This Week: Imar Lyman at The Kreeger Museum, J Taran Diamond opening reception at Baltimore Jewelry Center, Confluence exhibition opening reception at Area 405, opening reception for Hiromitsu Hubbard and Donna R. Omata at Gallery CA, JHU Student Exhibition opening, Overlea ArtsFest/CCBC Film Festival, Pharmaco/Liberation panel discussion with Albert Lacks Carter, Jr. at Making Space Bmore, public celebration for the opening of MICA’s gallery alley, Students of Raoul opening reception at Raoul Middleman Studio Museum, Stoop Reads with Javaka Steptoe at CCCC, and Asia North presents: “Love Has Never Been a Popular Movement” discussion at Impact Hub — PLUS apply for The Hopper Prize and more featured opportunities!
BmoreArt’s Picks presents the best weekly art openings, events, and performances happening in Baltimore and surrounding areas. For a more comprehensive perspective, check the BmoreArt Calendar page, which includes ongoing exhibits and performances, and is updated on a daily basis.
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Imar Lyman | Echo/Location: Exploring the Extra-Sensory
Ongoing through July 11
@ The Kreeger Museum
a solo exhibition featuring the work of Imar Lyman, on view at The Kreeger Museum from April 17 through July 11, 2026. This exhibition is presented under The Collaborative, a program developed by The Kreeger Museum to support Washington-area artists.
Echolocation is a form of biological sonic radar. Used as a tool for some animals to “see” and navigate their environments, sound waves are emitted to avoid prey and find their way in the dark.
Echo/Location showcases DC-based artist Imar Lyman’s [Hutchins] (b. 1970) new body of abstract work. Bringing together mixed media collage, painting, sculpture and printmaking, his artistry is in conversation with artists Sam Gilliam and Frank Stella, masterworks that have anchored The Kreeger Museum’s Contemporary Gallery since 1994 when the Museum opened to the public.
J Taran Diamond: Tease | Opening Reception
Friday, May 8 :: 5-8pm
@ Baltimore Jewelry Center
Baltimore Jewelry Center Presents Tease, a solo exhibition of new works by J Taran Diamond culminating her three-year teaching fellowship at the Baltimore Jewelry Center.
BALTIMORE, April 23, 2026 – The Baltimore Jewelry Center (BJC) presents Tease, an exhibition of artwork by Baltimore-based artist J Taran Diamond. The exhibition consists of a mix of drawings, sculptures, and jewelry which use pattern and obfuscation to investigate themes of authenticity, legitimacy, intimacy, and belonging.
The exhibition will be on view in the BJC’s gallery in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District (10 E. North Ave.) from May 8, 2026 through June 19, 2026. An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 8, from 5–8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Tease uses the relationships between objects, their component parts, and the body to reflect on the ways in which Diamond’s understanding of her own body as a queer woman of color aligns with universal concerns about bodies and appearances. Through her use of bright colors, repeating patterns, and layering, diamond creates an environment in which objects, despite the dense network of similarities by which they are linked, are each marked as the odd one out against their peers. Through her specific focus on freshwater pearls, precious metal, synthetic hair, and plastic, Diamond highlights that the line between what is “real” and what is “artificial” is often blurrier than we may think.
Confluence: Reimagining Baltimore’s Waterways | Opening
Friday, May 8 :: 5-9pm
@ Area 405
In collaboration with the the Jones Falls 2076 project, AREA 405 presents Confluence Reimagining Baltimore’s Waterways, featuring visions from the Jones Falls 2076 River Reimagining Workshops, work by local university students, and contemporary artists Ann Margaret Morris, Ana Paula Teixeira & María Luisa “Mussa” Marín, Bao Nguyen, Valeska Populoh, Rhea Beckett, Jess Keyes & Patrick McMinn, Katie Kisiel, Jonna McKone, and Jordan Tierney. The exhibition will open on Friday, May 8, and close on Friday, June 12, with both events participating in the Station North Second Friday Art Walk from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Jones Falls 2076 is a year-long speculative design project that imagines the state of Baltimore’s Jones Falls River in the year 2076, half a century from now. Its first exhibition The Future of Here: A Glimpse of a River Culture to Come was exhibited at the Peale Museum from February 13 to March 30 in 2025. It presented works made by a collective of artists and researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the fall of 2024, anchored in a class co-taught by visual artist Jordan Tierney and environmental anthropologist Anand Pandian.
In 2026, the Jones Falls 2076 project continues to encourage radical dreaming and summon collective action regarding the future of the Jones Falls through two art exhibitions, a series of River Reimagining Workshops, publications and upcoming events in the Fall.
Friday, May 8 :: 6-9pm
@ Gallery CA
Artist Talks: Saturday, May 16 and May 30, 2026, 2-5pm
Exhibition On View May 8 – 30 2026
Location: Gallery CA, 440 E Oliver Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday: 12-4pm and by appointment (call/text 443-370-4684)
Exhibition Summary:
Hiromitsu Hubbard and his mother, Donna R. Omata tell the story of Donna’s journey to Japan to study the ancient art of katazomé through a multidisciplinary visual art exhibition. Hiromitsu will present a series of new paintings inspired by Donna’s artwork and photographs, shown alongside her original katazomé work on handmade paper and fabric from the 1970s and 1980s. Through this exhibition, Hiromitsu and Donna share a personal family story of discovering cultural roots, intergenerational exchange, and transcending discrimination by finding identity through art and creativity. This exhibition is a program of the 2026 Asia North Exhibition and Festival and is supported by a 2025 Rubys Artist Grant, which is a program of the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation. https://www.rwdfoundation.org.
JHU Annual Student Exhibition 2026 | Opening Reception
Friday, May 8 :: 6-9pm
@ JHU Centre Theater
The Program in Visual Arts at Johns Hopkins University invites you to a our Annual Student Exhibition 2026.
Each year at the close of the academic cycle, we honor students enrolled in our fall and spring visual arts courses by showcasing their work in the Annual Student Exhibition. Please join us for the opening reception, where we will present visual arts awards to students who demonstrate outstanding achievement as minors in the Program in Visual Arts.
On view: May 6th – 8th, 2026 @ 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Opening Reception: May 8th, 2026 @ 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Awards Presented @ 4:00 PM
Overlea ArtsFest/CCBC Film Festival
Friday, May 9 – Sunday, May 10
@ CCBC Essex
Community College of Baltimore County Digital Media Production Department presents the Overlea ArtsFest/CCBC Film Festival 2026,May 8 – 10. The event will take place in the Arts & Humanities Hall, CCBC Essex, 7201 Rossville Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21237.
Overlea ArtsFest, in partnership with the Digital Media Production Department of CCBC Essex, is holding a weekend festival showcasing the work of local students and emerging filmmakers who are developing their craft and contributing to the vibrant cultural landscape of our region.
Schedule of Events:
- Friday, May 8, 5 – 8 p.m., Opening reception, DIGM student film screenings
- Saturday, May 9, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Educational seminars for all levels of filmmakers, juried film screenings
- Sunday, May 10, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Juried film screenings, awards ceremony
For the complete event schedule, visit https://overleaartsfest.org/short-films-2026 or follow social media @OverleaArtsFest.
Admission and parking are free and open to the public.
Pharmaco/Liberation | Panel Discussion: Alfred Lacks Carter Jr. with invited voices
Saturday, May 9 :: 2-3:30pm
@ Making Space Bmore
Making Space Bmore presents Pharmaco/Liberation, a group exhibition curated by Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Curatorial Practice MFA candidate Juan T. Garcia. Artists Jorge Bordello, Mae Howard, Holland Houdek, Lohitha Kethu, Jess Keyes, Ellie Krakow and René Treviño examine healthcare through clinical themes and medical materials directly—pills, implants, biometric feedback, and diagnostic imaging. Across the gallery, visitors encounter objects and images that treat the body not as a passive subject of medicine, but as an active site where questions of access, authority, and resistance play out in material terms.
gallery alley – public opening celebration
Saturday, May 9 :: 6-9pm
@ MICA Lazarus Center
Join us to celebrate the public opening of gallery alley — MICA’s new open-air gallery for art and ecology!
gallery alley transforms a MICA-owned segment of the neglected West Trenton Street (located between Falls Road and Maryland Avenue) into an open-air art and greenspace celebrating cultural and ecological heritage. gallery alley features creative work by MICA alumni, faculty, staff, and students, celebrating the rich cultural and ecological heritage of the nearby Jones Falls River and surrounding Station North Arts District.
Students of Raoul: That ‘70s Show | Opening
Sunday, May 9 :: 2-4pm
@ Raoul Middleman Studio Museum
The Raoul Middleman Studio Museum is delighted to announce the opening of Students of Raoul: That ‘70s Show on Saturday, May 9, 2026 from 2-4 pm.
An exhibition of work by 18 artists who were students of Raoul Middleman at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the 1970s, the show will feature paintings from student days as well as contemporary pieces. A color catalog of the exhibition, including reminiscences of Middleman’s painting philosophy and teaching methods, will also be available at the Museum.
The exhibition was curated by former Middleman students Craig Hankin and Sam Robinson and features the work and commentary of Stuart Abarbanel, John Ebersberger, Camilla Fallon, Kevin Fitzgerald, Jane Irish, Sooz Laugen, Christina Lego, Théa Osato, Jeffrey Reed, Jim Rehak, Neil Riley, Tony Serio, Diane Sipple, Scotty Stevenson, Keith Weaver and Patrick Webb.
Students of Raoul: That ‘70s Show is dedicated to the memory of our classmate, friend and colleague, Théa Osato, who died unexpectedly on March 4, 2026.
The Raoul Middleman Studio Museum is located at 943 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. It is open by appointment, 443-798-1167 or [email protected]. Admission is free and open to the public.
Stoop Read Series | Javaka Steptoe
Sunday, May 10 :: 1pm
@ Charm City Cultural Cultivation
Join Charm City Cultural Cultivation for the inaugural launch of the “STOOP Read” series. The first session will kick off with author and illustrator Javaka Steptoe and his children’s book, Radiant Child. Please join us at CCCC Headquarters for an afternoon reading on the stoop.
RSVP to attend. https://www.vipsocio.com/event/stoop-read-series–javaka-steptoe
CCCC is launching a new series titled STOOP Read, a showcase for children’s book authors hosted at our headquarters. The program features a reading on a custom-designed “stoop” platform with an integrated bookshelf, followed by a literary workshop.
Javaka Steptoe began illustrating children’s books while pursuing a BA in fine arts. Since then he has illustrated 12 books, 2 of which he authored. His honors include several NY Times Top Ten Best Sellers, an NAACP Image Award Nomination, 2 Coretta Scott King Awards, and the 2017 Caldecott award for illustration. Javaka is also a New York Foundation for the Arts, Fellow and presently founder of Steptoe Publishing, a racially and cultural inclusive children’s book company focused on visual and literary excellence in storytelling.
Javaka invites you to visit his website at javaka.com and @javakasteptoe IG
Love Has Never Been a Popular Movement
Monday, May 11 :: 6pm
@ Impact Hub
Explore the role and dynamics of heritage knowledge (a community’s group memory that enables a sense of belonging) across the Asian Diaspora
Conversation
Love Has Never Been a Popular Movement
Monday, May 11, 6 – 8 pm
Impact Hub
Explore the role and dynamics of heritage knowledge (a community’s group memory that enables a sense of belonging) across the Asian Diaspora. Interact with concepts and each other to practice ways to imagine futures with expanded notions of belonging and solidarity. Facilitated by Paul J. Koh (Towson University Professor of Education).
Featured Opportunities
The Shared Surface
posted by Winkel Gallery
The Shared Surface is a public, interactive exhibition and social experiment that invites visitors to become part of the artwork.
A large-scale work is installed directly on the gallery wall and developed daily by Justin Winkel. Visitors are encouraged to add their own marks, transforming the surface into a layered composition shaped by collective participation.
The process is continuously documented, capturing both the evolution of the work and the reactions of those who engage with it. The exhibition functions as both studio and experiment, raising questions about artistic control, public response, and willingness to participate. It challenges the hesitations non-artists may feel about contributing to a living artwork.
The goal is to observe how people respond: whether they feel compelled to leave a mark or remain hesitant out of concern for altering the work.
At the exhibition’s conclusion, the surface will be cut into smaller works, each fragment carrying traces of the whole.
Artscape Cooking Demo Stage
deadline May 8
posted by Create Baltimore
Create Baltimore is proud to welcome Catina Smith, Baltimore’s own Chef Cat, as the 2026 Flavor Lab Curator and host at ARTSCAPE.
The Flavor Lab is a culinary experience celebrating Baltimore’s rich food culture, featuring top chefs, food innovators, and immersive dining experiences located at Guilford & Pleasant Street in Baltimore, Maryland during Artscape 2026 over Memorial Day weekend May 23 – 24 from 11am – 9pm.
Create Baltimore is providing chefs, culinary artists, and food storytellers the opportunity to be a part of the nation’s largest free outdoor festival by taking the stage at the Cooking Demo Experience at Artscape—where food meets art, culture, and community.
The Hopper Prize
deadline May 12
The Hopper Prize was established to provide grants, visibility, and career enhancing validation to artists who demonstrate a serious commitment to their work.
We accept submissions for grants through a bi-annual open call. For each grant cycle, a new cohort of artists is selected to receive financial support and widespread exposure. Grant winners and finalists are chosen solely on the basis of artistic excellence and the promise of future potential.
We view the field of visual art in its broadest and most inclusive sense and therefore make our awards available to artists working in any media.
Fall Residencies 2026
deadline May 15
posted by Monson Arts
Monson Arts’ residency program supports emerging and established artists and writers by providing them time and space to devote to their creative practices. During each of our 2-week and 4-week programs throughout the year, a cohort of 5 visual artists and 5 writers are invited to immerse themselves in small town life at the edge of Maine’s North Woods and focus intensely on their work within a creative and inspiring environment. They receive a private studio, private bedroom in shared housing, all meals, and $500 stipend for 4-week programs or $250 for 2-week programs.
The Abbott Watts Residency for Photographers offers access to the private photography studio and darkroom of Todd Watts in nearby Blanchard, adjacent to the former home of Berenice Abbott and takes place concurrently with the other sessions.
Mid-Atlantic New Painting 2026
deadline May 15
posted by Mary Washington University
UMW Galleries is now accepting submissions for our upcoming juried exhibition, the 2026 Mid-Atlantic New Painting Biennial. This biannual celebration of contemporary painting showcases artists from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Begun in 1997, MANP is celebrating its thirteenth iteration.
This year’s juror is Guest juror Alexis Assam, Regenia A. Perry Assistant Curator of Global Contemporary Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Assam joined the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2021. She is co-curator of the exhibition Pop to Present: American Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Assam was the coordinating curator of the Richmond presentation of Whitfield Lovell: Passages (2023). Prior to the VMFA, she worked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as the Constance E. Clayton Curatorial Fellow (2019-2021) where she played an integral role in the Philadelphia presentation of Senga Nengudi: Topologies (2021). Before her time in Philadelphia, Assam was the Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow at the Saint Louis Art Museum (2018-2019), where she co-curated The Shape of Abstraction: Selections from the Ollie Collection (2019). Assam holds an MA in Art History and a BA in Art History from Florida State University.
Call for Art: Basement
deadline May 17
posted by STAMP Gallery UMD
Basement is an exhibition that celebrates the hidden lives of the strangers we take for granted. Our daily commute confronts us with the same countless faces, day to day. Basement gives these faces depth, claiming importance for the people we don’t give more than a glance. Each artwork displayed in the exhibition creates a candid, authentic glimpse into the lives of those just outside of view. Artists are encouraged to submit candid street photography, photography that pertains to unfiltered, ordinary life, human connections, and raw/candid nightlife connected to the Washington, DC region.
Abbey Mural Prize
deadline May 18
posted by National Academy of Design
Created in 1932 through an endowed bequest in honor of illustrator and muralist Edwin Austin Abbey NA, the Abbey Mural Prize awards grants to support the creation and restoration of public murals in the United States. Since 1940, the National Academy of Design has awarded funds to hundreds of individuals or organizations who are building on a tradition of public murals as instruments of social activism, neighborhood revitalization, and community engagement.
Juried by artist and architect members of the National Academy, the Abbey Mural Prize supports projects with grants typically ranging from $10,000 to $40,000. Grants are awarded to create or restore public murals, especially those that promote accessibility and serve local audiences. While murals are conventionally defined as paintings or mosaics on a wall, the prize also encourages proposals that broaden and expand the definition of what a contemporary mural can be. The Abbey Mural Prize awardees are selected by a jury composed of National Academicians.
2026 Spotlight Exhibition Series
deadline May 21
posted by NorthStar Church of the Arts
The Spotlight Exhibition Series is a solo exhibition program at NorthStar Church of the Arts, supporting visual artists in developing and presenting new work.
This program is designed to remove common institutional barriers to exhibition-making — offering space, resources, and collaboration so artists can fully realize and present their work. It prioritizes artists who have historically been excluded from or underrepresented in exhibition spaces, while staying grounded in NorthStar’s commitment to its Durham creative community and artist-led practice.
For 2026, we are selecting one artist to produce a 10-day solo exhibition on view from October 30 – November 8, along with installation and deinstallation periods.
If you haven’t shown in a traditional gallery setting before, we encourage you to apply — this program is designed to support you in developing your work and realizing your vision.
Artistic Production Grant Program
deadline May 21
posted by VIA Art Fund
VIA’s Artistic Production Grants fund the production of newly commissioned works of visual art exhibited beyond museum walls, in the public realm, or in non-traditional exhibition environments. These grants are awarded to projects that best exemplify VIA’s three core values of Artistic Production, Thought Leadership, and Public Engagement. Grant amounts range from $25,000 to $100,000.
The Robert Motherwell and Renate Ponsold Research Fellowship and Scholars Endowment
deadline June 1
posted by Provencetown Art Association and Museum
The Robert Motherwell and Renate Ponsold Research Fellowship is a one-year, low-residency program that supports scholars conducting original research on the visual art and artists of Outer Cape Cod.
Fellows utilize PAAM’s collections, archives, and research resources to develop projects that contribute to the scholarly understanding of the region’s cultural history. By the conclusion of the fellowship, recipients are expected to present their findings in a public lecture and produce a publishable academic paper. Projects that broaden and diversify scholarship on Provincetown art and artists are strongly encouraged.
Artist in Residence
deadline June 1
posted by Headlands Center for Art
The Artist in Residence (AIR) program awards fully sponsored residencies to approximately 50 local, national, and international artists each year. Residencies of four to ten weeks include studio space, chef-prepared meals, housing, travel and living expenses. AIRs become part of a dynamic community of artists participating in Headlands’ other programs, allowing for exchange and collaborative relationships to develop within the artist community on campus. Artists selected for this program are at all career stages and work in all media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, dance, music, interdisciplinary, social practice, and architecture.
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