BmoreArt’s Picks: July 30 – August 5

This Week:  ‘Embodying the Island’ performance at Tola’s Room, Rosa Leff exhibition reception at Alchemy of Art, Artscape 40, Subscape 2024, MICA’s Art Market x Artscape, Baltimore Jewelry Center Graduate exhibition reception, opening reception for Joan Cox at IA&A @ Hillyer, RIVERS artist talk at KCA, Crystal Moll’s 11th Annual Plein Air Show reception, and BLK @ NITE at Eubie Blake — PLUS Garden and Studio Coordinator position at Blue Light Junction 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!

Embodying the Island
Wednesday, July 31 :: 6pm
@ Tola’s Room

Embodying the Island is an immersive theatrical experience starting Maria Luísa Marin with interactive installation art by Ana Paula Teixeira. It derives from their upcoming surreal, experimental short film “The Unraveling” which is an experimental short film written by María Luisa Marín and Ana Paula Teixeira. Contributing to the de-colonization of theatre, we explore the Ritual. Speaking from traumas of childhood caused by misogynistic behavior in our Puerto Rican households, we share the story of “Marina” in her abysmal adulthood seeking answers for her own growth. The piece is bilingual, and it takes place between the river, the dream world, and the idea of home.

Rosa Leff | Reception
Thursday, August 1
@ Alchemy of Art

Bio

Between painting alongside her grandmother and watching her father build reproduction antique furniture, Rosa Leff grew up seeing no distinction between fine art and craft. What mattered was that things were made by hand and done well. It is with that in mind that she creates her hand cut paper pieces. Each of Leff’s papercuts is cut by hand from a single sheet of paper using a knife. Her cityscapes are based on photos she’s taken in her neighborhood and all over the world. While Leff is best known for her ability to capture thin tangles of powerlines and intricate brickwork, she also enjoys experimenting with novel media such as paper plates and paper towels. Leff delights in bringing a modern, urban perspective to a traditional folk medium.

Leff has served on the board of The Guild of American Papercutters (GAP). In addition to being a GAP member she is a member of The Paper Artist Collective. Leff has exhibited her work throughout the United States, in China, and in Mexico. Her work has been acquired by The Canton Museum of Art (Canton, OH), The Colored Girls Museum (Philadelphia, PA) and The Museum of International Folk Art (Santa Fe, NM). She is the recipient of a 2021 Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist Award, the 2021 Municipal Art Society of Baltimore City Artist Travel Prize, and the 2023 360 Xochi Quetzal BIPOC Residency. Leff resides in Puerto Rico with her husband and chihuahuas, Chalupa and Refrito.

Screenshot

Artscape 40
Friday, August 2 – Sunday, August 4

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA), in collaboration with the City of Baltimore, is thrilled to announce the headliners for Artscape 40. Artscape, the city’s biggest cultural event of the year, returns to the summer, scheduled to kick off on Friday, August 2nd and close out on Sunday, August 4th. The headliners will all perform on the Mt. Royal Station Main Stage at Cathedral St. at Mount Royal Ave.

The “Queen of Funk,” Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, and 10-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan will be the Friday night headliner. Ms. Khan first performed at the city’s biggest cultural event of the year in 1993.

Ms. Khan and Maeta join a musical lineup that includes the incomparable Queen of Percussion Sheila E., whose album, “The Glamorous Life,” debuted 40 years ago. She will perform on Saturday, August 3rd at 8:45 p.m. Other musical acts performing earlier in the day on the Mount Royal Main Stage include Joi Carter (Neo Soul/RnB), Live From The Paradox (House/Hip-Hop), and WhoCamille (Hip-Hop).

On Sunday, August 4th, Artscape attendees can enjoy the sounds of Navasha Daya (Jazz/Funk/World) and the Trinidad & Tobago Steel Drum Orchestra (Caribbean). At 3:00 p.m., the legendary band The Original Wailers, featuring Al Anderson, lead guitarist for Bob Marley & The Wailers, will hit the Main Stage to close out this year’s celebration. The reggae supergroup continues the legacy of the music legend and includes Chet Samuel (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Omar Lopez (Bass Guitar), Paapa Nyarkoh (Drums), and Adrian AK Cisneros (Keyboard/Organ).

Read more of this week’s picks at BmoreArt.