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BmoreArt News: ‘For Freedoms’ NGA Residency, New Enoch Pratt CEO, Rally for the Soul of the Sun, and more!

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This week’s news includes:  ‘For Freedoms’ residency announced for the National Gallery of Art with the Corcoran, Chad Helton takes over at Enoch Pratt, BOPA update, Baltimore Sun Guild rally, The Shape of Power at SAAM, Nancy Proctor leaving The Peale, Academy Art Museum’s new director Charlotte Potter Kasic, Latinx artists at NGA, Elizabeth Talford Scott exhibition video, Sankofa Dance Theater performance + book launch at the BMA, BCS’s OH HAPPY DAY!, and the BSO’s fall lineup — with reporting from Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore Fishbowl, Baltimore Brew, and other local and independent news sources.

Header Image: Roberto Lugo, DNA Study Revisited, 2022, urethane resin life cast, foam, wire, and acrylic paint, 66 × 27 × 17 in. (167.6 × 68.6 × 43.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 2024.19

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Corcoran, For Freedoms, and NGA Residency

Corcoran School and National Gallery of Art Announce Pioneering Three-Year Artistic Residency for Artist-Led Organization For Freedoms
Press Release :: September 9

The National Gallery of Art and the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at the George Washington University proudly announce the launch of a three-year artist residency for artist-led collective For Freedoms, known for centering art as a catalyst for creative civic engagement and direct action. The residency fosters interdisciplinary collaboration to encourage innovative and accessible approaches to arts research and public practice. A series of dynamic programming and public events will mark the debut from October 4–6, 2024.

This is For Freedoms’ first joint residency and long-term collaboration with both a university and the National Gallery of Art, the nation’s art museum. Founded in 2016 by artists including Hank Willis Thomas, Michelle Woo, Eric Gottesman and Wyatt Gallery, For Freedoms is known for their public installations, billboards and other campaigns with more than 1,000 artists to date. Their mission is to center artistic expression as a spark to reshape conversations about politics and society and expand participation in democracy.

The residency will be anchored by the theme of interdependence. It is the first large-scale public program produced by the reimagined Corcoran School-National Gallery partnership, which initiated 40 educational events since its launch in fall 2023. Housed in the Corcoran and the National Gallery, with events across GW and DC, the fluid nature of the residency will elevate students and emerging artists through programming, research and education and extend beyond traditional art structures in Washington, DC.

The new residency will act as an interdisciplinary lab and curriculum for art making and interpretation, including a series of “gallery interventions” at the Corcoran and the National Gallery, open studio hours, faculty-class led engagements and podcasts over the next three years. It will encourage students, museum goers and the public to consider new ways of thinking and creating together.

The residency’s inaugural events from October 4–6, 2024 will feature performances, talks, installations, workshops on billboard and kite-making, and a procession from the National Gallery to the Corcoran. For Freedoms’ billboards will be on view alongside their first monograph, For Freedoms: Where Do We Go From Here? and photos of installations from all 50 states.

“At For Freedoms we believe the best art is visionary not reactionary, that it builds community, provokes reflection, and charts a pathway toward personal and collective transformation. We are so excited to be in joint residency at GW’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design and the National Gallery of Art. This opportunity will give us the space to imagine what a visionary culture of civic joy might look like decades from now, in a future artists already inhabit, and one that society depends on artists’ vision to realize,” says Eric Gottesman, co-founder of For Freedoms.

In the newly renovated galleries of the second floor of Corcoran’s Flagg Building, artists will facilitate an “engagement room,” a working space filled with prompts and questions to inspire conversations and action, with activations to follow throughout DC. This year, artists, faculty and students will also work with the National Gallery to develop programming that creates accessible audience engagement with the museum’s expansive collection. Throughout the residency, artists will create collaborative spaces at both institutions to enrich and reimagine traditional museum practices.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with For Freedoms and the National Gallery to launch this residency, the first in our new interdisciplinary home for creativity, experimentation, and research. By integrating student, faculty and community voices into our programming, the partnership seeks to cultivate systematic change and foster a sustained impact across our organizations,” says Lauren Onkey, director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at GW. “It will benefit GW’s next generation of students and the National Gallery’s millions of visitors.”

“This partnership reflects the shared belief in our institutions that art can act as a tool for civic and creative engagement,” said Kate Haw, Executive Officer, Exhibitions, Programs, and Audience Engagement at the National Gallery of Art. “The For Freedoms residency ushers in the next phase of our collaboration with the Corcoran, provides a unique opportunity for experimental learning and creative exploration across our communities, and supports the National Gallery’s expanding work with living artists.”

Other public programming at the Corcoran School this fall includes the Corcoran Music Festival and “93 Fragments,” an exhibition with the Washington Project of the Arts. Since GW acquired the Corcoran School and Flagg Building in 2014, the Corcoran has hosted over 50 exhibitions and over 500 performances, talks and other events, reaching 50,000 students and visitors.

For more information about the partnership and upcoming events, please visit corcoran.gwu.edu/national-gallery.

About For Freedoms
For Freedoms is an artist-led organization that centers art as a catalyst for creative civic engagement, discourse and direct action. Founded in 2016 by a coalition of artists including Hank Willis Thomas, Eric Gottesman, Michelle Woo, and Wyatt Gallery, For Freedoms is dedicated to fostering an environment of listening, healing, and justice through a wide range of creative engagement. For Freedoms works closely with a variety of artists, organizations, institutions and brands to expand what participation in a democracy looks like and reshape conversations about politics. Learn more at www.forfreedoms.org.

About the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design
The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at the George Washington University is dedicated to educating the next generation of cultural leaders. Part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the school functions as an incubator for artists, designers and scholars, who learn from internationally renowned faculty at the intersection of creativity and social innovation. The school offers 22 undergraduate and graduate degrees in art history, design, interior architecture, museum studies, music, fine arts, theater and dance.

About the National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art welcomes all people to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Nearly four million people come through its doors each year—with millions more online—making it one of the most visited art museums in the world. The National Gallery’s renowned collection includes nearly 160,000 works of art, from the ancient world to today. Admission to the West and East Buildings, Sculpture Garden, special exhibitions, and public programs is always free.

 

 

Roberto Lugo, DNA Study Revisited, 2022, urethane resin life cast, foam, wire, and acrylic paint, 66 × 27 × 17 in. (167.6 × 68.6 × 43.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 2024.19

First Exhibition To Examine the Intertwined Histories of American Sculpture and Race Opens Nov. 8 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Press Release :: October 1

“The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum examines for the first time the role of sculpture in understanding and constructing the concept of race in the United States over nearly three centuries. Featuring 70 artists whose work crosses time, scale and media, the exhibition brings together American sculpture in its many forms to explore the ways in which it has shaped and reflected attitudes and understandings about race, and has served as an expression of resistance, liberation and a vital means for reclaiming identity. The exhibition includes 82 sculptures created between 1792 and 2023 ranging in size from palm-sized coins to monumental statues created from diverse media such as bronze, marble, shoes, paper and hair.

Judith Baca, Rina Banerjee, Ed Bereal, Huma Bhabha, Sanford Biggers, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Sonya Clark, Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Nicholas Galanin, Raven Halfmoon, Luis Jiménez, Simone Leigh, Yolanda López, Roberto Lugo, Pepón Osorio, Betye Saar, Alison Saar and Nari Ward, among other contemporary artists, have work displayed alongside works by artists who were active in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including Daniel Chester French, Sargent Johnson, Edmonia Lewis, Isamu Noguchi, Hiram Powers, Frederic Remington and Augusta Savage.

“The Shape of Power” will be on view from Nov. 8 through Sept. 14, 2025. The Smithsonian American Art Museum is the sole venue for this groundbreaking exhibition.

“As stewards of the largest collection of American sculpture in the world, SAAM has a vital responsibility to foster conversations about the role sculpture has played in shaping our ideas of race in the United States, from its historical roots to contemporary perspectives by leading artists of the times in which these works were created,” said Jane Carpenter-Rock, acting director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “The presentation of the artworks in ‘The Shape of Power’ exhibition are an invitation to think deeply and openly to engage with ideas that are crucial to our understanding of the past and our present.”

“American sculpture remains an understudied area of art history with the last major publication to survey the medium’s development in the United States dating back more than 50 years ago,” said Karen Lemmey, the Lucy S. Rhame Curator of Sculpture at the museum. “‘The Shape of Power’ and its accompanying publication offers new scholarship that provides a fuller picture of American art history and a more nuanced understanding of our nation’s past and present.”

The exhibition is organized to allow for juxtapositions of historical and contemporary works that invite dialogue and reflection on notions of power and identity. This includes works ranging from Edmonia Lewis’ “Hagar in the Wilderness” (1875) that depicts the biblical story of an enslaved woman, to Roberto Lugo’s life-size self-portrait “DNA Study Revisited” (2022) painted head to toe in patterns representative of his ancestors and proportional to the percentage in his family’s heritage. Taken together, the works on view express the special capacity of sculpture to give palpable physical form to how concepts of race have been reflected, defined and redefined in the United States.

“The Shape of Power” draws extensively on works from the museum’s collection, which is the largest collection of American sculpture in the world. The exhibition includes key loans from private and public collections, including the American Numismatic Society; Chrysler Museum of Art; El Museo del Barrio; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

The exhibition is organized by Lemmey; Tobias Wofford, associate professor of art history at Virginia Commonwealth University; and Grace Yasumura, assistant curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Planning the exhibition included an unprecedented collaborative effort that engaged a range of scholarly and community partners who provided insights that helped guide the themes and interpretive elements. The curatorial team engaged with colleagues at museums across the Smithsonian Institution to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on the exhibition’s theme, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of the American Indian; the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience; students and faculty at Howard University and members of George Mason University’s student organization the Native American and Indigenous Alliance; as well as nearly all 39 living artists participating in the show. Members of the exhibition’s advisory council, composed of interdisciplinary scholars who teach in different regions across the country, contributed to the catalog. A free exhibition audio guide features the voices of artists, university students and curators.

The exhibition extends beyond the traditional suite of galleries to include monumental sculptures on long-term view at the museum, including the recently unveiled installation “Bridge” (2013–2014) by Los Angeles-based artist Glenn Kaino, which pays tribute to Olympian Tommie Smith’s historic gesture at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games; and Luis Jiménez’s work installed outside the museum entrance, “Vaquero” (modeled 1980, cast 1990), which translates to cowboy in Spanish and emphasizes the Spanish and Mexican roots of this classic American icon. A printed gallery guide is available to orient visitors to these spaces.

Public Programs

Ahead of the exhibition opening, the museum will present a screening of the 2020 documentary With Drawn Arms followed by a panel discussion Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 6:30 p.m. as part of its programming related to the recently installed aerial sculpture “Bridge” (2013–2014). The program features Olympian Tommie Smith, the filmmaker and artist Glenn Kaino and sports journalist and professor Kevin Blackistone, in conversation with Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III. A staff-led conversation about the sculpture will take place Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. in the museum’s Luce Foundation Center.

To mark the opening of the exhibition Friday, Nov. 8, the museum will host an open house with gallery talks by the organizing curators as well as selected artists from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Additional information about related programming will be available on the museum’s website as details are confirmed.

Publication

This exhibition catalog is co-published by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Princeton University Press. It is written by Lemmey, Wofford and Yasumura with contributions by Renée Ater, Jacqueline Francis, Elizabeth Hutchinson, Tess Korobkin, Jami Powell, James Smalls and Claudia E. Zapata. The book is available for purchase ($65) in the museum’s store and online.

 

 

Chad Helton, President and CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. (Ariel Zambelich/The Baltimore Banner)

Pratt Library’s unconventional new CEO is out to change lives
by Justin Fenton
Published September 30 in The Baltimore Banner

The new head of the Enoch Pratt Free Library says his career in libraries didn’t start with a lifelong love of reading or a youth spent lingering among the stacks.

Instead, Chad Helton says he sees libraries as an agent of change in people’s lives, something he experienced himself. He landed on his career a decade after he dropped out of college and spent years couch surfing and taking odd jobs.

“I really view the library as a place of social impact,” he said.

After a national search, the Pratt Libraries boards selected Helton as president and CEO of the 142-year-old city library system. Pratt announced that the central library on Cathedral Street will be closed Monday — Helton’s first day — because of a nearby underground fire that disrupted power.

He follows Heidi Daniel, who held the position for seven years and now leads the King County Public Library in Washington state, and Carla Hayden, who spent 23 years in charge before becoming the head of the U.S. Library of Congress.

Helton has been working as a consultant since resigning amid controversy from his role as director of Minnesota’s Hennepin County Library system, which includes Minneapolis. Much of the time he held that job, from August 2020 to February 2022, he lived in Los Angeles.

Christine Espenshade, chair of the Pratt’s boards of trustees & directors, said Helton stood out as the right choice because of his background in guiding libraries through large building projects. His resume notes that as a consultant he steered a nearly $10 million renovation project for the main library in Richmond, California.

“We were looking at individuals with extensive capital experience, we went through the process and Chad really rose to the top as having a lot of these key skills that can take us forward with our strategic plan,” Espenshade said.

The Pratt boards’ goals for Helton include pursuing a “massive capital undertaking” of raising $200 million, Espenshade said.

Helton said he’s not worried about hitting that goal.

“Considering all the work the library does, I really do believe that it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge getting that done,” he said.

Nor did he say he was particularly concerned about infrastructure. He said one of the three facilities he had toured as of Thursday had a broken elevator. On Thursday, the central library had a power outage that caused the cancellation of a major event.

“All libraries have facilities challenges,” he said.

A native of North Carolina, Helton said he had relatives in Baltimore and would visit regularly. He said he has moved to a downtown city neighborhood and will walk to work.

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

See also:

From homelessness to library leadership, former Hennepin County Library head tapped to lead Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library
by Marcus Dieterle
Published September 30 in Baltimore Fishbowl

 

 

Baltimore Sun Guild to Rally for Workers’ Rights and Journalistic Integrity Amid Union-Busting Tactics
Published October 1 by Washington-Baltimore News Guild

Following the unjust firing of a coworker and disgraceful union-busting proposals that continue to be raised by management at the bargaining table, The Baltimore Sun Guild and supporters will rally for the soul of The Sun – its workers – at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 5 at McKeldin Square in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor (101 E. Pratt St.).

Leaders at the newspaper and community allies will gather to support the Guild’s ongoing efforts for a new, fair contract with The Baltimore Sun’s management. Join us to listen to speakers, and show support for the union workers who make the newspaper possible — reporters, photographers, designers, sales representatives and customer service representatives.

Our ongoing fight is not solely about a strong contract that protects workers on the job, but is also about preserving journalistic integrity, given sliding standards under new ownership.

The Guild has presented good faith proposals for an updated contract, but the company has responded with egregious proposals, including thinly veiled efforts to wrest power from Guild members and slash fundamental job securities that make us a union – like seniority protections during a layoff and the requirement of just and sufficient cause for dismissal.

Additionally, The Sun’s ethical standards have quickly shifted under new ownership. Simple journalistic principles have been ignored, particularly in stories published by Sinclair Media Group. When one Guild member and leader, Maddi O’Neill, internally highlighted some of those now-ignored standards, she was fired. Management capitalized upon the fact that Maddi, still in her probationary period as a recent hire, did not have full union protection.

The Baltimore Sun Guild will not be intimidated by the dismissal of a member for speaking up about the importance of integrity, nor by efforts to remove job protections from our contract.

RSVP for the Oct. 5 rally: bit.ly/sunrally

Community members and Sun readers can also voice their concerns and support of the Guild by writing a letter to owners David Smith and Armstrong Williams.

 

 

BOPA and Mayor Brandon Scott disagree over who was given a $1.5 million state grant to help pay for Artscape in 2023. (Ronica Edwards/The Baltimore Banner)

A fight over $1.5M could cause Baltimore to break-up with BOPA
by Hallie Miller, Lee O. Sanderlin and John-John Williams IV
Published September 30 in The Baltimore Banner

Excerpt: Mayor Brandon Scott threatened Monday to end the city’s relationship with the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts after its CEO suggested Scott’s office was partly responsible for the nonprofit’s current financial peril.

The dispute centers on a $1.5 million state grant given to the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture to help stage Artscape in 2023. BOPA CEO Rachel D. Graham said the money was meant for the organization and is reflected as expected revenue in its books; the mayor’s office said it was a restricted grant that was always meant for the city to spend.

BOPA announced earlier this month that the organization was insolvent and asked the city for a $1.8 million bailout — slightly more than the disputed grant amount. City funding makes up more than two-thirds of the arts council’s $4.7 million in revenue.

Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: A fight over $1.5M could cause Baltimore to break-up with BOPA

 

 

Nancy Proctor, The Peale's Chief Strategy Officer and founding director. Photo by Ed Gunts.

Nancy Proctor stepping down as Chief Strategy Officer of The Peale, Baltimore’s ‘community museum’
by Ed Gunts
Published September 27 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: After nearly eight years with various titles, Nancy Proctor is preparing to step down as Chief Strategy Officer of The Peale, Baltimore’s “community museum.”

The Peale’s Board of Directors has launched a nationwide search and set Sept. 30 as the deadline for applications from people interested in the position of Executive Director of the organization.

Proctor told the board in June that she wanted to step down once her successor is hired. She has said she will work with the board and staff to find the right candidate and help with the transition. The board is aiming to at least identify a new director by Jan. 1.

 

 

Charlotte Potter Kasic announced as new Director of the Academy Art Museum
Newsletter :: November 26

Currently serving as Executive Director of the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Charlotte is an accomplished administrator and visual artist, whose medium is glass. During her tenure as Glass Studio Manager and Programming Director at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, she pioneered the field of performance glass. An avid educator, Potter Kasic founded the Assistantship Program at the Chrysler and taught glass and new media courses at universities and summer programs such as Penland School of Crafts and Oxbow School of Art.

Founded in 1958, and with an annual operating budget of $1.6 million, the Academy Art Museum (AAM) is a small museum that punches well above its weight. As the only art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the museum has served as the region’s artistic locus since its founding and takes seriously its mandate to expose local audiences to visual art experiences that are intellectually rigorous, accessible, and engaging. Today, it operates in a 24,000 square foot complex, is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and draws 30,000-45,000 visitors annually.

In accepting this position, Potter Kasic said, “As I step into this new role, I am particularly excited to reconnect with my artistic roots and engage with the Museum’s studio programs and to foster an enhanced  dynamic relationship between classes and the exhibition schedule. This holistic approach to programming is integral to my vision for expanding the Museum’s educational and cultural impact.”

Charlotte has an Honors MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and a Cum Laude BFA from Alfred University.

 

 

Soledad Salamé, Gulf Distortion XII, 2011, color screenprint with interference pigments on plastic film, Gift of Bob Stana and Tom Judy, 2016.148.46

9 Latinx Artists to Know
Published by National Gallery of Art

Excerpt: The styles of these artists are as diverse as their heritages. They work in performance, printmaking, photography, painting, and more. Their art pushes boundaries and challenges norms.

Working across the United States over the past 100 or so years, these artists experiment with materials and speak to issues including migration, identity, and the environment. They address difficult histories, celebrate Indigenous heritage, and advocate for human rights.

Discover nine artists in our collection to get just a taste of the contributions Latinx artists have made in the United States.

 

 

still from video

“No Stone Left Unturned: The Elizabeth Talford Scott Initiative” [Video]
Eyewinkers, Tumbleturds, and Candlebugs: The Art of Elizabeth Talford Scott Exhibition Video
Videographer Levi Lewis

Excerpt: Twenty-five years ago, the Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA) inaugural Exhibition Development Seminar (EDS) organized a landmark retrospective of Elizabeth Talford Scott’s vibrant mixed-media fiber works that brought significant recognition to the artist and modeled innovative community-centered approaches to curation and interpretation.

From February through May 2024, EDS students guided by instructor Deyane Moses organized “No Stone Left Unturned: The Elizabeth Talford Scott Initiative,” expanding the recognition of Talford Scott’s oeuvre with presentations of her work at Baltimore-area institutions that had a significant history with the artist and/or EDS: Cryor Art Gallery at Coppin State University, George Peabody Library of Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC), Decker Gallery at MICA, JELMA-James E. Lewis Museum of Art at Morgan State University, The Peale, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, the Walters Art Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The BMA partnered with MICA and the Estate of Elizabeth Talford Scott at Goya Contemporary to create an exhibition guest-curated by MICA Curator-in-Residence Emeritus George Ciscle and organized by BMA Associate Curator of Contemporary Art Cecilia Wichmann in dialogue with EDS students. On view November 12, 2023 through April 28, 2024 at the BMA, and borrowing the same title as the original exhibition, Eyewinkers, Tumbleturds, and Candlebugs: The Art of Elizabeth Talford Scott featured 19 stunning works by the artist, four of which are from the BMA’s collection.

 

 

Sankofa Dance Theater, 1998. Events Photograph Collection, Archives and Manuscripts Collections, Baltimore Museum of Art

BMA Hosts Rare Sankofa Dance Theater Performances and Workshops in Conjunction with November Book Launch
Press Release :: September 26

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) is proud to host two weekends of free workshops and ticketed performances by the acclaimed Sankofa Dance Theater on Sunday, November 17 and Sunday, November 24. These events are presented in conjunction with the release of Sankofa Dance Theater: 30 Years of Music Movement and Folkways, a limited-edition hardcover book that chronicles the troupe’s powerful history as a cultural ambassador in Baltimore and West Africa.

Sankofa Dance Theater has not performed together as a full ensemble since 2010, making this an incredibly rare and special event. Both performances will feature an intergenerational ensemble of performers, many of whom have danced with the company since the 1990s when they were teenagers. The shows will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the BMA’s Meyerhoff Auditorium and tickets are available online through Eventbrite for $28.52 per person (including fees). A performance and signed book ticket is also available for $108.55. Free drum workshops will be led by Sankofa artistic directors King Salim Ajanku and Jumoke Ajanku at 10 a.m. and free dance workshops will be led by Sankofa founder Kibibi Ajanku and other veteran dancers from the troupe at 11 a.m. These will also be held in the BMA’s auditorium and prior drumming or dance experience is not required to participate. All ages are welcome and pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Drums will be provided.

The 200-page Sankofa Dance Theater: 30 Years of Music Movement and Folkways coffee table book, co-authored by Sankofa founder Kibibi Ajanku and art historian Angela N. Carroll with contributions from Dr. Leslie King Hammond and Dr. Kokahvah Zauditu-Selassie, explores the artistic journey of the company over three decades and captures the essence of Sankofa’s performances, workshops, and community engagements through rare archival photographs, personal narratives, and ephemera. Copies of the book will be available through the BMA Shop in November for $75, and can be pre-ordered online.

 

 

The cast of Oh Happy Day, featuring James T. Alfred, Tamika Lawrence, Justin Sturgis, and Jordan E Cooper Credit: Teresa Castracane

OH HAPPY DAY! at Baltimore Center Stage Announces Extension
Press Release :: September 27

Due to popular demand, Baltimore Center Stage is announcing additional performances of Jordan E. Cooper’s new play with music, OH HAPPY DAY! This production, in association with New York’s The Public Theatre, features original songs by Donald Lawrence and reunites Cooper with BCS Artistic Director Stevie Walker-Webb for the first time since their collaboration on Broadway’s Ain’t No Mo’. The show will now run through October 20, 2024.

An impending flood is the least of one family’s troubles in this outrageous reimagining of Noah’s Ark. OH HAPPY DAY!, written by and starring Cooper, begins in Laurel, Mississippi at a Birthday BBQ for Lewis, the patriarch of the family. When his estranged son Keyshawn (played by Cooper) makes a surprise appearance, family secrets unravel on a day that will change their world forever.

The show features new original music by gospel legend Donald Lawrence, best known for his Grammy Award-nominated songs “The Blessing of Abraham” and “Encourage Yourself”. Lawrence has received multiple Grammy and Stellar Award honors and served as vocal coach to the R&B group En Vogue, was the musical director for Stephanie Mills, songwriter for The Clark Sisters, and collaborator with a host of artists including Peabo Bryson, Kirk Franklin, Karen Clark Sheard, Donnie McClurkin, and Mary J. Blige.

OH HAPPY DAY! has been featured as one of the season’s must see theatrical performances in The New York Times and on CBS Sunday Morning.

Ticketing Information

Single tickets can be purchased at centerstage.org or by calling 410.332.0033. Patrons can also visit the box office, located at 700 North Calvert Street.<

Added performances are 10/17 at 7PM; 10/18 at 7PM; 10/19 at 7PM, and 10/20 at 2:30PM.

More About the Show

Cooper’s first play, the jubilantly disruptive Ain’t No Mo’, was directed by Walker-Webb on Broadway. Their acclaimed partnership was rewarded with six Tony nominations, including Best Play and Best Director, plus winning the Obie Award for Best Play. Baltimore Center Stage proudly reunites Cooper and Walker-Webb for the world premiere of their newest collaboration.

Listed in this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30, Cooper has been hailed as one of the most illuminating and groundbreaking new voices of the American theater. He is currently the youngest Black American playwright in the history of Broadway, as well as the youngest Black showrunner in television history. Ain’t No Mo’ originally debuted to a sold out run at The Public Theater in 2019 and in December 2022 opened on Broadway to resounding acclaim, marking Jordan’s Broadway debut both off stage and on – starring as the hilarious and bossy flight attendant “Peaches.”

In addition, Jordan co-created, executive produces and directs the Emmy-nominated “The Ms. Pat Show,” which is hailed by critics as “one of the most radical sitcoms of the modern era.” The hit, multi-cam series returns to BET+ for its third season this February. Jordan was also featured on the final season of FX’s groundbreaking series “Pose” as “MC Tyrone” and has his own production company, Cookout Entertainment.

The cast includes Jordan as “Keyshawn,” James T. Alfred as “Lewis,” Tamika Lawrence as “Niecy,” Justin Sturgis as “Kevin,” and Latrice Pace, Courtney Monet and Tiya Askia as “The Divines”.

The production’s creative team includes Walker-Webb as Director, Antwan L. Hawkins, Jr. (aka Greeyo) as Assistant Director, Daniel Rudin as Music Director, Charlique C. Rolle as Choreographer, Luciana Stecconi as Scenic Designer, Celeste Jennings as Costume Designer, Adam Honoré as Lighting Designer, Taylor J. Williams as Sound Designer, Jack Golden as Assistant Scenic Designer, Channing Tucker as Assistant Costume Designer, Shannon Clarke as Associate Lighting Designer, Jakob W. Plummer as Production Stage Manager, Monét Thibou as Assistant Stage Manager, and Sharon Zheng as Production Assistant.

See also:

‘Oh Happy Day!’ at Center Stage sets Noah’s Ark afloat in modern-day Mississippi
by Karen Nitkin
Published October 1 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: After several years of pandemic woes and leadership churn, Baltimore Center Stage is promising a fresh and ambitious start, led by artistic director Stevie Walker-Webb.

As the inaugural play of Walker-Webb’s inaugural season, “Oh Happy Day!” certainly delivers — and it’s more than appropriate that it’s a riff on Noah’s Ark, the ultimate do-over tale.

The 90-minute world premiere, written by and starring Jordan E. Cooper, takes place in modern-day Mississippi and dives deep into questions of love and family, church and God, identity and free will.

 

 

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Unveils Diverse October 2024 Concert Lineup, From Broadway Hits to Halloween Thrills
Press Release :: October 1

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is excited to share a dynamic series of performances throughout October offering something for everyone—from Broadway blockbusters and world-class classical concerts to family-friendly events and spooky Halloween entertainment. The upcoming month promises unforgettable musical experiences with some of classical music’s top talents and beloved works.

Blockbuster Broadway

Experience Broadway’s most iconic songs with show-stopping tunes from Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Jersey Boys, The Sound of Music, Chicago, CATS, The Lion King, and A Chorus Line all, performed by top New York vocalists. It’s the ultimate Broadway show tune extravaganza!

  • Friday, October 4, 2024, 8 PM, The Music Center at Strathmore
  • Saturday, October 5, 2024, 8 PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
  • Sunday, October 6, 3 PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Music Box: All Aboard

Pack your bags! We are hitting the road on cars, trains, and boats with the BSO Brass Quintet and host Maria Broom. Get ready to sing, dance, and be moved on this fun-filled musical journey perfect for families and young audiences in this 30-minute program.

  • Saturday, October 5, 10 AM & 11:30 AM, BlackRock Center for the Arts
  • Saturday, October 12, 2024, 10 AM & 11:30 AM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Mozart & Schumann

Juanjo Mena, hailed as “intensely musical” (The Classical Review), conducts a program featuring French composer Louise Farrenc’s Overture No. 2, followed by Lucas and Arthur Jussen, the piano duo extraordinaire, who will perform Mozart’s sparkling Concerto for Two Pianos. Schumann’s brooding Symphony No. 4 rounds out this captivating evening of classical elegance.

  • Thursday, October 10, 8 PM, The Music Center at Strathmore
  • Sunday, October 13, 3 PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Mariachi Vargas 

Experience the vibrant and iconic sounds of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, known worldwide as the greatest mariachi ensemble. This special performance offers a unique opportunity to experience the cultural richness of Mexico through music.  (Please note the BSO does not perform at this event)

  • Friday, October 18, 8 PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Alsop Conducts Chopin & Prokofiev

BSO Music Director Laureate Marin Alsop returns to the podium for a program that features BSO Composer in Residence James Lee III’s powerful Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan, Chopin’s masterful Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Hayato Sumino, and Prokofiev’s dramatic Symphony No. 4.

  • Thursday, October 17, 7:30 PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
  • Saturday, October 19, 8 PM, The Music Center at Strathmore
  • Sunday, October 20, 3 PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Play Me a Ghost Story

Do you like spooky tales? How about spine-tingling music? Then gather ’round the bonfire for a thrilling afternoon of symphonic ghost stories with the BSO, Edgar Allan Poe, and other eerie apparitions. Featuring the music of Gustav Mahler, Lou Reed, and Jim Stephenson, this hauntingly fun program will captivate young audiences with ghostly tales and thrilling orchestral sounds.  Costumes are encouraged for this Halloween celebration and stay after the concert for a trunk-or-treat with BSO Musicians.

  • Saturday, October 26, 11 AM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” In Concert

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will present Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” In Concert, featuring a screening of Disney’s timeless holiday classic. The film follows the earnest-but-misguided adventures of Jack Skellington, Halloween Town’s beloved Pumpkin King, as he attempts to take over the Christmas holiday. The BSO performs Danny Elfman’s GRAMMY®-winning musical score live while the film plays on the big screen, making for a truly magical experience.

  • Friday, October 25, 7:30 PM, The Music Center at Strathmore
  • Saturday, October 26, 7:30 PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
  • Sunday, October 27, 3 PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Tickets are available at BSOmusic.org. For complimentary press tickets, please contact the BSO Press Office.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall |1212 Cathedral Street| Baltimore, MD 21201
The Music Center at Strathmore | 5301 Tuckerman Lane | North Bethesda, MD 20852
BlackRock Center for the Arts | 12901 Town Commons Drive | Germantown, MD 20874

About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. The orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings, and educational outreach initiatives, including OrchKids.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout the State of Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra performing its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas.

In July 2022, the BSO made history with the announcement that Jonathon Heyward would succeed Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder Marin Alsop as the Orchestra’s next Music Director. Maestro Heyward began his inaugural season in September 2023.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras. More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org.

 

 

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