This week’s news includes: Sonya Clark and the list of new Guggenheim Fellows, the BMA’s The Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection of American Art, a new initiative from Phillips@THEARC, Baltimore Center Stage remains defiant, birthday boy John Waters, MICA announces UP/Start Venture winners, Jack Livingston muses on Mary Ellen Mark, The Ivy Bookshop returns to Mount Vernon, Chris Amendola pulls up roots, glass artist Gianni Toso, Collis Donadio at Pikesville Armory, a review of the Weber Collection at American U, Banner’s parent company buys Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and a fundraiser for a local film project.
Sonya Clark named 2026 Guggenheim Fellow
Newsletter :: April 15
Posted by Goya Contemporary
Goya Contemporary Gallery is pleased to announce that Sonya Clark has been awarded a 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship, joining the 101st class of Guggenheim Fellows. Established in 1925 by founder Senator Simon Guggenheim and now organized by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Fellowship provides a monetary stipend to pursue independent work at the highest level.
“Our new class of Guggenheim Fellows is representative of the world’s best thinkers, innovators, and creators in art, science, and scholarship,” said Edward Hirsch, award-winning poet and President of the Guggenheim Foundation. “As the Foundation enters its second century and looks to the future, I feel confident that this new class of 223 individuals will do bold and inspiring work, undaunted by the challenges ahead. We are honored to support their visionary contributions.”
Sonya Clark’s interdisciplinary practice spans textiles, sculpture, and installation, rooted in a deep engagement with history, material, and labor. Often working with hair, cloth, and found objects, Clark investigates themes of identity, race, and cultural memory. Her work reclaims overlooked narratives and transforms everyday materials into powerful meditations on resilience and belonging. Through meticulous craftsmanship and conceptual rigor, Clark’s oeuvre invites viewers to reconsider the stories embedded in objects and the histories they carry.
BMA Presents Seeing the Essential: The Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection of American Art
Press Release :: April 14
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) presents Seeing the Essential: The Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection of American Art, an expansive exhibition showcasing more than 100 works from the collection of Baltimore philanthropists Sigmund M. Hyman (1921–2002) and Mary B. Hyman (1927–2024). Over more than 60 years, they built an art collection guided by an interest in modern American culture and history, visual beauty, their own personal tastes, and an appreciation for artists who depicted everyday life with honesty and imagination. On view from May 10 through September 13, 2026, the exhibition celebrates the Hymans’ gift to the BMA as well as their six‑decade commitment to American art, civic engagement, and public access to culture.
The Phillips Collection Announces Art–Play–Practice: An Immersive Art Experience at Phillips@THEARC
Press Release :: April 14
The Phillips Collection announces Art–Play–Practice, a new initiative at Phillips@THEARC, the museum’s satellite location in Southeast DC. Launching June 2026, the program is designed to be a fully immersive space for play, creativity, and artistic exploration, complemented by artist-led workshops and learning materials. The inaugural installation celebrates the groundbreaking drape paintings of DC artist Sam Gilliam (1933–2022) and will be on view for one year, inviting guests of all ages to experience art in a hands-on, imaginative way.
“We envisioned Art–Play–Practice to invite guests into an immersive environment where they can engage with art through making, movement, and play,” says Ashley Whitfield, Director of Public Programs and Phillips@THEARC. “At its heart, the program encourages guests to explore Sam Gilliam’s work, create alongside his ideas, and experience a sense of wonder and possibility in art.”
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
by Leslie Gray Streeter
Published April 13 in The Baltimore Banner
I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
John Waters Will Sleep When He’s Dead
by Max Weiss
Published April 9 in Baltimore Magazine
THE CROWD AT THE BALTIMORE SOUNDSTAGE is rapidly filing in. They are young and old, Black and white, queer and straight, hipster and normcore. Of course, only one man could draw such a wildly diverse group in Baltimore: John Waters. They’re all here for his “Date With John Waters,” a Valentine’s Day-themed iteration of his annual comedy show. In the entranceway, there is Waters merch: a “Filthy Towel”; a barf bag that reads, “He’ll Make You Sick”; and a graphic T-shirt with a picture of Waters and the words “Join the Cult!” printed across the front.
The buzz in the room is palpable. Behind me, a group of millennials is discussing their favorite Waters films. “I’m just going to be a basic bitch and say Pink Flamingos,” one says, although she notes she also has a soft spot for Pecker, which she saw on her first date with her current partner. There’s a general agreement that Pecker is really good. “I’ve watched it so many times,” says her boyfriend. Someone else mentions a recent screening of Multiple Maniacs at The Charles Theatre: “Halfway through the screening, I thought, ‘I should’ve smoked a bowl before this.’” There are knowing laughs.
MICA Announces Winners of 10th Annual UP/Start Venture Competition and $105,000 in Prizes
Press Release :: April 13
The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), which is celebrating its bicentennial year, has announced the winners of its 10th annual UP/Start Venture Competition that awards more than $105,000 in funding to student-led or recent alumni-led creative businesses poised to make an impact in Baltimore and beyond.
Flying House Arts Collective, led by Valentino Orlando’25 (MFA, Hoffberger School of Painting) and Isaac Kim’25 (MFA, Hoffberger School of Painting), received the top funding of $35,000 for their Baltimore-based venture. The artist-run organization, which also includes MICA alumni Rui Jiang ’25 (MFA, Curatorial Practice), Tim Moran ’25 (MFA, Hoffberger School of Painting), and Chia Hsiu Liu ’25 (MFA, Hoffberger School of Painting), provides accessible exhibitions, workshops, and professional development for emerging artists. Flying House Arts Collective utilizes a nomadic business model, activating underused spaces throughout the city and delivering community-driven programming.
“The idea for Flying House Arts Collective began as how we can create a platform for ourselves and quickly turned into how we can create a platform for people like us. The collective is drawn from people all over the world, people who joined MICA for the creative alchemy that is important to the city. I would like people who come here to study art to stay and support Baltimore,” said Orlando. “I’m really grateful our message is resonating with people. We have a very loyal following who were showing up at our prototype exhibitions. I’m really overwhelmed and very grateful.”
Just Alike
by Jack Livingston
posted April 7 on Substack
In my recent book Trouble, I describe how, in 1972, at age 19, I walked into a new business in town answering a call for a job washing dishes and left employed as a counselor working with what was called at the time “developmentally disabled” people. (Another life-changing event—see last week’s post). The place was a newly converted Holiday Inn, tasked with taking in those who had previously been living in large state mental institutions and, through behavior modification, helping them eventually move out and live independently in apartments. Looking back, the people I worked with helped ME learn to normalize my life, which had gone off the rails as I wallowed in the post-hippie nihilism of that era.
A couple of weeks ago, I reconsidered this part of my past while writing a review/essay for Bmoreart.com on the work of famed photographer Mary Ellen Mark, currently on exhibit at the library at the local university, UMBC. A vital ingredient in review writing is self-reflection. The exhibit itself is a reexamination of a seminal collection of work Mark made in 1975 on Ward 81, a maximum-security ward for women with serious mental health issues who were incarcerated at the Oregon State Hospital. While I didn’t work at such a large and ominous hospital back then, I visited many very similar and like Mark, I felt a deep connection to all the residents I met.
The Ivy Bookshop is returning to Mount Vernon Place this month
by Ed Gunts
Published April 13 in Baltimore Fishbowl
The Ivy Bookshop is coming back to Mount Vernon Place, just in time for the Flower Mart and the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage.
After successfully operating a pop-up bookshop at Mount Vernon Place Church last fall and winter, operators announced on social media that the shop will return as a pop-up this month and stay until mid-June.
They promise a seasonal bookshop in the church’s front vestibule, interactive book displays throughout the sanctuary, lunchtime concerts and more.
Foraged abruptly closes Baltimore restaurant
by Marcus Dieterle
Published April 14 in Baltimore Fishbowl
foraged eatery has held its final dinner service in Baltimore, chef Chris Amendola announced in a video message on social media.
Known for its hyper-seasonal menu and frequent use of foraged ingredients, the Station North restaurant is closing its doors here and moving operations to Lovettsville, Virginia, where Amendola has taken over a 40-acre restaurant property at Patowmack Farm.
“It’s a very sad moment. I’ve got a lot of history here in Baltimore,” Amendola said in the video.
The maestro: An Italian master in Baltimore finds healing in an ancient art
by Tim Prudente
Published April 12 in The Baltimore Banner
A trail of stepping stones leads to a little cottage that’s out of place among the grand houses of Northwest Baltimore. Someone has patiently trained grapevines to grow over the trellised path.
There’s a warning sign on the door — authorized personnel only.
Here, one of the great Italian glass artists has worked for decades in relative obscurity.
Gianni Toso traces the Venetian art of glassmaking back 700 years on his father’s side. His mother’s family, the Ballarins, has worked in the glass factories since the Middle Ages. The crests of both families are painted on the ceiling in the Museo del Vetro, the museum of glass, on the main island of Murano.
First multimedia art exhibit at Pikesville Armory Drill Hall since renovation
by Aliza Worthington
Published April 10 in Baltimore Fishbowl
The Pikesville Armory Foundation announced its first immersive multimedia art exhibit, “Resonant Site,” taking place over the last two weekends in April.
Maryland artist duo Collis Donadio created “Resonant Site,” a multi-screen audiovisual installation that examines the ways industry intersects with the environment in Baltimore, where water meets land. Baltimore-based artists Shannon Collis and Liz Donadio form the duo, combining their photography, digital video, and sound installation backgrounds. They create work that explores public spaces and show details of those places’ pasts, presents, and potential futures.
The Humanist Touch: Works from the Weber Collection at American University Museum Katzen Arts Center
by Claudia Rousseau, Ph.D.
Published April 15 in East City Art
All art collections are personal. They reflect a collector’s taste and imagination. Some are very consistent, focusing on one region, period or even on one artist. Others are quite eclectic, with very different styles, periods or cultures represented. Of the two, the Weber Collection, now exhibited in part at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, tends toward the latter. However, there are some parameters. With a few exceptions, the Weber Collection is comprised totally of work by DMV artists acquired since the early 1980s. Although quite varied, a few artists are represented by multiple works. The exhibition, supported by the Alper Initiative for Washington Art, was curated and especially well placed by local independent curator Laura Roulet. While it is a selected sampling, with 87 pieces in a variety of sizes and media, it occupies the entire ground floor of the Museum. The exhibition is accompanied by a handsome catalogue featuring an informative interview of the Webers with the curator.
In the interview Bruce and Joan relate how they began to collect art, first separately and then together. Both remark about the importance of their personal relationship to each artist of every work they acquired, and their emotional connection to the works themselves. Some years ago I worked on and wrote about an exhibit of a select number of paintings by John Winslow, perhaps the star of the Webers’ collection, at the former Maryland College of Art & Design. Following it, I was invited for the first time to their home. I was very nearly overwhelmed by the quantity of art they had in their modest (but not small) Silver Spring house. It seemed that every wall of every room was covered with paintings or three dimensional wall pieces. Pedestals stood around holding small sculptures. Bruce and Joan Weber actually live with their art. They have purchased it because they love or are fascinated by it—not for its investment value. And this is a salient characteristic of the work in this show. It’s not by big names in the art market, either from decades ago or now. It’s by artists from the time and region in which they live, and whom they take pleasure in supporting.
Banner parent company to buy Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, staving off newspaper’s closure
by Liz Bowie
The Baltimore Banner’s parent organization will buy the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and turn it into a nonprofit news outlet under a deal intended to ensure the survival of one of the country’s oldest newspapers.
The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism announced Tuesday that it had signed an agreement to purchase the assets of the Post-Gazette from Block Communications Inc., the family-owned company that has operated the paper for nearly a century.
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On Halloween night in a Dominican-owned dive bar threatened by Brooklyn’s ongoing gentrification, a group of misfit regulars get locked inside and uncover a dead body. The night spirals into an absurd, culture-soaked whodunnit where everyone’s got secrets…and everyone’s a suspect.
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