BmoreArt

This Week:  Collection Connections at The Walters celebrates female leadership in conservation, Arts Every Day Cocktails and Conversation at The Peale, Dr. Raynetta Wiggins-Jackson lectures at The Lewis Museum, Xavier Hardison, BlissArmyKnife, and Jennifer McBrien opening reception at Bromo, MICA Curatorial Practice exhibition opening at Eubie Blake, Rosa Leff and Kelly Walter opening reception at Creative Alliance, Joyce J. Scott Community Day at The BMA, and AVAM’s Logan Visionary Conference — PLUS Grit Fund 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]!

 

BmoreArt Newsletter: Sign up for news and special offers!

Subscribe

 

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 >

 

Collection Connection: Conservation and Technical Research Celebrates a Milestone: Exploring Almost 75 Years of Female Leadership
Wednesday, March 20 :: 12:30-1pm
@ The Walters Art Museum

Location: Virtual
Registration required

In this presentation, Julie Lauffenburger, Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director of Conservation, Collections and Technical Research, will be in conversation with Terry Drayman-Weisser, Conservator Emerita, former Director of Conservation and Technical Research, to reflect on the 90th anniversary of the department, and its almost 75 years of pioneering female leadership.

REGISTER

Collection Connections is a series of onsite and virtual behind-the-scenes experiences with the Walters collection for supporters of the museum. Registration is required as space is limited. Look for additional details about upcoming events on the web and in your inbox.

 

 

Cocktails & Conversation: A closer look at Arts Every Day and the 10X10 Exhibit
Thursday, March 21 :: 5-7pm
@ The Peale

Join Arts Every Day at The Peale Museum on Thursday, March 21st from 5-7pm to gain exclusive insight into the organization and hear from 10X10 Exhibit curators while viewing over 300 works of art from Baltimore City Public School students.

 

 

Helena Hicks Speaker Series | Women’s History Month – Dr. Raynetta Wiggins Jackson
Thursday, March 21 :: 5:45-8pm
@ The Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Helena Hicks Speaker Series | Women’s History Month –  Dr. Raynetta Wiggins Jackson 

Thursday, March 21 | 5:45 pm to 8 pm | FREE EVENT

Celebrate Women’s History Month with the Billie Holiday Center for Liberations Arts (JHU)  for their annual Helena Hicks Speaker Series featuring  Dr. Raynetta Wiggins-Jackson, the Africana Archives Curatorial Fellow of Inheritance Baltimore & Billie Holiday Center for Liberation Arts. Dr. Wiggins-Jackson’s lecture will focus on “Ethel’s Place: Celebrating Ethel Ennis Baltimore’s First Lady of Jazz.” Her lecture grows out of her curatorial and exhibition work on the legendary jazz singer Ethel Ennis.

Raynetta Wiggins Jackson, PhD, is the Curatorial Fellow for Africana Collections, an interdisciplinary postdoctoral position situated between the Sheridan Libraries and the Billie Holiday Center for Liberation Arts in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. In addition to serving as the lead curator for Ethel’s Place, she has contributed to two other ground-breaking exhibitions this year, The Colors of Pontella Mason at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center, and The Birth of Jazz: Billie Holiday’s Baltimore, a portable exhibition co-curated with Bloomberg Distinguished Professor Lawrence P. Jackson. Prior to assuming her current role, Dr. Wiggins Jackson was a manager of gospel programs at Washington Performing Arts and served as a graduate assistant at the Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC) at Indiana University, where in addition to archival and curatorial work, she also organized the conference Why We Sing: Indianapolis Gospel Music in Church, Community and Industry.

This event begins with a wine reception and the Peabody Graduate Jazz Ensemble at 5:45 pm and Dr. Raynetta Wigins-Jackson’s lecture will begin at 6:30 pm. The Helena Hicks Speaker Series honors Helena Hicks, the foremother of the student-led movement for Civil Rights in Baltimore City.

 

 

Emerge Baltimore v.3 | Opening Reception
Thursday, March 21 :: 6-8pm
@ Bromo Arts Tower

BOPA’s 2024 exhibits begin with Emerge: Vol. 3, Spring Edition. Now in its third year, the Emerge Baltimore exhibition series serves as a platform for local rising artists to show their work in the historic galleries of the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower. Emerge: Vol. 3, Spring Edition kicks off on Thursday, March 21, with a public opening reception from 6:00–8:00 p.m. to celebrate the solo shows of Xavier Hardison, BlissArmyKnife, and Jennifer McBrien.

Xavier Hardison works in stone, creating tablet paintings and gravity-defying sculptures from found boulders. His exhibition, “ORIGIN,” will be presented on the ground floor in the Lobby Gallery.

The Mezzanine Gallery will host painter BlissArmyKnife’s show, “Let’s Play!” To Bliss, the canvas is an opportunity for novelty and world building — a place without gravity or limits, where anything can happen.

The third floor Members Gallery will exhibit the work of Jennifer McBrien — an artist on a mission to transform fabrics into fine art. In “Unraveling Threads,” McBrien “paints” with thread, weaving in her love of birds, plants, and form, stitching history and nature throughout her pieces.

 

 

This Is Not Your Grave | Public Reception
Friday, March 22 :: 6-8pm | Ongoing through April 20
@ The Eubie Blake Cultural Center

The Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA) Curatorial Practice MFA (CP) program presents the exhibition This Is Not Your Grave, on view at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center from March 22 through April 20, 2024. Through photography, sculpture, print media, performance, and video, the show illustrates the healing practices of artists in relation to individual and collective trauma. The show opens with a public celebration on Friday, March 22, from 6–8 pm, with gallery hours Wednesday through Friday 1–6 pm and Saturday 11 am–3 pm.

 

 

A Fine Pairing: Rosa Leff and Kelly Walker Exhibition | Opening Reception
Friday, March 22 :: 6-9pm | Ongoing through April 20
@ Creative Alliance

The exhibition “A Fine Pairing” provides insight into the works of Rosa Leff and Kelly Walker. The analogy of their work being like a fine wine pairing with cheese or chocolate suggests a harmonious and complementary relationship on the gallery walls. The unifying theme in both of their artworks is the celebration of the city. The details the artists explore in their work encourage you to look closely! The exhibition description ends with a hopeful note, encouraging viewers to appreciate the tiny cut details in Leff’s work and recognize that these details contribute to making city living an enriching experience.

Kelly Walker describes her work as “wild explosions of color.” She uses spray paint over intricate textures, followed by finishing touches with melted wax that adds layers and depth to the pieces, transforming chaos into refinement. On the other hand, Rosa Leff’s work, “meticulously hand-cut from a single sheet of paper using a knife,” draws inspiration from photos taken by the artist. A Fine Pairing offers a diverse and thought-provoking exploration of artistic collaboration, vibrant city life, and the beauty found in the details of both chaos and refinement.

Artist Bios

ROSA LEFF
Between painting alongside her grandmother and watching her father build reproduction antique furniture, Rosa Leff grew up seeing no distinction between fine art and craft. What mattered was that things were made by hand and done well. It is with that in mind that she creates her hand-cut paper pieces. Each of Leff’s papercuts is cut by hand from a single sheet of paper using a knife. Her cityscapes are based on photos she’s taken in her neighborhood and all over the world. While Leff is best known for her ability to capture thin tangles of powerlines and intricate brickwork, she also enjoys experimenting with novel mediums such as paper plates and paper towels. Leff delights in bringing a modern, urban perspective to a traditional folk medium.

Leff has served on the board of The Guild of American Papercutters (GAP). In addition to being a GAP member she is a member of The Paper Artist Collective. Leff has exhibited her work throughout the United States, in China, and in Mexico. Her work has been acquired by The Canton Museum of Art (Canton, OH), The Colored Girls Museum (Philadelphia, PA), and The Museum of International Folk Art (Santa Fe, NM). She is the recipient of a 2021 Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist Award, the 2021 Municipal Art Society of Baltimore City Artist Travel Prize, and the 2023 360 Xochi Quetzal BIPOC Residency. Leff resides in Puerto Rico with her husband and chihuahuas, Chalupa and Refrito.

KELLY WALKER
Kelly L. Walker is an American-born, self-taught artist who found her way to Baltimore, Maryland, by the age of 18. Walker absorbs the beauty, chaos, and reality of Baltimore City and channels it into her work. Walker paints in fits of inspiration, translating her mood and emotion to canvas. She pushes mediums past their intended purpose and encourages them to collide and react, not rejecting happy accidents. Her works are intricately layered using a wide range of atypical materials, calling reference to landscape, graffiti, and color fields.

 

 

Community Day: Joyce J. Scott
Sunday, March 24 :: 1-5pm
@ The Baltimore Museum of Art

Admission to Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams is free on Community Day. No tickets are required to see the exhibition on Sunday, March 24.

Celebrate the public opening of Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams. An event for the entire family inspired by Baltimore-based visionary artist Joyce J. Scott.

The afternoon includes free access to Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams (no tickets required!) with a special in-gallery performance by Joyce J. Scott. Enjoy African drumming and an interactive performance art experience by WombWork Productions, Inc. Make dimensional jewelry and sculptures in the Joseph Education Center Studio with guest artists Espi Frazier, Pamela Li, and Randi Reiss-McCormack. Sample delicious food by H3irloom Food Group and connect with local arts and community groups during a meet and greet organized with guidance from the Gurlz of Baltimore.

 

 

Logan Visionary Conference 2024
Sunday, March 24 :: 2-4pm
@ The American Visionary Art Museum

AVAM’s annual and FREE conference of experts focuses on “Habitats & Havens: Stewardship of our Sanctuaries”. We will be discussing creative environments, thoughtful stewardship, and building our own future.

This year’s conference will be emceed by Peabody Award winner Marc Steiner, and include conversations with the following esteemed speakers:

• Loring Cornish, Artist
• Shelley Halstead, Founder of Black Women Build
• Annalise Flynn, SPACES at the Kohler Foundation
• Evan Woodard, Salvage Arc

 

 

< Calls for Entry >

 

Charm City Fringe Festival Director
applications rolling

Charm City Fringe Festival celebrates cutting-edge and quirky theater and performing arts throughout 11 days of performances across multiple venues in the Bromo Arts District, September 27th-October 6th.

CCF produces an annual performing arts festival in Baltimore that unites people through art, builds community, provides a place for weird, and empowers artists in producing bold, fun entertainment.

Festival Director Scope of Work

The Charm City Fringe Festival Director plays a leadership role in ensuring the festival runs successfully. The Festival Director acts as the point of contact for all festival artists and contractors leading up to and during the festival, and serves as the main logistician to ensure all festival events and all venues run smoothly, from theater production and stage management to strike. The Festival Director is the single point of communication between the Board of Directors and the artists and staff, and is considered to be a representative of Charm City Fringe to all artists, staff, patrons, partners, etc.

The Festival Director reports to the Board of Directors.

This is a paid W2 position that runs from April through October 2023.

 

 

2024 Maryland Film Festival Call for Volunteers
applications rolling

Come join filmmakers and film lovers alike this year at the Maryland Film Festival! Be an integral part of the festival experience by becoming a volunteer. This year’s festival will take place May 2 – 5 at the SNF Parkway Theatre and we need more volunteers than ever!

BENEFITS TO VOLUNTEERS

In appreciation for your support, you will receive:

• A limited edition 25th Anniversary t-shirt available only to volunteers
• Volunteers will have the opportunity to attend one regular festival screening for each four (4) hour shift worked.
• Water and light snacks will be provided to volunteers.
• Volunteers are also invited to a free special “Volunteers Only” film screening, held shortly after the festival, of one of the most popular films of the 25th MdFF Anniversary Celebration.

 

 

Call for Proposals: Maryland Arts Summit
deadline March 22

This is an opportunity to network, share the fantastic work being done across the state, discover different communities, celebrate the accomplishments of the arts sector, and bring to light where systems have fallen short of the support required to help artists and organizations thrive through dialogue and action. The Maryland Arts Summit is a place for productive conversations to move the Maryland arts sector forward and ensure its long-term success.

The Maryland Arts Summit will be conducted in person on June 20 & 21, 2024, and follow the guidance of UMBC for safety protocols. We will provide limited hybrid options.

Each approved proposal will receive complimentary admission to the Summit and an honorarium of $350 for the first presenter. If the proposal submitted is for a team of presenters, an additional $150 will be added to compensation for each additional presenter that takes part in the presentation with a limit of three (3) presenters per session.

Deadline to submit: March 22, 2024, at 11:00 am

 

 

The Dream Big Contest 2024
deadline March 22
posted by The Lyric

The Lyric Baltimore’s Dream Big Contest invites young scholars of Baltimore City and County in grades 5–12 to answer the big question: “What Will It Take for Us All to Be Free?” Students can answer with an essay, poem, video, or piece of visual art. The top 16 Dream Big finalists will receive a laptop and $500 cash prize, and the top 8 finalists will share their work on the Lyric’s historic stage and be part of the television show produced by WBAL-TV.

 

 

USArtists International program
deadline March 27
posted by Mid Atlantic Arts

USArtists International® supports performances by artists from any state or territory in the U.S. at engagements at international festivals and global presenting arts marketplaces outside of the United States. The program funds individuals and ensembles across all performing arts practices and disciplines.

Mid Atlantic Arts is committed to the development and expansion of both the careers and artistic goals of U.S. performers by providing connections to audiences, presenters, curators, and their peers through the USAI program. By elevating the voices that reflect a vibrant array of creative expression, we are able to celebrate and share the diversity and imagination of the United States.

Grant support range: Grants of up to $15,000 toward eligible travel expenses.

 

John Fluevog Shoes Emerging Artist Grant
deadline March 27

The John Fluevog Shoes Emerging Artist* Grant is intended to help emerging artists develop their skills and increase the visibility of their artwork. The winner will receive $10,000 towards their artistic work, a pair of Fluevogs and a heap of recognition within the best community of shoe fans ever!

As makers of unique soles for unique souls since 1970, John Fluevog Shoes has long been a friend to artists of the gifted and aspiring variety. Constantly inspired by the individuals we are fortunate to call ‘Fluevogers’, both admiration and gratitude drive us to support the growth and development of such up-and-coming talent.

The Award is open to a variety of visual artistic media including but not limited to photography, textiles, painting, drawing, illustration, sculpture, mixed-media and others. Emerging artists who don’t have access to major funding are encouraged to apply.

 

 

Request for Proposals– Falls Gateway Project-West Trenton Street Alleyway Activation
deadline March 29

In collaboration with MICA, Midtown Baltimore seeks proposals from current MICA students and alumni of MICA to design and install a mural on the facade of the two buildings on either side of the Trenton Street alley, which currently house MICA’s graduate student program .The selected artist(s) will be enlisted to design and create artwork on the walls of the alleyway.

The selected artist(s) will conceptualize and execute a mural installation that aims to enhance the visual appeal of West Trenton Street to create an engaging environment for the community. Artists should consider the unique architectural elements and dimensions of the space to create an impactful design. The proposed installation design should draw inspiration from the many histories and legacies of the Penn-Fallsway neighborhood, including those that have been erased or misrepresented.

 

 

Translation through Art
deadline March 31
posted by The Mansion at Strathmore

“Translation through Art” is group exhibition that will feature work by Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists in the galleries at The Mansion at Strathmore, to celebrate AAPI heritage month in May 2024. DC and Baltimore based artist Emon Surakitkoson will be curating the exhibition with the support of the Strathmore Mansion. This show will provide a platform for AAPI artists from DC, Maryland, and Virginia by showcasing their talents, sharing their stories, and increasing visibility for their artistic practice. We hope this show can offer an opportunity for participating artists and visitors alike to build community, start new conversations, learn from one another, and find moments of connection, healing, levity, and growth.

We encourage artists to submit work with a range of subject matter and interpretations. We are looking primarily for 2D work (photography, painting, collage, digital illustration, etc.) but are open to some sculpture or installation work. See below for more details.

 

 

Bemis Center Artist-in-Residence Program
deadline April 1

Artists receive access to private live/work studios, a $1,250 monthly stipend, and a $750 travel stipend. Residents also have 24-hour access to extensive installation and production spaces and the Okada Sculpture & Ceramics Facility, a 9,000-square-foot industrial space used for large-scale sculpture fabrication, plus a sound studio for rehearsing and recording. There is a $40 application fee.

 

 

Courting Art Baltimore for 2024!
deadline April 2
posted by Arts Every Day

Courting Art is a program that promotes youth artwork, connects the legal community with local communities of Baltimore City, and aims to reduce stress and anxiety for litigants and visitors by beautifying local courthouses. Originally hosted by the District Court of Maryland and in partnership with the Baltimore Bar Foundation, Incorporated and the Bar Association of Baltimore City, the contest is open to all Baltimore City public high school students. Courting Art Baltimore also collaborates with Baltimore City Public Schools, Arts Every Day, Baltimore City Community College, and the College Bound Foundation to achieve success each year since its first contest in 2016. Courting Art Baltimore also connects Baltimore City students with a local community college and provides scholarships to the winning artists to pursue higher education after high school.

Courting Art Baltimore is modeled after a program created by the Montgomery Bar Association of Pennsylvania. The Montgomery Bar Association began its Courting Art program in 2013 with its contest focusing on artwork by local senior citizens. The Montgomery Bar Association Courting Art Project received acclaim and has been credited with saving taxpayers’ thousands of dollars in long overdue public improvements to the Montgomery County Courthouse. In addition, the contributing artists brought public attention to local landmarks and community treasures.

The specific theme of the contest for Courting Art Baltimore changes yearly, but always relates to the core mission of Courting Art. The top works are selected based on relation to the year’s theme, artistic difficulty, aesthetic beauty, and connection to the mission of Courting Art of connecting communities, reducing stress for litigants, and beautifying the courthouse.

All submissions to the contest are displayed at a public exhibition at the District Court for Baltimore City. At the opening night of the exhibition, approximately fifteen to twenty top works are selected to be professionally reproduced for long-term display at the Eastside District Courthouse in Baltimore City.

Following the installation of the artwork at the courthouse, an awards reception is held to reveal the top works of the entire contest.  All finalists receive gift certificates for art supplies and the contest winners receive financial scholarships for post-high school education.

 

 

Call for Entries: Animals
deadline April 2
posted by Towson Arts Collective

All and any animal, by themselves, with others or part of a larger composition.

Drop off: Tuesday, April 2, 10 am to 1 pm.
Pick up: Sunday, April 28, noon to 3 pm.

Any issues please contact Pilar at 337.540.7977.

Installation: Tuesday, April 2, starting at 1 pm.

OPENING RECEPTION:
THURSDAY, April 4 – 5 TO 7 PM

 

 

Creative Capital Awards – 25th Anniversary
deadline April 4

For our 25th Anniversary, Creative Capital welcomes innovative and original new project proposals in visual arts, performing arts, film/moving image, technology, literature, multidisciplinary, and socially engaged forms.

The Creative Capital Award provides unrestricted project grants which can be drawn down over a multi-year period, bespoke professional development services, and community-building opportunities.

Grants are awarded via a democratic, national, open call, external review process. Our goal is to fund individual artists creating conceptually, aesthetically, and formally challenging, risk-taking, and never-before-seen projects.

 

 

The Erin Donohue and Family Ceramics Artist Residency
deadline April 5
posted by Artists Association of Nantucket

Hosted by the Artists Association of Nantucket, this ceramics residency will bring one artist to Nantucket to teach two five-week classes, one introductory course for the community and a more intermediate one for students and professionals. The program offers lodging, studio space, a $500 travel stipend, and a $2,000 stipend for living expenses and materials.

 

 

MYTHOLOGY-INSPIRED | Call for Exhibition
deadline April 6
posted by LOOSEN Art

From the classical to the contemporary period and all throughout the history of art, mythology has inspired artists in their representation of universal ethical and moral values. Such values have accompanied the development of civilizations since ancient times.

These are stories of heroes, mermaids, nymphs, monsters and creatures, and they have survived the changing of time and represented human fears and hopes, giving life to pages of books and legends handed down from father to son. These are the stories that give explanations to historical and natural events the causes of which or the extent of are unknown, mysteries of the undetermined and of the night, of darkness and of silence.

Thanks to mythological stories we can grasp profound meanings belonging to human nature, behavior, social life and psyche, clarifying meanings that help us to not forget who we are.

This call is addressed to photographers, video makers and visual designers who are inspired by mythological tales, their figures and characters, as well as to those who, with a documentary approach, offer an anthropological-cultural vision of what the traditions have passed down to us through habits and customs.

 

 

Creative Alliance Artist in Residence
deadline April 8

For over 12 years, the resident artist program at The Patterson has supported artists from Baltimore and the nation.

Resident artists are expected to actively work on their art practice, showcase their work at Creative Alliance, and participate in resident artist gatherings. In turn, the Creative Alliance supports the artist with professional development, studio visits with leaders in the art world, trips to art museums around Baltimore and the DMV, connections to other art production services, and a sense of community that extends beyond the artists’ time at Creative Alliance.

 

 

The Grit Fund: Supporting Baltimore Artists + Creators
deadline April 15
posted by The Peale

Grit Fund was established in Baltimore in 2015 with generous funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, as a part of the Regional Regranting Program—which “aims to support vibrant, under-the-radar artistic activity by partnering with leading cultural institutions in communities across the country.” Since 2015, Baltimore’s artists have found support for their projects through Grit Fund. Ranging from out-of-school time programs that connect our youth to STEAM opportunities, and art-meets-journalism projects that communicate hidden stories of Black Baltimore, to community festivals that recapture and remind us of the strength of our city’s diversity, Grit Fund has been a dynamic, accessible, and much needed funding source in Baltimore City. Ever responsive to the community it serves, Grit Fund pivoted in 2020 to offering need-based support to artists.  

Each year, Grit Fund awards money to collaborative, artist-led projects—up to $10,000. We accept proposals that use the visual arts to create collaborative public-facing projects. Artists and cultural organizers create vital connections within our communities. But it can be difficult to find funding to create, collaborate, and make an impact. Grit Fund makes arts funding accessible for everyone. We focus on projects that bring artists and community members together to explore a sense of place and shared space.