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Baltimore Pride Twilight Gala: Photo Essay

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BmoreArt’s Picks: July 5-11

The 14th annual Twilight on the Terrace Gala returned Friday, June 24 at Gertrude’s Chesapeake Kitchen and the BMA sculpture garden, a gorgeous evening of fashion, togetherness, and cocktails, a high point of Baltimore’s annual Pride Weekend hosted by Pride Center of Maryland. The event returned in person for the first time since 2019, which is why the theme of this year’s celebration was “together again.”

Our photo essay based on this special event was captured through the photography of iya jackson, a lens-based artist arriving in Baltimore by way of his hometown, Little Rock, Arkansas. His work is concentrated on Black queer and trans people defining themselves, existing honestly, and is closely aligned with his own gender journey. Jackson’s work is intimate, colorful portraiture which when paired with archival works provides a glimpse into the love and care of Black trans community.

 

Performing drag for nearly 10 years, Queen of Baltimore Pride, Kayden Chloe sits in the garden outside of the Gertrude. Chloe describes drag as a form of self-expression, where she can let her most creative side come to life.

 

 

 

Poet, MC, Educator, and Chairperson of Baltimore Pride, Unique Robinson poses in the sculpture garden. Robinson is an unapologetically Black and queer Baltimorean. Whether you find them at MICA’s graduate school, an open mic, or a gala–Robinson is never fully dressed without a smile.

 

Water Woman, a sculpture by Wangechi Mutu, is a new addition to the BMA's Sculpture Garden

 

Baltimore’s King of Pride, Egyppt Chloe

 

Senator Mary L. Washington, Maryland’s first Black openly LGBTQ elected official, is recognized at the gala by Merrick Moses, Board President of Pride Center of Maryland. Washington is a Democrat serving District 43.

 

 

Baltimore’s King of Pride, Egyppt Chloe, performs an Ain’t Too Proud to Beg\Latch mashup for gala guests. He performs to feed his love of dance and connect with people through music. Chloe has been performing for almost 11 years.
Garrett Burgess and Reese Byers, employees of the Pride Center of Maryland, take a portrait together after watching the King and Queen of Baltimore Pride perform.

 

Marion Sillah, Program Coordinator for the Black Women’s Xchange, in the sculpture garden. When she’s not working at the Pride Center, her work concentrates on finding a remedy for challenges faced by Black women of diverse experiences.

 

 

 

 

Bruce Nauman's "Violins Violence Silence," (1981-82), neon, Baltimore Museum of Art, Art Museum Drive

Header Image: Baltimore’s King of Pride, Egyppt Chloe

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