This week’s news includes: Devin Allen publishes his third photobook, Atomic Books expanding, Josiah Henson Museum’s family reunion, ‘Bocking’ at BCS, Baltimore Jewelry Center’s Graduate Exhibition, UMBC announces Lewis Hine + Lisa Oppenheim exhibitions, Hollywood John Waters, the 8×10’s future plans, Tribe 55+ announces a yearlong residency at Benjamin Banneker Historical Park, Art with a Heart invites the public to help create public art, William Stoehr’s controversial art at Hopkins Bayview, William Hicks tries to save Mount Vernon Records, Werewolves Welcome welcomed in Old Goucher, it’s all in a train/name for the former B&O Railroad Museum, and ‘Memory, Makers and Monuments’ symposium in Washington DC.
Devin Allen’s Latest Photobook Documents a Decade of Black Pride and Resistance in Baltimore
by Jimmie Briggs
Published August 11 in Baltimore Magazine
Since his 2015 photograph of Baltimore protests following the death of Freddie Gray appeared on the cover of Time, the now 38-year-old Devin Allen has used his camera to challenge uninformed narratives about his hometown.
In 2017, the Gordon Parks Foundation, named for the artistic pioneer and first Black photographer to shoot for LIFE magazine, tapped Allen as its inaugural Gordon Parks Foundation Fellow in Art. The ongoing dialogue between Parks’ legacy and Allen’s vital documentary practice shaped a recent conversation between Allen and award-winning Baltimore writer D. Watkins on the opening day of Devin Allen and D. Watkins: Baltimore, an exhibition at the Pleasantville, New York foundation running through August 28.
The show parallels the release of his new photobook, Devin Allen: Baltimore, and presents photographs from 2015-2023 alongside original texts by Watkins, who also contributed to the book.
Atomic Books is expanding in Hampden
by Ed Gunts
Published August 11 in Baltimore Fishbowl
Atomic Books is expanding in Hampden.
Owners Rachel Whang and Benn Ray announced this week that the independent bookstore will grow by taking over the second floor of its current location at 3620 Falls Road.
“Atomic Books, this fall, will be tripling our current size,” Ray said in an email message.
Specializing in alternative comics, small press literature, underground zines, graphic novels, independent music and pop-culture memorabilia, Atomic Books opened in 1992 and has been at its current location for 20 years.
At the Josiah Henson Museum, his descendants stitch their family history
by Hannah Yasharoff
Published August 12 in The Baltimore Banner
More than 40 descendants of the Rev. Josiah Henson, who escaped from slavery in Montgomery County to Canada and helped over 100 others through the Underground Railroad, gathered recently for their annual family reunion at the North Bethesda museum built upon the site where their ancestor was once enslaved.
They also got a front-row seat to the unveiling of a new quilt, now on permanent display at the museum, honoring Henson’s legacy.
“He wasn’t just our father — he was everyone’s father,” said Mia Lewis, one of Henson’s great-great-great-great granddaughters. “We love sharing him with the world.”
Pearl-clutchers unite: NSFW comedy ‘Bocking’ kicks off Baltimore Center Stage’s new season
by Wesley Case
Published August 12 in The Baltimore Banner
This week, Baltimore Center Stage launches its new season — one artistic director Stevie Walker-Webb described as the state theater of Maryland’s “riskiest and most risqué” yet.
“Bocking,” which debuts Friday, is proof this isn’t lip service: It has to be the only new American play to include a so-called gay exorcism, a chicken named Danalana Parmesana and some parents’ NSFW trip to the principal’s office that would make your mother blush.
“If you’re someone who likes to clutch your pearls, you’re going to love this play because there’s a lot of pearl clutching,” Walker-Webb said with a chuckle.
Baltimore Jewelry Center showcases array of modern talent at third annual Graduate Exhibition
by Aliza Worthington
Published August 7 in Baltimore Fishbowl
The Baltimore Jewelry Center (BJC) will present its third annual Graduate Exhibition celebrating the next generation of jewelers and metalsmiths from Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, through Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
The Graduate Exhibition will be on view in the BJC’s gallery in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Aug. 14 from 5–8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents Lewis Hine in Maryland and Lisa Oppenheim/Lewis Hine: Spine/Verso
Press Release :: August 6
UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery announces the exhibition Lewis Hine in Maryland, accompanied by Lisa Oppenheim/Lewis Hine: Spine/Verso, on view from August 24 through December 18.
From 1908 to 1924, documentary photographer Lewis Hine (American, 1874–1940) traveled throughout the United States, using his camera to document child labor on behalf of the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC). He photographed children working in coal mines, cotton mills, farms, tenements, and city streets. The NCLC used Hine’s photographs and eyewitness reports to support its campaigns for labor regulation and reform. His images appeared in pamphlets, posters, traveling exhibitions, and lantern-slide presentations across the country. Ultimately, these searing photographs helped shape labor legislation in the United States and established a model for documentary photography.
In July 1909, Hine visited Maryland, photographing child workers at Bottomley berry farms in Anne Arundel County and at the J. S. Farrand Packing Company in Baltimore. Drawn from UMBC’s Photography Collections, this exhibition explores the places and people behind these photographs. A selection of Hine’s most iconic and enduring images situates his Maryland work within the broader context of his documentary project. The exhibition also examines how Hine’s photographs functioned as tools of visual persuasion, working in tandem with captions, pamphlets, slogans, and posters to shape public opinion—and ultimately legislation—regarding the changing role of children in the workforce and in American society.
This exhibition commemorates MD250 and the US Semiquincentennial, exploring themes foundational to the nation’s history, including immigration and migration, the power of documentary photographs, and social justice. […]
John Waters Is Aging Disgracefully, Thank Goodness
by Julian Le Ballister
Published August 7 in The Hollywood Reporter
John Waters turns 80 this year. Mosswood Meltdown, the gloriously disreputable Oakland punk festival he has hosted since its inception, turned 12.
Somehow, neither shows much interest in acting its age.
Every July, a few thousand devotees descend on Mosswood Park for a weekend that feels equal parts punk festival, comedy show and a John Waters cabaret extravaganza. Waters emcees every act on both stages (this year’s lineup included Iggy Pop, Bikini Kill, Pavement and Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s Ramones tribute band, The Return of Jackie and Judy), introducing them with the sort of filthy one-liners that have become as much a part of the weekend as the music itself. This year, for example, he anointed Pavement “the cock and balls of indie rock.”
Baltimore’s 8 x 10 rock club announces upcoming shows, plans for reopening and renovations
by Marcus Dieterle
Published August 10 in Baltimore Fishbowl
After changing ownership and with renovations planned, Baltimore’s 8 x 10 music venue will reopen in October with a mix of local and nationally touring acts.
The rock club’s new owners announced their reopening plans, show calendar, and fundraising campaign on Monday, Aug. 10 (naturally, 8/10).
The 8 x 10 is raising funds for upgrades to the building and business, including for interior and exterior signage, better sounds and visual systems, and updated layouts for the bar, sightlines, bathrooms, and overall room flow.
Tribe 55+ Expands Its Impact with New Fiscal Agency Partnership
Press Release :: August 12
Tribe 55+, a Maryland-based creative community for Black women age 55 and older, is entering a new chapter of growth through a fiscal agency agreement with The Black Art Today Foundation.
2026–2027 Benjamin Banneker Residency
Tribe 55+ will launch its yearlong “Molding My Truth: Shaping My Story” Literary and Visual Art Residency at Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum in Catonsville, Maryland.
The residency will feature 12 solo exhibitions, a 16-artist group exhibition, and eight community workshops exploring personal narrative, cultural memory, identity, and history.
The residency opens with a free public celebration on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will feature “Porch Echoes and Front Step Truths,” an original spoken-word performance by nine Tribe 55+ literary artists.
“Through this fiscal agency agreement, we are proud to support Tribe 55+ and help expand opportunities for Black women whose creative voices are essential to our cultural legacy, ” said Alicia B. Clark, President & CEO of The Black Art Today Foundation, and Lisa A. Lumford Clark, Chief Operating Officer.
The partnership marks an important step in strengthening Tribe 55+ and expanding opportunities for older Black women artists to contribute to Maryland’s cultural and artistic future.
Founded in 2023, Tribe 55+ brings together literary and visual artists, many from Baltimore and throughout Maryland, through exhibitions, performances, workshops, and collaborative projects.
The organization provides a platform for Black women 55+ to share their creativity, stories, experiences, and perspectives while building community and visibility.
The new fiscal agency partnership will provide Tribe 55+ with nonprofit infrastructure to pursue grants, fundraising opportunities, donor support, and institutional partnerships, helping the organization expand its programs and reach.
“Tribe 55+ is positioned to soar,” said Stacey Cruise, Co-Founder of Tribe 55+
.
“This fiscal agency agreement expands our capacity to secure resources, leverage new partnerships, and elevate the visibility of creative Black women 55 and older.”
Art with a Heart Invites Community to Help Create Landmark Mosaic Sculpture in Randallstown
Press Release :: August 12
Art with a Heart (AWAH) invites community members of all ages to become part of Randallstown history by helping create a permanent public artwork for the Milford Mill Market Square, located at the corner of Liberty and Milford Mill roads.
A nearly eight-foot tall mosaic sculpture will be installed as part of a collaborative initiative led by ARLS Properties, the Greater Randallstown Community Development Organization (GRCDO), Baltimore County and community stakeholders. Their vision is to create a welcoming public gathering space that reflects the identity, pride and resilience of the Randallstown community.
[…]
With more than 25 years of experience creating community-centered art experiences and over 300 public art installations, AWAH places community participation at the center of its work. Hundreds of community members have become co-creators of the Milford Mill Market Square artwork through hands-on mosaic workshops held during the Liberty Live Concert Series – a free, family-friendly summer celebration presented by the GRDCO bringing neighbors together through live music, food trucks, local vendors and opportunities for community connection.
Concert goers have contributed tiles and ceramic thumbprints that will be permanently incorporated into the finished sculpture. They’ll have one more opportunity to participate during the final community art workshop during Liberty Live on Friday, Aug. 21, from 6 to 9 p.m. Everyone is welcome to participate and no artistic experience is needed. For more information, visit www.artwithaheart.net.
Too dark for a Hopkins waiting room? A viral art debate unfolds.
by Shayla Colon
Published August 7 in The Baltimore Banner
Patients visiting a clinic at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center have been met with images of unsmiling, fractured men and women in distorted and dark shadows on display in the waiting room.
At first glance, the series of 14 paintings might appear morose, even melancholic. But upon closer examination and with context, they might do more: prompt an introspective moment. At the very least, they have got people talking.
A video of the installation recently made its way onto Reddit, sparking a lengthy discussion over the unconventionality of the art’s placement in the clinic, which deals with comorbidities related to substance abuse disorders and HIV, and the contrast between its intention and impact. Some seemed shocked by the art, describing it as nightmarish.
Community rallies around Mount Vernon Records as owner fights to stay open
by Sara Ruberg
Published August 8 in The Baltimore Banner
When William Hicks made a plea Friday to help keep his record store from closing, the outpouring of support was immediate.
Hicks, who has owned Mount Vernon Records on West Read Street since 2022, took to social media to ask for donations to help pay his bills in exchange for merchandise and DJ classes.
“This is really hard,” Hicks said in the video. “I really need your help.”
A day later, he choked up as he talked about the response from his community and customers. One person who visited years ago from France even reached out to Hicks, offering a donation because he loved the store and continued to follow its journey.
The Dish: Why Baltimore’s swankiest new bar took 7 years to open
by Christina Tkacik
Published August 12 in The Baltimore Banner
Over the seven years it’s taken Bryan Ranere to launch his new bar, Werewolves Welcome, he’s shaved off his beard and grown it back multiple times. Last fall, facing yet another series of delays, Ranere made himself a promise: The beard would stay until the Old Goucher business was officially open.
As of last week, Ranere’s thick, silver beard extended below his collar, even as the first waves of visitors passed through the doors for the bar’s soft opening.
For them, Werewolves Welcome may feel worth the wait — and the approximately $1 million Ranere and his wife, Caroline, spent transforming a 19th-century carriage house into what looks to be the city’s swankiest and most mysterious new watering hole.
Train lovers have something to say about the B&O museum’s name change
by Camille Bugayong
Published August 9 in The Baltimore Banner
The B&O Railroad Museum has a new name, and a vocal corner of the rail-fan world is steamed.
The Baltimore institution rebranded last month as the National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation, a shift museum leaders describe as necessary to stay relevant and boost fundraising.
But “B&O” had been in the museum’s name since it opened in 1953 as the B&O Transportation Museum. It stands for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the country’s first common-carrier railroad, chartered in Baltimore in 1827.
The more generic name erases that local connection — and pride — some argue. Museum leaders counter that the name change is about adding, not subtracting.
Memory, Makers and Monuments: Reimagining Commemoration in Washington
by Michael Janis
Published August 4 in East City Art
Earlier this spring, artists, planners, curators, organizers, historians and cultural workers gathered in Washington for Memory, Makers and Monuments, a two-day workshop examining the evolving landscape of commemorative public art. Although the conversations took place in May, many of the questions raised continue to shape how local commemorative projects are being conceived and developed across the District.
Commemorative public art in Washington operates across two overlapping scales: national and local. National commemorative work is shaped by federal review processes formal siting requirements and extended public oversight. Local commemorative work often develops through more flexible community-driven frameworks rooted in neighborhood history and lived experience.
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