BmoreArt

This week’s news includes: an interview with Julia Marciari-Alexander, Laura Lippman on “Lady in the Lake,” BMA announces Dana Claxton exhibition, Baltimore top chef Jesse Sandlin, Anita Kassof and the Baltimore Museum of Industry, Pink Flamingo takes over The Dizz, The Dutchess to replace Café Hon, Sherry Insley wins MASB Travel Prize, John Waters honored, Artscape 40 updates, Maryland Opera + Chesapeake Shakespeare Company announce new seasons, a mural in Fort Washington, and a grant for the Rehoboth Art League — with reporting from Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore Fishbowl, Baltimore Brew, and other local and independent news sources.

Header Image: [Jesse] Sandlin with Olli and Fernie at home. Photography by Justin Tsucalas for Baltimore Magazine

Our Exit Interview with The Walters’ Outgoing Executive Director Julia Marciari-Alexander
by Lydia Woolever
Published July 24 in Baltimore Magazine

Excerpt: The search is on. Next month, Julia Marciari-Alexander will step down as executive director of The Walters Art Museum. On the eve of her arrival in 2013, the California native and San Diego Art Museum curator was described to The Sun as an “up-and-comer” with “a gift for making art engaging and accessible to the public.”

Now fast-forward nearly 12 years, as she ends her tenure in September to become president of the New York-based Kress Foundation, Marciari-Alexander leaves behind an impressive era as the first woman to helm the Mount Vernon institution. Under her direction, the museum launched innovative exhibits, shed light on the Walters family’s difficult history, navigated through COVID, and unionized its staff—with Marciari-Alexander becoming a pillar of the city’s arts scene along the way.

BMA to Open Dana Claxton Solo Exhibition, Including a Newly Commissioned Work
Press Release :: July 24

On August 4, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will open Dana Claxton: Spark, a solo exhibition that focuses on the artist’s large-scale, backlit, color transparency photographs. Claxton (Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation) refers to her photographs as “fireboxes,” playing on the commonly used term “lightboxes” to capture the elemental energy that she finds embedded in the form and to root her work in Indigenous sensibility and perspectives. In addition to Claxton’s photographic works, Spark includes objects from the artist’s imagery as well as historical works from the BMA’s Indigenous art collection. By including the physical works, the exhibition provides audiences with an opportunity to draw connections between the beauty and value of the objects and the experience of the photographs. Dana Claxton: Spark will remain on view through January 5, 2025, as part of the BMA’s wide-ranging initiative, Preoccupied: Indigenizing the Museum.

“Dana Claxton believes beauty is medicine,” said co-curators Dare Turner (Yurok Tribe) and Leila Grothe. “Her vibrant vision and the finely tuned skill of her works demonstrate the powerful bond within Indigenous communities, from person to person and generation to generation.”

Claxton’s practice explores Indigenous beauty, the body, and socio-political expressions and happenings. For her Headdress series, she portrays Indigenous women as cultural carriers. Their figures are covered in elaborate beading that incorporates objects and symbols preserved within their families for generations as well as contemporary items reflective of their communities today. The exhibition includes several prior works from the series along with a new firebox commissioned by the BMA, titled Headdress—Shadae and Her Girlz (2023). Here, Claxton celebrates generations of Indigenous women in both inherited and newly made regalia. The standing figures—a mother and her two daughters—wear ribbon skirts that communicate Indigenous pride and honor the resilience of Indigenous ancestors. The mother also holds a newborn, lovingly swaddled in its cradleboard, with ceremonial feather fans protecting her face. The image spotlights some of the many ways that Indigenous women—particularly mothers—maintain traditions and cultural knowledge through time. […]

‘Lady In The Lake’ author Laura Lippman gets why the series differs from her book
by Leslie Gray Streeter
Published July 18 in The Baltimore Banner

Laura Lippman and her daughter headed up to New York last week for the big premiere of the Apple TV+ version of her 2019 novel “Lady In The Lake.” They got all done up by “the glam squad,” she recalled, then rubbed shoulders with stars Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram at the Museum of Arts and Design, in a crowd of about 200 people.

But what Lippman is really looking forward to is watching the show again when it debuts on a much smaller screen Friday with friends. “Maybe a dozen people,” she said. “That’s Baltimore!”

This is the second of Lippman’s books to make it to screen. “Every Secret Thing,” starring Diane Lane and Dakota Fanning, was released in 2014, though the recent “Prom Mom” has been optioned and ideas for the beloved Tess Monaghan series “are making the rounds,” she said.

But the scope of the production of “Lady In The Lake” is on a different level. Is it hard to watch one of your literary babies be reimagined by someone else? “Not really,” Lippman said matter-of-factly. “I know I am not a screenwriter. I’ve been going to the movies by myself a lot lately, and more than ever I respect what they do. It’s a huge learning curve. I’ve fallen in love with movies all other again.”

The former Baltimore Sun reporter never wanted or expected the show to be “indebted” to her novel, though she found herself noting the deviations from her work when she saw the first two episodes back in March. “It wasn’t judgmental,” she said. “Watching it again, I found I was no longer cataloguing the differences. I thought, ‘Wait a minute! This is bigger.’ The stakes had to be higher.”

Set in the 1960s, “Lady In The Lake” is about separated Pikesville housewife Maddie (Portman) becoming entwined in the story of a missing Black woman, Cleo (Ingram). It closely examines Baltimore’s racial and class divide, with a well-developed portrayal of the Black community. I told Lippman that pleased me since what were considered definitive Baltimore TV shows and movies of my youth often lacked that perspective.

“Baltimore is like a jazz classic, like ‘My Funny Valentine.’ There are as many versions as there are people to play it. But in an ideal world there would be more versions by now,” said Lippman, who acknowledges that media often “uses Black pain to tell a story. I’ve done it. I can’t solve the representation problem in publishing, but there should be a dozen Baltimore stories.”

She enjoyed some of the touches that director Alma Har’el added to the script to provide the connectivity of those stories across racial and cultural lines. “It was interesting adding the idea that innocent Black men could be implicated” in the disappearance of the missing white girl, as well as the addition of Slappy, Cleo’s estranged husband (Byron Bowers), as “a sly way to introduce the community without saying outright, ‘And this is what it’s like to be a Black man in 1966.’”

Lippman was so pleased with the outcome that she wrote “effusive” thank-you notes to Har’el, Portman and Ingram, the latter of whom soulfully embodies the guarded Cleo. “It sounds a little bizarre, but Cleo kept me at arm’s length, too,” said the woman who created her. “Even with your own characters, you don’t get to know everything. I wrote Moses, ‘She belongs to you now.’”

Ingram is a Baltimore native, and Cleo, like many Black residents, doesn’t speak in the stereotypical “Hey, hon” accent. But several characters do, and it was fun watching the actors give it a valiant shot despite it consisting of pronunciations a lot of people outside of the area don’t recognize.

Lippman recalled that when Towson University graduate John Glover did the locally set 1980s NBC sitcom “The Days And Nights of Molly Dodd,” he “went for it” with the accent, resulting in letters and calls to NBC asking if he was supposed to be mentally challenged.

This led into a delightful demonstration of Baltimore accents, and I’m telling you that you’ve not had a Baltimore evening until you’ve sat in a bar with Laura Lippman trying to find the perfect local pronunciation of “ambulance.” (And it’s “amblance.”)

She’s pretty happy with the Baltimore the show created, including the sets. “What about that Pennsylvania Avenue?” she asked about the recreation of a 1960s version of the then-bustling street. “The view of it at night made me literally gasp.”

Lippman will get to see what the locals think at her neighborhood watch party tomorrow. As much fun as the premiere was, she said, “this is the highlight.”

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

See also:

‘Lady in the Lake’ stars Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram on why they love Baltimore
by Adam Davidson
Published July 17 in The Baltimore Banner

How Jesse Sandlin Became One of Baltimore’s Top Chefs
by Jane Marion
Published July 22 in Baltimore Magazine

Excerpt: On a late winter Monday, Jesse Sandlin enjoys a rare day off. Lately, she’s been trying to take more time for herself, which hasn’t exactly been easy now that she’s the owner of three restaurants. She readily admits that she thrives on chaos—still, at 45, after 30 years in hospitality, she knows it’s time to slow down.

“I’m getting older,” says Sandlin. “I can’t do it like I used to, but I feel so much guilt if I’m not working. There has to be a better way—I don’t want to die on the line at 55.”

But even in her off time, away from the commotion of her kitchens—Bunny’s Buckets & Bubbles in Fells Point, Sally O’s in Highlandtown, and The Dive in Canton—there’s still plenty to maintain in her East Baltimore home, where there’s more than one of just about everything (except for her).

Big Fish: Anita Kassof and the future of the Baltimore Museum of Industry
by David Nitkin
Published July 24 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: The name might not say it all, but the Baltimore Museum of Industry is much more about people than machines. According to it’s mission statement, the museum “interprets the diverse and significant human stories behind labor and innovation in Baltimore,” with a goal of “inspiring visitors to think critically about the intersection of work and society.”

Anita Kassof has led the museum as its executive director since 2015, and is now steering it through a process of growth and reflection: over the past two years, the Museum of Industry has completed a new strategic plan, and has engaged an Urban Land Institute Technical Assistance Panel to provide guidance on everything from exhibits to use of the Inner Harbor promenade that is part of the museum property on Key Highway.

After the collapse of the Key Bridge, journalists looked to the museum to help explain to the nation the significance of the Port of Baltimore and its workers to the city — an opportunity that Kassof embraced. Kassof spoke with Baltimore Fishbowl about the opportunities and challenges facing the Baltimore Museum of Industry in a post-pandemic environment. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

A Pink Flamingo bar is coming to the old Dizz space. No, John Waters isn’t involved.
by Matti Gellman
Published July 23 in The Baltimore Banner

Excerpt: When Brendan Dorr set out to open a new bar in the home of the former Remington haunt known as The Dizz, he knew it had to capture why people love Baltimore.

So he chose pink flamingos.

Dorr and Eric Fooy, who bought the building and co-own the gin bar Dutch Courage in Old Goucher, settled on the concept and name Pink Flamingo as part of a nod to John Waters and the plastic yard animal immortalized by his 1972 film, “Pink Flamingos.” The movie, set in Baltimore, turned the lawn ornament into a Charm City icon. Dorr felt the decorative bird served as a fitting emblem for longtime tenant, The Dizz, that was referred to as “Baltimore in a bar.”

… this story continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: A Pink Flamingo bar is coming to the old Dizz space. No, John Waters isn’t involved.

Café Hon to be replaced by ‘The Duchess,’ a Western Pacific-inspired restaurant planned by Foreman Wolf
by Ed Gunts
Published July 22 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: The space formerly occupied by Café Hon will reopen as “The Duchess,” a Western Pacific-inspired restaurant planned by the Foreman Wolf restaurant group led by Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf.

Foreman Wolf announced on Monday that The Duchess will be “an authentically-styled English pub that will feature the culturally-rich cuisine of the Mariana Islands,” which includes Guam. The executive chef will be Kiko Fejarang, a native of Guam who first joined Foreman Wolf in 2007. Katie DeStefano, founder of Katie DeStefano Design, is the lead designer.

Baltimore’s liquor board recently received an application to issue a Class ‘B” Beer, Wine and Liquor license for the proposed restaurant at 1000 W. 36^th Street in Hampden. A public hearing was scheduled for July 25 but has been postponed and will be rescheduled. The space was formerly occupied by Café Hon, which closed in April 2022 after 30 years in Hampden. The target opening date for The Duchess is early fall.

See also:

Foreman Wolf to Open English-Style Pub, The Duchess, in Old Cafe Hon Space
by Sarah Kloepple
Published July 22 in Baltimore Magazine

2024 MASB Artist Travel Prize Winner : Sherry Insley
Press Release :: July 11

We are thrilled to announce this year’s winner of the 2024 MASB Artist Travel Prize: Sherry Insley.

Insley plans to travel to several locations to continue her work documenting the emergence of ghost forests. The majority of the locations she hopes to visit are along the Mid-Atlantic Coast and Chesapeake Bay Watershed. She will also travel to Nienhagen, Germany, to photograph the “Gespenterwald” (meaning ghost forest in German) which is situated along the Baltic Sea.

Insley’s Ghost Forest series is an ongoing photographic and light sensitive material exploration of the quiet crisis of rising salinity, coastal erosion, and climate change. This project includes large scale black and white digital photography, video and sound installation, and historic photographic processes such as lumens, cyanotypes, image transfers, and anthotypes.

Ghost forests are created when salt water is pushed inland into freshwater ecosystems due to storms, rising sea level, and climate change. The salinity of the soil becomes too high, resulting in species of trees that die off leaving their skeletal trunks behind. It is a startling visual experience. Insley’s hope for this project is to bring visibility to this pernicious consequence of climate change.

Another entertainment industry honor for John Waters: the “Legendary Legends” award
by Ed Gunts
Published July 19 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: The awards just keep on coming for writer and filmmaker John Waters.

Last September Waters got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In March he was named “Filmmaker of the Year” by the American Cinema Editors society. For the past 10 months he’s been the subject of a career retrospective at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, “John Waters: Pope of Trash.”

Now World of Wonder Productions, the company that produces “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and other programs that “give a voice to marginalized communities and outsiders,” has chosen Waters to receive one of the top honors in the annual show business awards ceremony it sponsors, the WOWIE Awards.

Baltimore’s Free Outdoor Shakespeare Program Returns for Year Two
Press Release :: July 19

Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s touring and community engagement initiative, Shakespeare Beyond, returns for a second year, bringing free performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to parks and outdoor spaces all over the region.

In 2023, the company infused this classic tale with music from The Beatles. This year, guests will experience a different style of show. “With the help of our live band, the audience gets to see a brand-new pairing—the Motown hits of the 60’s with Shakespeare’s comedic hit of the 1600’s,” says Séamus Miller, Associate Artistic Director for Shakespeare Beyond. “ Shows are free to attend, and this year, the tour reaches deeper across Maryland. “We’ve tripled the number of performances and added free residencies that are providing hands-on arts experiences for hundreds of people,” says Ian Gallanar, CSC Founding Artistic Director.

In addition to presenting A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare Beyond brings professional teaching artists to lead acting workshops, improv, stage combat, mask making, and more. The residencies are a vital part of the tour. They allow CSC to build relationships beyond the walls of the company’s theater and discover new ways to engage people of all ages with the arts. CSC begins this year’s tour with a brand-new mobile performance unit.

“Designing, engineering, and building the Shakespeare Beyond wagon for this year meant solving challenges learned from the company’s pilot-year,” says Chester Stacy, Production Architect and Technical Director for Shakespeare Beyond. “This year, a modest, but much more dynamic, 400 square feet of performance space was built from an Isuzu NPR HD with a Morgan 16-foot dry freight box. In less than two hours, a stage is built. About half of the stage is permanently on top of the box truck for the band and some balcony scenes. The entire show is controlled and adjusted live by smart device eliminating any control tent in the audience’s view.”

The Shakespeare Wagon enables the company to travel even deeper into neighborhoods. It has the ability to stage a performance in parking lots, at street festivals, and of course, in local parks across the state of Maryland. The addition of this fully mobile stage emphasizes the mission of the program
and the company’s desire to meet people where they live and work.

Public performances, workshops, and collaborations with local artists in those respective towns – will be open to all.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:
Parks and People (Druid Hill) | July 19th, 7:30pm
2100 Liberty Heights Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21217

Cromwell Valley Park | July 20th at 7:30pm
2002 Cromwell Bridge Rd, Parkville, MD 21234

Wyman Park Dell | July 25 at 7:30pm
2929 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218

Patterson Park | July 27 at 7:30pm
27 S. Patterson Park Ave, Baltimore, MD 21231

Middle Branch Park | July 30 at 7:30pm
3301 Waterview Ave, Baltimore, MD 21230

Rockburn Park | August 1st at 7:30pm
5400 Landing Ed, Elkridge, MD 21075

Dundalk Heritage Park | August 2nd at 7:30pm
2717 Playfield St, Dundalk, MD 21222

Artscape 2024 to feature RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Naomi Smalls, fashion shows, more
by Marcus Dieterle
Published July 18 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: Baltimore’s 40th Artscape festival, set to take place Aug. 2-4, will feature former RuPaul’s Drag Race competitor Naomi Smalls, fashion shows by emerging and professional designers, public art installations, and more.

Artscape has been held nearly every year since its start in 1982, with the exception of 2020, 2021, and 2022. Traditionally held in the middle of summer, the festival was moved to the first weekend of fall in 2023, after returning from its three-year hiatus.

Now in its 40th year, Artscape is returning to summer, with the three-day festival taking over Baltimore’s Mount Royal cultural district and Station North Arts District. This will be the first Artscape since Rachel Graham became CEO of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA), the festival’s organizer.

Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts Announces Exciting Programming for ARTSCAPE 40 in Station North Arts District
Press Release :: July 18

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) is thrilled to announce a spectacular lineup of installations and events taking place in the Station North Arts District during Artscape 40, from Fri., Aug. 2 through Sun., Aug. 4, 2024.

Get ready to be dazzled by the “Inviting Light” pop-up (14 W. North Ave., Historic North Avenue Market Building), located next to The Club Car Baltimore. This provocative installation curated by Derrick Adams teases Baltimore’s highly anticipated Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge project, “Inviting Light,” a two-year community-driven, artist-led initiative, that aims to transform public spaces in the Station North Arts District with captivating art and interactive activities. Step inside this pop-up installation and let your own notion of light be illuminated. Additional information about “Inviting Light” will be available on-site.

The Blinkatorium Returns (1714 N. Charles St., Charles Street Garage)! Central Baltimore Partnership is excited to present a new Blinkatorium landscape from Scott Pennington, roller skating performances from It’s My Skate Night, and a spot to chill out in Stephen Hendee’s The Grotto. Be sure to note performance times and when The Spinner is in session for your personalized photo souvenir from Artscape 40th! Visitors can expect a unique blend of art and entertainment that invites them to engage and unwind in a creatively transformed parking garage.

The Nest We’ve Woven (1706 N. Charles St.) is a new, site-specific mural by the artist Nether, slated for completion just in time for Artscape. Inspired by conversations with local businesses and stakeholders that make up Station North’s rich community fabric, the mural was designed in collaboration with the Central Baltimore Partnership, the Charles North community, and the property owner, Mike Shecter. The figure depicted in the mural is Vander Pearson, owner of Pearson’s Florist, which has been located on the corner of North Avenue and Charles for four decades. This new public artwork was made possible by generous support from BOPA.

In addition to these flagship installations, Station North will host a variety of engaging activities, marketplaces, and two stages featuring live performances from local and national artists for a dynamic and diverse range of music and entertainment. The Station North Stage will be located at Maryland and W. Lafayette Avenues, and the North of North Stage presented by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine will be located at N. Charles and W. 20^th Streets. Other Station North activations include:

• The Maryland Avenue Bridge: The bridge over I-83 connecting Charles North and Mount Vernon is undergoing a creative transformation. Local mural artist Saba Hamidi — whose art adorned public utility boxes on the Artscape footprint last year — is painting a massive mural (over 1,000 feet long!) on the walls of the bridge. The mural major step in implementing the Falls Gateway Project, an initiative the Midtown Community Benefits District in partnership with Friends of the Jones Falls. The mural is generously underwritten by the Central Baltimore Partnership.
• B_24 Exhibition: A show of the area’s best artists held in the Sheila & Richard Riggs and Leidy Galleries of MICA’s Fred Lazarus IV Center.
• Made In Baltimore: A marketplace of local vendors selling clothing, accessories, personal care products, home goods, and more—all produced in Baltimore City.
• Garden Party: People ages 21 and older can enjoy an outdoor beer and mead garden curated by Baltimore’s first boardgame bar, No Land Beyond (2125 Maryland Ave.)
• LOL@Artscape: Adults are invited to join the Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) for some Old Bay- seasoned comedy with some of the best improv and stand-up in Baltimore on Saturday and Sunday morning for free improv workshops, followed by performances from local improv teams in 25-minute blocks.
• Project Artscape: Twelve local emerging and professional designers bring their fashions to the runway at The Garage, hosted by Caprece Ann Jackson. Each designer’s show will feature an original composition by the Baltimore Jazz Alliance. On Fri., Aug. 2 from 5:00–9:00 p.m., Project Artscape is partnering with Baltimore MET Gala to activate The Garage for a stylish evening of networking, including a panel discussion with Baltimore fashion movers and shakers.
• Films at The Parkway: The Parkway presents Openings: a visionary series of original shorts, animations, documentaries, Baltimore-based youth-made films, and conversations with filmmakers as part of the Maryland Film Festival.
• Shows at Metro Gallery: Throughout the weekend, Metro Gallery will help keep the party going with Disco Tropico Friday night, a celebratory showcase hosted by Eze Jackson on Saturday night at the Artscape After Party, and the Subscape DIY Festival takeover all day on Sunday.
• Art Meditation with Pierre Bennu: Lean into your creativity in an accessible, empowering way at artisanal manufacturer of personal care products, Oyin Handmade. Start your Artscape weekend with an exploration of drawing, breathwork, imaginative exercises, and paper play. Fri. Aug 2, 5:00 p.m.
• You Are Your Most Valuable Currency: An activation at Currency Studio with a unique shopping experience and programming highlighting creative entrepreneurs.
• Baltimore Jewelry Center: The inaugural graduate exhibition opens Friday night, capturing the depth and breadth of work created by emerging jewelers and metalsmiths. The gallery and community studio will be open to the public Sat. And Sun. 12:00–6:00 p.m. with a 10% Artscape discount on retail jewelry.

Artscape also offers programming for festival attendees who want to keep the fun going after dark. The Get Down is Artscape’s after-hours event, which includes:

Throughout the festival’s footprint, including the Station North Arts District, attendees can also enjoy:

2024 marks the celebration of Artscape’s 40th edition, a milestone that reflects both a retrospective of the past and a visionary look toward the future. This year’s festival offers a multi-day experience of creativity, connection, celebration, and discovery.

“Artscape 40 promises to be a celebration of Baltimore’s vibrant arts scene, with Station North hosting a variety of engaging activities, performances, and installations that reflect the city’s rich cultural diversity,” said Rachel D. Graham, BOPA CEO. “These flagship installations, Inviting Light and The Blinkatorium, are highlights of the festival, providing unforgettable experiences for all who attend. Artscape is an event not to be missed.”

Artscape 40 is produced by The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) in partnership with the City of Baltimore. This year’s festival is presented by Whiting Turner and the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). Media partners include WJZ-TV CBS Baltimore and Baltimore magazine. For more information, please visit https://www.artscape.org and stay up to date by following BOPA on social media (@promoandarts).

Maryland Opera Announces its 2024-2025 Season
Press Release :: July 22

Maryland Opera’s seventh season opens with “Morte e Vita” featuring the final acts from Puccini’s La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Manon Lescaut fully staged and costumed on Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at the Church of the Redeemer on Charles Street in North Baltimore.  Tickets are $29-$81.

Maryland Opera will present “Sounds of the Season,” a holiday themed program featuring two internationally renowned singers along with alumni of the Maryland Opera Summer Camp in a variety of operatic and holiday favorites on Friday, December 13, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, MD and Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.  Tickets are $18-$34.

In the new year, Maryland Opera will celebrate the incredible contributions of generous supporters of the arts with its “Heritage Series.”  On Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 3:00 p.m., we will honor Mahin Shamszad & Homayoon Farzadegan at Grace United Methodist Church at Charles Street and Northern Parkway.  On Sunday, March 16, 2025 at 3:00 p.m., we will honor Susie & Sam Macfarlane at The Church of the Redeemer also at Charles Street and Melrose Avenue.  Repertoire will feature three magnificent singers in grand opera and operetta repertoire, semi-staged and accompanied by a chamber orchestra.  Tickets are $18-34.

The season will reach its climax with Georges Bizet’s Carmen in its entirety, presented fully staged and costumed with orchestra and an international cast of singers.  Performances will be Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at the Church of the Redeemer.  Tickets are $29-$96.

More information and tickets are available on the Maryland Opera website, www.marylandopera.org, or by calling 484-678-6041, and at the door on the day of the performance.  Seating is limited, though, so advance orders are recommended.

“I don’t think I will ever forget, for the rest of my life, the joyous roar from our audience at the conclusion of Act 1 of Tosca!” said James Harp.  “It was the convergence of so many things—stellar artists, compelling sets and costumes, expressive orchestra and chorus—but above all it was the triumph of our community’s love and desire for grand opera.  Thank you for allowing us to yet again present self-produced opera in fulfillment of our mission to continue this beloved art form.  We have many exciting events planned for next season and, of course, I’m especially looking forward to another full production—Carmen, the immortal story of the enigma of Love.  Please join us for the glory of grand opera!”

For more information, visit marylandopera.org.

COMPLETE EVENT DETAILS

Morte e Vita
Saturday, November 16, 2024 7:00 p.m.
Church of the Redeemer
5603 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210

Program:
The final acts from Puccini’s La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Manon Lescaut

Sounds of the Season

Friday, December 13, 2024 7:00 p.m.
Boordy Vineyards
12820 Long Green Pike
Hydes, MD 21082

Sunday, December 15, 2024 3:00 p.m.
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
1900 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

Heritage Series

Honoring Mahin Shamszad & Homayoon Farzadegan
Sunday, February 16, 2025 3:00 p.m.
Grace United Methodist Church
5407 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210

Honoring Sam & Susie Macfarlane
Sunday, March 16, 2025 3:00 p.m.
Church of the Redeemer
5603 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210

Carmen
Friday, April 25, 2025 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 26, 2025 7:00 p.m.
Church of the Redeemer
5603 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210

Music by Georges Bizet | Libretto by Henri Meilhac & Ludovic Halévy

About Maryland Opera

Maryland Opera offers quality opera performances, innovative artistry, support for social awareness and change, education and outreach programming, commitment to underserved communities, and a vehicle for talented young vocalists to follow their dreams. Maryland Opera builds on Baltimore’s century-old opera tradition that garnered critical acclaim for grand productions that featured opera’s greatest celebrities.

Maryland Opera is passionately invested in bringing the excitement and beauty of live opera–traditional programming as well as innovative and modern approaches–to diverse audiences, including historically underserved audiences throughout Maryland. They do so through numerous outreach programs, including Opera-to-Go, Opera Cares and Opera Camp.

A floral mural aims to brighten Fort Worthington — literally
by Taji Burris
Published July 18 in The Baltimore Banner

Excerpt: For some people, a new paint job means a fresh coat on their house. For Fort Worthington resident Charles Royster, it’s a bit more exciting.

Maryland State Sen. Cory V. McCray and Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore unveiled a new, brightly colored, floral mural Thursday at 1241 N. Linwood Ave. — on the side of Royster’s residence.

Royster, or “Mr. Charles,“ as he’s known in the neighborhood, has lived at the same address for 50 years, raising his daughter and granddaughter there. He originally intended to paint the side of his house, but was approached by Lenora Monroe, former president of the Fort Worthington Neighborhood Association, about having local muralist Andy Dahl do something creative with the wall instead.

… this story continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: A floral mural aims to brighten Fort Worthington — literally

The Rehoboth Art League Awarded Grant Through M&T’s Charitable Foundation
Press Release :: July 22

The Rehoboth Art League is honored to receive a grant of $5,000 from the M&T Charitable Foundation to support RAL’s Visual Arts Outreach Program.

Since its founding in 1938, the Rehoboth Art League (RAL) has worked to provide arts experiences through our events, exhibitions, and education programs. Through its Visual Arts Outreach program, the league is able to bring arts experiences to Sussex County’s areas that are most in need of opportunity. Developed in response to cuts made to arts education in public schools, the program now serves hundreds of students each year. During scheduled classes, art league instructors travel all over southern Delaware to work with children, seniors, and other ‘at risk’ populations to offer free arts education. Scheduled classes allow participants a chance to create a variety of different fine art or craft projects in mediums including drawing, painting, collage, pottery, printmaking, jewelry making or textile work.

RAL’s Outreach program serves youth in afterschool and summer camp programs to instill the value of lifelong experiences in the arts. And visits to libraries and senior centers provide stimulating lessons in a supportive environment. Community partnerships with organizations including First State Community Action Agency, Easterseals, Boys & Girls Clubs, Salvation Army, and Sussex Consortium allow its Visual Arts Outreach program to be a success for the community.

Sara Ganter, RAL’s Executive Director, and Connie Jamele, RAL’s Director of Development, accepted the award from M&T’s Tramine Young-Minor. Through grants and in-kind services, the M&T Charitable Foundation works in partnership with nonprofit organizations that focus on improving the quality of life for the community, supporting groups that advocate for arts and culture, civic affairs, healthcare, human services and education.

The Rehoboth Art League is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.

The Rehoboth Art League is a membership-based non-profit arts organization dedicated to teaching, preserving and inspiring the arts in the region. For additional information about this exhibit, the Art League, its classes, memberships, events and exhibitions, please visit the website at RehobothArtLeague.org or call 302.227.8408. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram @RehobothArtLeague.