1/27: PRATT CONTEMPORARIES BLACK AND WHITE PARTY
Thanks to this annual Enoch Pratt Free Library fete, you don’t need a plane ticket to visit New Orleans, the undisputed capital of festive beads, crawfish, and mouthwatering beignets. In honor of the Pratt Contemporaries—a group of engaged Baltimoreans looking to spread the word about our city’s vital free library system—the theme of this year’s black-and-white soiree will be “New Orleans, Mon Amour.” It’s a reference to writer and NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu’s book of essays by the same title, which features roughly 20 years of pieces he wrote during his time living in the famed city.

This year’s event will take place at Enoch Pratt’s Central Library, inside the building’s recently refurbished Central Hall. Proceeds raised from tickets, which will go on sale beginning Jan. 11, will promote local literacy programs for kids and teenagers. Accentuate your black-and-white attire with a subtle pop of purple, green, or gold. Enoch Pratt Free Library. Central Hall. 8 p.m.-12 a.m. $175.

1/3: NEW YEAR’S STORYTIME
At Enoch Pratt’s Herring Run Branch, begin the new year with a reading of Tami Charles’ Freedom Soup, the story of the traditional soup recipe dating back to the Haitian Revolution. After the reading, create your own Freedom Soup craft. Enoch Pratt Free Library. 11 a.m. 

1/4: NEW YEAR NEW YOU VISION BOARD PARTY
Prepare to take on 2024 with a visit to Enoch Pratt’s Waverly branch, where you can bring your biggest dreams and aspirations to life via a vision-boarding session. (Just think, maybe it could lead to your most prosperous year ever.) Enoch Pratt Free Library. 5:30 p.m.

1/5: NOAH PIERRE BAND W/ BRANDON WOODY AND AUSTIN LOMAN GROUP
Ease into the new year with live music at the 8×10. The Federal Hill venue will play host to Baltimore’s Noah Pierre Band, which will join Baltimore trumpeter Brandon Woody and Washington, D.C.’s Austin Loman Group on stage. The 8×10. 7 p.m. $19.06. 

TO 1/7: MAKING HER MARK: A HISTORY OF WOMEN ARTISTS IN EUROPE, 1400-1800
Challenging the idea that European women artists were not as talented as their male counterparts, the captivating Baltimore Museum of Art exhibition highlights women-made objects from the 15th to 18th centuries, showcasing the works of artists such as Judith Leyster. Baltimore Museum of Art. Times and prices vary. 

1/10: SELECTOR SERIES # 11: J. ROBBINS
Matt Byars and Lee Gardner, hosts of WYPR’s Essential Tremors music podcast, present an immersive vinyl listening experience at Idle Hour. Guitarist and vocalist J. Robbins, founder of Washington, D.C.-based post-hardcore band Jawbox, will select the evening’s listening material. Idle Hour. 7 p.m. $25. 

1/11-14 TREVOR NOAH: OFF THE RECORD
Why not begin the new year with a needed laugh? This month, Trevor Noah—the comedian, writer, actor, and former host of The Daily Show—brings his 28-stop North American tour to fans in Baltimore with performances at the Hippodrome Theatre. Hippodrome Theatre. Times and prices vary.

1/11-14: SHE’S GOT SOUL
Singer and actress Capathia Jenkins lends her vocals to a series of iconic R&B numbers and soul classics. Performances at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and the Music Center at Strathmore include hits by Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, and Adele. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Times and prices vary. 

1/12: GROWN UP FIELD TRIP: GAME ON
Thought field trips were only for tikes? Think again. This 21-plus game night at the Maryland Science Center features sips by Chesepiooc Real Ale Brewery, a giant Scrabble game, a pool noodle duck hunt, and Pac-Man live-action roleplaying. Maryland Science Center. 7-10 p.m. $40.

1/12-13: ELVIS’ BIRTHDAY FIGHT CLUB
Embarking on its 13th year, this rousing set of staged brawls—which is co-hosted by “Elvis’’ and his sidekick Kittie Glitter—brings burlesque, below-the-belt jokes, and a star-studded fight roster out to Highlandtown. Previous matches have included opponents like Bridezilla and Godzilla. Creative Alliance. Times vary. $30-45. 

1/12-28: THE BOOK OF GRACE
Courtesy of local theater company Rapid Lemon Productions, this take on playwright SuzanLori Parks’ The Book of Grace follows an optimistic waitress and her step-son. With Grace’s encouragement, he returns to South Texas to face up to his abusive father. Rapid Lemon Productions. Times vary. $20. 

1/13: MLK JR. DAY CELEBRATION BY UNIQUE ROBINSON
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this program at The Walters Art Museum as curated and emceed by Baltimore professor and poet  Unique Robinson. The event will feature poetry embodying the topics that inform Dr. King’s monumental legacy. The Walters Art Museum. 2-4 p.m. 

1/13: MONOLOGUE SLAM
At Fells Point Corner Theatre on South Ann Street, pay attention as competitors present their best theatrical techniques to judges. With only two minutes allotted for performances, and chances to take home coveted cash prizes, the stakes are relatively high. Fells Point Corner Theatre. Time and pricing TBD.

1/13: WATCH YOUR STEP: CLOSING CELEBRATION AND DINNER
At School 33 Art Center, the boundary-pushing showcase (featuring the works of siblings Hope and Faith McCorkle) will receive a special send-off. Spend time with the exhibit, which pays homage to their lineage, and shop Black food and drink vendors. School 33 Art Center. 6-9 p.m.

1/14: JULIA BULLOCK AND BRETTON BROWN
At Shriver Hall, acclaimed soprano Julia Bullock joins pianist Bretton Brown for an evening of song, anchored by Bullock’s transformative, bold, and emotion-rich vocals. The two-hour program will be preceded by a concert talk at 4:30 p.m. Shriver Hall. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Prices vary. 

1/15: DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY PARADE
Departing from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Eutaw Street, the annual parade, courtesy of Mayor Brandon Scott, returns to Baltimore. This celebration of the late civil rights activist is known for drumlines, marching bands, and throngs of cheerful onlookers. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 12 p.m. 

1/15: PUNK ROCK KARAOKE
What better music venue than the Ottobar to host this punk rock-friendly karaoke night? Slated performers throughout the evening, wherein guests can take the mic, include Darrin Pfeiffer of Goldfinger, Randy Bradbury of Pennywise, and Greg Hetson of Bad Religion. Ottobar. 8 p.m. $27.50-30. 

TO 1/19: GET ON MY LEVEL: A GREENMOUNT WEST COMMUNITY CENTER EXHIBITION
On display at Creative Alliance, the showcase features works by members of Greenmount West Community Center’s R.I.S.E Emerging Artists program, serving neurodivergent youth learning about entrepreneurship. It features handmade works by teens in Greenmount and Highlandtown. Creative Alliance. Times vary. 

1/20: DRUMLINE LIVE
By way of the musical team behind the popular movies, this performance at The Lyric pays tribute to marching bands at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Enjoy an energized performance replete with intoxicating beats, bold sounds, and stirring rhythms. The Lyric. 7:30 p.m. Prices vary. 

1/20: REMEMBERING ARETHA, PHYLLIS, AND TEENA
Presented by Charm City Jazz, this woman-powered concert at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts remembers three musical forces of nature. We can almost guarantee that it will feature tracks including Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” and Teena Marie’s “Square Biz.” Gordon Center for Performing Arts. 7-9 p.m. Prices vary. 

1/20: QUEERING THE COLLECTION: JAMIE GRACE ALEXANDER
At The Walters Art Museum, Charm City activist and artist Jamie Grace Alexander joins Weiwen Balter, the Mount Vernon museum’s manager of school communities, to discuss the complicated histories of feminism, activism, and abolition in relation to the arts. The Walters Art Museum. 2-3 p.m. 

1/20-21: BALTIMORE HOME SHOW
For two days, the interior design showcase heads to the Baltimore Convention Center, offering homeowners a bevy of product demonstrations, design ideas, and tools to help with landscaping. Meet industry experts and head home with motivation to zhuzh up your digs. Baltimore Convention Center. Times vary. Free-$10. 

1/26-27: 2024 SUPER PLUNGE
Ahead of the Polar Plunge (a Maryland tradition celebrating our great Special Olympics athletes) this challenge is for those willing to raise a minimum of $10,000 for the program. This experience includes photo ops, costumes, chair massages, and more. Plunge Maryland. Time and pricing TBD. 

1/26-2/4: BALTIMORE WINTER RESTAURANT WEEK
In search of a delicious meal that doesn’t cost a fortune? End the month with prix-fixe breakfast, lunch, and dinner deals prepared by local eateries. Participating spots include Indigma, Barcocina, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Bluestone Restaurant, and Twist Fells Point. Baltimore Restaurant Week. Times and prices vary. 

1/28: BACK TO THE FUTURE IN CONCERT
Calling all time travelers: Prepare to celebrate the classic 1985 film with the help of a full orchestra. Courtesy of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, this trio of performances yields roughly 20 minutes of new music by the score’s composer, Alan Silvestri. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Times and prices vary. 

2/18-19: Charm City Django Jazz Festival 
Roughly 93 years ago in Paris, sequestered in a gypsy caravan, a young Django Reinhardt and his wife, Florine Mayer, were about to get some sleep—until their home went up in smoke. The fire spread when the 18-year-old, Belgium-born Reinhardt knocked a candle to the ground, engulfing their trailer in flames. Two of Reinhardt’s left fingers were badly damaged in the fire.

Thanks to the disfigured digits, gone were pursuits of playing violin or banjo, but Reinhardt would eventually regain his strength with newfound sights set on guitar. As one of Europe’s finest jazz musicians, he would go on to perform with such giants as Louis Armstrong, Rex Stewart, and Dizzy Gillespie. Though he passed away in 1953, Reinhardt’s legacy endures each winter at the Creative Alliance, which is set to celebrate its seventh Charm City Django Jazz Fest later this month. Among greats poised to shake up the beloved Highlandtown venue—which will come alive with two days of flamboyant riffs and runs—are New York fusion quintet Baklava Express and local ensemble Ultrafaux.

2/1-27: BEHOLD, A NEGRESS
Delve into Napoleonic-era Paris through this world-premiere performance at the Everyman Theatre, which chronicles the torrid bond between a painter and her muse: a once-enslaved Black woman. Everyman Theater. Times vary. $19-69. 

2/1-28: LUNAR NEW YEAR
All month long, ring in the Chinese holiday at home with streamed performances from celebrations past, and learn everything there is to know about the Year of the Tiger through curator-led talks. The Walters Art Museum. Times vary.

2/2: JULIA JACKLIN
Joined by New York-based songstress Annie Blackman, the Aussie-born musician sports her storytelling prowess and a range of lilting vocals on the Ottobar stage. Ottobar. 7 p.m. $20. 

2/3-4/17: CONTINUOUS LINE
Using everything from oil sticks and paint to colored pencil, Baltimore-born artist Ernest Shaw examines African tradition and diaspora (as seen in the U.S.) with this new solo exhibition. Top of the World Observation Gallery. Times vary. Free-$8. 

2/5: BOOKLOVERS AT THE PRATT, FT. IMBOLO MBUE
At Enoch Pratt’s Cathedral St. branch, The New York Times best-selling great behind Behold the Dreamers and How Beautiful We Were sits down with Civil Rights investigator M’Balu Bangura. Enoch Pratt Free Library. 10 a.m. $15. 

2/5, 2/12: MARIA BROOM: DANCE MEDICINE AND MINDFULNESS
Through this invigorating, family-friendly crash-course, the celebrated homegrown actress, teacher, and “joybringer” melds her knack for mindful movement with Zen breathing exercises. Port Discovery. 11:10 a.m. $19.95. 

2/5: TINDER LIVE WITH LANE MOORE
Take notes. This Big Apple comic’s improvised one-woman show totes everything from dating tips to real-time calls with Tinder matches. Ottobar. 7 p.m. $20. 

2/9: HOT WATER MUSIC
The Florida-hailing punk rock group wreaks havoc on the Ottobar alongside fellow hardcore hefts Tim Barry and Be Well. Ottobar. 7 p.m. $29. 

2/10: EMERGE BALTIMORE
Curator Kirk Shannon-Butts unveils the up-and-coming works of three homespun creatives with this quarterly exhibit. Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. $8. 

2/11: VALENTINE’S CLASSIC SOUL: THE MANHATTANS
The quintessential doo-wop group, known for hits like “Kiss And Say Goodbye,” electrifies The Lyric stage with help from friends including The Delfonics, Gerald Alston, and Enchantment. The Lyric. 8 p.m. $45-125. 

2/11-13: AMERICAN CRAFT MADE MARKETPLACE
This three-day celebration with a slew of crafty makers, stationed all across the map, heads to the Baltimore Convention Center chock-full of handmade goods (think jewelry, glassware, clothing, furniture, and more). Baltimore Convention Center. Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. 

2/12: TASSELS AND CHAMPAGNE: RETURN TO GLAMOUR
With host Maria Topcatt, The Gilded Lily troupe touches down in Highlandtown to provide the evening’s pleasures with burlesque, some much-missed glitz, and fabulous divas. (Baltimore-based crown jewel Tempete La Coeur makes an appearance.) Creative Alliance. 7 and 10 p.m. $28-135.

2/13: MORTIFIED
On the eve of Valentine’s Day, grown- ups bear their teenhood hearts in Highlandtown with sappy musings, diaries, and chuckle-worthy love letters galore. Creative Alliance. 6 p.m. $19- 22. 

2/14: A DATE WITH JOHN WATERS
Baltimore’s own Pope of Trash delights devout “filth followers” with spit fire takes on fashion, true crime, film, and all things lewd. Baltimore Soundstage. 7 p.m. $44-110. 

2/15-20: SUMMER: THE DONNA SUMMER MUSICAL
At the Hippodrome, this ode to Donna Summer’s final show, and her catalog of dance-floor hits like “Hot Stuff,” features stories from her life and pioneering reign as the eternal Queen of Disco. Hippodrome Theater. Times vary. $52-149. 

2/16: VUNDABAR
The Massachusetts indie-rockers set their sights on the Ottobar with trademark banter, gnarly riffs, and captivating drumwork. Ottobar. 7 p.m. $16.

2/18: TREY KENNEDY
This Oklahoman funnyman (of Instagram and TikTok fame) is bound to leave the Lyric stage in stitches with his wholesome yet outlandish sketches. The Lyric. 7 p.m. $34-150. 

2/18: WINE AND DINOSAURS
At the Science Center’s Dino Hall, spot prehistoric reptiles as you sample grownup sips. Between smooth and fermented swigs, don’t miss the chance to view your choice libation under microscopic lenses. Maryland Science Center. 7 p.m. $40. 

2/19-20: BALTIMORE NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE
In honor of Black History Month, head to Port Discovery to learn how brazen pioneers transformed a cherished pastime. Port Discovery. 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. $19.95. 

2/19: SHOW WHAT YOU KNOW GAME SHOW: PRESIDENTS DAY
Ring in the time-honored holiday, and birthday of George Washington, by matching former presidents with trademark facts for chances
to win patriotic prizes. Port Discovery. 3 p.m. $19.95.

2/24-27: PATRICE RUSHEN CLASSICS QUARTET
The four-time Grammy-nominated face behind “Forget Me Nots” takes Harbor East for four whole nights with fellow jazzy stars, including saxophonist Ernie Watts and drummer Marvin Smitty. Keystone Korner. 7:30 p.m. $35-45. 

2/26: VIVA BRASIL! MID-WINTER CARNIVAL DANCE PARTY
Creative Alliance’s annual ode to the land of Brazil boasts bright, costumed performances, thrilling dance workshops, and soul-stirring melodies, brought by creatives like Pablo’s Baile Band. Creative Alliance. 8 p.m. $15-18. 

2/27-8/2: MAJOLICA MANIA
Hackerman House plays host to 300-plus informative homages to the luminous, glazed objects and their lavish, bygone heyday with this walkthrough exhibition. The Walters Art Museum. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 

2/26: CARD PRINTING WORKSHOP
Join BMI’s own Jesse Lentz to master rubber stamp-carving and print-making (materials included with the price of registration). Baltimore Museum of Industry. 10:30 a.m. $30-35. 

TO 3/27: THADDEUS MOSLEY: FOREST
Explore the works of Pittsburgh sculptor Thaddeus Mosley, whose abstract wooden innovations helped to cement the 95-year-old’s status as the “keeper of old trees.” The Baltimore Museum of Art. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

TO 4/3/2022: ALL DUE RESPECT
Projection mapping, woodblock print panels, furniture, and other unconventional mediums are utilized by four local female artists to showcase the beauty behind individuality and the cycles of life. The Baltimore Museum of Art. Wed.- Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 

TO 5/8: MICKALENE THOMAS: A MOMENT’S PLEASURE
In what is said to be her most expansive commission, the BMA’s East Lobby will transform to reflect the lauded New Jersey painter’s trademark essence in a series of displays. The Baltimore Museum of Art. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 

TO 7/30: LOSING WINTER
Through a range of photographs, this exhibition portrays Marylanders’ reflections on past winter seasons. As the state’s climate changes, their recollections detail a sense of personal loss. Maryland Center for History and Culture. Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free-$9. 

TO 9/4: HEALING AND THE ART OF COMPASSION (AND THE LACK THEREOF!)
Retiring AVAM founder Rebecca Hoffberger curates her last exhibition, where artists explore the symbiotic relationship between healing and compassion. American Visionary Art Museum. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free-$15.95. 

When Esther Nisenthal Krinitz left behind war-torn Poland in the summer of 1949, she had nothing left of the family she’d lost. Her parents, brother, and young sisters, along with the other Jewish families in her rural village, were told to report to a train station and never heard from again.

But Krinitz, 15 at the time, and her 13-year-old sister Maria managed to survive by posing at Polish farm girls and finding work in a nearby village where no one asked to see their papers. They had many memories—of Jewish holidays spent with family, quiet life among their crops and livestock, and playing together as a family —but nothing solid to pass along to tie future generations to their lost past.

According to Krinitz’s daughter, Bernice Steinhardt, her mother was always telling her story. But in 1977, when Krinitz was 50, she started showing it instead. The result is 36 embroidered pieces that are now the highlight of the American Visionary Art Museum’s latest exhibition, Esther and The Dream of One Loving Human Family. Krinitiz’s work depicts her childhood, escape from the Nazis, life in hiding, and journey to America, culminating in her final piece: a portrait of her first granddaughter. It’s also accompanied by a documentary about her life and a recreation of her home in Poland.

“What my mother was doing here was for the family,” says Steinhardt. “It was about the family she lost and for the family that she created. The fact that she was a grandmother, that was what my mother was all about. It was not about expressing herself artistically, although of course she did, it was about remembering her family for her family.”

The pieces are placed in conversation with works from international artists that demonstrate the danger of demonizing the “other,” with the goal of educating visitors on just how devastating the escalation of hatred can be. A “preamble” to Krinitz’s embroideries includes sewn works documenting the genocide of the Tutsi people in Rwanda and life under apartheid in South Africa, as well as painted, carved, and assembled works from Native American activist and artist Judy Tallwing.

“When you take away names or identifiers like Jewish, or Holocaust, or any ethnic group, religion, or color and you look at what the mechanisms of the campaign to permit a genocide or mass slaughter that is orchestrated with a purpose in mind were, it’s all one playbook,” says AVAM founder and director Rebecca Hoffberger.

Together, these art pieces from across the world share the perspective of the innocents whose lives are altered by hatred and warn of its dangers. Words, in the form of essays and quotes around the gallery, play just as big a role in the message, sharing wisdom and forgotten history relating to the need for peace and “one loving human family.”

Just days into its run, people have already traveled from as far as Ohio and New York for a chance to see this expanded collection of Krinitz’s intricate, emotional works, which originally premiered at AVAM in 2001. But there’s plenty of time to catch them in this new installation, which will stay on display through March 2024.