BmoreArt

This Week: UMBC Senior Thesis opening reception, closing reception for Jonna McKone and Elena Volkva at Connect + Collect, Cathy Cook Film Retrospective at Current Space, John Waters book signing at Atomic Books, opening reception for Piper Shepard at Academy Art Museum, FRESH BLACK FILMS festival at SNF Parkway, 2025 Sondheim Semifinalists opening reception at The Peale, Brandy Woody’s UPENDO album release party at Current, Artscape 2025 and the Scout Art Fair, and 2025 SOWEBO Arts and Music Festival — PLUS apply for the MSAC Public Artist Roster and more featured opportunities!

BmoreArt’s Picks presents the best weekly art openings, events, and performances happening in Baltimore and surrounding areas. For a more comprehensive perspective, check the BmoreArt Calendar page, which includes ongoing exhibits and performances, and is updated on a daily basis.

To submit your calendar event, email us at [email protected]!

 

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2025 UMBC Senior Exhibition | Opening Reception
Tuesday, May 20 :: 5-7pm
@ UMBC CADVC

The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture presents the 2025 Senior Exhibition, on display from May 13 through 24. Curated and designed by CADVC Exhibitions Designer and Coordinator Andrew Liang, with curatorial assistance from IMDA MFA student Mariia Usova, this exhibition presents the broad and dynamic scope of senior undergraduate student work within the UMBC Visual Arts Department.

An Artists’ Reception and Awards Presentation will be held on May 20, 5–7 p.m.

Admission is free.

All events at CADVC are open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University’s nondiscrimination policy.

Visitors who need specific accommodations to attend our events or exhibitions, should contact the CADVC at [email protected] or 410-455-3188.

 

 

In Silver and Earth: Jonna McKone and Elena Volkova | Closing Reception
Tuesday, May 20 :: 6-8pm
@ Connect + Collect Gallery

Join us on Tuesday, May 20th, from 6-8 pm at the Connect+Collect gallery for the closing reception of In Silver and Earth featuring works by Jonna McKone, and Elena Volkova.

:: Tuesday, May 20th :: 6-8 pm

Closing Reception: In Silver and Earth
Connect+Collect Gallery (2519 N. Charles Street)

In Silver and Earth reflects the materials central to their practices. Silver, the foundation of traditional photographic processes, and earth, a marker of place and history, serve as essential elements in crafting their imagery. These materials ground their work in both the tangible and symbolic, highlighting delicate landscapes and portraits.

Together, McKone and Volkova reframe traditional modes of seeing, offering works that blur boundaries between past and present, land and body, resilience and impermanence. McKone’s delicate landscapes and nuanced explorations of human interaction with nature remind us of the enduring imprint of the past, while Volkova’s quiet moments of stillness in everyday life and visceral portraits evoke an innate resilience that persists through time. Both artists ask us to witness not just the beauty and fragility of our world, but also the unseen forces that have shaped it—forces that, like memory itself, are often obscured yet undeniable.

Through their collaboration, McKone and Volkova offer an invitation to sit in the quiet tension of these fragile truths, acknowledging the violence and the beauty that emerge when histories are reexamined through new lenses.

 

Cathy Cook Film Retrospective
Wednesday, May 21 :: 7pm
@ Current Space

An evening of Cook’s films to celebrate the many decades she has been on earth and making films!

Doors at 7, Films at 8
$8 advance/$10 day-of

Cathy C. Cook is a Baltimore based artist, filmmaker, educator and eco-activist. Cook has been creating award winning films since the 1980’s. She uses installation, collage, moving images, sound, and animation to employ a non-linear aesthetic that evokes the visceral reality of lived experiences. Recurring subjects include environmentalism, the evolving human body, aging, and feminism. Many of her films are comedic, some bizarre and some are poetry films.

Cook has exhibited her work internationally in both solo and group shows including MOMA, The Whitney Museum, PBS, PS.1 Contemporary Art Center, and numerous other venues. In 2001, Cook was awarded a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship.

Currently she is an Associate Professor in Visual Arts – Cinematic Arts at UMBC. Cook migrates between Baltimore and Wisconsin; the latter where she lives on a small swampy lake and shares residence with cranes, loons, eagles, badgers, deer, herons, and coyotes.

 

 

John Waters Book Signing
Wednesday, May 21 :: 7-9pm
@ Atomic Books

John Waters will return to Atomic Books this spring for a book signing for the first three of six John’s screenplays that will be released this year.

Desperate Living
A grotesque and hilarious satire about the American dream, suburban living, and the corrupting influence of power, set in a world that could only have sprung from the unhinged and brilliant mind of John Waters.

Pink Flamingos
John Waters takes us back to the scene of his original crime against good taste. Watch as Babs Johnson fights to hold on to her title as “Filthiest Person Alive,“ fending off the craven attempts to dethrone her by her nemeses Connie and Raymond Marble.

Flamingos Forever
One part of John Waters’s iconic “Trash Trilogy,” Flamingos Forever is a dark-comedy screenplay about a drag queen trying to retain her title of “Filthiest Person in the World.”

 

 

Fields, Voids, and Translations: Works on Paper and Textiles by Piper Shepard | Opening Reception
Thursday, May 22 :: 5-7pm
@ Academy Art Museum

Baltimore-based artist Piper Shepard (b. 1962), creates architecturally-scaled works, weavings, and works on paper inspired by the familiar yet complex patterns involved in cutwork, lace, and botanical imagery. She transcribes and translates the language of textiles into the language of art, which she calls “the ethereal textile.” Her materials and methods bring together opposing elements—light and shadow, the material and immaterial, construction and deconstruction—and constitute a meditation on universal concepts such as loss, insight, and renewal. This exhibition is in conversation with seen and unseen, the adjacent installation by Shepard’s longtime colleague, friend, and fellow fiber artist Anne Lindberg.

Shepard earned an MFA in Fiber from the Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Her work has been widely shown across the US and overseas, and has been collected by multiple major museums. She has received four Individual Artists Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council in Crafts, a 2016 Japan-US Friendship Commission, an NEA grant, a Creative Arts Exchange Program grant, and was 2016 US Artists Distinguished Fellow in Crafts. She has been a MacDowell Fellow and a Josef and Anni Albers Foundation Resident. She began teaching in the Fiber Department at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) in 1994, where she is now Professor Emerita.

 

 

FRESH BLACK FILMS
Thursday, May 22 | Ongoing through May 25
@ SNF Parkway Theatre

FRESH BLACK FILMS is a dynamic selection of short films celebrating Black stories and filmmakers from all across the USA. Created to bring increased attention to the next generation of independent filmmakers, whose imaginative sensibilities and aesthetics can eventually make them internationally known, FRESH BLACK FILMS is South Carolina-based The Luminal Theater’s curated series that connects audiences with bold new films that run the gamut of emotions and enable you to see the world differently.

Watch the trailer for FRESH BLACK FILMS!

 

 

2025 Sondheim Semifinalists Exhibition | Opening Reception
Friday, May 23 :: 5-8pm
@ The Peale

Be one of the first to experience a diverse selection of works by this year’s Sondheim Art Prize semifinalists!

Join us at The Peale from 5:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday, May 23, for the opening reception and unveiling of this year’s Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize Semifinalists Exhibition in the second and third floor galleries. Enjoy light refreshments as you mingle with the artists. The semifinalists will also be available for media interviews during the event.

Registration closes on Friday, May 23, at noon. Parking information is included in the confirmation email.

 

 

Brandon Woody’s UPENDO – For The Love of It All Album Release Party
Friday, May 23 :: 7pm
@ Current Space

For The Love of It All Album Release Party – Brandon Woody’s UPENDO!

Friday, May 23, 7-11pm
Tickets: $20 advance/25 day-of-show

 

Artscape 2025 + The Scout Art Fair at Artscape
Saturday, May 25 – Sunday, May 26

ARTSCAPE 2025: BOLD. TRANSFORMATIVE. UNAPOLOGETICALLY BALTIMORE.

Artscape is more than a festival—it’s a force. A dynamic collision of art, culture, and community impact, transforming Baltimore into a living, breathing canvas of creativity. For over 40 years, Artscape has been a catalyst for artistic expression, economic impact, and cultural transformation. Now, as part of Mayor Scott’s Downtown Rise Initiative, Artscape is moving into the heart of Downtown Baltimore, reimagining how a weekend festival can fuel long-term impact through creative placemaking and sustainable community investment.

In 2023, we redefined the festival model—Artscape became a tool for city transformation, turning underutilized spaces into vibrant hubs of artistic energy. In 2025, we go even further, delivering immersive public art, high-impact installations, and curated experiences that elevate and celebrate Baltimore’s creative industry like never before.

Scout Art Fair

The Scout Art Fair, an affordable art fair, will be held in Baltimore, MD, at the War Memorial Building, from May 23-25, 2025, during the Artscape Festival. The fair is a collaboration between the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA), the City of Baltimore, Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s Downtown RISE Initiative, and curated by Derrick Adams and Teri Henderson. It will feature 40 solo artist booths and 6 gallery booths, with artwork priced between $150 and $5,000, and a portion of the proceeds from artwork sales will benefit BOPA programs.

 

 

 

 

42nd Annual SOWEBO Arts and Music Festival
Sunday, May 25 :: 12-8pm

Baltimore, mark your calendars—Southwest Baltimore’s biggest celebration of music, art, and community is back! The 42nd Annual SOWEBO Arts & Music Festival returns on Sunday, May 25, 2025, from 12 PM to 8 PM, bringing vibrancy to the historic Hollins Market neighborhood. As Baltimore’s longest-running free outdoor festival, SOWEBOFest remains a true symbol of community pride and artistic expression.

What to Expect This Year

Live Music Across Four Stages – Over 40 performers delivering an electrifying mix of rock, reggae, hip hop, blues, folk, punk, and more—featuring both local legends and rising stars.

140+ Art, Craft & Nonprofit Vendors – Explore the creative works of Baltimore’s finest artists and makers, from handcrafted treasures to engaging community initiatives.

Family-Friendly Entertainment – Fun for all ages, including: UPLIFT Black Cherry Puppet Theater Community Parade; Interactive hat-making with Tattered Hatters; Fashion shows and dance performances showcasing incredible local talent.

A Culinary Experience Like No Other – A lineup of food trucks and vendors serving up flavors as rich and diverse as the city itself.

A Celebration Rooted in the Community

SOWEBOFest is more than just an event—it’s where music, art, and community come together, creating unforgettable moments and meaningful connections.

Bring your family, support local artists, and experience the magic. You might even see someone you know on stage or in the vendor lineup—because this festival is truly by the people, for the people.

Stay Updated by following @SOWEBOfestival on Facebook, @SOWEBOfest on Instagram or visiting www.sowebofest.org

 

 

< Calls for Entry >

 

The Nicholson Project’s Artist Residency Program 2025 Application
deadline May 22

The Nicholson Project was founded with a deep commitment to providing artists with the time, space, and support needed for artists to work on their studio practice and produce onsite activations. We welcome residents from all creative practices. Selected artists are awarded a ten-week residency and receive a $5,000 artist stipend. Residents are expected to live and work on-site at our Residency Suite which is an apartment with an artist studio on the second floor inside our renovated row house in Southeast Washington, DC.

The Nicholson Project also runs a gallery on the first floor and a large, organic vegetable garden. It’s important to understand that we have a variety of programs and activities going on year-round such as exhibitions, workshops, garden harvesting, etc. Visit our website to read the full list of what is awarded to each Resident as well as expectations. We welcome emerging, mid-career, and established artists, but also makers, chefs, gardeners, architects, engineers, and scientists too! Local, national, and international creatives are encouraged to apply. Although our residencies are open to all artists, our focus is on BIPOC artists, particularly those who live or have ties to Southeast Washington, DC.

 

 

Innovators In Bloom: Emerging Artists Exhibition
deadline May 23
posted by Chesapeake Arts Center

All mediums of artwork will be considered for this exhibition. There are also no restrictions on size as long as the work can fit in the gallery, and nontraditional mediums are welcomed. Artworks must be made by emerging artists that have found their artistic passion within the last 5 years in the Maryland or D.C. area and created within the last 5 years. 

Artwork that has been previously exhibited cannot be shown more than once in CAC’s exhibitions. New artwork must be submitted. If artwork portrays nudity, please be mindful when submitting the artwork. Chesapeake Arts Center’s galleries have visitors of all ages. No violence or profanity is allowed. Artists may submit up to 5 artworks for review. 

ABOUT: Highlighting diverse emerging artists, this exhibition explores contemporary themes and challenges artistic norms, showcasing fresh voices that inspire the future of creativity. Their innovative approaches often spark vibrant dialogues about cultural identity, social issues, and the evolving nature of creativity itself. By integrating diverse perspectives and utilizing various mediums, these artists not only challenge traditional narratives but also inspire audiences to engage with art on a deeper level, fostering a dynamic conversation that influences both the art world and society at large.

DEADLINES:  Innovators In Bloom: Emerging ArtistsExhibition will be on display in Chesapeake Arts Center’s Hal Gomer Gallery and Hallway from June 10 – July 31, 2025. Applications are reviewed and accepted at the discretion of the gallery review committee and must be submitted by Friday, May 23, 2025. The gallery reception will be Thursday, June 26 from 6 – 8 pm.

 

 

Love In Every Shade: Pride Month Exhibition
deadline May 23
posted by Chesapeake Arts Center

All mediums of artwork will be considered for this exhibition. There are also no restrictions on size as long as the work can fit in the gallery, and nontraditional mediums are welcomed. Artworks must be made by LGBTQIA+ artists in the Maryland or D.C. area and created within the last 2 years. 

 Artwork that has been previously exhibited cannot be shown more than once in CAC’s exhibitions. New artwork must be submitted. If artwork portrays nudity, please be mindful when submitting the artwork. Chesapeake Arts Center’s galleries have visitors of all ages. No violence or profanity is allowed. Artists may submit up to 5 artworks for review. 

ABOUT: Join us for the CAC’s third annual Pride Month group exhibition, a vibrant celebration of LGBTQIA+ artists that highlights the diverse and empowering nature of their creativity! This exhibit stands as a powerful declaration of pride, love, and self-expression, inviting all art lovers and allies to experience the artistry and passion of the LGBTQIA+ community. Don’t miss this chance to immerse yourself in a colorful tapestry of artistic expression!

DEADLINES:  Love In Every Shade: Pride Month Exhibition will be on display in Chesapeake Arts Center’s Patricia Barland Gallery from June 10 – July 31, 2025. Applications are reviewed and accepted at the discretion of the gallery review committee and must be submitted by Friday, May 23, 2025. The gallery reception will be Thursday, June 26 from 6 – 8 pm.

 

 

2025 Saturday ‘Visiter’ Awards
deadline May 30
posted by Poe Baltimore

The Saturday Visiter Awards are presented by Poe Baltimore to recognize a new generation of artists continuing Edgar Allan Poe’s legacy in the arts and literature around the world. The prizes celebrate media, art, performance and writing that adapts or is inspired by Poe’s life and works.

Though he was not wealthy in his lifetime, Edgar Allan Poe was the first American writer to support himself entirely by his pen. The Saturday Visiter was the name—and spelling—of a local periodical that held a contest for poetry and short stories. Poe won the award for his short story “MS Found in a Bottle” (which he wrote at Poe House.) The Saturday Visiter Awards are named after the prize a young Edgar Allan Poe won while he lived in Baltimore which helped to launch the famed writer’s career.

Saturday Visiter Awards are presented in two categories: works that adapt Poe’s life or writing (including biography, or true adaptations of his poetry or prose), and original works that are inspired by Poe’s life or writing. In addition, important “Poe Places”, including The Poe Museum (Richmond, VA) , The Poe Cottage (the Bronx NYC) and Poe House (Baltimore , MD) will highlight exceptional entries specific to their region. The awards are presented every October at the annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards in Baltimore, Maryland.

Poe Baltimore is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization created to fund, maintain and interpret The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, and to celebrate the legacy of one of Baltimore’s most famous residents. The organization is dedicated to maintaining the museum as a vibrant experience for the thousands of visitors who come from around the world each year, and as part of a broader mission of city-wide events and educational opportunities celebrating Poe’s legacy in Baltimore and beyond.

 

 

Work + Space Residency
deadline May 30
posted by Skidmore College Department of Art

The Skidmore Department of Art is seeking applications for its Work + Space Residency Program for Fall 2025. The Work + Space Residency Program hosts an emerging artist for a 3-week residency (approximately October 31st – November 21st, 2025) to make new work, have a one to two week solo exhibition in the Schick Gallery that commences at the end of the residency, and engage with students through a lecture, studio visits, workshop or other project. Preference will be given to artists with recent MFA (completed within 5 years), or equivalent exhibition record, persons from under-represented groups and / or diverse experiences who can contribute to a culture of diversity.

The artist will receive studio space, a stipend of $1000, and be provided with lodging, and on-campus meals, for the duration of the visit.
The artist may have access to project-specific facilities and tools (as determined prior to acceptance) based on availability and demonstrated competency with tools and facilities.
The engagement component will be determined between the artist and the Skidmore Art Department within 30 days of residency confirmation.

 

 

The Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation 2025 Grant for Sculpture
deadline May 31

In this grant program, the Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation’s goal is to encourage and support sculptors as well as writers on sculpture, both emerging and established.

The Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation encourages submissions from sculptors and writers of all backgrounds. It does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, socioeconomic status, education, or disability. 

 

 

The Big Show
drop off dates: June 15-17, June 20-25
posted by Creative Alliance

Explore over 100 artworks showcased both in our Main Gallery and online. Members can submit one piece for display in the gallery, and all submitted artwork receives professional photography for our online exhibition. Throughout The BIG Show, Creative Alliance actively promotes the exhibited works, highlights our member artists, and facilitates sales.

★  Your membership must be current*
Email info@creativealliance.org if you have questions about your membership status.
★  YOU MUST SELECT A DROP OFF DATE. Members must be logged in to select a drop-off date without a fee. Non-members will be charged for a solo membership.

Artwork can be dropped off at Creative Alliance on the following dates:
JUNE 15-17 | 12-5PM
JUNE 20-24 | 12-5PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2025 is the last day for drop-off. No late submissions.

★  Complete The BIG Show registration form before drop-off. (Form will be emailed to you once you select a drop-off date) Payment for all sold artwork will be processed via ACH so please include your W9 and a completed Vendor Form when filling out the BIG show registration form.
★  Submit one ready-to-hang artwork, must be under 36 inches (3ft) wide.
★  Drop off your artwork on your selected date.
★  Join opening night on Friday, July 11th!

*Participation in the BIG Show is a benefit for Creative Alliance Members only and is not transferable to non-members. 

 

 

Maryland Public Art Initiative Public Artist Roster FY2026 – FY2028
deadline June 30
posted by Maryland State Arts Council

The purpose of the Maryland Public Artist Roster is to establish a pre-qualified list of public artists who are interested in creating new, original, and site-responsive artworks for Maryland’s college and university campuses, laboratories, courthouses, police barracks, administrative offices,  treatment centers, and other buildings and facilities owned and operated by the state of Maryland.  All works commissioned through this program become a part of the State of Maryland’s contemporary public art collection.

The Public Artist Roster will include artists and studios working in a wide variety of artistic mediums and representing a diverse range of backgrounds and approaches to creating public artwork.   The Maryland State Arts Council and Maryland Public Art Commission use the Roster as the primary method of reviewing portfolios and selecting artists for permanent public art commission opportunities. This allows for a streamlined selection process and reduces the number of applications an artist or studio needs to submit throughout the year. In addition, the roster will be available through MSAC.org as a publicly accessible resource to find and connect with artists.

The Public Artist Roster will be used to select artists for eligible state capital projects with Public Art Premiums, or budgets,  between $50,000 and $1,500,000. The following outlines the types of public art projects open to Public Artist Roster artists:

• Site-responsive commissions: All of our projects are site-responsive. Artists will work with the project’s public art steering committee to design, fabricate, and install permanent artwork specific to the site and community.

• Architecturally integrated projects: Artists will work closely with the building’s design team to combine artwork with the architecture or landscape to create permanent site-responsive artwork.

• Community-engaged commissions: Artists will engage with the community as part of their process. Artist-led dialogue and engagement with local stakeholders will contribute to the research that shapes the design of permanent site-responsive artwork.