BmoreArt

This week’s news includes: BOPA announces the 2025 Sondheim Semifinalists, John Suau takes over for Nancy Proctor at The Peale, Baltimore Small Stage Coalition, ACC Baltimore show profiled on PBS, reporter Amy Davis confronts Baltimore Sun owner, Amy Sherald in The Guardian, Baltimoreans pick their books of the year, remembering John Ford, and NYE celebrations from the BSO and BOPA — with reporting from Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore Fishbowl, Baltimore Brew, and other local and independent news sources.

Header Image: Craft artists share their work at our Baltimore craft marketplace in 2020. Photos by Max Franz.

BOPA names 26 semifinalists for the 2025 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize
by Ed Gunts
Published December 23 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: Twenty-six semifinalists have been named for the 2025 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize, the prestigious visual arts competition that awards $30,000 to the winner.

Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the award, which is presented by the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) in partnership with the Walters Art Museum and supported by the Maryland State Arts Council.

The competition is limited to a visual artist or group of collaborators who live and work in the Baltimore region. Five finalists will be selected and their work will be exhibited at the Walters Art Museum starting in April 2025. The winner will be announced in late June.

The Peale names veteran arts executive John Suau to be its new executive director
by Ed Gunts
Published December 19 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: The Peale, Baltimore’s “Community Museum,” has named veteran arts executive John Suau to be its new executive director, effective Jan. 6.

Suau replaces founding director and chief strategy officer Nancy Proctor, who told the museum’s board of directors earlier this year that she wanted to step down. Over the past eight years, with various titles, Proctor has led an effort to reinvigorate the museum after a period of dormancy and uncertainty. With the Peale’s board, she oversaw the completion of a five-year, $5.5 million renovation of its historic home at 225 Holliday St. near City Hall, and she has been credited with redefining The Peale as a national model for community museums.

Baltimore Small Stage Coalition Unites the Local Theater Community, One Audition at a Time
by Laura Farmer
Published December 23 in Baltimore Magazine

Excerpt: The first thing you notice about the Fells Point Corner Theatre is that it’s not located on a corner at all. It occupies a former historic firehouse that’s easy to miss, located halfway down the block of a residential stretch of South Ann Street. Its bright red doors open to a cozy lobby adorned with show posters from its more than four decades of innovative programming.

In 1987, the Fells Point Corner Theatre was born from the merger of two smaller organizations: the Fells Point Theatre, a traditional community-based troupe that opened on South Broadway in 1970, and the Corner Theatre, an avant-garde company dating back to the 1960s that “did a lot of original, and more risqué, experimental work,” says Laura Malkus, who first performed at FPCT as a teenager and is now its president. It brought together the “commitment to local artists” of the former, she says, with the “bravery and ambition” of the latter.

Nearly four decades later, FPCT’s origin story is perhaps emblematic of a movement that’s now energizing the thriving local theater scene.

New Season & Episodes “Science” & “Collectors” This Fall on PBS
Airs December 27 on PBS

COLLECTORS reveals the essential role that craft appreciators play in the community, examining how collectors affirm and inspire the artists they support. The episode highlights collections from Chicano art to teapots to wooden spoons, looking at what drives collectors and how their support furthers artists at all stages of their careers.

The featured collectors and artists include Fleur Bresler, Judith Chernoff & Jeffrey Bernstein, Yolanda González, Sonny & Gloria Kamm, Cynthia Lockhart, Cheech Marin, Carolyn Mazloomi, Francisco Palomares, Frank Romero, Norm Sartorius, Peter Shire, Sara Vance Waddell, and Jaime “Germs” Zacarias.

Now streaming. PBS broadcast premiere Friday, December 27, 2024 (check local listings).

American Craft Council Show (Baltimore, MD)

In Baltimore, Maryland, we meet several dynamic young collectors and the artists they support at the American Craft Council’s annual show, American Craft Made Baltimore. This celebration of craft provides an opportunity for artists and collectors to meet in person and connect over the art that brings them together.

Brandishing fliers that call David Smith a union buster, a Baltimore Sun journalist confronts newspaper owner face to face
by Fern Shen
Published December 21 in Baltimore Brew

Excerpt: Watching their news organization’s daily drift to the right, increasing use of weird wire service copy and out-of-town TV station stories and the way their contract negotiations have stalled, Baltimore Sun staffers have lately taken to the streets to make their case against their new owner, David D. Smith.

Positioning themselves on a rain-soaked Baltimore sidewalk last night to pass out fliers calling Smith “a union buster,” nearly a dozen Guild members and supporters suddenly found themselves confronting the big boss himself.

Amy Davis was ready.

Amy Sherald: ‘Sublimity in Black life can be seen in our ability to persist’
by Veronica Esposito
Published November 26 in The Guardian

Excerpt: The portraitist Amy Sherald is largely known for two paintings she made of Black Americans whose lives have intersected with US history – the first was the official portrait of the former first lady Michelle Obama, and the second was a posthumous image of victim of police brutality, Breonna Taylor, whose murder was a significant factor in sparking the racial uprisings of 2020. Sherald is also well-known for her choice to render the skin color of her Black subjects in grisaille – that is, shades of gray.

Recognized as a major talent in the American art world, Sherald was given by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art a sizable survey exhibition, one that is worthy of her immense talent, dedication and originality. Titled Amy Sherald: American Sublime, the show collects nearly 50 of her works across the major sweep of her career since 2007, including the aforementioned portraits of Obama and Taylor. The show also features newly commissioned work that Sherald is debuting – these include the opening triptych Ecclesia (The Meeting of Inheritance and Horizons), as well as the closer Trans Forming Liberty in which Sherald poses a trans woman as the Statue of Liberty.

Mayor Scott, Laura Lippman and more tell us their favorite reads of the year
by Cody Boteler
Published December 23 in The Baltimore Banner

Excerpt: Earlier this year, we looked at the most popular books checked out of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.

The list wasn’t surprising, all things considered — lots of blockbuster fiction and Baltimore-related nonfiction books, including “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”

Popularity is only one measure, though. As someone with a stacked “to be read” pile and a voracious appetite for a book that’ll be hard to put down, I also wanted to know what folks’ favorite read of the year was. Read on for answers from the mayor, notable authors in town, a reality TV star and more.

… this story continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: Mayor Scott, Laura Lippman and more tell us their favorite reads of the year

John Ford, collector who gifted South Asian art to the Walters Art Museum, dies
by Cayla Harris
Published December 24 in The Baltimore Banner

Excerpt: John Gilmore Ford, who accumulated an extensive collection of South Asian art and shared it with the Baltimore public, has died.

At the Walters Art Museum, the Ford Gallery of Indian, Nepalese, and Tibetan Art is named for the collector and his wife, Berthe. Peter Bain, the president of the museum’s board of trustees, said Ford was an “ardent, longtime supporter” of the museum who, with his wife, “made a profound impact on the Walters with their transformative gift of South Asian Art to the museum.”

“The invaluable ways he’s enriched the Walters and the entire Baltimore arts community can be seen and felt by all who come to the museum and visit the Ford Gallery,” Bain said in an email.

… this story continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: The Peale’s new leader plans to bring innovation to the historic museum

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Lunar New Year Celebration Expands to North Bethesda for 2025
Press Release :: December 18

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) kicks off the Year of the Snake with its third annual Lunar New Year Concert and Celebration expanding to a second venue this year. After two successful years in Baltimore, the BSO will host performances on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 8:00 PM at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda.

After two successful years in Baltimore, this expansion marks an exciting milestone for the BSO’s commitment to providing vibrant, family-friendly programming that reflects the diverse communities it serves. Audiences at both venues will experience an unforgettable evening of music, culture, and celebration.

“Expanding our Lunar New Year celebration to Strathmore is an exciting way to bring people together through the shared experience of music,” said Mark C. Hanson, BSO President and CEO. “This event highlights the rich traditions of the Lunar New Year and underscores our dedication to providing inspiring performances to communities across the region.”

The celebration kicks off with pre-concert cultural dance performances and fashion showcases, delicious fare for purchase from Eli Mochi Donuts, Peter Changs and Strathmore Culinary Arts, photo opportunities and other family-friendly activities from guest exhibitors and activities community partners. String musicians from several area youth orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras (BSYO), Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras (MCYO), Howard County Youth Orchestras (HCYO), Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Peabody Preparatory, will provide the pre-concert sounds.

Under the baton of Naomi Woo, the concert features celebrated performers, including world-renowned violinist Esther Yoo, yangqin virtuoso Chao Tian, and host/narrator Dashan (Mark Rowswell). The evening’s program blends traditional and contemporary works, including a world premiere by Viet Cuong, co-commissioned by the BSO.

3^rd Annual Lunar New Year Concert and Celebration

Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 7PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 8 PM, The Music Center at Strathmore

Artists

Naomi Woo, conductor
Dashan 大山 (Mark Rowswell), host and narrator
Esther Yoo, violin
Chao Tian, yangqin

Repertoire

LI HUANZI Spring Festival Overture
FRANZ WAXMAN Carmen Fantasy
TRADITIONAL (IAIN FARRINGTON, arr.) Arirang Fantasy
HUANG RUO, “Flower Drum Song from Feng Yang” from Folk Songs for Orchestra
SUN CHANG Ballad of the Pipa

FELIX MENDELSSOHN Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream
HUANG HE & WANG SE (XIE PENG, arr.) Four Seasons: “Spring”
VIET CUONG Elevators [world premiere, BSO co-commission]
ZHOU TIAN Metropolis

For tickets and more information, visit https://bsomusic.org/lunarnewyear.

BOPA Announces Details of the 2024 New Year’s Eve Celebration
Press Release :: December 18

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) announces details for the 2024 New Year’s Eve Celebration at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. On Tuesday, December 31, festivities begin at the Amphitheater Stage at 7:00 p.m. with music by DJ Oji. Oji Morris aka The Original Man has been spinning records in Baltimore since 1987. Longtime local listeners might recognize his voice from hosting the prime$me radio show “The Underground Experience” Baltimore’s WEAA 88.9FM for over a decade.

The NYE celebration will also feature live music by The Experience. This powerhouse band fuses blues, rock, soul, funk, and gospel for a soul-shaking experience. Described as “a cross between a juke joint and church,” audiences will be moved by the group’s energy and passion. Following their performance, Mayor Brandon M. Scott will lead the New Year’s Eve countdown to kick off the fireworks at midnight.

Check transportation.baltimorecity.gov/news/traffic-advisories for street closures and restrictions.

For the latest updates on the 2024 New Year’s Eve Celebration, visit promotionandarts.org and follow BOPA on social media (@promoandarts).