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BmoreArt News: MDFF Receives NEA Grant, Ira Glass, BMA Acquisitions

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This week’s news includes: MDFF receives $20k in grant funding from the NEA, Ira Glass’s magical Baltimore memories, new acquisitions at the BMA, BOPA news, the ghost of H.L. Menken, the BSO hits a high note, daring to dream with Lady Brion, breaking creative barriers with Amy L. Bernstein, Great Blacks in Wax celebrates MLK, Everyman Theatre remembers Stan Weiman, Amitav Ghosh to speak at Loyola Humanities Symposium, the Maryland Opera Heritage Series, and BCPS renews contract with Baltimore Design School — with reporting from Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore Fishbowl, Baltimore Brew, and other local and independent news sources.

Header Image: The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra during a performance of “The Princess Bride.” (Eric Thompson for The Baltimore Banner)

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Maryland Film Festival to Receive 20k Award from the National Endowment for the Arts
Press Release :: January 14

The Maryland Film Festival is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $20,000. This grant will support the Maryland Film Festival and associated public programming. The NEA will award 1,127 Grants for Arts Projects awards nationwide totaling more than $31.8 million as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants.

“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including the Maryland Film Festival and its year-round programming.” Festival Director KJ Mohr responded, “We are honored to accept this award to use in bringing together emerging filmmakers and the daring work that they create with our curious audiences. The support that we have received from the National Endowment for the Arts is fundamentally important for our communities, not only for the artists and attendees whom we serve, but as a symbol of support for the ongoing dialogue around moving image that MdFF fosters.”

The Maryland Film Festival, held annually at the historic SNF Parkway Theatre, is expanding its vision to better serve Baltimore’s creative community. Building on its strong foundation in film, the Parkway will broaden its programming to include live performances, educational initiatives, new media, and gaming experiences. The updated strategy focuses on creating dynamic events, fostering local talent through resources and workshops, and partnering with community organizations to amplify access and engagement. This renewed vision ensures the Parkway remains a vital cultural hub, enriching Baltimore’s arts and storytelling landscape for years to come.

For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

 

 

Radio host and Baltimore native Ira Glass as a young magician. (Courtesy of Ira Glass)

‘This American Life’ host Ira Glass on the magic of Baltimore
by Brenna Smith
Published January 12 in The Baltimore Banner

There is a sort of magic in storytelling, and few have mastered it better than “This American Life” host Ira Glass.

Since the mid-1990s, the nationally syndicated public radio program has blended heartfelt confessions, poignant reporting and quirky detours into something that helps listeners make sense of our country and its people.

But what most people don’t realize is that Glass, 65, isn’t just a figurative magician. He was, at one time, an actual magician. A boy magician. And, more precisely, a Baltimore boy magician.

To understand how Glass transformed from Baltimore’s pint-sized Houdini to the storyteller who captivates millions of listeners most every week, you have to start where it all began — with his family’s roots in a corner grocery store on Bayard Street. With a young man desperate to escape Baltimore County. And with the city itself — the place that first fostered his love for storytelling.

Our ears perked up when Glass mentioned on a recent episode of his show that he’d been a boy magician. So The Baltimore Banner turned the tables on the famous host. Right from the beginning, the interview went about as you’d expect.

“Tell me about your family’s history in Maryland.”

“You’re automatically starting with something that I actually don’t know the details of,” he said, before seamlessly launching into an impressively detailed breakdown of the Glasses in Baltimore. His great-grandparents arrived in Baltimore in the late 19th century, part of a wave of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and Germany.

His father’s side opened a corner grocery store near Carroll Park. They lived above it, with several generations taking turns working the aisles below. The store slaughtered chickens, an activity etched so deeply in his father’s and uncle’s memories that they both swore off eating chicken for the rest of their lives.

On his mother’s side, the Politzer family — which, according to Glass, is distantly related to the Pulitzer family — had its own hardworking legacy. His grandfather spent World War II in the shipyards of Fells Point before opening Ye Village Hardware Store, a family staple in Baltimore from about 1955 to 1973.

His parents, Barry Glass and Shirley Politzer, both attended the University of Maryland, where his father worked as a radio DJ at age 19. For a time, his father’s voice filled Baltimore’s airwaves as a local DJ, but the year Ira was born, he swapped the microphone for spreadsheets, becoming an accountant.

When an adolescent Ira Glass wandered into the library at the corner of Old Court and Liberty Road, he wasn’t expecting to stumble upon a treasure trove. But there it was: an entire shelf dedicated to books about magic tricks.

“It was crazy to me that anybody could get these books and then you could do these incredible things,” Glass said.

He checked out as many as he could, taught himself a handful of tricks, and started advertising in the Baltimore Jewish Times. His parents chauffeured him to his first few shows, where he charged a modest $5 for his act. Then, the phone rang. It was another magician — a grown-up.

“And he’s like, who are you? Because he also was trying to work at kids’ parties, and then he saw some competition,” Glass said. The magician left him with two pieces of advice: Stop undercutting your prices, and come to Yogi Magic Mart on Saturday.

Glass followed both suggestions. He eventually started charging as much as $15 per show and became a regular at Yogi’s, where Baltimore’s magicians, young and old, swapped secrets and perfected their craft.

Most Saturdays, Glass climbed the store’s windy, dusty stairs where illusions and tricks hung on the walls like trophies. Behind the counter, shopkeepers stood ready to break down each magic trick, step by step, as if unveiling the mysteries of the universe.

For years, Glass found success as a young magician and performed across greater Baltimore. At one point he even performed for Michael Jackson.

“I just thought, like, ‘I can put on a show,’” Glass said. “And obviously that instinct kept through and kind of built me into who I am today.”

For years, every trip Glass took down Old Court Road in Baltimore County was like flipping through a scrapbook.

“There was something nice about driving around a place that was sort of radioactive,” he said.

The Baskin Robbins where he scooped ice cream at his first job. The cemetery he often biked through, trying not to flinch at the gravestones. The library where he found the books that sparked his magic career.

By his 30s and 40s, though, Baltimore had become more of a distant memory, the kind of place you think about fondly but don’t particularly miss. Which, of course, had been his goal all along.

“When I was a kid, I just wanted to get out of Baltimore, really,” Glass said. “I had no idea what else might exist, but I definitely wanted to go.”

His career took him first to NPR in Washington, then to WBEZ in Chicago, where “This American Life” became his signature creation, and finally to New York City, where he lives today.

Whenever he returned to Baltimore, he was struck, he said, by how different it felt from the city he’d left behind.

As his parents aged and he began returning to Maryland more frequently, the pulse of nostalgia started to fade. The differences between Baltimore and everywhere else seemed smaller. New memories began to take root: caring for his ailing parents, taking his father and stepmother to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Baltimore, once glowing from the past, softened into something simpler. The city, like magic, was no longer a bygone memory. It was his hometown.

“I have nothing but fond feelings for Baltimore,” Glass said. “If you’re from Baltimore, you just don’t get too big for your britches. That’s built into you.”

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

 

 

Shahzia Sikander. ERA. 2024. Baltimore Museum of Art, Sidney M. Friedberg Acquisitions Endowment for Prints and Drawings. © Shahzia Sikander

BMA Announces Approximately 75 Acquisitions Across Medium, Time, and Culture
Press Release :: January 9

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) announced today the acquisition of approximately 75 works, spanning time, culture, and geography and capturing a spectrum of artistic innovation. The acquisitions reflect the museum’s ongoing commitment to diversifying its collection with works by artists from the Baltimore region and across the globe, allowing for greater cross-cultural storytelling and reflecting a depth of creative ingenuity. Among the new acquisitions are a textile by Mary Ellen Crisp; paintings by Mark Thomas Gibson and Lubaina Himid; works on paper by Chitra Ganesh, Rania Matar, Natani Notah (Diné), Shahzia Sikander, and Lorna Simpson; photographs by Tamiko Nishimura and Gail Thacker; sculpture by Cheryl Pope and Lucia Hierro; and a new commission by Robell Awake—a rising star of the furniture world, who uses 19th-century African American chairmaking forms and techniques to create contemporary works that speak to the imagination of Black makers across time.

The BMA’s longstanding investment in artists with ties to the Baltimore region continues with the acquisitions of works by Linda Bills, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, and Sara VanDerBeek. The group also includes Viewfinder Quilt #1 and Viewfinder Quilt #2 (both 2020) by the MICA Pandemic Quilters. Taking the traditional form of a Baltimore Album Quilt, these two quilts were produced after a prompt was sent to individual makers to create quilt squares using appliqué techniques that illustrate what had come into focus for them in 2020. These two works document the experiences of the coronavirus pandemic, the fight for social justice and growing awareness of racial oppression, and the importance of nature and the environment. The quilters first banded together following a public program led by Susie Brandt (now Professor Emerita of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Fiber Department) presented in conjunction with the BMA’s 2015 American Crazy Quilts exhibition. Originally comprised of MICA students and faculty, the group later expanded to include other MICA staff, alumni, and friends, members of the African American Quilters of Baltimore, and participants from across the U.S. The MICA Pandemic Quilters produced 14 Viewfinder quilts over two years.

The acquisitions also notably include a significant promised gift of 37 works from the collection of BMA National Trustee Sylvia de Cuevas. The gift includes paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and decorative arts with outstanding examples of works by modern icons such as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Fernand Léger, as well as works by important Surrealist artists Giorgio de Chirico, Max ErnstLeonor Fini, René Magritte, and Victor Brauner. This is the first representation in the collection of work by Brauner, whose figures are often derived from tarot card imagery and Romanian folklore. The group also includes nine graphic pieces and three sculptures by French feminist artist Niki de Saint Phalle, who is also new to the BMA’s collection. Other artists represented in the gift are Michelangelo Pistoletto, one of the leaders of the “Arte Povera” movement in Italy, and Pavlos Dionyssopoulos, known as Pavlos, who developed his experimental paper sculptures during the emergence of Nouveau Réalisme and Pop Art.

“The acquisitions announced today speak to the BMA’s focus on both acclaimed and under-recognized artistic movements and creative breakthroughs, from our own community and across global cultures,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “As we consider the growth of our collection, we are particularly attuned to storytelling: how we can deepen commonly understood artistic narratives with a range of voices and bring to the fore those stories that have been obscured or erased. Our collection is core to our work as an institution and allows for ongoing research and innovation in our audience-centered presentations. I am delighted by the thoughtful range of works entering our collection and look forward to sharing them with our visitors.” […]

 

 

BOPA Looks Toward Future, Appoints 2 New Board Members
Press Release :: January 16

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) announces two new members of its Board of Directors, who were approved during the board meeting on Thursday, January 16th. In addition to their stewardship, fiduciary, and ambassadorial responsibilities, the Board is tasked with reviewing the organization’s governance structure and function as was well as providing recommendations to update and improve BOPA’s bylaws. The new Board members are:

Janeen Simon — Janeen Simon is an entrepreneur and owner of several businesses in the Baltimore area. Her self-described “baby” is the beauty spa Self.ish Beauty located in Pikesville, Maryland. The spa integrates behavioral and mental health group sessions with its beauty treatments to provide a supportive environment for women to unwind and seek emotional wellness while indulging in pampering treatments. She is also the owner of Blk Swan, a restaurant located in downtown Baltimore.

Scott Tucker — Scott Tucker is the Founder and Creative Director of RAUNJIBA Design & Construction, which combines his passions for fashion and interior design and serves as a resource and hub for artists, designers, builders, and creatives. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Scott attended the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, D.C., and the Fashion Institute for Technology in New York City.

 

Top of the World Observation Level Will Cease Operations in May
Press Release :: January 16

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) announces the closure of the Top of the World Observation Level. Top of the World will cease operating as an observation deck open to the public in May 2025.

Located on the 27th floor of the Baltimore World Trade Center, Top of the World offers a stunning 360-degree view of Baltimore City and beyond. On a clear day, you can see up to 30 miles. Top of the World is also home to Gallery in the Sky and the Peak Artist Series as well as the 9/11 Memorial of Maryland. This permanent exhibit features artifacts from the Twin Towers, Pentagon, and Flight 93 National Memorial, and honors the lives of the Marylanders who died on September 11, 2001.

As the steward of this space since 2005, BOPA has held exhibitions, receptions, artist and author talks, delegation visits, workshops, picnics, panel discussions, and more. The space has hosted countless local school groups and summer camps and visiting tours from around the world.

Be sure to visit Top of the World Observation Level before May for one last look from this iconic vantage point. BOPA will offer special discounts and host a number of pop-ups over the next few months as we wind down operations. Follow BOPA on social media (@promoandarts) for details. Tickets can be purchased online or in person and group discounts are available. Learn more about Top of the World by visiting viewbaltimore.org.

 

 

H.L. Mencken at his piano. Photo via H.L. Mencken House.

H.L. Mencken’s Saturday Night Club returns to writer’s historic home
by Aliza Worthington
Published January 9 in Baltimore Fishbowl

Excerpt: For the first time in nearly 75 years, the Saturday Night Club will return to the home of H.L. Mencken, Baltimore’s controversial and curmudgeonly literary legend.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, the Society to Preserve H.L. Mencken’s Legacy, Inc. will host the return of the Saturday Night Club at Mencken’s historic home directly across from Union Square Park. The event is a fundraiser in keeping with the Saturday Night Club tradition, with music and heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks catered by Kerellas Café of Greektown. Proceeds will help restore the Mencken family piano that remains in the home.

Carter McMullen, pianist and artistic director and founder of the Salon Concerts of Baltimore, will perform on Mencken’s piano, which was the center of Mencken’s weekly gatherings. McMullen and his trio will perform chamber works by Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Brahms and Mozart.

 

 

An audience watches “The Princess Bride” accompanied by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Sunday. (Eric Thompson for The Baltimore Banner)

Did the BSO just find its groove? Look at ticket sales.
by Jasmine Vaughn-Hall
Published January 10 in The Baltimore Banner

Excerpt: Trips to hear the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra have been a longstanding tradition in Emily Arneson’s family. So it was natural that concerts at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall would join her list of places to go to take “advantage of everything the city had to offer” as an adult.

Thanks to the loyalty of dedicated concertgoers like Arneson, plus a crop of new patrons, the BSO is bouncing back.

The century-old orchestra is seeing an increase in ticket sales. The number of households buying tickets or giving donations for the 2024-2025 season is up 22% compared with last year’s numbers. Paid tickets also increased 30% over the same time period, according to data provided by the BSO.

… this story continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: Did the BSO just find its groove? Look at ticket sales.

 

 

Photography by Schaun Champion

Poet Laureate Lady Brion Wants Artists to Go After Their Dreams
by Alanah Nichole Davis
Published January 14 in Baltimore Magazine

Excerpt: Poetry has been a lifelong calling for Brion Gill, aka Lady Brion. Growing up near Whitelock Avenue, then in Northwood, her childhood was marked by intergenerational gatherings and creative exchange, sparking an early passion for poetry and deliberation.

From organizing youth slam events to excelling as a competitive debater in high school, Brion carved her own career path, drawing inspiration from Black community staples like AFRAM and the former Warm Wednesdays open-mics along the way. In recent years, the 34-year-old has performed internationally, won multiple competitions, and taught creative writing for local students.

Now, as Maryland’s 11th poet laureate under Gov. Wes Moore—as well as the director of the Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts District, the first of its kind in Maryland, dedicated to celebrating and promoting African-American culture—she hopes to inspire other artists to go after their own lifelong dreams.

 

 

“Wrangling the Doubt Monster” author Amy L. Bernstein. (Ceylon Mitchell II)

This local author wants you to drown your creative doubts with a flood of joy. Here’s how.
by Leslie Gray Streeter
Published January 13 in The Baltimore Banner

Excerpt: Anyone who’s ever taken pen to paper, brush to canvas or song to a microphone knows that sometimes, nothing comes out.

It’s not that we have nothing to say, but because of that terrible voice whispering that what we do have to say is really dumb. Amy L. Bernstein gets it. And she wants you to take it old school — as in preschool.

“As a child, you played with crayons,” she said, conjuring that precious time where there were no rules to your creativity. The sky could be green and rain meatballs. Zebras were purple. Dogs drove a bus. But at some point, we were taught to put our creativity aside to do more serious and potentially grown-up things. Soon, ”that part of you is no longer being fed. Your creative soul is starving.”

… this story continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: This local author wants you to drown your creative doubts with a flood of joy. Here’s how.

 

 

Museum Hosts Special Activities for Martin Luther King Holiday
Press Release :: January 12

Baltimore’s internationally acclaimed wax museum of African American history will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a variety of engaging and inspiring activities for visitors of all ages on Monday, January 20, 2025. Normally closed on Mondays, the museum will open from 10AM to 5PM for this special occasion. Activities include all-day offerings and specially scheduled events.

From 10AM to 12PM, Griot (Storyteller) Mama Deborah Pierce-Fakunle will present a live, interactive musical performance highlighting legendary women who dedicated their lives to the civil rights movement. Visitors can also explore the Stephen Hayes “Cash Crop” Special Exhibit at no extra cost, located at the Museum’s facility: 1649 East North Avenue.

The museum’s iconic Slave Ship Exhibit and its intricately crafted wax figures of historical personalities remain core attractions, inspiring visitors to celebrate African American history as a year-long journey.
Museum Information

Hours:
Thursday – Saturday: 10AM to 5PM
Sunday: 12PM to 5PM
Admission (includes “Cash Crop” Special Exhibit):
Adults: $18.00
Seniors: $17.00
College Students: $17.00
Students (ages 13–17): $17.00
Children (ages 3–12): $15.00
Children under 3: FREE

 

 

Everyman Theatre Mourns the Passing of Acclaimed Actor and Founding Resident Company Member Stanley Weiman
Newsletter :: January 9

We are saddened by the passing of Stanley (Stan) Weiman, a founding Everyman Resident Company member, who died on January 8, 2025. He was 90 years old.

“It is with a heavy heart and a deep well of gratitude that I must tell you that we lost a dear family member and pillar of Everyman Theatre last night,“ states Founder, Artistic Director, Vincent M. Lancisi. “Stanley Weiman was a giant talent as an actor and a most kind, loving friend.  When I first came to Baltimore to found Everyman Theatre, Stan was in the first play I directed here.  It was a new play as part of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival.  Stan and Everyman connected right away.”

Weiman was a familiar face in the theatre community throughout the Baltimore region, acting on stage for more than three decades.

As a member of the Resident Company, Weiman delivered many memorable performances in plays including G.B. Shaw’s Pygmalion (Col. Pickering), Thorton Wilder’s Our Town (Simon Stimson), Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard (Firs), and William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing (Friar). His final performance was as Martin Vanderhof in George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s, You Can’t Take It With You.

When Everyman moved to its current location of 315 W. Fayette Street, The Stan and Martha Weiman Mezzanine was created to honor Stan’s and his wife Martha’s (Founding Board Member) many contributions to Everyman Theatre. In 2024, the Everyman Visual Arts Gallery was moved to The Stan and Martha Weiman Mezzanine. This gallery serves as a welcoming for theatregoers, art enthusiasts, students, and the public to experience art in a fresh way and will now serve as a space to keep Stan’s memory alive.

 

 

Amtiav Ghosh Headshot Credit Mathieu Genon

Acclaimed Novelist Amitav Ghosh Speaking at Loyola University Maryland, Mar. 13
Press Release :: January 9

Amitav Ghosh – the award-winning novelist named by Foreign Policy magazine as “one of the most important global thinkers of the preceding decade” – will deliver the keynote address at the Loyola University Maryland 2025 Humanities Symposium.

Free and open to the general public, as well as the region’s academic communities, the lecture takes place Thursday, Mar. 13, at 6:30 p.m., in McGuire Hall (Andrew White Student Center, 4501 North Charles St., Baltimore, Md. 21210).

Titled, The Great Uprooting: Migration and Movement in the Age of Climate Change, the keynote will explore migration in the age of climate change. Ghosh – who earned the inaugural Utah Award for the Environmental Humanities for his book, The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable – will share poignant stories he gathered from migrant camps in Italy, told in the migrants’ native languages, offering a unique window into the personal journeys of those displaced by climate-induced challenges.

“This evening of storytelling, reflection and dialogue promises to deepen understanding of the global migration crisis, providing attendees with a rare opportunity to hear directly from those most affected by the impacts of climate change,” said Humanities Symposium Director Billy Friebele, Associate Professor of Visual and Performing Arts and Program Director of Studio Art. “By amplifying these voices, we aim to foster a greater sense of empathy and raise awareness of the complex patterns of migration both abroad and within our own communities.”

“Attendees will leave the event with a broader perspective on the human stories behind climate migration and a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by displaced people worldwide,” Friebele added. “As climate change continues to drive displacement, we hope that this conversation will spark reflection and inspire collective action to address this urgent issue.”

A book signing with books available for purchase will immediately follow the talk. Guests can meet Ghosh, whose work has been translated into 30+ languages and whose essays have appeared in The New YorkerThe New Republic and The New York Times.

Ghosh holds four Lifetime Achievement awards and five honorary doctorates. His accolades include being awarded the Padma Shri by the President of India, being selected as a joint winner with Margaret Atwood of a Dan David Prize, and becoming the first English-language writer to receive the Jnanpith Award, India’s highest literary honor. His newest book, Smoke & Ashes – which unravels the impact of the opium trade on global history and in his own family – was named a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Foreign Policy, Literary Hub and The Millions.

Advance registration for the keynote address is encouraged. To reserve seating, visit www.loyola.edu/symposium.

About the Symposium

Since 1986, Loyola’s Humanities Center has sponsored the annual Humanities Symposium – a series of events related to a particular text for students, faculty, friends of the University and the Baltimore community. The main goal has been to get a large portion of the Loyola community to read the same work at roughly the same time and to be engaged in a common inquiry. Keynote speakers have included Elie Wiesel, Toni Morrison, Tracy Chevalier, Czeslaw Milosz, Phil Klay, Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale and William Bennett.

In preparation for Ghosh’s talk, Loyola students have been studying The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable. The keynote address will cap off various faculty workshops, student-faculty colloquia and activities following the theme of Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, including:

  • Feb. 3 Free Screening of O Rio Negro São As Pessoas, followed by a discussion with filmmakers, Ave Lola. The Brazilian film explores the contemporary meaning of being at and growing up by the banks of a river with the power of Rio Negro Amazon. The screening takes place at 6 p.m., in the Ridley Auditorium in the Loyola/Notre Dame Library. It is open to the public, with parking available in the Library parking lot.

 

  • Feb. 21 Toxic Tour of Curtis Bay and Community-Led and Controlled Development


  • Feb. 24 Roundtable on Environmental Justice with Nicole Fabricant (Professor of Anthropology at Towson University), at 6 p.m., in the Humanities Café in the Humanities Building.

For information about these events, please visit www.loyola.edu/symposium.

Additionally, sculptor Stacy Levy will create an ecological art project on the Loyola campus: “a logarithmic spiral planted with native species for a contemplative walking experience.” With 400 linear feet composed of sycamores trees and shrub dogwoods, this labyrinth will stabilize the soil, while adding bio21 diversity and serving as a buffer to catch and absorb rainwater rolling down the turfgrass slope. Loyola students will help plant the trees and shrubs and mulch them. Long term, the spiral is designed to provide a natural, calming experience for students. The unveiling is tentatively scheduled for March.

The Humanities Symposium also complements the Baltimore Environmental Film Series, which was created by Elizabeth Dahl, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry, “to merge the art of film with education and advocacy for those affected by the major environmental issues of the time.” The films are free and open to the public, courtesy of the Center for Humanities, Environmental Studies, and the Dean of Loyola College, the University’s school of arts and sciences. A schedule with links to reserve tickets will be available at www.loyola.edu/join-us/environmental-film-series.

About the Center

The Center for the Humanities was established in 1983 through the generosity of many donors and of the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide strength and vision to the humanities at Loyola University Maryland. It offers lectures, lectures series and fine arts performances; other forms of research support for both faculty and students, and various forms of support for teaching in the humanities. For more information, visit www.loyola.edu/department/center-humanities.

 

 

John Pickle, tenor; Photo by Madeleine Gray

Maryland Opera presents the “Heritage Series” February 16 & March 16 honoring the legacies of beloved patrons of the arts
Press Release :: January 15

Maryland Opera will honor individuals who have led the way to enable future audiences to enjoy the immortal art form of opera with “Heritage Series” concerts on February 16 and March 16, both at 3:00 p.m.

These two-hour concerts with intermission will be presented from large, beautiful venues in the greater Baltimore area and feature artists of international acclaim joined by guest instrumentalists performing operatic tours de force. A reception for the honorees will be held after each performance.

The February 16 concert honors Mahin Shamszad & Homayoon Farzadegan and will be presented at Grace United Methodist Church in North Baltimore. Mahin & Homayoon share a love of opera and have been long-time supporters of opera in Baltimore. Mahin was a board member of the Baltimore Opera and continues charitable affiliations. Homayoon is a research doctor at Johns Hopkins. The program, which includes selections from Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, Into the Woods, and more, will feature soprano Katerina Burton, tenor John Pickle, and baritone Andrew Manea. Mr. Andrea Manea appears courtesy of The Metropolitan Opera.

The March 16 concert honors Susie & Sam Macfarlane and will be presented at the Church of the Redeemer in North Baltimore. The Macfarlanes were long-time supporters of the Baltimore Opera and are known as the originators of the Opera Bears, singing teddy bears dressed as opera characters that helped introduce children to the fun and beauty of opera. The program will feature soprano Tasha Hokuao Koontz, mezzo-soprano Kate Jackman, and tenor Dane Suarez, in arias and duets from Don Giovanni, Aïda, West Side Story, and more.

Stage and musical direction and piano accompaniment for all selections is by Maryland Opera’s Artistic Director, James Harp, long known for excellence in operatic performances and musical outreach in the Mid-Atlantic area.

“We are humbled to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our supporters who have nurtured our past and now celebrate our future!” said Harp. “It is our honor to present these magnificent programs specially curated to inspire, dedicate, entertain, and reveal. These truly grand opera excerpts, sung by internationally renowned artists, will make us think we are in the grandest opera house imaginable; all we need is passion and imagination. Please join us as we celebrate great music and the great people in our opera family!”

Tickets are $34 for adults and $18 for students and are available on Maryland Opera’s website, 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. Free parking is available at both venues.

COMPLETE EVENT DETAILS
The programs will be accompanied by Maryland Opera Artistic Director James Harp and a chamber orchestra.

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

Katerina Burton, soprano
John Pickle, tenor
Andrew Manea, baritone

Heritage Series Honoring Susie & Sam Macfarlane
Sunday, March 16, 2023 | 3:00 p.m.
Church of the Redeemer
5603 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210

Tasha Hokuao Koontz, soprano
Kate Jackman, mezzo-soprano
Dane Suarez, tenor

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.

 

 

Baltimore Design School Awarded Eight-Year Contract Renewal by Baltimore City Public Schools
Press Release :: January 15

The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners has granted the Baltimore Design School (BDS) an eight-year contract renewal, the maximum term available, recognizing the school’s exceptional performance in academics, school climate, and financial management.

“When we came together to found this school, our goal was to create a learning environment that brought design education to students in Baltimore City,” said Fred Lazurus, chairman of the board of Baltimore Design School. “Over the last 14 years, we have seen our students go on to become architects, realize their fashion design dreams, and find creative ways to use the design thinking skills they developed while matriculating here at Baltimore Design School. This contract renewal is the best kind of recognition from Baltimore City Public Schools. We’re on the right track – and we’re excited to keep our momentum going.”

The renewal process, part of Baltimore City Public Schools’ annual review, evaluates schools on multiple measures, including student achievement, school climate, and financial management and governance. The Design School’s outstanding results across these areas have earned it the longest renewal term possible.

Established in 2010, the Baltimore Design School offers a unique educational experience for students in grades 6 through 12, focusing on three design disciplines: architecture, graphic design, and fashion. The school’s rigorous curriculum and partnerships with local colleges prepare students for higher education and careers in design.

“This eight-year renewal is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty, and community partners,” said Darrin Brozene, Principal of Baltimore Design School. “We remain committed to providing an innovative and supportive learning environment that fosters creativity and academic excellence.”

The Baltimore Design School has been recognized for its unique approach to education over the years, including receiving a 2014 Design Excellence Award from the national AIA Committee on Architecture for Education. The school was most recently ranked number one among Baltimore City Public High Schools and seventh in the Baltimore Metro area by U.S. News and World Report in the publication’s 2024 Best High School Ranking.

For more information about the Baltimore Design School and its programs, visit www.baltimoredesignschool.com.

About Baltimore Design School

The Baltimore Design School is a transformation school offering a comprehensive college preparatory program that integrates design throughout the academic curriculum and provides career and technology education. The school fosters creativity while developing the academic and critical thinking skills of our 6th through 12th grade students to prepare them for college admission and careers in architecture, fashion and graphic design. Ranked #1 in Baltimore City Public High Schools by U.S. News and World Report and #7 in Baltimore, Md. Metro Area High Schools, the Baltimore Design School consistently achieves a 100% graduation and college acceptance rate, with a near 0% dropout rate. Visit www.baltimoredesignschool.com for more information.

 

 

Header Image: The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra during a performance of “The Princess Bride.” (Eric Thompson for The Baltimore Banner)

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