Baltimore Art Gallery, located on 36th Street in Hampden, is lined with flip bins just as you would find in a record store, but instead of holding vinyls, each space is filled with original paintings by a local artist. With standard measurements of 8×8, 12×12, and 16×16, the paintings are priced by size, and the gallery will take care of framing on the spot. The work tends toward realism, and most artists use either acrylics or oils, but even with these similarities there are a range of styles and subjects: dreamy landscapes of verdant fields, cityscapes awash in motion and neon light, traditional still lifes featuring bowls of fruit, portraits of both animals and people, and Baltimore icons including row houses, the Domino’s Sugar sign, and boats at the Inner Harbor.
“We were traveling and saw this French model where they have the set size, set price,” explains co-owner Kristin Wiebe. “We thought ‘this is perfect for Baltimore, perfect for Hampden.’ It is a way for artists of all different levels to get more eyeballs on their work.” And there are quite a few eyeballs. Wiebe and her husband, co-owner Sonny Lacey, estimate an average of 100 visitors each week.
Wiebe studied art in school and early in her career she “designed handcrafts for rural women’s co-ops in Bangladesh.” Soon, though, she pivoted. “I couldn’t shake the human trafficking part of the things that I had seen. And so, I did that for 20 years and then came back to the arts here in Baltimore, which is such an awesome DIY town.” Lacey also had a long career outside the arts, helping children in far-flung places acquire reading resources, but the pandemic limited his ability to travel. He and Wiebe relocated to Baltimore together, and on Valentine’s Day 2020, they opened Baltimore Art Gallery.
Their vision for BAG was clear. The gallery would only show artists who live in Baltimore City. They also wanted to show a variety of work. Lacey says, “In and among new artists, there are seasoned professionals.” Regardless of experience or reputation of the artists, their works are all priced the same. “We wanted to flatten out that decision-making process because the majority of people who come are not big collectors,” says Wiebe. “They may be buying art for the first time. And they buy what they like.”
The criteria for artists is simple: they must live in Baltimore City, they must work in a medium that suits the canvas panels Wiebe and Lacey provide, and they must be able to produce the work quickly enough to keep their bins full. BAG artist Rebecca Scheurman admits, “The pace is frantic, especially as a traditional artist who does realist oil paintings. But it pushed me to get productive, which is key to any working artist.”
Rebecca Waring agrees: “What I liked about their model was that it enforced a certain discipline in my practice. Their approach is a volume business, and the artist has to be flexible with producing art at a certain pace. Selling a lot of paintings is a good thing!”
And the work at BAG does sell. Artist Vivian Tanga says that she sold every single painting in her two-year tenure. Scheurman says, “In my best year they sold 77 of my paintings.” Waring also had impressive sales, crediting “Kristin and Sonny for their support and always putting their artists out there via their various marketing approaches.”
Kristin WiebeWe were traveling and saw this French model where they have the set size, set price. We thought ‘this is perfect for Baltimore, perfect for Hampden.’
Not only do artists sell a lot of work, but their time at BAG also helps their careers in other meaningful ways. As Scheurman explains, “Most galleries demand exclusivity for their artists in their city, state or region. BAG is the opposite and helped me get a show at Alchemy of Art. They also helped me to be discovered by The Manor Mill Gallery and Zoll Studios. They have connected me to collectors and a following that led me to be voted the 2025 Visual Artist of the Year by the Baltimore Sun.”
Waring, who is still with the gallery, says, “My Instagram account garnered many more followers, and I have sold additional paintings to buyers who originally purchased my work from the gallery or saw my work on the gallery’s Instagram page. I was recently approached via the gallery by a magazine who wants to use one of my paintings as their cover image.”
Tanga, too, credits BAG with launching her career: “I was fresh out of art school, and they gave me a solo showcase which was very successful. I met so many wonderful collectors.”
Meeting new collectors—and many first-time art buyers—is another attraction for Wiebe, Lacey, and their artists. “We get to talk to tons of people,” says Lacey. “We get to see what’s going on in their lives. People write to us and send pictures of a room with their very first 8×8 painting. Unbidden!”
Waring shares an appreciation of the enthusiastic clientele: “I love seeing the customers’ pleasure at being able to afford such beautiful, original art. I recall a young married couple who had just bought their first house, and I loved seeing them discuss which piece to buy and picking out a frame with such enjoyment.”
The numbers prove that Wiebe and Lacey are doing something right. Since opening, they have shown 41 artists, and in six and a half years, they have paid out $414,000—an average of over $7000 per painter. This number becomes even more remarkable when you factor in the havoc of COVID that struck shortly after the gallery opened.
In fact, it was the COVID lockdown that led Lacey to take up painting. “I used to do a lot of pen and ink drawings, and in the distant past I had a design background,” he says, “but I didn’t start painting until the pandemic.”
Elizabeth HazenThe numbers prove that Wiebe and Lacey are doing something right. Since opening, they have shown 41 artists, and in six and a half years, they have paid out $414,000—an average of over $7000 per painter.
Since spring 2020, Lacey has become one of the gallery’s top-selling artists, and a showcase of his work is featured in the back gallery through December 3rd, 2026. This space features a new artist each month, with an opening reception on First Fridays. There are no parameters for size or price in this gallery, allowing the artists to include larger works and charge whatever amount they choose.
Tanga attributes the gallery’s success in part to “the unpretentious atmosphere.” Scheurman echoes this: “I love that the art is accessible.” But at the heart of BAG’s success is the couple who started it. All the artists I spoke to laud the co-owners as down-to-earth, supportive, and sympathetic to working artists—a role they both know first-hand. “They have ruined me for other galleries,” says Scheurman. “They let me paint any crazy idea I had and sold all of it. I love the way they talk about their artists,” she adds, “especially behind their backs. It is always full of respect, belief, and support.”
As for what they have planned next, Wiebe and Lacey do think about expanding. Lacey says, “We’ve always thought about replicating this model elsewhere, and that’s still on the back burner.” For now, though, they are focused on Baltimore. “One thing we did this last May was at Space Telescope Science Institute on San Martin Drive. We collaborated with them to show art in their main room all about space and exploration. We’d love to do that again.” Wiebe adds, “We also curate the walls at Charmed Kitchen. We’re hoping to do that with other cafes and restaurants.”
Whether they expand their efforts or focus on the Hampden gallery, Wiebe and Lacey will surely continue to bring opportunities to Baltimore artists and collectors alike, making art accessible, creating a strong sense of community among their artists and patrons, and connecting artists with those who will support them. “Baltimore has a reputation as an art town, and all Baltimoreans benefit from that creative energy that makes the town a fun place to live,” says Tanga. “But I believe it’s the community’s responsibility to patronize the artists that live there. Buy a piece or just go to an opening and invite a friend! These gestures mean the world to us artists.”
Sonney Lacy’s current showcase is on view through December 3rd. Find more information about the Baltimore Art Gallery here.
