This week’s news includes: Amy Sherald’s American Sublime shatters attendance records at the BMA and has a “seismic” impact at Gertrudes, Create Baltimore announces Sondheim Finalists, CityLit is back with a vengance, SNF Parkway announces artists-in-residence, Carpet Company double feature, new season announcements at Baltimore Center Stage and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, John Waters turns 80, former Turnstile guitarist arrested, and can’t miss films at MdFF!
Amy Sherald: American Sublime Becomes Highest Attended BMA Exhibition Since 2000
Press Release :: April 8
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) today announced attendance for the Amy Sherald: American Sublime exhibition has surpassed every other exhibition presented at the museum in the 21st century, a landmark moment in the BMA’s history. With 84,000 visitors, attendance more than doubled the museum’s original projection of 40,000, reflecting the extraordinary public response to Sherald’s work. This positions American Sublime among the highest‑attended exhibitions the BMA has presented. The closest exhibition since 2000 was Matisse/Diebenkorn (2016–17), which welcomed 46,000 visitors.
Baltimore’s enthusiasm for the exhibition began in September 2025 when the BMA announced it would become the third venue following the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Demand for tickets was immediate and remained consistent throughout the 22-week run of the show with most days sold out. Visitors came from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and several countries, as well as from Baltimore City and every county in Maryland. The exhibition also welcomed 8,600 students who participated in 297 school groups of all ages from preschool through medical school.
Restaurateur John Shields: ‘Amy Sherald: American Sublime’ show has had ‘seismic’ impact on BMA, Gertrude’s Chesapeake Kitchen
by Ed Gunts
Published April 8 in Baltimore Fishbowl
Before the Amy Sherald: American Sublime exhibit opened at the Baltimore Museum of Art in November, Gertrude’s Chesapeake Kitchen typically served 150 to 170 meals at lunchtime on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, according to chef and owner John Shields.
But over the five months that the exhibit was on view at the BMA, Shields said, the number of lunchtime meals on weekdays rose to more than 300.
Before American Sublime arrived at the BMA, he said, Gertrude’s Sunday brunch drew about 300 diners. After the show opened, the number shot up to 450.
Create Baltimore Announces Sondheim Finalists
Press Release :: April 2
Create Baltimore is thrilled to announce the five finalists for the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize. This prestigious visual arts honor is presented by Create Baltimore in partnership with the Walters Art Museum and supported by the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). The finalists for the 21st edition of the Sondheim Art Prize are Thea Canlas, Leigh Davis, Brandon Donahue-Shipp, Curran Hatleberg, and Danni O’Brien.
The finalists were selected by this year’s panel of accomplished jurors — Lauren Haynes, Jinny Khanduja, and Shellyne Rodriguez — and their work will be exhibited in the Walters Art Museum June 25 through September 13, 2026. Over the next few months, finalists will work with Walters curators to select and install pieces for the Exhibition. The opportunity to collaborate with the curatorial staff at a world class museum like the Walters is an invaluable part of being a Sondheim finalist.
During the Finalists Exhibition at the Walters — which for the first time will be held in the Hackerman House — the jurors will meet with each artist for up to 45 minutes in their exhibition space for a final interview. After the interviews, the jurors will meet and decide the recipient of the $30,000 Sondheim Art Prize. The selected artist will be announced at the award ceremony and reception hosted by the Walters in August 2026.
CityLit Fest is Going Big This Year to Help Writers Navigate Mounting Challenges
by Kerry Folan
Published April 7 in Baltimore Magazine
Book bans, AI, reduced funding. Carla Du Pree understands better than most the myriad challenges facing writers these days. Which is why the longtime executive director of the nonprofit CityLit Project decided to double down on this year’s CityLit Festival, a daylong celebration of readers and writers. The 23rd annual event returns this Saturday, April 11 at its new home, the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Mt. Vernon.
Du Pree says this year’s schedule is bigger than in recent years—“like, pre-pandemic big.” The many highlights will include One Maryland One Book author Lawrence Burney (No Sense in Wishing) in conversation with culture writer Shamira Ibrahim about mining memory in literary writing; fashion media veteran Michaela Angela Davis and Baltimore-based culture writer Bry Reed discussing Black identity in the world of glamour; and a conversation about migration and immigration with authors Reyna Grande (The Distance Between Us) and Lauren Francis-Sharma (Casualties of Truth).
SNF Parkway Theatre names three Artists in Residence — part of its transformation to a multi-disciplinary performing arts hub
by Ed Gunts
Published April 8 in Baltimore Fishbowl
Leaders of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Theatre on Wednesday announced that three Baltimore-area artists have been named inaugural Artists in Residence in a pilot program funded by the Mellon Foundation.
The artist residencies are part of an effort to transform the Station North landmark at 5 W. North Ave. from a cinema complex mostly busy at night to a multi-disciplinary performing arts hub and permanent home for the Maryland Film Festival, with programs and activities throughout the day.
Last month, leaders announced the selection of the Parkway’s first Organization-in-Residence, a non-profit called AZIZA PE&CE.
Carpet Company, kings of Baltimore streetwear, plant their flag in Station North
by Wesley Case
Published April 7 in The Baltimore Banner
T-shirts that sell out in minutes. Collaborations with Nike and Vans. A signature logo that’s becoming synonymous with Baltimore.
The rise of Carpet Company, the clothing and skateboarding brand forcing the global streetwear industry to pay attention to Charm City, has been leading to this moment: Its first flagship store, inside a former bank in Station North, opens Saturday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
“Carpet was just supposed to be a fun side experiment to make T-shirts for friends,” Osama Abdeldayem said, standing beside a massive chrome and steel pyramid in the middle of the shop’s floor. “Then somehow it became this. I don’t know how.”
Arts & Culture The Brothers Behind Carpet Company Have Created Baltimore’s Coolest Fashion Brand
by Lydia Woolever
Published April 7 in Baltimore Magazine
The Abdeldayem brothers are in a bit of a daze. It’s mid-March, and the usually high-energy Osama and slightly more subdued Ayman are slumped down in the second-floor break room of their East Baltimore warehouse, next to an overflowing stack of Thrasher magazines.
They’re a few weeks into daily fasts for the month of Ramadan, which at least partially explains the fatigue. But also, they just wrapped a meeting about hiring more staff, are about to head out to shoot a social-media video, and have hundreds and hundreds of cardboard boxes downstairs, filled with thousands and thousands of clothes and accessories waiting to be sorted, packed, and shipped during their next highly anticipated drop for Carpet Company.
Baltimore Center Stage Announces 2026/2027 Season Featuring Ten Productions, Including Three World Premieres
Press Release :: April 8
Baltimore Center Stage (BCS) proudly announces its 2026/2027 season, a bold lineup of world premieres, musical celebrations, and American classics that reflects the theater’s growing role as both a national incubator of new work and a cultural home for Baltimore audiences.
This 10-show season, including three world premieres, brings together artists whose work is shaping the contemporary American theater. From intimate plays to large-scale musical events, the season continues BCS’s commitment to developing new voices while producing work that resonates deeply with audiences here in Baltimore and beyond.
“With three world premieres, this season is a reflection of who we are and where we’re going,” said Stevie Walker-Webb, Tony-Nominated Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage. “Baltimore Center Stage is a place where new work is born, where artists take risks, and where audiences get to experience stories at the very beginning of their journey. What excites me most is that this work belongs to the city. We can be a national tastemaker and a hometown theater at the same time, and this season fully lives in that truth.”
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company Announces 2026-2027 Seaso
Press Release :: April 2
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (CSC) announces its 2026–2027 Season, a compelling lineup that explores the fragility and strength of human nature—where ambition, fear, and the delightful disorder of love transform individuals and whole communities. Spanning horror, historical drama, and Shakespearean comedy, the season pairs some of the canon’s most captivating works with CSC’s signature commitment to imaginative staging and design.
“At CSC, community is something we build each time we gather in the same room to hear a story. This season was shaped with that in mind,” writes CSC’s Producing Executive Director, Lesley Malin. “I’ve chosen plays that spark conversation, that give us reasons to be together—whether to enjoy a good scare, a gripping drama, or a joyful comedy.”
Opening the season in October is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, directed by CSC’s Founding Artistic Director Ian Gallanar. Arriving with the chills of fall, this timely staging of Shelley’s gothic classic follows a young scientist whose monstrous ambition gives birth to something he cannot contain. As his forsaken creation turns toward vengeance, Frankenstein confronts the moral cost of his curiosity and the boundary between creator and creation.
Turning 80 this month, filmmaker John Waters buys house; joins ‘No Kings’ rally; embarks on speaking tour; plays a cat
by Ed Gunts
Published April 2 in Baltimore Fishbowl
After 61 years as a summer renter in Provincetown, Massachusetts, John Waters apparently has decided to put down roots.
Turning 80 on April 22, the legendary writer and filmmaker told Baltimore Magazine that he recently purchased a house in the Cape Cod beach town, to go along with his primary residence in Baltimore and apartments in New York and San Francisco.
“What man buys a fourth home at 80?” editor-in-chief Max Weiss quoted Waters as asking in her 10-page cover story. “An optimist.”
Turnstile feared ex-guitarist years before attempted murder arrest, audio reveals
by Dylan Segelbaum and Wesley Case
Published April 8 in The Baltimore Banner
Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates told a judge in 2022 that his childhood friend and bandmate Brady Ebert was “creeping around my father’s house at 8 in the morning.”
Yates made that statement as he and his other bandmates in the Baltimore hardcore band sought restraining orders against Ebert because they feared for their safety. Their requests were ultimately denied.
Last week, Montgomery County Police arrested Ebert, 33, of Silver Spring, on charges of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault. They allege he intentionally struck William Yates, Brendan Yates’ father, with a car, leaving the 79-year-old with severe leg injuries.
“Our love for him continues and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward,” Turnstile wrote on Instagram.
Things have changed drastically since. Ebert, 33, of Silver Spring, is accused of intentionally driving a car into Williams Yates, the father of lead singer Brendan Yates, and leaving the 79-year-old with severe trauma to his legs.
Ebert, Turnstile’s former lead guitarist, was taken into custody this week on charges of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault.
Three Can’t-Miss Maryland Film Festival Screenings to Catch This Week
by Max Weiss
Published April 7 in Baltimore Magazine
The region’s OG film festival is back for its 27th year, from April 8-12 at the Parkway Theatre and other venues in Station North. As ever, the fest includes both original and revival features, shorts, and docs, with an emphasis on local and marginalized voices. Here are three reviews to whet your appetite.
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