It’s the final weekend before Halloween, so spooky season is in full swing in Baltimore.

From the 25th annual Great Halloween Lantern Parade to Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, embrace some frightful fun.

Check it all out in our weekend events roundup:

ArBOOretum, Thursday, Oct. 24, 5 p.m., Cylburn Arboretum. Go on guided moonlit nature walks, explore spooky trails, and enjoy Halloween decorations at the Cylburn mansion. While this is a candy-free event to prevent litter, there is plenty of fun to be had.

Trixie & Katya, Thursday, Oct. 24, doors open at 7 p.m., event starts at 8 p.m., Lyric Baltimore. You know them from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “All Stars,” and on their web series “UNHhhh.” Now this comedic duo is bring their show, “The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie and Katya,” to Baltimore.

The Textures of Us, Friday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Oct. 27, Galerie Myrtis. Artist Devin Allen will display work in a solo exhibition titled “The Textures of Us” at Galerie Myrtis. The exhibition will feature photos from Allen’s new book, “Devin Allen: Baltimore”; unreleased images, and work from Allen’s students. The exhibition will open this weekend and will remain on view through Jan. 11.

Halloween Ride, Friday, Oct. 25, meet at 6:45 p.m. at St. Mary’s Park. Ride through the city with the Baltimore Bike Party. This event is a Halloween-themed ride, so costumes are encouraged.

Oyster Gardening, Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Harbor East Marina. Join the Great Baltimore Oyster Partnership in their efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay’s oyster population. Volunteers will help plant baby oysters (spat), build oyster habitats, and install a new oyster garden at Harbor East Marina.

ZOOmbie Run, Saturday, Oct. 26, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., Maryland Zoo. Scary movies aren’t the only way to get your blood pumping this spooky season. Participate in a 5K run or a 1-mile walk through the Maryland Zoo. Costumes are encouraged. There will be food trucks, a photo booth, and other post-race activities.

Sailabration, Saturday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fells Point Broadway Pier. Learn about the connections between sailing and tattooing. Plus, experience what life was like sailing on the high seas in the 18th and 19th centuries by drinking grog and sampling “hardtack.” Read more in this Baltimore Fishbowl article.

Play Me A Ghost Story, Saturday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m., Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Listen to symphonic ghost stories inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Frankenstein, and more. The event will feature music by Gustav Mahler, Lou Reed, and Jim Stephenson.

South Baltimore Halloween Bash, Saturday, Oct. 26, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Riverside Park. Participate in scavenger hunts and races; eat cotton candy, popcorn, and other yummy treats; get a glitter tattoo; shop vendors; and more.

World Oddities Expo, Saturday, Oct. 26, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Baltimore Convention Center. The strange, the peculiar, and the downright bizarre will all be on full display at the World Oddities Expo. This traveling event comes to Baltimore this Saturday, where it will feature vendors, speakers, performances and more. From taxidermy to insects to macabre art, there’s something for everyone who needs a little oddness in their life.

Great Halloween Lantern Parade, Saturday, Oct. 26, festival begins at 4 p.m., parade starts at 7 p.m., Patterson Park. Watch beautiful lanterns parade through the park — and even make your own — at the 25th annual Great Halloween Lantern Parade. There will be a kids costume contest, arts & crafts market, performances, food trucks, and more. Read more in this Baltimore Fishbowl article.

Haunted Harbor, Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 p.m., Power Plant Live! Get in on the ghostly fun, with DJ performances, costume contests, access to bars and nightclubs, and more.

Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert, Saturday, Oct. 26, and Sunday, Oct. 27, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Hear the music from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” performed live by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as you watch the film on the big screen.

Monument to Monument Ride, Sunday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m., Baltimore Washington Monument. Participate in a ride from Baltimore’s Washington Monument at Mount Vernon Place all the way to the Washington Monument in D.C.

Harbor Harvest Children’s Fall Festival, Sunday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Rash Field Park. Decorate pumpkins, pet some animals, participate in pie-baking and costume contests, and more at the festival. Read more in this Baltimore Fishbowl article.

Bluegrass and Goats, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wyman Park Dell at 29th and Charles streets. Watch goats graze on invasive species while you enjoy a Baltimore Bluegrass Jam hosted by Alex Lacquement, Maddie Witler and Sam Guthridge.

The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) has chosen Baltimore to host its annual conference, bringing together more than 1,500 minority architects from around the country for a five-day summit in Charm City.

The 12 local young architects organizing the conference will highlight the housing, entertainment, and community projects making Baltimore the unique and exciting city it is for learning, living, and exploring.

The annual meeting takes place from Wednesday, Oct. 23 – Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 and is sold out. NOMA is a 50-year-old organization with 25 chapters around the United States. Baltimore’s chapter began in 2017 with just five members and boasts over 100 members today.

In addition to attending sessions designed around the topics of design; technical; community and justice; business; and “Hey, Smalltimore!”, there will be numerous networking events held around the city and keynotes featuring esteemed and groundbreaking minority architects on topics as broad as bridging continents to focused topics like underserved communities in Baltimore.

“With over 45-chapter cities to choose from to host our national conference, we are excited to be in Baltimore to honor its place in design history as well as it’s emerging community-inspired design programs. It is in cities like these where we want to gather, exchange local ideas that can make a national impact, and lift up our mission and members,” said Tiffany Brown, MBA, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, NOMA Executive Director. “From the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History and Culture – designed by our former NOMA architecture colleague Philip Freelon, to the legacy of Morgan State University as the only Historically Black College and University in Maryland where we have an amazing student chapter, we are pleased to be here, engaged with the emerging design leadership in Charm City.” 

Some of the networking events include a private White House tour; a reception at Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture (designed by Philip Freelon, a late NOMA member, after whom the professional design awards are named); a graduate fair expo with 70+ exhibitors; tours around Baltimore including the Baltimore Art Museum, Lexington Market, Camden Yards Sports Complex Stadium Tour, and more.

The NOMA Awards Banquet will be held on Friday to honor exceptional leadership, elevate NOMA members moving to the NOMA Council (NOMAC), and recognize award-winning work of NOMA professional and student members. These awards are sponsored by national architecture firms HDR, SOM and Stantec.

Over 80 firms applied to this year’s Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards. Baltimore is home to several buildings designed by Freelon and his firm, including the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and the Center for the Built Environment and Infrastructure Studies (CBEIS) at Morgan State University, the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Maryland with an accredited architecture program.

Melanie Ray, president of NOMA’s Baltimore chapter and the northeast university liaison for NOMA’s national board, spoke to Baltimore Fishbowl about some of the architectural design trends, their emphasis on design justice and accessibility, and what NOMA is doing to increase architecture studies to HBCUs nationwide.

Ray explained that attendees of the conference do not have to be members.

“We do have a lot of our conference attendees this year are either sponsors or allied professionals,” she said. “In some cases, they’re allied individuals who just support the mission of the organization to truly champion diversity within architecture and related professions.”

Since Ray sits on both the local and national boards of NOMA, she was able to speak to the organization’s involvement in HBCUs on both levels. Locally, NOMA partners with Morgan State University, since it has an architecture program (the student chapters are called NOMAS) and over 20 Morgan students are attending this year.

“We partner with them throughout the year,” Ray explained. “We co-host events with them. We invite them to our organization’s events. We do portfolio reviews. We really try to ensure that our NOMAS members have a direct connection to the professional community within Baltimore, so that when they graduate, they’ve got a job, they’ve got connections and mentorship.”

Beyond Morgan State University, NOMA has student chapters at all seven HBCUs that have architecture programs. NOMA has an HBCU professional development program that partners students with professionals for virtual membership opportunities. Additionally, this year, national president Pascale Sablan will visit all seven of the HBCUS with architecture programs.

Ray said NOMA approaches everything through the lens of design justice when it comes to accessibility, affordable housing, and planning. Since she does work in affordable housing, and those projects are federally funded, the emphasis is on universal design as the basis for all spaces. Universal design, according to the National League of Cities, “prioritizes usability by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialization.”

“There’s actually seven key features as it relates to universal design, and we’re seeing more and more jurisdictions incorporate this into their design requirements for new buildings,” Ray said. “We are seeing a heavier focus on designing spaces that accommodate everyone, without heavy adaptation or changes that often make people feel like these changes are inconveniencing other people or going above and beyond. But if you design spaces from the beginning to be accessible to all, then you don’t have to worry about that being an afterthought later.”

Speaking about justice, Ray exuded enthusiasm for kicking off the Baltimore NOMA conference at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. “It’s a really iconic building, from the outside, the graphics, even to the ‘Black History Matters’ letters that are on the front,” Ray said. “Just kind of really highlighting that as the keynote of the conference.”

The ‘John Waters: Pope of Trash’ exhibit may have ended in Los Angeles, but part of it lives on in the form of a new line of fashion, gifts and other merchandise similar to what visitors could purchase at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Waters is also dropping a new single with a canine-theme, displaying his visual art in San Francisco, and releasing the details of his coast-to-coast Christmas tour that starts Dec. 1.

The fashion line is a collaboration of Waters, visual artist and musician Seth Bogart and online retail store wackywacko.com. It features a mélange of “filthy’ references to Waters’ highbrow/underground aesthetic and Bogart’s distinctive etchings, including long- and short-sleeve tee shirts; crewnecks, hats, buttons, enamel pins, backpacks, tote bags, bathmats, hand towels and, of course, the popular ‘He’ll Make You Sick!’ barf bags.

Bogart and Waters first met eight years ago at Mosswood Meltdown, a punk music festival that Waters hosts every year and where Bogart performs with his band, Hunx & His Punks. Waters is known for films such as Pink Flamingos, Hairspray and Serial Mom. Bogart has shown his artwork at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery; MoCA; the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, among others. They joined forces in 2023 to create a collection of merchandise for sale in the pop-up gift shop at the Academy Museum, and many of the items repeatedly sold out during the 11-month run of the ‘Pope of Trash’ exhibit, which closed in August.

“I don’t know whether to call the line “norm-core for nutcases” or “hate-couture,” but Seth has captured my smutty sartorial splendor and given a whole new meaning to the term ‘rag trade,’ ” Waters said in announcing the collaboration.  

Wacky Wacko is Bogart’s art and fashion store, which features an array of products in a camp-meets-punk style. The new John Waters line goes on sale Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time at www.wackywacko.com. The collaborators say that a “select line” of retail partners will be announced soon.

The Singing Dogs

On Nov. 8, Waters and Sub Pop will release a Christmas single entitled ‘Jingle Bells/It’s a Punk Rock Christmas.’

The A-side features a ‘howling’ parody version of The Singing Dogs’ iconic “Jingle Bells” single, with Waters covering the song. The B-side, ‘It’s a Punk Rock Christmas,’ is a raunchy, spoken-word yarn about the lack of the punk rock spirit during the Christmas holidays.

The single was produced by Grammy-winner Ian Brennan, who produced Waters’ three previous singles. “In producing John’s annual Christmas tour for over 20 years, it seemed almost negligent that he didn’t have a Christmas record,” Brennan said.  “Everyone from U2 to Justin Bieber to William Shatner to Bob Dylan does, and John’s wit couldn’t be a more fitting cheer for the annual holiday music canon.”

The cost is $9, and Sub Pop is taking pre-orders at Sub Pop Mega Mart. Arf! Arf! Arf!

‘Worst of Waters’

“John Waters: The Worst of Waters,” is an exhibit of Waters’ visual art work that opened in September at the Rena Bransten Gallery, 1275 Minnesota St. in San Francisco, and runs through Nov. 16. The subtitle is: “Works never before exhibited in San Francisco: the rudest, the hardest to sell, the just plain wrong.” Waters had a show with a similar theme at C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore in 2022.

Tour dates

Tour dates for Waters’ Christmas shows are: Dec. 1: The Rio Theatre in Santa  Cruz, Ca.; the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Ca.; Dec. 3 and 4 at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, Wash.; Dec. 5 and 6 at the Aladdin Theatre in Portland, Ore.; Dec. 7 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, Ca.; and Dec. 8 and 9 at Lou Lou’s Jungle Room in San Diego, Ca.

Also, Dec. 13 and 14 at Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati, Oh.; Dec. 15 at the City Winery in New York; Dec. 17 at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, Pa.; Dec. 18 at Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Va. and Dec. 19 at Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore, Md.

Waters also has a pre-holiday performance of his “Naked Truth” show on Nov. 2 at The Parkway in Minneapolis.

One year after Johns Hopkins University dedicated its $647.5 million Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C., leaders are unveiling part of the building that hasn’t been open before, the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery.

Named for two longtime art patrons and Hopkins benefactors, the gallery is a 1000-square-foot space that will present rotating exhibitions in line with the center’s mission to foster dialogue around the arts and democracy.

The inaugural exhibition, which opens along with the gallery on Wednesday, Oct. 23, is entitled “Art and Graphic Design of the European Avant-Gardes.” It brings together 75 rare works of art, books and ephemera spanning the Eastern European avant-garde movements from 1910 to 1941, including Futurism, Dadaism, Suprematism, Constructivism and Surrealism.

In tandem with the gallery opening, Hopkins announced that it is launching an arts-oriented lecture series in D.C. in 2025 and that it recently added two works of art to a contemporary art gallery on its East Baltimore medical campus.

Dedicated on Oct. 19, 2023, the Hopkins Bloomberg Center is a multidisciplinary academic facility that was created using the shell of the former Newseum building at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. N. W. Hopkins built it to bring under one roof its Washington-based programs that were previously located in several buildings, to extend its visibility and reach in the nation’s capital, and to maximize the impact of its research and scholarship.

Designed by Rockwell Group, the gallery will present exhibitions drawn from the university’s collections, and special exhibitions born out of partnerships with leading museums and collections. Design of the gallery and inaugural exhibition was overseen by Dan Kershaw, senior exhibition designer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first gallery director is Caitlin Berry, formerly the inaugural director of the Rubell Museum D. C.

Hopkins scheduled a day of festivities and a press preview on Tuesday for the inaugural exhibit, which is free and open to the public. Starting Oct. 23, gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on university holidays. The inaugural exhibit will remain on view until Feb. 21, 2025.

The preview included a panel discussion with D.C. based-arts leaders on “Why Art is Essential to Democracy,” followed by a reception. Preceding the panel discussion was a “Music for Freedom” concert featuring Peabody Institute students performing works by Dmitri Shostakovich and Ludwig van Beethoven.  

The exhibition includes works by El Lissitzky, Kazimir Malevich, Liubov Popova, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Lajos Kassak, Karel Teige and Victo Brauner. Several of the works have not previously been on public display in North America. The exhibition draws parallels between abstract works across geographic boundaries and linguistic differences, revealing ways in which avant-garde artists engaged in an international exchange of ideas to bring about new visual vocabularies in a modern, post-war age.

“We are deeply grateful to Irene and Richard Frary for their support of the Hopkins Bloomberg Center and their significant contribution to our mission to connect the worlds of research, and the arts,” said Cybele Bjorklund, the center’s executive director, in a statement. “Through its opening exhibition, programming, and future presentations, the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery will bring a fresh infusion of artistic expression and cultural dialogue to Pennsylvania Avenue. We invite our neighbors throughout the Washington community to discover the diverse array of free public events and concerts at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center.”

The exhibition draws from the Frarys’ rarely-seen private collection of art and literature and includes many recent gifts from the collection to the Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries. Highlights include photography and photomontages from avant-garde artists impacted by preceding art movements, as well as works from lesser-known avant-garde publishing cultures in Armenia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and the former Yugoslavia, including a large group of rare avant-garde and modernist books in Yiddish and Hebrew.

“The juxtaposition of art from across the continent allows viewers to uncover commonalities between each of the five ‘isms,’ painting a more complex picture of artistic movements previously defined by nationality and enabling a better understanding of a time marked by major political, social, and cultural transformations,” said exhibition curator Philipp Penka, in a statement. “The Frarys’ remarkable collection offers a glimpse at one of the defining periods in European modernism. It makes visible a complex international network spanning from Paris and Berlin to the Baltics, the Caucasus, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, and modern-day Ukraine, and reveals the avant-garde’s shared concern with uncovering the contradictions of an obsolete societal order, and to give shape to a more just and truthful society.”

The works on display include:

• Liubov Popova’s 6 graviur L. Popovoi (1917), a suite of multi-color linocut prints;
• One of only five copies of UNOVIS (1920), an anthology published by artists in Vitebsk, Belarus, that includes several works on paper by El Lissitzky and Kazimir Malevich;
• Hungarian artist Lajos Kassák’s Bildarchitektur [Picture Architecture] (1925), a 1927 india ink drawing (Composition), and a very early woodcut (1921);
• One of three known copies of Aleksandr Rodchenko’s “Composition 73,” a color lithograph printed by the Weimar Bauhaus workshops for Adolf Behne, Der Sieg der Farbe (Berlin, 1924);
• An untitled Suprematist artist book by Ivan Puni (1920);
• Dutch artist Lou Loeber’s cardboard box object with multi-color geometrical gouache design in the manner of De Stijl (1920s);
• Three original photo collages by Crimean-born graphic artist, designer, and actor Petr Galadzhev.

Irene Frary is a member of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s advisory board. Richard Frary, a member of Hopkins’ Class of 1969, has provided leadership at the university through advisory board service, and as vice chair emeritus of its Board of Trustees and chair emeritus of the Sheridan Libraries National Advisory Council.

The Frarys are avid art and book collectors with more than 3,000 objects across diverse artistic movements, and they have shared their collections with the Hopkins community. They further support Johns Hopkins through scholarship and endowment support.  

“This inaugural exhibition of major works from the Frary Collections provides an unprecedented opportunity to explore a major artistic period in a new and innovative way,” said Daniel H. Weiss, Homewood Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University and president emeritus of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “Through its thoughtful and ambitious program, the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery attests to the vitality and importance of the arts at the Bloomberg Center and at Johns Hopkins.”

“Irene and I are delighted to be a part of the first of many thought-provoking presentations at the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery that will inspire new conversations, ideas, and research through art,” said Richard Frary, a Class of 1969 Hopkins alumnus, donor and volunteer leader for more than 40 years “It is our hope that this exhibition, which cumulates a diversity of artistic and ideological perspectives, will advance the Hopkins Bloomberg Center’s mission to foster discovery, democracy, and global dialogue.”

Sam Gilliam Lecture Series

Hopkins officials this week announced that the university is launching The Sam Gilliam Lecture Series, which will be hosted starting in March 2025 at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.

The series is being created with the Sam Gilliam Foundation to honor the artistic legacy and social justice commitments of the late Washington D.C.-based painter, sculptor and educator Sam Gilliam, who died in 2022 at age 88. Made possible by the foundation’s support, the series will welcome prominent artists and speakers to the Bloomberg Center to reflect on the intersections between contemporary art, academia, and public policy, and the role art plays in advancing society. Speakers will be announced at a later date. According to Hopkins’ announcement in The Hub, The Sam Gilliam Lecture Series will focus on topics in keeping with the themes and issues addressed in the artist’s life and work, including racial equity, democracy, and the transformative power of art. Consistent with the Bloomberg Center’s mission of connecting knowledge and research with policymaking, the series will provide a platform for contemporary artists and policymakers to engage in meaningful conversations about the role of art in addressing critical social issues.

“We are grateful to Annie Gawlak and the Sam Gilliam Foundation for their support and partnership on this series, which fits perfectly with the Hopkins Bloomberg Center’s mission,” said Bjorklund, the center’s executive director. “The series will create synergies between policy development and the arts, supporting important multidisciplinary conversations on key topics that will complement the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery, permanent art installations, and myriad arts programs hosted at the center.”

Tupelo, Mississippi, Gilliam was a pioneering Black artist renowned not only for his innovations in post-war American art, but also his commitment to issues of social justice, racial equity, and democratizing access to art. Having moved to Washington, D.C. in 1962 and living there throughout his prolific artmaking career, Gilliam had a long-standing and deep relationship with the city throughout the Civil Rights movement and other periods of extreme change in the nation.

The Bloomberg Center is home to a permanent, large-scale acrylic and mixed media installation by Gilliam, entitled A Lovely Blue And ! (2022). Measuring eight feet by 20 feet, it’s one of the final works created by the artist in the months before his death.

“Our partnership with Johns Hopkins University on this ongoing public program at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center highlights the role that contemporary art can play in advancing social and racial equity and supporting democracy,” said Gawlak, president of the Sam Gilliam Foundation, in a statement. “Throughout his life, Sam’s work lay at the intersection of art and advocacy, and he believed ardently in the ability of art to inspire and influence critical change. It is an honor to launch The Sam Gilliam Lecture Series in continuation of the activism Sam enacted throughout his career as an artist and educator.”

Works by Latoya Hobbs, Ernest Shaw Jr., and SHAN Wallace

In East Baltimore, Hopkins this month unveiled new paintings to its contemporary art collection in the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s North Gallery: “Sistership,’ by Latoya Hobbs, and ‘Crossing Godz 5’ by Ernest Shaw Jr. Both artists are Baltimore-based.

Hobbs’ painting uses vivid hues of green, gold, and brown to depict two Black women sharing an embrace while turned away from the viewer. In his painting, Shaw depicts two young squeegee workers who also have their arms around each other and their faces obscured. “Though they look out directly from the canvas, outlines of West African masks hide their features and elevate them to royalty,” notes author Aleyna Renta in a Hub article about the works. “To complete the image of nobility, the two boys hold their squeegees like scepters.

“Let me just say how thrilled I am to have these pieces here,” Bloomberg School of Public Health Dean Ellen MacKenzie said at the unveiling ceremony. “The art on our walls is an expression of the values we cherish. They show us the joy of human connection and reflect the power of Baltimore’s artistic voices. They are a lasting testament to the connection between our school and our city, and a very strong reminder that we want that connection to continue to deepen and to grow.”

The paintings were installed as part of the university’s new public arts initiative, which aims to uplift promising Baltimore artists and reflect the broader community by housing their works on Hopkins’ campuses. The effort, which involved an initial investment of $500,000 over two years and includes plans for future acquisitions, is an outgrowth of the university’s Diverse Names and Narratives Project. Hopkins’ Art Collecting Committee, made up of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustee representatives, selected the works from an artist portfolio curated by BmoreArt consultants Cara Ober and Inés Sanchez de Lozada.

Hopkins’ public arts initiative began with the installation of two black and white photographs by East Baltimore native SHAN Wallace. More artists are slated to have works displayed at the university, including painter Linling Lu, sculptor Sebastian Martorana, and photographer Elena Volkova.

BmoreArt’s Picks: October 22-28

This Week: Enoch Pratt Artist-in-Residence Phylicia Ghee at Current; Livewire 14 featuring Annea Lockwood at UMBC; Angela N. Carroll lecture at Towson; opening reception for Devin Allen at Galerie Myrtis, Ainsley Burrows, Cara Ober, Jeffrey Kent, and Kirk Shannon-Butts in conversation at Gallery in the Sky followed by an Art Soiree; Our Art Room’s 2024 cohort at The Peale; Creative Alliance’s Great Halloween Lantern Parade; Sky Hopinka film screening at the BMA; and Raquel Castedo, Ellen Lupton, and Tony Venne in conversation with Cara Ober at MICA Brown Center — PLUS Station North Holiday Market call for vendors 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.

To submit your calendar event, email us at events@bmoreart.com!

Artistry Unveiled: An Evening with Enoch Pratt’s New Resident Artist, Phylicia Ghee
Tuesday, October 22 :: 7pm
@ Current Space

Join us for an Evening with Phylicia Ghee!

Explore the world of art with the Enoch Pratt Free Library as they introduce Phylicia Ghee, their new Artist in Residence during a special evening at Current Space.

Tuesday, October 22nd
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

The Hackerman Artist in Residence Program is a unique artist residency designed to bring creatives from all corners of Baltimore together to share and create at the Pratt Library.

The Hackerman 2025 Artist in Residence is local artist Phylicia Ghee.

During her residency, she will explore a deeply personal collaboration with her grandmother to create a quilt that delves into themes of lineage, memory, and ancestral connection. This quilt will incorporate self-portraits, family photographs, MRI scans, and natural fabrics, weaving together both personal and collective histories.

Throughout the year, Phylicia will engage with Library visitors through workshops, talks, and exhibitions, providing valuable insights into her creative approach.

Phylicia Ghee is an interdisciplinary visual artist, photographer and curator whose work documents transition, explores healing, rites-of-passage, ritual and genetic memory. Ghee thrives on creating immersive worlds that explore interiority, both physically and psychologically. Taught by her Grandfather at an early age; Ghee works in photography, performance, video, fibers, mixed media, installation & painting. She earned her BFA in Photography with a Concentration in Curatorial Studies from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2010.

Livewire 14: Resounding, featuring Annea Lockwood
Thursday, October 24 | Ongoing through October 26
@ UMBC

Join us for UMBC’s 14th annual Livewire new music festival, an exploration of new sounds presented in six concerts over three days, October 24 to 26.

Livewire 14: Resounding, featuring Annea Lockwood, celebrates the work and completion of I Resound Press, an online archive of scores and recordings by women composers selected for their imagination, innovation and craft. Featured guest composer Annea Lockwood will interact with students and audiences in a variety of events, including a sound installation, public conversations, open rehearsals, and a concluding portrait concert of her recent works. Hub New Music, Sofia Kamayianni and Tim Ward, Caballito Negro, and the UMBC faculty contemporary ensemble Ruckus will present concerts including works from the I Resound archive by composers Rahilia Hasanova, Patricia Repar, Sofia Kamayianni, Linda Dusman, Anna Rubin, Lois V Vierk, Caterina Calderoni, Jane Rigler, and Eleanor Hovda. Livewire 14 features premieres by Hasanova, Dusman, Alexandra Gardner, and others, including Sam Garrett, the commissioned alumnus composer for 2024.

In recent years, Lockwood (b. 1939) and her music have received widespread attention, including a Columbia University Miller Theatre Composer Portrait concert, a feature article in The New York Times, a SEAMUS Lifetime Achievement Award, a documentary film by director Sam Green, and most recently, election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her recent collaborative works Into the Vanishing Point with the ensemble Yarn/Wire and Becoming Air with avant-garde trumpeter Nate Wooley were released on Black Truffle Records to great acclaim. Her work has been presented internationally at institutions and festivals such as Lucerne Festival, Tectonics Athens Festival, Signale Graz, Counterflows International Festival of Music and Art, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, and many others.

Livewire is produced by UMBC’s Department of Music, with support from UMBC’s Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA).

Lecture: Artist and Activist Angela Carroll
Thursday, October 24 :: 6:30pm
@ Towson University

Carroll is an artist-archivist, writer, curator, and investigator of art history and culture. She uses illustration, citizen journalism, documentary film, words, and experimental animation as primary mediums to contribute to and critique the archive. Carroll regularly contributes critical essays to significant publications and art exhibition catalogs and is currently a guest curator at both the Brandywine Museum of Art and Baltimore Office Promotion of the Arts (BOPA). Her recent projects include “Exploring Presence: African American Artists in the Upper South,” a catalog, exhibition, and 10-short-film docuseries that surveys under-recognized artists in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. She received her MFA in Digital Arts and New Media from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Enjoy the MFA Exhibitions and Women’s Rights Are Human Rights Exhibition and reception following lecture

Read more of this week’s picks at BmoreArt.

It was all hands on deck at Maryland Public Television studios on a sunny Saturday afternoon in October, with staff and volunteers ready to handle the flow of hundreds of guests bringing their treasured artifacts for appraisal for the taping of the 12th season of MPT’s “Chesapeake Collectibles.”

After all, it’s not every day one sees armor from the 17^th century, or telegrams signed and sent by President Theodore Roosevelt.

“Chesapeake Collectibles” is an MPT program similar to “Antiques Roadshow” but for Marylanders. The guests and appraisers are Maryland-based, and many of the items are either Maryland-themed or of Maryland origin. The tapings take place over a two-day period, so over the course of the weekend the “Chesapeake Collectibles” team expected to see around 450 guests come through with around 1,500 items for appraisal. Each ticket holder was permitted to bring one guest, and each person could bring three items for appraisal.

While each item likely holds incalculable sentimental value for its owner, very few people learn their possessions hold life-changing monetary value. Patrick Keegan, executive producer for MPT and “Chesapeake Collectibles,” determines which people and pieces get filmed and ultimately which make it into an episode of the show. Keegan told Baltimore Fishbowl that over the course of the weekend, appraisers saw two items that were each worth in the vicinity of $250,000.

“They are both remarkable items of historical interest,” wrote Tom Williams, MPT’s senior managing director of communications. Naturally, they would not reveal what the items were — we will have to watch the series to find out.

When a guest arrives, they check in with an appraiser who takes a quick look at their item to determine into which category their items fall, like jewelry; pottery, porcelain, and glass; toys and amusements; generalist; drawings and paintings; furniture and decorative arts; rugs; books and manuscripts; memorabilia and ephemera; and more. The guest receives a ticket for that category, then sits in a waiting area until it’s time for the next group to enter the appraisal area.

The appraisal area is where the magic happens. Tables line the perimeter of the room with appraisers sitting in front of large banners announcing their categories of expertise. Guests find their tables, and (usually) must wait in line to learn about the item(s) they’ve brought in.

Marilyn brought her grandmother’s engagement ring to get assessed, but this was not her first time attending a “Chesapeake Collectibles” event. She’d come at least once before pre-COVID, before MPT had renovated their Owings Mills studios to be large enough to accommodate the show’s tapings. They’d held the tapings at Turf Valley before renovations.

John brought the aforementioned telegrams from President Theodore Roosevelt. His great-grandfather was head of the telegram office in St. Thomas, and Roosevelt sent the telegrams in 1906. There were some of personal nature and others that were on matters of official government business.

Other items of note included the upper portion of a suit of armor Keegan surmised was from the 17^th century, likely from the English Civil Wars. The Royalists loyal to King Charles I were known as the Cavaliers, and the Parliamentarians loyal to the Westminster Parliament were known as the Roundheads. They fought in the first major battle on English soil in October 1642. This piece of armor appears to have belonged to a member of the Roundheads.

Another gentleman brought in Tom Clancy memorabilia, but the items were not the only things of interest to Keegan.

“The people who own the items we see are often just as interesting as the items themselves,” Keegan wrote in an email to Fishbowl. “One such example was a collection of correspondence, first editions, and movie memorabilia related to Baltimore native, Tom Clancy.”

Keegan continued, “Clancy’s novels are acclaimed for their technical accuracy, and among Clancy’s technical advisors was Craig, a physician from Calvert County in southern Maryland. Craig discussed his collection of Clancy memorabilia with Chesapeake Collectibles’ books and manuscripts appraiser, Allan Stypeck, who coincidentally handled Tom Clancy’s estate following his death in 2013.”

Around 5% of the items get filmed for segments, though not all segments filmed make the final cut of episodes for the season. And as on “Antiques Roadshow,” when a person and their item is chosen for filming, they aren’t told what the value of their possession is until the filming itself. Their reactions that television audiences see in the episodes are completely real and genuine. They are watching the people on the show truly learn about the value for the first time.

After a guest has received their appraisal, whether they were filmed or not, they are invited to answer questions on camera about their experience. This takes place in the Testimonial Studio in Studio B, which is in the original part of MPT studios. Guests are asked about their experience from start to finish about the show, and they have the chance to talk about what they enjoyed or didn’t enjoy about the process.

“Studio B mostly is used as our on-air fundraising or pledge set,” said Ethan Staple, assistant producer at MPT. “So, four times a year, we have our on-air fundraising drives, where we raise money for the station. On the right is our phones and our computers, where our volunteers sit, and then we have the actual pledge set, where our talent stands.”

Studio B is also where they film “MPT and Your Community” and “MPT Arts Minute.” They also bring in people for interviews. They had a project called “The Maryland Oral History Project” where famous Marylanders were interviewed, sometimes by other famous Marylanders. Staple is especially proud of getting former Senator Barbara Mikulski to be interviewed for the project in 2023.

Incidentally, these are all areas visitors can see on tours offered by MPT for individuals and groups. Studio B, the sets, control rooms, and more are available free of charge with proper advanced notice and arrangement, though donations are appreciated. On MPT’s website, click on “Community” and find the “Station Tours” section for more information.

As for Chesapeake Collectibles, Patrick Keegan and his team have their work cut out for them. They must now cull approximately 80 segments they filmed down to around 40, and from that, piece the remaining together into 13 fluid episodes that make it onto our TVs and streaming devices for audiences to enjoy.

While taping for Season 12 of Chesapeake Collectibles is over, there is always next year! Keep current on news of when Season 12 will premiere, and when taping will take place for Season 13 on MPT’s Chesapeake Collectibles page by clicking this link.

Pride of Baltimore II will host a festival celebrating the lives of sailors and the art of tattooing on Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Fells Point Broadway Pier.

Sailabration: Sailing Traditions in Ink explores and explains the connection between sailing on the high seas and tattoos. This inaugural event is free and family-friendly.

“Learn about sailors and life at sea as the festival highlights the history and art of tattooing, presented by the Baltimore Tattoo Museum or experience ‘hand poke tattooing’ with a live demonstration aboard the ship,” reads the press release. March along to performances by the Fort McHenry Fife and Drum Corps, and enjoy The Marching Elite and Ship’s Company Chanteymen, who will provide nautical music from the 1700s and 1800s.

Drink grog, sample “hardtack,” and partake of other activities that will give you a taste of what life on the high seas was like in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

The Pride of Baltimore II is a historically evocative reproduction of one of the most famous War of 1812 privateers, Chasseur. A privateer is a private ship or vessel that is engaged in maritime warfare, commissioned by a government. Pride of Baltimore II (and Pride of Baltimore I before her) has provided more than four decades of education and fostered economic development and tourism in Maryland.

The Fells Point Broadway Pier is located at 920 S. Broadway, Baltimore, MD. For more information about this Sailabration event, click this link.

Bon Secours Community Works will dedicate their Community Resource Center to the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings.

In celebration, they’re hosting an event Thursday at 3 p.m. open to the community, featuring music, dance performances, refreshment, and family-friendly activities.

Cummings served as the congressman from Maryland’s 7^th Congressional District from 1996 until his passing in 2019. His family members will attend with George Kleb, executive director of Bon Secours Community Works, as the Anchor Group unveils a commissioned sculpture that honors his legacy and commitment to the residents of West Baltimore. Sculptor Frederick Hightower will also be in attendance.

The Community Resource Center opened to the public in West Baltimore in 2022. It was specifically designed by and for residents of West Baltimore, focusing on youth services, workforce development, and economic development for the neighborhood. The center also offers a variety of walk-in and scheduled programming for youth and adults.

In addition to the performances, refreshments, and activities, guests will be able to tour the Community Resource Center following the dedication program. They can learn about available programs and services, connect with one of Bon Secours’ partner organizations, and enjoy the local arts and culture with neighborhood friends.

There will also be an open call for small, meaningful West Baltimore-related items to be placed in a time capsule at the Community Resource Center, which will be sealed in January 2025.

The Bon Secours Community Resource Center is located at 31 S. Payson St., Baltimore, MD.

The Interim Board Executive Committee of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) responded on Friday to Mayor Brandon Scott’s recent decision to terminate the city’s contract with the independent arts agency in the next 90 days.

Mayor’s Office representatives said this week that the city’s Board of Estimates will be asked at its Nov. 6 meeting to terminate the contract between the city and BOPA and that the Mayor’s Office will find other ways to support Baltimore’s arts community.

The agency receives city funds for producing some of the city’s major events and festivals, including Artscape, the Baltimore Book Festival and the July Fourth and New Year’s Eve fireworks shows at the Inner Harbor. It also serves as Baltimore’s Arts Council and Film Office and provides staff support for the city’s Public Art Commission.

A letter sent on Wednesday from the Mayor’s Office to BOPA cited “persistent financial difficulties that have come to light in recent months that have led us to conclude that [terminating the contract] is the best course of action to ensure the long-term sustainability of our city’s arts and cultural programming.”

In response, members of BOPA’s Interim Board Executive Committee issued a letter saying they believe “there remains a vital need for an independent arts organization, separate from City Hall, that can champion Baltimore’s arts community,” and that BOPA is “well-positioned to play that role.”

The letter was addressed to “Our Creative Community” and signed by Interim Board Executive Committee members Andrew Chaveas, Lady Brion, Angela Wells-Sims and April Lewis. It reads as follows:

TO OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY:

As an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the designated arts council for the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) remains deeply committed to the artists, cultural institutions, and creative community of Baltimore. Despite the City’s decision to terminate its contract with us, BOPA’s mission to support and elevate the arts will continue to guide our work. We want to be transparent with you, our valued creatives, about the steps we have taken to ensure the organization’s stability and future success. We also want to be clear about the concern we hold for how the decision to terminate the contract, without a clear plan of how to manage a 90-day transition, places our organization and the arts community at extreme risk.

HOW WE GOT HERE

In March 2024, the organization’s new CEO and interim board inclusive of representatives from the Mayor’s Office was charged with identifying and understanding the existing challenges as well as creating a strategic path forward to ensure the stability and sustainability of BOPA. As part of that, the organization hired an outside accounting firm to review the financials dating back to 2019. We have always maintained transparency with the City. Throughout that process, both the board, which includes designees of the Mayor’s Office, and the organization’s designated City representative were involved in discussions regarding our cash position and long-term financial management strategy. And when preliminary financial details were disclosed to the press absent full context, leading to misinformation and confusion for many, we expanded those conversations to include additional senior members of the Mayor’s administration.

Members of our Executive Committee met with the Mayor’s Office and left with the understanding that the City no longer desired to continue its relationship with BOPA in its current form, largely due to public discussions surrounding our finances. We acknowledged that some elements of the City contract placed a strain on stabilizing the organization and we agreed a transition of services would be necessary. However, we explained that our cash position could be resolved if the City released payments aligned with the timing of our expenses, noting that the current quarterly payment structure was a contributing factor. We proceeded to work in good faith that a collaborative outcome might be achieved.

WEDNESDAY’S EVENTS

At Wednesday’s board meeting, we presented a balanced cash flow through the end of the contract term, reflecting a proper payment cycle for services and resolving past due receipts. We expected a smooth transition of responsibilities and held out optimism of engaging in negotiations around what a new relationship with the City might look like.

We are concerned by the timing of the City’s notification just hours after our board approved a responsible path forward, a path that was approved by the Mayor’s representatives on our board. This reduces what could have been a productive and responsible 8-month transition to 90-days – without any indication of a plan on how to maintain the services provided by BOPA – places the arts community at significant risk and impacts the Interim Board’s ability to support a healthy transition in their volunteer capacity. This is concerning for our arts ecosystem.

THE FUTURE & OUR COMMITMENT

That said, we believe there remains a vital need for an independent arts organization, separate from City Hall, that can champion Baltimore’s creative community. We are well-positioned to play that role, and we are dedicated to ensuring that Baltimore’s arts ecosystem thrives with the support of an organization focused solely on advancing arts and culture in the city.

Over the last several months, we have identified new opportunities for growth and sustainability. We are optimistic about the road ahead and are committed to reimagining how we best serve the arts community moving forward.

We have advocated for our artists and stakeholders, and continue to do so, ensuring that Baltimore remains a thriving hub for creativity and cultural expression. We are grateful for your continued support and partnership as we work together to secure a bright future for the arts in Baltimore.

We share your concerns about the absence of a clear plan accompanying the City’s letter of termination and your uncertainty around the future of our current arts programming, facilities, exhibitions, and potential loss of necessary institutional knowledge. We also share in your concerns around the future of the State’s arts council designation. As we continue to advocate for the arts, we remain hopeful that an independent arts organization can safeguard the future of Baltimore’s cultural landscape.

In creativity,

Interim Board Executive Committee

Andrew Chaveas

Lady Brion

Angela Wells-Sims

April Lewis

MCB Real Estate, Midtown Baltimore, and Bloom Arts Strategy have partnered to launch the Fitzgerald Activation, which will transform the unoccupied retail space at The Fitzgerald into a creative hub and economic engine for Baltimore this fall.

From October to December 2024, local artists and cultural organizers will offer a diverse lineup of arts-based events and activities at The Fitzgerald, located at 1201 W. Mt. Royal Ave. The Fall 2024 Artistic Partners include Wordsmith and Rise with a Purpose, Ernest Shaw, Kelly L. Walker, M.A.G.I.C. Center of the Arts, Birch & Pen, Oh to Dream, The Stylette, and Good Quemistry.

The Fitzgerald Activation provides artists and makers with access to the space and resources for free. They may use the space to rehearse, perform, create, and connect with the community. Some groups are offering recurring events, and some are offering one-time-only experiences. Genres include music, dance, theater, spoken word, fashion, film, visual art, and more.

“As a community-focused developer and investment firm, we know how arts, entertainment, and culture enhance the health and vibrancy of a city. In Baltimore specifically, we’re excited to elevate The Fitzgerald with these offerings and take pride in shaping places that serve as strong foundations for thriving communities,” said Louis J. Kousouris III, Managing Director of MCB Real Estate.

The Fitzgerald Apartments, in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, are steps from Penn Station and the Light Rail, offering easy access for artists and public spectators in the Station North Arts District. The idea to offer artists free access to unused retail space was conceived in August 2023, with plans taking shape in early 2024. Nearly 50 local creatives submitted proposals to the open RFP issued in spring 2024. Of the applicants, 42% were small businesses and 63% of those businesses were led by BIPOC women.

“In addition to providing opportunities for artists to engage the community with their work, the Fitzgerald Activation offers Baltimore’s creative entrepreneurs a unique, low-risk opportunity to test ideas as a proof of concept, build their audience base, and fine tune their business models,” reads the press release.

“We know that artists lack access to affordable, clean, safe space to pursue their creative endeavors, and when you remove barriers to that access, not only will the artists benefit, but the communities in which they work will benefit, as well,” said Stacy Handler, CEO & founder of Bloom Arts Strategy. “This space will now be filled with music, dance, theater, creative commerce, and more. I am grateful to MCB and Midtown for being such supportive partners in this endeavor and collaborating with us to bring this idea to life to serve Baltimore’s artistic community.”

Some of the events and classes are closed to the public, like most rehearsals for certain performances, and the MICA Mural Class with Ernest Shaw. Some groups, however, offer the occasional “open” rehearsal wherein the public is invited to watch. There will be rehearsals and performances by M.A.G.I.C. Center of the Arts, a Sip, Swap, & Shoot event hosted by The Stylette, and an art exhibition featuring works by Kelly L. Walker.

Wordsmith, the BSO Artist in Residence, will be holding workshops and rehearsals for the youth artists in his organization, Rise with a Purpose, as well as performances and events for his own band and work. Most rehearsals will be closed, but several are open to the public. The Fitzgerald Activation will also offer a holiday market curated and hosted by Birch & Pen, and a bi-monthly immersive storytelling event series called Zora’s Room celebrating Black culture, womanhood, and queer identity hosted by Good Quemistry.

For a full listing of The Fitzgerald Activation’s Fall 2024 groups, activities, and events, along with public viewing, attendance, and ticketing information, click this link.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Stacy Handler’s name.

The City of Baltimore will terminate its contract with the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, the organization in charge of putting on Artscape, the Baltimore Book Festival, and certain other city events.

In a letter to BOPA’s leadership Wednesday, the mayor’s office writes that “the persistent financial difficulties that have come to light in recent months have led us to conclude that this is the best course of action to ensure the long-term sustainability of our city’s arts and cultural programming. The financial instability has raised serious concerns about BOPA’s ability to continue fulfilling its obligations to the City and its arts community.”

Baltimore officials informed BOPA of the city’s intent to exercise the 90-day termination clause in their contract with the organization.

According to a news release from the mayor’s office, BOPA will execute the two remaining events outlined in the current contract — the city’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display and the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade — and will receive full payment for those services once the events are completed.

City officials said they hope to retain BOPA staff members within the city’s cultural sector.

The city also plans to make case-by-case arrangements for ongoing projects and events, including partnering with other local organizations or creating new entities that would manage programs and facilities.

City officials wrote that they want to ensure cultural assets such as School 33 Art Center, the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, and The Cloisters continue to be operated and maintained. The city also plans to ensure local artists and arts organizations have continued access to grant programs and support services.

“We want to assure you, the BOPA board, staff, and the entire Baltimore arts community that our commitment to Baltimore’s arts and cultural sector remains steadfast,” the letter reads. “We further desire this transition to strengthen and stabilize the support and services provided to our City’s creatives and cultural institutions. We believe that by defining a new path forward, we can ensure greater financial stability, transparency, and accountability.”

Later, the letter continues, “We recognize that this change may cause concern among BOPA’s staff, partnering organizations, and the broader arts community. Please be assured that we are committed to maintaining open lines of communication throughout this process and will work diligently to address concerns and minimize any disruptions to Baltimore’s cultural programming.”

The news comes after a tumultuous relationship between the city and its events organizer.

The Baltimore City Council temporarily withheld $196,000 from BOPA’s fiscal year 2023 budget after not receiving satisfactory answers to their line of questions about the organization’s operations and fulfillment of contract obligations.

A week and a half before the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, BOPA announced that the parade would not be held that year and they opted to celebrate King’s legacy with a “day of service” instead.

After outcry from Baltimore residents and political leaders, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced that the city would have a parade in King’s honor after all.

In the midst of the parade kerfuffle, Scott expressed he had “lost confidence” in BOPA’s CEO at the time, Donna Drew Sawyer. Days later, Sawyer resigned.

By June 2023, BOPA had named an interim CEO, Todd Yuhanick. (BOPA board chair Brian Lyles had overseen the organization since mid-January, without pay.)

The city council again temporarily withheld money from BOPA’s budget as councilmembers expressed concerns about the organization’s spending.

Yuhanick steered the organization for the next nine months, during which BOPA held Artscape festival for the first time since 2019. Despite the festival’s controversial move from its traditional summertime period to early fall, and several activities being rained out by a tropical storm, many in Baltimore’s arts community applauded the event’s return nonetheless.

In addition to its traditional New Year’s Even fireworks display, Baltimore welcomed 2024 with a drone show for the first time.

During a press conference announcing 2024 dates of several city events, Scott indicated he had regained confidence in BOPA.

Come March 2024, Rachel D. Graham took the helm of BOPA. She led the city’s 40th Artscape festival, which was shifted back to the summer months after criticism around the previous year’s event dates.

Under Graham, BOPA paired fireworks with the city’s first-ever Fourth of July drone display. Last month, she oversaw the Baltimore Book Festival, which also had not been held since 2019 and which moved to Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood this year.

But in September 2024, BOPA asked for $1.8 million from the city, which city officials withheld while calling for an “independent forensic audit” of the organization.

A leaked memo from 2023 revealed that the mayor’s office had considered a takeover of the arts organization.

BOPA leaders met Wednesday with plans to “realign” their relationship with the mayor’s office. During that meeting, the board approved “staffing efficiencies” — in other words, layoffs.

“Ending this contract will be an intricate process that will require cooperation between both BOPA leadership and staff and the City, which will be done through the transition team established at today’s board meeting,” Scott said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

He continued, “Most importantly, it is critical for Baltimore’s arts community to know that this step is being taken to aid support for their critical work in our city. We will work diligently to ensure that the events, property management, and, most importantly, direct support for artists and their work is not significantly interrupted. Supporting our artists is critically important, and Baltimore will always do what is right to ensure our artists get the support they need.”

BmoreArt’s Picks: October 15-21

This Week: Maryland Humanities hosts a panel discussion at UMBC with author Myriam J.A. Chancy, Morel Doucet and Myrtis Bedolla in conversation at Hillwood Museum, Art Around Hampden, ‘Pride and Prejuduce’ opens at Baltimore Center Stage, Queer Climate Cabaret at Creative Alliance, OUT LOUD film fest at SNF Parkway, ‘The Cradle Will Rock’ at Baltimore Theatre Project, Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival, Danny Simmons exhibition opens at the Lewis Museum, and Baltimore Clayworks’ Fire Fest — PLUS apply for a CERF+ Get Ready Grant and more featured opportunties!

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.

To submit your calendar event, email us at events@bmoreart.com!

What Storm, What Thunder Panel Discussion
Tuesday, October 15 :: 4-6pm
@ UMBC Albin O. Kuhn Library

Maryland Humanities developed the One Maryland One Book (OMOB) initiative “to bring together diverse people in communities across the state through the shared experience of reading the same book.” After all, one of the greatest joys of reading is sharing our favorite books and starting a conversation about the ideas they present.

This year’s One Maryland One Book is What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J.A. Chancy. UMBC has been invited to participate in a statewide conversation about this title, which explores the impact of a 7.0 earthquake on the intersecting lives of a community in Haiti. What Storm, What Thunder was named a best book of the year by NPR, Kirkus, Library Journal, The Boston Globe, and The Globe and Mail, and was awarded the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation.

This panel discussion — Community Restoration and Building the Future — is hosted UMBC’s Department of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems, Center for Global Engagement, and Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery. The event will include snacks, drinks, and an exciting conversation led by Ellen Kohl in conversation with faculty and students from the Department of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems.

For a free copy of What Storm, What Thunder, visit the Circulation Desk in the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery.

Participation is free. Campus participants are encouraged to r.s.v.p. on myUMBC.

Attendees are encouraged to read the book in advance of the discussion.

A Conversation with Morel Doucet and Myrtis Bedolla
Wednesday, October 16 :: 5:30-8pm
@ Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens

This is the first program in the Fragile Beauty: Art of the Ocean exhibition lecture series. 

Join artist Morel Doucet and gallerist Myrtis Bedolla in an engaging and insightful conversation moderated by Wilfried Zeisler, chief curator and deputy director of Hillwood.

This conversation will explore Doucet’s artistic practices and inspiration behind his work, including his pieces The Christening of Land and Water and Olokun, both on display in Fragile Beauty: Art of the Ocean, as well as Bedolla’s career as a curator, art consultant, and founder and owner of Galerie Myrtis, and her specialization in works created by 20th and 21st century African American artists.

There will be time for a Q&A session at the end of the program.

HYBRID PROGRAM

This lecture will be presented in the theater in the Ellen MacNeille Charles Visitor Center and will be livestreamed via Zoom. Visitors can submit questions for the speaker from any location.

IN-PERSON TIMELINE
5:30–6:30 p.m. | Explore Hillwood

• Enjoy Hillwood’s mansion, gardens, and greenhouse, and exhibition, Fragile Beauty: Art of the Ocean, on view in the Adirondack building
• Find the perfect memento from your visit at the museum shop

6:00–6:30 p.m. | Members-only wine and cheese reception. Join today!

6:30–7:30 p.m. | Conversation in Ellen MacNeille Charles Visitor Center Theater.

October Art Around Hampden
Thursday, October 17 :: 5-8pm

Explore our neighborhood’s creative spaces this Third Thursday of October! Peruse all kinds of visual arts in local venues (with snacks and drinks! live music!) from the Mill Centre, across the Avenue, up Falls Road and into Woodberry! Plan your next dinner date at one of Hampden’s excellent eateries and Art Around Hampden!

Read more of this week’s picks at BmoreArt.

As if walking through the galleries of the National Aquarium wasn’t dream-like enough, imagine doing it in the evening, with original music inspired by ecosystem feedback loops performed live and echoing throughout.

Baltimoreans will have that opportunity during the sixth installation of Voyages, the National Aquarium’s adults-only event series where conservation, science, and art converge in a completely original experience.

On Thursday, Nov. 21, attendees will be immersed in this sonic journey courtesy of Baltimore-based recording artist, composer, and performer Dan Deacon. His original musical composition will be performed by a collective of Baltimore musicians, whose soundscape will flow throughout the Aquarium’s galleries.

Deacon was inspired by research at the Aquarium and insight from Patuxent Riverkeeper, Fred Tutman to create a piece based upon the concept of feedback loops. The term “feedback loop” refers to how natural systems react to environmental changes and how these same systems undergo exponential transformation.

He envisions guests interacting and engaging with the musicians, thereby influencing the music and helping shape the dynamic soundscape that evolves from their interactions. Deacon imagines this echoing the intricate balance found within different ecosystems.

“I hope voyagers leave (this upcoming chapter) feeling a greater connection to and role in the feedback loops they are a part of—their actual ecosystem, those around them, and within themselves,” Deacon said. “My favorite part about interaction is that even by choosing not to participate, you’ve interacted with the work that’s asking you to participate. That’s been an aspect of my performance practice for many years now, but I think this performance will expand upon it in ways I’ve never done before.”

He added, “I’m hoping the performance, and the audience’s role in it, will help highlight the endless fractalizing of the connectivity we all have with everything around us.”

After exploring the Aquarium’s exhibits, guests are invited to end their night with fellow voyagers at an exclusive after-party featuring an intimate performance by Deacon. The evening will also include a curated bar menu crafted by Cane Collective, alongside delicious offerings from local eateries, including Ekiben, Arepi, Sistah’s Sweets, and Crust by Mack. 

Voyages: Chapter 6 takes place on Nov. 21, from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. This event is for guests 21 years of age or older. Tickets cost $60. To learn more about the experience, and purchase tickets, click this link.

 The Aquarium is located at 501 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD.

It would be hard to miss the thoughtful and sober gaze of Maryland’s own Frederick Douglass if one was driving down East Pratt Street past the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. The 21-foot-high banner, striking clothing choice, contemporary pose, and the word “LIBERTY” splashed behind him makes certain of that.

Douglass was born into slavery in 1818 as Frederick Augustus Washington Baily in Talbot County, Maryland. At the age of 20, he escaped to New York City and eventually landed in Massachusetts. He became a living legend for his advocacy for the abolition of slavery and civil rights, including women’s suffrage in the 19^th century. He was the closest African American advisor to President Abraham Lincoln.

The museum’s board chair had been to the shore, and told Terri Lee Freeman, president of the museum about a rendering of Douglass he’d seen on a banner* in Talbot County. He showed Freeman a picture of it, and amazed, she took the board to see it. One of the board members is a descendant of Douglass and incorporated great history lessons into the trip. During the trip, Richard Marks, the philanthropist who purchased the piece for Dock Street Foundation, told Freeman that he’d purchased more than one and offered to give one to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

“My thing about the Lewis Museum is always to encourage people to think, to always have people figure out why you have a perspective either way,” Freeman said. “But have a perspective think about things. …[T]he board was in agreement, and the staff was really excited about the perspective of having the banner as well, because we felt that it would be a real good conversation starter.”

Several facets of the piece spark conversation. Douglass’s face is universally recognizable, as he was the most photographed man of his time, and his face on the banner is the one most are accustomed to seeing. What draws attention are his pose and his dress: crouched down in a casual, yet still commanding pose; dressed in contemporary and stylish clothing. He’s wearing a slim-fitting pinstriped suit with a white shirt and tie, Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers, and a large watch. Splashed behind him in spray-painted white lettering is the word “Liberty.”

“Knowing how fastidious he was about his appearance?” Freeman began, “I think that this would have fit him to a ‘T’. He also had an affinity for young people, and so he wanted young people to take up the cause.”

Freeman likened Douglass to Martin Luther King, Jr. in that they both began to feel less relevant as they got older, but still tried to reach young people with their messages. She thought it completely plausible that Douglass, who always kept up with the latest fashion when he lived, would be in the latest fashion of today if he were here now.

She said she has not received any pushback about the portrayal of Douglass as a contemporary figure in a setting from today, but it has sparked conversation, which is the intention, after all. Nor has she yet gotten negative feedback on the fact that the artist, Adam Himoff, is white.

“I stepped back from it and thought to myself, ‘But this is an artistic rendering,’” Freeman recalled. “And you know what? I didn’t have any negative connotation to it either.” She supposes some might have “feelings” when they realize Himoff is white, but she doesn’t think that changes how they would view the rendering.

“Adam’s rendering certainly was not to be pejorative,” Freeman said.

Himoff, a Utah-based artist was born in New York City. His artistic training and education were “largely self-directed and included classes at The Art Students League of New York, Rhode Island School of Design, and Dartmouth College, where he graduated cum laude in 1998 with a BA in English Literature and significant coursework in Studio Art,” according to his bio. After working for several decades in business and finance, Himoff was motivated during the COVID-19 shutdown to transition to a life of full-time artmaking.

After learning so much about Douglass’s life experience and writings in college, Himoff regarded him as an extraordinarily powerful icon, and the concept of icons has become core to his artwork.

He engaged in what he described as a massive research process that portraying such an icon entails, which with Douglass was a fascinating journey for him. Himoff eventually completed “Frederick Douglass/Liberty,” a hand-carved linocut print, in 2021 in the isolation of the COVID shutdown, editioning 40 prints of the original piece.

“I felt real power around the character of Frederick Douglass,” Himoff told Fishbowl. “I am also fascinated with the notion around style and the filter of cool and … that we have this expectation that our heroes should be like Barack Obama in a stylish suit.” It brought him to the question of how to bring Frederick Douglass into the present. How does he create that pathway?

“[N]ot long after I put it out into the world, a representative, a woman representing the ACLU, reached out and said that, you know, she wanted to buy one for their headquarters in New York,” Himoff told Fishbowl. That had a huge impact on him, and as word of the banner grew, a philanthropist in Easton, Maryland reached out to buy several for the Historic Society. He was very excited by the concept of his work being displayed in a place with such a close connection with Douglass himself. Next, though, the person reaching out asked if it could be turned into a mural.

“[I was] blown away by the concept and sort of skeptical that something like that could even happen,” Himoff remembered. “The prospect of this image turning into a mural was beyond words, and very exciting.” It was installed in Easton last November.

He described some pushback about the anachronistic nature of depicting Douglass in modern-day clothing and stance, mostly from articles he’d read in the Washington Post and NPR. Some, including descendants of Frederick Douglass’s brother who lived in Easton, were not pleased with the modernization. They wanted him to be left static in his imagery from when he lived. Overwhelmingly, though, Himoff has received thousands of positive comments and reactions.

“I think for me, it really clarified just the importance of the conversation and having discussions, and promoting these discussions, and having that be part of what the intent is of the artwork,” Himoff said.

Freeman expects the Reginald F. Lewis Museum to have programming surrounding the artwork. While not yet fully planned, it may include a conversation with the artist, a Frederick Douglass scholar, and/or a conversation between the two. The museum is excited about thinking of how they might utilize the banner in interesting and innovative ways to engage the citizens of Baltimore.

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture is located at 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, MD. Its hours are Monday, Thursday – Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday: noon to 5 p.m. Ticket prices range from free to $12.

*(“Frederick Douglass/Liberty” is often described as a mural, but it is really a banner, as it is affixed to, rather than painted on the side of the building.)

Art with a Heart has come a long way since founder and executive director Randi Pupkin launched the nonprofit from her law office desk in 2000.

Pupkin had been working in construction litigation for 14 years when she decided she needed a change — a new way of helping people. So, she left her legal practice and founded Art with a Heart in order to provide art classes to communities around Baltimore.

What started as a small but passionate project out of the trunk of Pupkin’s car grew into a citywide operation. Art with a Heart hosts thousands of art classes per year, has installed about 300 public art pieces, and is a regular fixture in Baltimore City Public Schools and other community sites.

Last month, Art with a Heart announced it will be expanding with a satellite location on The Avenue in Hampden, which will house HeARTwares, the nonprofit’s social enterprise store, as well as HeARTworks, their workforce development program.

Next year, Pupkin will retire from the nonprofit she founded and will officially pass the reigns to her current deputy director, Megan Gatto, in June 2025.

Pupkin spoke with Baltimore Fishbowl about Art with a Heart nearing its 25th anniversary, preparing a new generation to take over the nonprofit, and the difference art can make (and has made) in the lives of Baltimore residents.

Baltimore Fishbowl: What was your inspiration for starting Art with a Heart nearly 25 years ago?

Randi Pupkin: My inspiration was my love of art and my love of people. I took art classes as a young child in Baltimore. I’m born and raised in Baltimore, and art was always like my recess or my sport. I never was an athlete, so going to art class was where I could be anywhere in my head – the beach, some foreign country – and kind of escape from life and I valued that. I became a lawyer because I love the idea of helping people and elevating humanity, and I thought I would be able to do that as a lawyer. I found that I was really fighting with other lawyers more than I was elevating humanity, so I decided to combine my love of art and my desire to help people and I founded Art with a Heart from the desk in my law office.

BFB: How did Art with a Heart’s work specifically with Baltimore City schools come about? Tell me how that works.

RP: We just got a request from a principal years ago because there was a void in his school for art programming and he asked if we could fill that void with our programming, which we were already doing in the community. We were already taking art classes to communities that did not have equitable access to art, whether that was in rec centers or PAL programs or shelters, group homes. Children, youth, seniors, anyone who didn’t have access. We were already providing that enrichment, and this principal heard about us and asked if we could fill the void in his school. That’s what we did and that grew from one school to eight schools to 15 schools, and now we’re in 17 schools with the desire that we would not have to be in any schools, but we’ll be in the schools until we don’t have to be in the schools.

BFB: You’re kind of hoping to work yourself out of a job with those schools, right? That one day your partnership will no longer be needed because they’ll have their own robust art programs.

RP: Yes. I mean, the idea is that there’s not a teacher shortage, but I think I read the other day that there’s 171 vacancies in Baltimore City. I don’t know how many of them are arts teachers, but for sure we work here if we’re needed.

BFB: How have you seen youth grow through Art with a Heart’s workforce development (HeARTworks) and leadership (Art of Leadership) programs?

RP: So the workforce development program started 20 years ago. It’s wonderful to see a young person walk into the program skeptical and then kind of figure out that we’re trustworthy and consistent, and that they’re here and they’re in this program and it’s almost like they resign themselves to showing up. Then you watch their minds open and they find joy in the process. Many have gone on to better themselves in school and in jobs. We have two employees right now that were in the program that work in Art with the Heart. And many other young people – well, they’re probably not so young anymore. It depends on how you consider ‘young.’ It’s relative – but many other that I’m still connected to through social media, they’re living their lives, they’re working, they’re married, they have kids. Some aren’t married, but most are working, and many would credit the path that they decided upon starting here at Art with a Heart.

The Art of Leadership is in its 10th year. We’re in our 10th cohort. That has been extraordinary in that the community that is created in that program — it’s a small cohort. It’s between like 18 and 25 students. — they stay connected. For 10 years, the first cohort has been connected. Two of the students in that cohort are now on our advisory board. One is a teacher, and one works for Governor Moore. And Moore [before becoming governor] was the speaker for our first cohort. He came and spoke to them, and all the students got his book, “The Other Wes Moore.” That was the only book he had written at the time. And so one works for him now. I just think that that program provides those students with the opportunity to stretch their boundaries, to meet community that they otherwise would not even know about, to talk about issues that they don’t usually have the opportunity to engage in conversation that they have here. It’s a really special program, and I’m very proud of the students that have allowed themselves to open up and be vulnerable with people they wouldn’t know but for that program.

BFB: Your work with the community is very hands-on. How did you manage to continue that work during COVID?

RP: That’s a great question. Everyone that works here has a lot of grit, and it was a really scary time. I think we all felt like we got punched in the stomach a little bit, like now what? But it really didn’t take us long. It took us a lot of Zoom calls, and as a team gathering on Zoom, and figuring out what’s next, how do we keep our students engaged in the creative, tactile art-making, not just talking on Zoom. I think we were all out in March [2020]. Probably by the end of April [2020], we were packing art kits and delivering them to schools, and the schools were handing them out when they were handing out laptops for students to be able to engage in school virtually. So we packed 12,000 art kits and delivered them to all of the schools that we programmed with. As an aside, we also have a large community art effort, and we engage thousands of volunteers every year, but we have a core group of volunteers that are between the ages of probably 60 and 90, and they come every week. It’s about 50 of them, and they have shifts, and they bring their lunch and it’s like a job to these 50 people. Prior to the pandemic, I used to think ‘Wow, they just do so much for us. They help us prepare for classes, they help with community art projects, and they just keep us rolling.’ And during the pandemic I realized – as they were the first people knocking on our door to get back in and they were the highest risk group – how much we also do for them, not just how much they do for us. And so we built a sculpture, a community art sculpture that’s now at the University of Maryland hospital, entirely during the pandemic. Coming in masked, working six feet apart, whatever we had to do, we created that big eight-foot sculpture during that time.

BFB: Tell me how Art with a Heart has been so successful and stuck around for so long. I know many nonprofits aren’t around after even five or 10 years. So 25 years is a lot!

RP: Well, thank you. I think it’s extraordinary. I think the first thing is that somebody told me right after I incorporated Art with a Heart and really went full throttle – because it was just me – somebody in the funding world said most nonprofits last five years. It was kind of like that’s all I needed to hear to make sure that we lasted more than five years. I was like, ‘Okay, here we go.’ I think the organization has lasted because of the commitment of the people who have worked here, who currently work here, who care deeply about the mission. Both our employees, our teachers and assistants in the community, they’re foot soldiers. They do hard work every day. Nothing happens in a silo here. The recognition is really about the community of people that commit to making it work every day. It’s a machine and we all help the machine run. It’s extraordinary. It really is. And I’m so grateful for the staff and the teachers and assistants and the team and the volunteers; it’s a full community effort. I know that it’s cliche to say it takes a village, but this organization, the village, is what makes it happen. I couldn’t do it on my own, that’s for sure. And nobody here could. But I think we dig in deep when we have to, and we know how to be nimble and we work hard.

BFB: Are there a couple Art with a Heart community art projects that you’re particularly proud of over the years?

RP: Of course. There’s the first large-scale mosaic that we ever did. Debbie Phelps [mother of Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps] was the principal at Windsor Mill Middle School, and a student had been hit by a car while riding his bicycle and he passed away. They were planting a memorial garden for him and she contacted us to do this large mosaic on the wall of the garden. When I said we dig in, we dug in. We were like ‘Let’s do this.’ And it just started a snowball effect of large-scale projects. It was probably 2009 or 2010. And that just started this snowball of other murals, other mosaics, and it’s just continued. We have close to 300 community art pieces of various sizes all throughout the Baltimore community. And that thought brings me incredible joy just to be able to beautify the community. It’s like we’re part of the fabric of Baltimore with paint and tile. So that one project really is special. We had an artist working with us named Jane Rubini who designed it, and then we took the panels to the school. The students that knew the deceased young man worked on it. His family worked on it. Everybody in the school worked on it. Then we installed it. It was a really special project. That led to another project that was like 18 feet by 10 feet. Huge. So that one was really special. And of course, the heart that was created during the pandemic. It’s hard to find a favorite.

BFB: Is the heart that sculpture at the University of Maryland hospital you were speaking about?

RP: Yes.

BFB: Has your leadership style changed over the years?

RP: For sure. I mean, I’ve been marinating for 62 years. I think as a leader and as just a person, you grow and change. I try to keep learning and listening. When I was in law school, I used to take walks with this woman who was 88 years old, and she used to talk to me about listening and how it kept her young, and I’ll never forget that. And so I really try and listen, and I know what I don’t know, and I know that there are people who know what I don’t know, so I really try and grow and learn from that. I think as you get older too, this is going to sound cliche, but you learn to – you don’t sweat the small stuff, but you learn to prioritize things. I also think there’s a divide between what it was like when I was growing up and how we worked, and younger people today and their expectation of a work environment. I try and pass that on to the younger leaders in the organization who kind of speak the same language, because I’m always full throttle. I’m always just charging and working and I love what I do, so it doesn’t feel bad to be doing it.

BFB: I understand that you are set to take a step back from your executive director position soon. What will that look like? I know it’s hard to completely walk away from an organization that you’ve been running for 25 years. Will you still be involved?

RP: So this is interesting. I am the founder, so everyone asks that question and I think it’s a great one. I think it would be daunting if I didn’t feel like the succession plan was good, and the person who was succeeding me, if I was worried about that person not being able to succeed. But I am really excited and really confident in handing this child over to the next person. I think she’s going to do a fantastic job. And I will be behind the scenes coaching her a little bit. Not formally as a coach, but consulting with her and helping her. I will not be sitting on the board. I am not going to have an office. But I look forward to helping her in any way I can and advising her. There’ll be lots of questions, I’m sure. I mean, there’s a lot to think about when you’re running a multi-million dollar nonprofit. There’s insurance and phone systems and HR matters, and she’s learning. It’s a co-leadership model right now. We share an office, so she’s basically shadowing everything. And although she’s not here today for the interview, she’s heard all this before. It’s actually really exciting. I know it’s time to go. The organization deserves a younger leader now.

BFB: Who will be taking over?

RP: Our deputy director, Megan Gatto.

BFB: So after that ‘coaching process,’ when she’s more used to being in the executive director role and you can take even more of a step back, what’s next for you?

RP: I’m going to take a little time to read a book, and then I want to get a job. I want to work somewhere else. I’m not tired. I mean, I’m a little tired, but I see that I have energy to do something else. I just don’t know what that is yet. I’m excited about what’s next. What it is, I’m not sure.

BFB: You mentioned you want to read a book. Do you have any particular books you’re looking forward to?

RP: My advisor from college worked for the State Department, and his wife worked for the State Department, and he published a book of her diary. It’s like 900 pages. They were like surrogate parents to me, so I want to read that book. It’s going to take a while.

BFB: Yeah, 900 pages! Wow!

RP: I know. Maybe I should start with Dr. Seuss to work my way up.

BFB: Art with a Heart will have its 25th anniversary next year. How will you and your team celebrate the occasion?

RP: We are having an event on March 29, 2025 at the M&T Bank Exchange. It’s in the evening. And so we’re going to have a party. I mean, we’ve got to have a party. We haven’t really had a party since 2015, any kind of fundraiser event. I’m calling it a party because really this is a celebration. It’s a celebration of the extraordinary work that the organization has done for 25 years. But also, passing the paintbrush, so to speak. We’re really looking forward to just bringing together, the Baltimore community in one space, to celebrate the organization and the people who have made it happen. We signed a lease to take a satellite location for the organization at where the Hampden Family Center UCLA Avenue is. We have a social enterprise retail store called HeARTwares, and we’ll be moving the store onto the Avenue, which is very exciting because it’s never really been in a location that allowed it to have foot traffic. We’re in Mill One and people do come here, but it will be very nice for just passersby to see the work that’s created by our students in our workforce program. We’re also going to move the workforce program to the Avenue, to that location. It has two classrooms. For students, transportation’s never been a barrier to them getting here; they just have to walk from the stop on the Avenue. So now it’ll just be less of a walk for them. And we’re excited about that too. That’s an exciting thing that’s happening, kind of to celebrate and honor and feel our growth in 2025.

We want to be really clear, because the whole universe is going to think we’re moving, but we’re not moving. When we moved into our space in Mill One, we had eight employees. Now we have 17. So it’s just a lot and that’s why we need supplement. We really ran out of space, which is unbelievable.

BFB: It’s a good problem to have!

RP: I know! I always tell my team that being busy is a great problem to have, because we could be laying people off. I hope that never happens.

BFB: What would you like to see for Art with a Heart in the next 25 years?

RP: Well, I feel like that’s not for me to answer because there’ll be a new leader who will have a vision of her own. I would just like to see it thrive. We have like five branches to the organization, and I would like to see them all continue to grow and, like I said, thrive and be part and parcel to our community.