EMERGE BALTIMORE EXHIBITION SERIES CLOSES THE YEAR WITH THREE NEW ARTISTS

BOPA presents three solo exhibitions unfolding simultaneously across Bromo’s galleries

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) is thrilled to announce the third edition of its up-and-coming artist series Emerge Baltimore at the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower. This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Maryland State Arts Council. The opening reception for this installment of the popular exhibition series will be held on Thursday, October 6, 2022, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. featuring the work of fashion designer Ayanna Greene, tiny sculptures by Jill Orlov, and paintings from Will Watson. All three of these artists’ narratives will unfold simultaneously in the Bromo galleries from October 6–November 23, 2022. Curated by Kirk Shannon-Butts, this installation features fashion design, painting, and sculpture.

In the Lobby Gallery, Ayanna Greene’s designs will dazzle observers with her sexy fashion aesthetic, I Am The Phoenix. This exhibition will cultivate a red-carpet air and downtown chic exuberance complete with feathers and beads. Having recently returned from an artist residency in Governor’s Island, New York, house painter Will Watson will showcase brand-new paintings at his exhibition in the Mezzanine Gallery, “While We’re Young.” Watson’s work reveals his personal reflection in memories based on family, youth, and good times, and explores the question, “Where do memories go?” For her show in the Gallery Two, “Borrowed Time, Borrowed Books,” metal miniaturist Jill Orlov presents magnificent tiny sculptures of familiar places recreated from film and literature. Viewers won’t be able to resist getting pulled into each little world — Orlov’s attention to each little detail is astounding.

This trio of artists showcases the diversity — in medium, process, and product — of Baltimore City artists and highlights the bold, modern, and expressive vision of our creative community. Shannon-Butts says, “My goal is to make the Bromo Arts Tower the art epicenter of the burgeoning Bromo Arts District. It is important to curate this kind of space and provide a platform for the best and brightest emerging talents in all disciplines to tell their version of the American story thoughtfully and artistically. I see the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower as the new home for Baltimore’s most promising up-and-coming creative voices. The reception of Emerge Baltimore has been remarkable and will return next year with a fresh coterie of artists.”

Exhibition Dates: October 6, – November 23, 2022

• Lobby Gallery — Ayanna Greene

• Mezzanine Gallery — Will Watson

• Gallery Two — Jill Orlov

This is the third and final phase of the Emerge Baltimore artist series for 2022. Throughout the year, BOPA will have featured the work of 10 emerging Baltimore-based artists working in mediums from glass and acrylic to metal and fiber. The Emerge Baltimore artist exhibition series is a continuation of BOPA’s efforts to raise the profiles of promising Baltimore artists — and the city itself — as a vibrant destination for working creatives.