BmoreArt

This week’s news includes:  Baynard Woods breaks down Larry Hogan’s memoir, ARPA Funds awarded to Baltimore arts organizations, New/Next Film Festival returns, Blacksauce Kitchen, Joyce J. Scott, the BMI announces a collection initiative for the Key Bridge, new outdoor sculptures at Glenstone, Rob Lee profiles Anthony Gittens of Filmfest DC, a new labor activism exhibition at the BMI, the BSO’s Summerfest at the Meyerhoff, — with reporting from Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore Fishbowl, Baltimore Brew, and other local and independent news sources.

Header Image: “One Baltimore Rally, 2014,” Photo courtesy of United Workers from the Baltimore Museum of Industry’s new exhibit Collective Action: Labor Activism in 21st Century Baltimore.

GOP Senate Candidate’s Error-Laden Memoir Villainized Baltimore, Freddie Gray
by Baynard Woods
Published April 17 in Rolling Stone

THIS STORY WAS produced in partnership with The Garrison Project, an independent, nonpartisan organization addressing the crisis of mass incarceration and policing.

Maryland’s former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is running for U.S. Senate in a state that’s not just reliably blue, but in a deep blue moment. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Gov. Wes Moore are both Black Democrats who have garnered national media attention and support from President Joe Biden following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, an event that prompted a wave of racist rhetoric thrown their way by some Republicans.

But Hogan is a never Trumper who left office in early 2023 with high approval ratings. A recent Washington Post/University of Maryland poll has him leading both of his Democratic competitors for a U.S. Senate seat — Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County executive Angela Alsobrooks — by double digits. A Hogan win would be historic: A Republican hasn’t won a Senate election in Maryland since 1980.

Mayor Scott Announces Recipients of ARPA-Funded $3.6 Million
Press Release :: April 16

Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced the recipients of the $3.6 million Diversity in Arts Grant. The arts grant, made possible with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, is part of a total of $6.25 million focused on supporting arts and cultural institutions led by diverse arts and cultural organizations announced in September 2023. The Diversity in Arts Grant funding will help awardees sustain and expand their work as they provide Baltimore City residents with quality art experiences and activities.

“Baltimore has always been a city defined by the arts, and our art community remains a cornerstone of our city’s identity, reflecting our history, diversity, and resilience,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Baltimore’s arts community has always been there to express what this city is about, often giving a voice to the voiceless. However, public dollars have too often gone just to the big names and the big players in town. This investment, made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act, underscores our dedication to ensuring that all artists and communities, particularly those minority and historically underrepresented organizations, have equitable access to resources and opportunities.”

“When we invest in the arts, we invest in the soul of our city, nurturing a vibrant culture that attracts talent, stimulates innovation, and generates economic prosperity,” said Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture Senior Advisor Tonya R. Miller Hall. “The arts are not just an expression of our city’s spirit; they are a powerful engine driving our future forward.”

Baltimore Public Media Announces Return of New/Next Film Festival in 2024
Press Release :: April 17

Baltimore Public Media (BPM) announced today the return and expansion of its New/Next Film Festival, a celebration of emerging film culture that will take place Oct. 3-6 at The Charles Theatre. The 2024 festival, which today also launched its call for entries, will expand to four days to feature more films and visiting filmmakers.

“New/Next’s first year was arguably the best experience I’ve had in 20 years as a film-festival curator, and I’m thrilled that we’ll be back at The Charles Theatre for a bigger and even better second edition this October,” said Eric Allen Hatch, New/Next’s programmer and co-founder and the former Maryland Film Festival director of programming. “The landscape of independent cinema is always evolving, and I can’t wait to bring work by some of the most exciting new voices in film to our amazing audiences.”

New/Next, initially conceived as a reaction to the announcement that the Maryland Film Festival (MdFF) would not have a 2023 festival, drew roughly 3,000 attendees over three days during its inaugural festival (August 18-20, 2023). Its lineup featured diverse film work of international scope alongside new and repertory work from the Baltimore film scene; more than half of the films screened were directed by women or non-binary creators, and more than half had ties to Baltimore and Maryland.

“We’d originally conceived of the New/Next Film Festival as a stand-in for the Maryland Film Festival, which went dark last year to reorganize, but the response was so overwhelmingly positive, that we had to bring New/Next back,” said Craig Swagler, Baltimore Public Media President and General Manager. “Baltimore has such a vibrant community of filmmakers and film lovers – there’s plenty of room for multiple festivals to not only coexist but thrive.”

In addition to a fourth day and launching New/Next’s first ever call for entries, this year’s festival will include at least two free screenings for the community. The Charles Theatre will again be New/Next’s home base, while activations will be added at independently run venues in the area including Baltimore Improv Group, Metro Gallery, Mobtown Ballroom and others.

“We’re so pleased that New/Next Fest is coming back to The Charles for a second year,” said Kathleen Lyon, The Charles’ owner. “That palpable festival-feeling was surging during 2023’s inaugural event, which brought national attention to our neighborhood. With New/Next now on the festival map, we expect 2024 to be even more of a success.”

Support for the 2024 New/Next Film Festival comes from the Maryland State Arts Council, BakerArtist.org, Leidy Foundation and Baltimore Community Foundation.

A limited number of All Access Passes will be available during WYPR’s spring pledge drive, which kicked off today. Details on the festival will continue to be updated and film submissions are currently being accepted online at newnextfilmfest.com.

About Baltimore Public Media:
Baltimore Public Media (BPM) is an independent community licensee and home to Baltimore area’s NPR News Station, WYPR 88.1 FM; the region’s home for total music discovery, WTMD 89.7 FM; and Your Public Studios, which produces and distributes acclaimed local podcasts. Along with in-person live events that engage and enrich the lives of our community. Baltimore Public Media provides rich, vibrant programming in news, music, arts, and culture across expanding radio and digital formats that connects, enriches, and elevates the residents and communities of Baltimore and the region.

See more:

New/Next Film Festival returns to The Charles Theater in October
by Aliza Worthington
Published April 17 in Baltimore Fishbowl

New/Next Film Festival returns for 2024, expands to four days
by Cody Boteler
Published April 17 in The Baltimore Banner

Great news, movie buffs: Baltimore Public Media’s New/Next Film Festival is returning to The Charles Theatre this year for an expanded, four-day festival.

The festival, which was conceived after the 2023 Maryland Film Festival was canceled, drew about 3,000 attendees last summer. True to its name, New/Next is a celebration of emerging film culture. Adding an extra day will allow for more films and visiting filmmakers to be featured, organizers said.

… this story continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: New/Next Film Festival returns for 2024, expands to four days

The Dish: One of Baltimore’s best restaurants is open just 2 days a week
by Christina Tkacik
Published April 17 in The Baltimore Banner

If Damian Mosley wasn’t Damian Mosley, and if Blacksauce Kitchen wasn’t Blacksauce Kitchen, the business owner might be in talks right now to franchise his Baltimore restaurant to bring his buttermilk biscuits to, say, Dubai.

But that is so not Mosley’s style. Instead, the restaurateur is serving up some of the city’s most innovative food — and most sought-after biscuits — on his own terms. His Remington carryout is open just two days a week and at a nearby farmers market. Biscuit sandwiches are sold Saturdays, while a lengthier menu of entrees is offered on Thursdays, with pre-orders opening on Wednesday.

The restaurant’s name helps capture the breadth of Black diaspora cooking that Mosley draws on for his weekly menus. Recently, it was Creole influences, which Mosley, who went to culinary school and pursued a master’s degree in food culture at New York University, translated into dishes like a short rib po’boy and rabbit and dumplings, a riff on a childhood favorite.

“I felt like it would be fascinating for people,” Mosley said of the decision to use rabbit instead of the chicken he grew up with. “It also meant I made half the amount, because I knew half the people would order it.”

We’re seated inside his Remington eatery, which reopened in 2021 after an electrical fire three years earlier. A hood overhead and a melted poster on the wall are reminders of the previous building.

Mosley, who began selling buttermilk biscuits in Baltimore 14 years ago, stresses that there’s a huge amount of behind-the-scenes labor that goes into keeping the restaurant open beyond the Thursdays and Saturdays it operates. Just before our interview Monday, he was troubleshooting how to repair some tents that got snapped by the wind at the most recent farmers market. Later on, he’ll come up with the menu for the week, which he posts to Instagram Wednesday at noon.

“It’s really hard not to be a Blacksauce fan,” said Safa Batniji, who was a Blacksauce supporter long before she began working for the restaurant a few months ago. “It’s more than just food.” The business fosters a sense of community among diners, who might be waiting as long as half an hour for a meal at the farmers market.

Customers have been known to await the weekly menu drops with the excitement and anticipation that used to precede a new iPhone release. “People have bets with each other [to see] who can place their lunch order first,” Batniji said.

Mosley has a way of cooking food that is both intensely familiar and not at all what you’d expect. After last week’s menu went live, I excitedly ordered just about every item available, picking it up Thursday at the shop and returning home with my haul.

Carryout doesn’t always stop me in my tracks, but this food did. A thick filet of battered and fried snapper was perfectly tender on the inside, tucked into moist coco bread and brightened up with mango slaw. Succulent oxtail was nestled in a tray next to homemade roti, the unleavened bread rolled up like a towel.

There are no afterthoughts at Blacksauce; side dishes are just as likely to impress as the proteins they accompany. An order of wood-roasted vegetables with grilled plantain bread tasted comforting and exciting at the same time. Sweet guava barbecued chicken came with Jamaican rice and cow peas that surprised me with their rich smokiness. I washed it down with Mosley’s take on sorrel, a richly spiced hibiscus beverage.

In combining soul food with influences from around the globe, Mosley creates “a culinary mystery,” said Minkah Makalani, who directs the Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University and is a fan of Mosley’s cooking.

Makalani recalls his first introduction to Blacksauce biscuits at the 32nd Street Farmers Market a few years ago. “I don’t use this word often, but it was almost spiritual,” he said of his first bite, which transported him to childhood visits to family in Tennessee. Though he was pescatarian at the time, he gobbled up two more biscuits with meat in them. “I blame him for knocking me off the wagon,” he laughed.

Makalani’s story isn’t atypical for Blacksauce fans: Mosley says he has customers who keep a vegan diet six days a week so they can eat his biscuit sandwiches on the seventh day. “I’m comfortable with that,” he said.

And, after more than a decade, Blacksauce customers have come to accept the restaurant on its own terms. People have stopped pestering him to open up another location, or to expand his hours or days of operation. “A lot of people look at us now and realize, ‘They just are who they are,’” Mosley said.

This story was republished with permission from The Baltimore Banner. Visit www.thebaltimorebanner.com for more.

Walking a mile in artist Joyce Scott’s dreams requires flexibility, love, humor, and strength
by Aliza Worthington
Published April 12 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: Joyce Scott describes her parents’ story as prosaic. They were sharecroppers in the deep South who went to a one-room schoolhouse. They took the long march to the Upper South not just to escape the overt racism of stepping off curbs for white people, but to have more access to jobs and education. Scott reaped the benefits of that.

One of the first pieces viewers encounter in the Baltimore Museum of Art’s retrospective of her 50 years of art, “Walk a Mile in My Dreams,” is a tribute to those opportunities given to her by her parents, who settled here in Baltimore. “The Threads That Unite My Seat to Knowledge” is an homage to the generations of makers in her family.

Her mother, artist Elizabeth Talford Scott (who also has an exhibit at the BMA until April 28, 2024), encouraged her creativity and her father instilled independence. Both nurtured her education. Her grandparents had been enslaved, and were skilled at quilting, crochet, metalwork, and more. “Seat to Knowledge” honors them all with quilts, books, dolls, beadwork, sculpture, and other media, capturing the environment and history Scott carries with her.

BMI Announces Community Collection Initiative for Key Bridge, Port, and Workers
Press Release :: April 15

The Baltimore Museum of Industry announces the launch of a new initiative to document the significance of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and its collapse, ongoing recovery efforts, eventual reconstruction, and its lasting symbolic impact.

As a museum dedicated to preserving the legacy of local work and workers, the BMI is seeking materials that tell the stories of workers connected to the bridge and associated Port-related waterfront industry. In keeping with the themes that are at the heart of the museum’s mission, the museum is seeking materials related to the following:

• Workers
• Working-class communities
• Immigration/migration
• Production and distribution of goods

The purpose of this collecting initiative is to document the stories and experiences of working Baltimoreans, to be included in the museum’s permanent collections, made available for historical research, and potentially inclusion in future museum exhibits.

• Items to be considered for permanent donations include, but are not limited to:
• Tools, clothing, personal items
• Photographs, videos
• Organizational paraphernalia (materials relating to employers, unions, etc.)
• Flyers, handouts, pamphlets, posters, membership cards, occupational awards, etc.

Paper materials that donors would like to retain can be digitized into our digital collections with the originals returned to donors along with copies of the digital files.

“It’s important from a collections perspective that the museum hear from the community members who have been most affected by this tragic event. We know that much of the work being done on and around the bridge and Port are by workers who often go unseen. We want to change that narrative–those are the people we want to hear from,” says Rachel Donaldson, Curator of Collections & Exhibitions at the BMI. Dr. Donaldson holds a PhD in History from Vanderbilt University and has spent her career exploring and teaching labor history.

To donate an artifact, please visit the museum’s artifact donation page here.

See also:

Baltimore Museum of Industry is collecting Key Bridge, Port of Baltimore artifacts
by Wesley Case
Published April 16 in The Baltimore Banner

Anthony Gittens: Filmfest DC Founder on Fostering Diversity in Cinema
by Rob Lee
Aired April 17 in the Truth in This Art Podcast

Excerpt: In this episode of The Truth in This Art podcast, host Rob Lee talks with Tony Gittens, the founder of Filmfest DC. Gittens recounts his upbringing in Brooklyn, his move to Washington, D.C., and his early involvement in the civil rights movement. He shares his journey from managing a bookstore to founding the Black Film Institute and eventually establishing an international film festival. Gittens discusses the selection process for the festival, emphasizing the importance of quality and diversity in film programming. He also touches on the hard work behind organizing the festival, the trend toward local filmmaking, and his love for smart thrillers. The episode concludes with an invitation to the upcoming Filmfest DC and a reminder of the rich art and culture available locally.

Labor activism in Baltimore is focus of new exhibit at BMI
Press Release :: April 12

The Baltimore Museum of Industry presents COLLECTIVE/ACTION: LABOR ACTIVISM IN 21ST CENTURY BALTIMORE, a bold new exhibition opening May 1, 2024, exploring the historic and contemporary organized labor movement.

Central to the experience of workers has been the long fight for labor rights–higher wages, improved safety, shorter hours, and a seat at the bargaining table. Currently, there is a surge of activism being led by a new generation of workers who are galvanizing the labor movement. Through the stories and experiences of working Baltimoreans, this exhibit will shed light on why they are organizing and explore the historical roots of this struggle.

The story of industry and labor is not a singular narrative. The complicated relationship between politics, work, class, and economics makes this topic perfect for the Baltimore Museum of Industry to explore, as a place where people come to make sense of what is happening around them in the realm of work and labor.

“Towson has the first Apple store in the nation to unionize, and the first Starbucks in the state to do so is in the heart of midtown Baltimore. Many of the cultural institutions in the city are exploring organizing. It’s an incredibly relevant topic to workers today,” says Dr. Rachel Donaldson, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the BMI.

The exhibition will be open through 2025.

COLLECTIVE/ACTION is made possible, in part, with support from KSC Law, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 24, Robert J. Patterson, and Abato, Rubenstein and Abato, P.A., WYPR 88.1 FM and WTMD 87.7 FM.

In conjunction with the exhibition, two upcoming labor-themed public programs will be presented:

Work Matters: Unions, from Bethlehem Steel to Baristas
Weds, April 17 @ 6:30pm  Details here.

Work Matters: BMI Bingo Night–A Celebration of Collective Action
Weds, May 15 @ 5:30pm  Details here.

Glenstone Museum Expands Its Outdoor Experience with New Sculptures and Summer Programming
Press Release :: April 16

Glenstone Museum is pleased to announce an expanded outdoor experience this summer, featuring sculpture and architecture walks, curatorial talks, evening hours, live music, and sketching sessions. Set within Glenstone’s 300 acres of rolling meadows and woodlands, these programs will highlight both long-established and newly installed outdoor works by artists including Richard Serra, Tony Smith, Ellsworth Kelly, Jeff Koons, Felix Gonzalez Torres, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Robert Gober, Simone Leigh, Alex Da Corte, and Charles Ray.

Simone Leigh’s monumental bronze sculpture Satellite, 2022, created for the 59th Venice Biennale, will be on view starting May 16 along the Woodland Trail. At twenty-four-feet tall and 6,000-pounds, Satellite abstracts the female form as well as incorporates motifs from the African diaspora. In place of where a head would appear, Leigh inserts a concave disc reminiscent of a ground satellite dish. Its form and title allude to an ability to relay and receive information, suggesting a symbiotic relationship to knowledge.

On view beginning June 13 will be the latest in a series of installations organized in collaboration with the artist Charles Ray. Presented entirely outdoors for the first time, this fifth installation will feature four works rendered in stainless steel produced between 2012 and 2018, including works on loan from the artist’s personal collection.

Recently, Alex Da Corte’s As Long as the Sun Lasts, 2021, was installed overlooking the Gallery pond. Mixing references from art history and Italian literature with children’s toys, Sesame Street, and Donna Summer, this work brings a dash of color and whimsy to the landscape.

This May through September, the museum will be open until 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays as part of Summer Evenings at Glenstone. Visitors have the option to experience the Gallery building with its current exhibition, Iconoclasts: Selections from Glenstone’s Collection, explore the extensive grounds, and enjoy weekly events and activities. In addition, one Saturday each month, the Patio will feature live music. All outdoor programming is subject to change, according to weather conditions.

Program Descriptions

Summer Evenings at Glenstone
May 3 – September 28

Glenstone will stay open until 8 pm each Friday and Saturday. In addition to ticketed entry to Iconoclasts: Selections from Glenstone’s Collection at the Gallery, which presents work by more than 50 artists who have made some of the most radical contributions to art in the 20th century, there will be guided Outdoor Walks; snacks, wine, and local beer available for purchase at the Café and Patio; and live music performances at the Patio the second Saturday of each month.

Guided Outdoor Architectural Walks
May 4 – September 28

Each Saturday at 11 am, one-hour Guide-led Architectural Walks will explore the Charles Gwathmey-designed Gallery and Patio buildings, along with an overview of the history and timeline of the Glenstone campus and collection.

Curatorial Talks
May 9 – September 12

On the second Thursday of each month at 2 pm, visitors will be invited to join Curatorial Talks about works in the outdoor sculpture collection and their creators, including Alex Da Corte, Richard Serra, and Tony Smith, among others.

Split-Rocker Planting
Early May

For the first time, visitors will be able to watch the annual planting of Jeff Koons’s Split-Rocker. Planting will take place between 10 am and 4 pm on May 9 and 10, with rain dates of May 16 and 17.

Split-Rocker Talks

May through October

Each Thursday at 11 am between May and October, Chris Ryan, Split Rocker Technician, and Ariana Kaye, Curatorial Assistant, will lead a talk on the care and maintenance of this massive, blooming sculpture.

Guided Outdoor Sculpture Walks
June 16 – September 28

Each Sunday at 11 am, visitors may join one-hour Outdoor Sculpture Walks through the grounds of Glenstone, offering insights into the works on view and the artists who created them.

Guided Sketching Sessions
June 14 – September 29

Each Friday at 11 am, a Guided Sketching Session will be led by one of Glenstone’s Guides. Participants will join in a mediative activity, and then learn how to create a blind contour drawing. These sessions are open to all visitors, ages 12 and up – no drawing or sketching experience needed.

About Glenstone

Glenstone, a museum of modern and contemporary art, is integrated into nearly 300 acres of gently rolling pasture and unspoiled woodland in Montgomery County, Maryland, less than 15 miles from the heart of Washington, DC. Established by the not-for-profit Glenstone Foundation, the museum opened in 2006 and provides a contemplative, intimate setting for experiencing iconic works of art and architecture within a natural environment. The museum includes its original building, the Gallery, as well as additional structures opened in its 2018 expansion: the Arrival Hall (LEED platinum), the Pavilions, and the Café (both LEED gold).

Glenstone is open Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This summer, from May 3 – September 28, 2024, Glenstone will stay open until 8 p.m. each Friday and Saturday with special summer programming. Visitors are also invited to explore the grounds or participate in self-guided sculpture tours. Admission to Glenstone is free and visits can be scheduled online at: www.glenstone.org. Same-day visits can be scheduled online, when available.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Launches SummerFest at the Meyerhoff
Press Release :: April 16

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) proudly introduces SummerFest at the Meyerhoff, an annual summer festival of fresh and accessible programming featuring the talented musicians of the BSO.

In the style of a summer block party, SummerFest at the Meyerhoff transforms the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall into a must-visit summer destination offering a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Guests can grab a bite to eat from local restaurant partners on-site and have fun with pre-concert interactive activities creating a shared community experience.

Aiming to be one of Baltimore’s summer highlights, SummerFest at the Meyerhoff kicks off on Saturday, July 6 with an American Salute perfect for celebrating the patriotic spirit of the July 4th holiday with a diverse program ranging from popular classical to pops including Gershwin’s jazz-infused classics, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, and groundbreaking works by living American legend Jessie Montgomery and Baltimore spoken-word artist, and BSO Artistic Partner, Wordsmith.

The Saturday, July 13 program features Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons, where internationally acclaimed violinist Simone Porter joins the BSO, bringing each season to life with dramatic flair and exquisite musicality.

Guests can also look forward to a special presentation of Disney’s Frozen in Concert with composer Christophe Beck’s GRAMMY®-nominated score performed live to the film on Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21.

Classical Jukebox takes the stage on Saturday, July 27 with a unique selection of orchestral favorites, including Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Haydn, including the dramatic beginnings of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and heartfelt Adagietto of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. Audience members have a chance to select their favorite Mozart movement as an encore.

SummerFest at the Meyerhoff concludes on Saturday, August 10 with The Music of John Williams, with performances of the iconic Hollywood scores from films including “E.T.”, “Indiana Jones,” “Harry Potter,” and “Jurassic Park,” performed live by the BSO.

“We’re turning the Meyerhoff into the community’s living room this summer, where the BSO’s artistic excellence meets the joyous spirit of a neighborhood gathering,” said BSO President and CEO Mark Hanson. “Our SummerFest at the Meyerhoff programs are designed to delight and unite at our Baltimore home as we come together to celebrate summer with music that spans genres and generations.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.BSOMusic.org/summerfest. Tickets start at $27. Order your tickets for SummerFest at the Meyerhoff early to enjoy 25 percent off with the promo code SUMMERFEST25. Offer expires May 24, 2024. (Please note Disney’s Frozen in Concert is not included in this offer.) Audience members can also get a preview of the program via a SummerFest at the Meyerhoff Spotify playlist.