You Be Safe Now by Julia Glatfelter
June 23-August 6, 2023
FREE | RSVP for Opening Reception June 23, 4-7pm
You Be Safe Now is a retrospective exhibition of art made in Baltimore. For the past 5 years, Julia Glatfelter has captured moments in paint and cut paper collage – rendering the colors and noticings of our city. The result is a large collection of everyday images: magnolia blossoms, “no shoot zone” signs, narrow alley streets, and foxtrot patrols. What we notice sets the tone for our experience here. What do you notice in Baltimore?
As a person who creates images of place by what she sees – this collection is the artists’ honest perspective of the beauty, the dull and the heartbreaking views. Absorbed in the sights, residents often receive a common departing prayer from strangers. “Be safe,” they say. When you check out at the corner store, “be safe” they call out. After mumblings with a neighbor at the bus stop, “get home safe now,” they say. That wish wraps you in a hug and scares you all at once. It reminds you to use caution, seek beauty and to pass on the same wish to others. After 5 years of living and loving in this city, Glatfelter is moving. As she leaves, this exhibition is her departing wish to all who might view it. You be safe now.
Artist Bio
” I grew up on the green hills of Southeastern Pennsylvania. My earliest memories are of playing in the sun with my siblings – chasing each other through labyrinths of trees. We regularly attended the Brandywine River Museum, “home of the Wyeths” and I lived among realistic depictions of my county by an American great, Andrew Wyeth.
My art practice is a trail of places I’ve been and the people I’ve been with. By making, I preserve the memories and experiences I’ve had.Through the use of limited color and breathable space, I invite viewers to see the truth of things that have happened to me and perhaps them too.
Currently, I make art among the beauty of Old Lutherville, and I also teach art to young children in Baltimore City Public Schools. This summer, my family is relocating to Alexandria Virginia where I will continue making and teaching art.”
