5 x 5 Baltimore: The Art of Black Men | Opening Reception

The Eubie Blake Cultural Center is proud to present 5 × 5 Baltimore: The Art of Black Men, a groundbreaking cross-regional exhibition opening June 20, 2026, and on view through August 22, 2026, at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center.

Opening on the eve of Father’s Day, the exhibition brings together ten Black male visual artists from Baltimore and Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley whose work explores themes of memory, identity, resilience, cultural sovereignty, and self-determination through painting, mixed media, abstraction, photography, and figurative practice.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

Ainsley Burrows

Al Johnson

Anthony Smith Jr.

Charles Stonewall

Ernest Shaw

Femi J. Johnson

Jeffrey Kent

Jerry Prettyman

Larry Poncho Brown

Rigo Peralta

Five participating artists are deeply rooted in Baltimore’s Black artistic ecosystem, joined by five artists from the Lehigh Valley, a region whose collaborative creative culture mirrors Baltimore’s long legacy of artistic innovation and cultural resilience. Together, the artists form a cross-regional dialogue reflecting intertwined histories of migration, labor, memory, and Black creative leadership.

“5 × 5 Baltimore is arriving at exactly the right moment, in exactly the right city,” said Alma Roberts, Project Advisor and artist. “The ten internationally renowned Black male artists from two of the nation’s artistic epicenters will resonate throughout Baltimore, and the messages embedded in forty remarkable works will be amplified far beyond the gallery walls.”

Co-Curator Barbara Bullard describes the exhibition as both locally grounded and globally resonant. “Baltimore and the Lehigh Valley are two regions shaped by resilience and cultural invention,” Bullard said. “By bringing artists from both communities into one exhibition, 5 × 5 Baltimore affirms Black men as architects of meaning whose practices carry memory, imagination, and creative sovereignty across borders.”

“The Eubie Blake Cultural Center is honored to present 5 × 5 Baltimore: The Art of Black Men,” said Derek Price, Executive Director. “At a time when Black male identity is too often narrowed or misrepresented, this exhibition creates space for complexity, vulnerability, joy, and creative expression while continuing the Center’s commitment to artistic excellence, community dialogue, and Black cultural leadership.”

WHEN

Public Opening Reception

Saturday, June 20, 2026
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Exhibition Dates

June 20 – August 22, 2026

WHERE

Eubie Blake Cultural Center
847 N. Howard Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Gallery Hours

Wednesday–Friday: 1 PM – 6 PM
Saturday: 11 AM – 3 PM

ABOUT THE EUBIE BLAKE CULTURAL CENTER

For more than fifty years, the Eubie Blake Cultural Center has served as a vital cultural institution dedicated to preserving and celebrating African American art, history, and culture through exhibitions, performances, and educational programming. Located in downtown Baltimore, EBCC provides a platform for artists, scholars, and community leaders while fostering dialogue, reflection, and creative exchange throughout the city and beyond.

SOCIAL MEDIA

@eubieblakecenter

@producestories