Fahey and Dan Van Allen. These crankies can be an end in themselves or drafts for larger pieces. If you plan to design your own, come prepared with a simple story or song to base your crankie on. If you’d like to do so, there will be time for sharing your crankie at the end of the workshop.

*Crankies are the original moving pictures; a form of visual performance, involving a cranked scroll of artwork in a box.

Where: Creativity Center, 3137 Eastern Ave. Baltimore MD 21224
When: Jan. 6 | 10AM – 12:30PM
Age Range: 8+ (with accompanying adult)
Cost: $25 Standard, $22 Members, $32 Adult + Child
Materials: All supplies provided!

Instructor Bio
Katherine Fahey, award winning puppeteer, is one of the pioneers reviving the art form of crankies, a form of visual storytelling involving a scroll of artwork in a box. Her pieces are based on stories and songs as far reaching as legends of northernmost Quebec and the swamps of Louisiana to her hometown streets of Baltimore. She has been teaching crankie making and performing nationwide since 2010.

 

 

Left – Kim Keller – Bourbon Street Morning – photograph Right – Kim Keller – Mission Beach – photograph

Kim Keller: In the Streets | Opening Reception
Saturday, January 6 :: 1-4pm | Ongoing through February 25
@ Hamilton Gallery

Street photography is as old as the portable camera, which was introduced in the 1880s.  Many people would place its heyday in the mid-20th century, with the compelling images of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Gary Winograd, Lee Friedlander, Helen Levitt, and others.

Some people think of street photography as a practice, akin to mindfulness.  For me, intense observation, the embrace of the here and now, and the revelation of the moment are deeply rewarding.  In the Streets is a collection of the results of my personal practice.  I hope that the images are compelling in themselves and that they also call to the viewer to experience deeply, notice everything, and share.

Kim Keller

Kim is an Olney, MD-based photographer who has been collecting images of street scenes for 20+ years. As a consultant on brief assignments, her camera was a constant companion from Boston to Atlanta. Settling in the DC-Baltimore area, she now explores neighborhoods and annual events more deeply, as well as continuing to travel with her camera.

Kim’s images have been featured in group shows at galleries across the U.S. and abroad.  These include the Torpedo Factory (Alexandria, VA), the Mansion at Strathmore (Bethesda, MD), Viridian Artists (New York, NY), Los Angeles Center for Photography (Los Angeles, CA), Black Box Gallery (Portland, OR), Praxis Gallery (Minneapolis, MN), PhotoPlace Gallery (Middlebury, VT), Blank Wall Gallery (Athens, Greece), and Glasgow Gallery of Photography (Glasgow, Scotland).  Kim has presented Parade Project, a collection of images of public celebration during the pandemic, as a solo show at the Abington Art Center (Jenkintown, PA) and Links Bridge Vineyard (Thurmont, MD).

Kim serves on the board of Exposed DC, an organization that promotes photography in the DC Metro Area, and is involved with several groups and nonprofit galleries.

Also exhibiting HAC artist members:
Loring Boglioli, Schroeder Cherry, Zachary Diaz, Diane Dennis, Grace Doyle, Nancy Keene Fishel, Tim Jankowiak, Lewis Katz, Amy Klainer, Mark Mellett, L. Nef’fahtiti Partlow-Myrick, Lynn Poshepny, Katie Rickman, Theresa Reuter, Michael Seipp, Bridget Z. Sullivan, Richard Sullivan, Alex Vanicky & Derrick Whaley­­­.

 

 

Through a Glass Darkly: The Social History of Stained Glass
Saturday, January 6 :: 2pm
@ Zion Church of the City of Baltimore

Among its many architectural treasures, Charm City has an abundance of stained-glass windows dating back to the 19th century. But will this beloved art form continue here in the years to come? Anthropologist and author Linda Rabben explores all this and more in Through a Glass Darkly: The Social History of Stained Glass, the first illustrated book on the subject.

Join the Baltimore Architecture Foundation at Zion Church of the City of Baltimore on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at 2 pm, to learn about stained glass in the city’s homes, civic buildings and houses of worship, including the windows that adorn the church.The author will share her research on the social, economic and cultural contexts of this traditional art and craft, as well as the people who made and still make the windows. A diverse group—including Charm City buffs, decorative-arts aficionados, architects, historians, artists and crafters, students, city planners, social scientists, civil rights activists, and stained-glass makers—will view these feasts for the eye and hear the stories they tell.

Zion Church of the City of Baltimore, host of the talk, is featured in the book’s text and images. Church member Bernard Penner will share additional information about Zion’s history and its stained-glass windows.

Through a Glass Darkly: The Social History of Stained Glass will be available for purchase at the event (cash sales only).

 

 

< Calls for Entry >

peteneems.

 

Pikesville Community Mural Public Call for Artists
deadline January 7

The Pikesville Community Mural is a paid ($17,000) residency for an experienced mural artist who will create an original outdoor mural, engage with community volunteers to work on at least one phase of the mural, and participate in up to two public events during the course of the project.

The mural is part of an initiative to give residents and visitors alike opportunities to engage with the arts, and to inaugurate a creative placemaking plan for the Pikesville “Mainstreet” commercial corridor. Creative placemaking is the integration of arts and culture into an area to build a sense of community identity and to boost the local economy through increased interest and tourism.

Applications will be reviewed by sponsors for completeness and eligibility. Designs may also be subject to review by the Baltimore County Design Review Panel, and any other County agencies that may have jurisdiction.

 

 

Anderson Center Residencies
deadline January 9

The Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota, is accepting applications for three residency programs: one for deaf artists, one for emerging artists, and one that’s open to artists of all stages and disciplines.

 

 

 

Spring Solo’s 2024 Exhibition Proposal
deadline January 13
posted by McLean Project for the Arts

McLean Project for the Arts is seeking solo exhibition proposals for the Spring of 2024. Contemporary living artists working in the Mid-Atlantic Region are invited to submit exhibition or project proposals to be on display in the Emerson and Atrium Galleries. The dates for the exhibitions will be from April 11 – June 15, 2024.

Proposals will be submitted via the online submission system Submittable. Exhibition proposals will be reviewed by the curatorial team of the McLean Project for the Arts. All works must fit through an 81” x 64” doorway. Visit our website, www.mpaart.org, for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Jen Lillis, Assistant Curator [email protected].

 

 

StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program
deadline January 15

Founded in 2013 and now in its twelfth year, The StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program at the Tides Institute & Museum of Art (TIMA) offers residency opportunities to visual artists from the U.S. and abroad to deepen and develop their practice within a community setting. Our studios, museum and housing are located within the historic downtown and working waterfront of Eastport, Muselenk (Moose Island), Maine and overlook the U.S./Canada boundary. TIMA’s downtown StudioWorks building contains private studios, common work areas, and a ground floor printmaking and letterpress studio. TIMA is also developing a nearby larger scale North Church Project Space which provides additional studio workspace and exhibition opportunities. See recent article in The Atlantic about the StudioWorks program and its impact on community: How Artists Build the Spirit of a Town.

The StudioWorks program mission, supported by two national awards from ARTPLACE and many additional funders, is to place the arts in the center of the community, utilizing the arts and artists to foster, engage, and create a vital and vibrant downtown. A StudioWorks residency provides an artist with a unique experience to play an active role in our creative community and region through socially engaged projects, educational outreach or public programming. By the end of 2023, 105 artists from 21 different states (plus Washington, D.C.) and six foreign countries will have participated in the program. For a list of alumni of the StudioWorks Artists in Residence Program click here: Alumni.

Housing for visiting artists is provided in two adjacent buildings, the GAR Hall / Royal Art Lodge and the Rathlin House, located one block away from StudioWorks and the museum. For a view of the Tides Institute & Museum of Art’s Eastport, Muselenk (Moose Island) Maine campus and a description of its buildings and places, click here: Campus Map and Cultural Places/Creative Spaces.

 

 

Mary E. Nyburg Fund for Artist Development
deadline January 15
posted by Baltimore Clayworks

The Mary E. Nyburg Fund for Artist Development is an endowment fund begun in 2007 by friends and family of Mary Nyburg. Mary was a respected potter nationally, a crafts advocate, a board member of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and a life-long supporter of Baltimore Clayworks and at one time a Clayworks’ resident artist. Following Mary’s death in April 2006, a fund was created in her honor to award a $1,500 stipend each year to allow a period of devoted study that would deepen an artist’s work in clay and also strengthen the Clayworks community. The stipend, awarded to one Clayworks’ artist annually helps support travel, study and/or working in another community outside of Baltimore. On return the artist is required to make a presentation to the Clayworks’ community about their experience.

 

 

The 2024 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize
deadline January 16
posted by BOPA

Started in 2006, the Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize, which is is supported in part by the generosity of the Maryland State Arts Council, awards $30,000 to a visual artist or visual artist collaborators living and working in the Baltimore region. Approximately three finalists will be selected for the final review for the prizes and their work will be exhibited in the Walters Art Museum. The prize also awards two residencies to finalists not selected for the Sondheim Prize: a six-week, fully funded residency at Civitella Ranieri in the Umbria region of Italy, and a residency at the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower in Baltimore.

The purpose of the Sondheim Art Prize, and the finalists’ exhibition, is to assist in furthering the careers of visual artists or visual artist collaborators living and working in the greater Baltimore region. The prize is named in honor of Janet & Walter Sondheim, both of whom were instrumental in furthering arts & culture in Baltimore City. Janet Sondheim danced with the pioneering Denishawn Dancers, a legendary dance troupe founded by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. Walter Sondheim, Jr. was one of Baltimore’s most important civic leaders for over 50 years. He was deeply involved in the development of Charles Center and the Inner Harbor and continued to be civically active until his death in 2007, serving as the senior advisor to the Greater Baltimore Committee.

 

 

Baltimore Screenwriters Competition
deadline January 17
posted by BOPA

The Baltimore Film Office at the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) is accepting entries for the 19th annual Baltimore Screenwriters Competition. This is an opportunity to craft a winning screenplay that highlights Baltimore. The competition awards prizes in both the feature and shorts categories for scripts that are set or able to be filmed in Baltimore. The Baltimore Screenwriters Competition is a project of the Baltimore Film Office in conjunction with film programs at Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University.

The deadline for submissions is January 17, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. The application and full guidelines are available online at www.baltimorefilm.com. Submitted scripts receive coverage from students in the Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University screenwriting programs and by local screenwriters and producers. The final screenplays are judged by industry professionals in film and television, including producers and writers working on projects for HBO and other studios.

All screenwriters are encouraged to apply.

 

 

header image: via "Through a Glass Darkly: The Social History of Stained Glass"

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