he phrase “the new normal” has been thrown around since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and as America struggles to define—and design—what that is exactly, colleges are paving the way for what it might look like.

After the chaos and uncertainty of 2020, colleges and universities throughout the Baltimore region began to find their groove as they moved into the 2021-2022 school year. Coronavirus safety committees had been erected, new mandates put in place, safety protocols implemented—everything from vaccine requirements to temperature checks to quarantine procedures and wastewater testing that can pinpoint a COVID infection before anyone is symptomatic.

By some counts, colleges may very well be the safest places to live and work.

“Just following simple rules of wearing face masks and social distancing, using wastewater management and testing when we need to, we have, in many ways, been able to return to normal life,” says Goucher College President Kent Devereaux. “Full athletics, student clubs, dining in the dining hall, use of the library—everything that you’d normally have, we’ve been able to return to.”

Despite the challenges and anxieties faced by students, staff, and faculty alike, some unexpected silver linings have emerged.

“It’s just incredible to watch how it’s grown into the vision that we, as a group of students, had.”

The widespread adoption of technology across college campuses has proven to provide more flexibility, efficiency, and innovation—and even accessibility, in some cases. Counseling sessions, for example, began to be conducted remotely during the pandemic and many students found that they preferred it to in-person sessions. Students who cannot, for whatever reason, make it to an in-person class can now study from anywhere.

Challenging times, combined with advances in technology and the general acceptance of it, have also brought more cooperation and collaboration among schools. It’s becoming more common, for example, for schools that offer complementary programs to partner with one another to offer students an educational pathway to continue studies in their chosen areas. That may mean a discounted tuition rate, a transfer of class credits, or an internship through a partner school.

Maybe most importantly though, schools, at their best, foster an environment where students are supported, expand who they are, and connect with like-minded people. At a time when gathering together is not always safe, being in a community has become even more precious, and students have found new ways to connect.

OCA Mocha, a coffeehouse in Arbutus founded by University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) students, is one example of how effective a gathering place can be at a time when people are craving human connection. What started as a class assignment—to design a community center of some sort—has become a gathering place not just for UMBC students and alumni, but the Arbutus community at large.

“We’ve heard a lot of stories from people who are extremely grateful to have this space,” says Michael Berardi, UMBC class of 2019 and co-founder and general manager of OCA Mocha, which stands for Opportunities for Community Alliances. The coffee shop includes a stage, a community room, and an art gallery, employs UMBC students and alumni, and provides internship opportunities for current UMBC students.

“We have local groups and organizations that meet regularly in our community space and are grateful to not have to meet in someone’s living room or church basement,” says Berardi. “We see a lot of connections being made. It’s just incredible to watch how it’s grown into the vision that we, as a group of students, had.”

We checked in with colleges and universities throughout the region to find out what’s new and what campus life and classes look like, two years into the pandemic.

COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY
A historically Black institution founded in 1900, Coppin State University is situated in the heart of Baltimore City in the Mondawmin neighborhood. Part of the University System of Maryland in Baltimore, the school offers 32 undergraduate and 11 graduate degrees, along with nine certificate programs and one doctorate degree. It’s been rated No. 4 Best HBCU in the Nation (College Consensus), the Top 5 Best Value Online Program (Online School Center), and No. 17 Best Value in the Nation (College Consensus).

In the summer of 2021, CSU announced its Student Debt Relief Initiative, which clears roughly $1 million in student balances and provided a $1,200 credit to every student enrolled in the fall 2021 semester. CSU also created the Freddie Gray Student Success Scholarship, which is available to graduates of Carver Vocational-Technical High School, where Gray was a student.

Coppin also takes esports (competitive video gaming) seriously. In the fall of 2021, Coppin became the first HBCU to open a building on campus exclusively devoted to esports. The Premier Esports Lab opened in September with a guest appearance from Grammy-nominated artist Cordae.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,383 undergraduates, 341 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 13:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $6,809 in-state, $13,334 out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 40%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Nursing, Business, Biology, Education, and Criminal Justice, Rehabilitation Counseling

DICKINSON COLLEGE
Founded in 1783, Dickinson College is a liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with a suburban campus that spans 144 acres. The school offers 41 undergraduate degrees within 17 fields of study.

It’s been rated as one of the best schools in the country for its sustainability efforts, which include an 80-acre, USDA-certified organic farm. Princeton Review rated it No. 2 in the Top 50 Green Colleges, and it was rated No. 2 in Overall Top Performers among baccalaureate institutions in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s “Sustainable Campus Index” in 2019 and 2020.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,345
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 9:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $58,708
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 52%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: International Business, Economics, Political Science & Government, International Relations & National Security, General Psychology

GETTYSBURG COLLEGE
Gettysburg College, a private, liberal arts school, sits on 225 acres adjacent to the historical Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania. Many of the buildings on campus are historically significant, so it’s no wonder that it draws students interested in studying history.

The school offers 65 academic programs, more than 120 campus clubs and organizations, and 800 events on campus each year, plus more than 100 study-abroad opportunities open to students.

Its Majestic Theater serves as a venue for the greater Gettysburg community, hosting national acts as well as performances by the school’s Sunderman Conservatory of Music students.

It’s ranked No. 12 for “students who study the most” by the Princeton Review, which also ranked Gettysburg College’s dining hall No. 9 in the country for best campus food.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,600
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 10:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $59,960
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 56%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Political Science, Economics, Health Sciences, Organization and Management Studies, History, Psychology

GOUCHER COLLEGE
A private, liberal arts college in Towson, Goucher College prides itself on its close-knit community.

Goucher was extremely proactive when it came to COVID-19 precautions, being the first in the state to implement wastewater testing, which is able to isolate COVID infections by dorm.

Also of note: The college recently opened two new residence halls as part of the school’s First-Year Village. One hundred percent of Goucher students study abroad, and the school is committed to sustainability.

Most recently, Goucher has begun exciting partnerships with other schools, such as Johns Hopkins University, Loyola University, and more to come, to provide a pathway for students to continue their education beyond Goucher. For instance, their 4+1 MBA Program allows students to earn an advanced business degree through Loyola via a “Fast Track” admission process, and at a 15% discount on tuition.

SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 1,100
STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 9:1
ANNUAL TUITION: $48,000
ACCEPTANCE RATE: 79%
POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Psychology, International Relations, Economics, Political Science, Business Administration

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) offers nine academic divisions and hundreds of courses of study, with campuses spread throughout Baltimore, including the Peabody Institute, a music and dance conservatory in Mount Vernon. Its main Homewood campus is located on North Charles Street.

The prestigious, world-renowned university has a strong reputation for its public health and medical studies and has been compared to Ivy League schools.

One of its points of pride is its financial aid program, which covers 100% of calculated need for every admitted student, without loans. This means JHU works with families to calculate what they can afford to contribute toward the total cost of attendance—including meals, books, travel, and other expenses—and JHU covers the rest with grants that don’t need to be repaid.

This school year, JHU added two new minors: Latin American Studies and Writing Seminars.

It also announced new efforts this year to move toward a broader, more flexible undergraduate educational experience that will include a required first-year seminar and the streamlining of major requirements to allow for greater intellectual exploration.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 6,333 undergraduates, 22,559 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 6:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $56,313 for Peabody Institute, $58,720 for the School of Engineering and the School of Arts and Sciences
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 9%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Computer Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neuroscience, Economics, Public Health Studies, International Studies

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY
This private, Jesuit institution offers undergraduate and graduate programs on a beautiful urban campus in northern Baltimore City. Education at Loyola is based in the Jesuit tradition of scholarship cura personalis, or care for the whole person. Loyola is known for its academic rigor while helping students lead purposeful lives. Seventy percent of students study abroad. It currently ranks fourth in best universities in the North region according to U.S. News & World Report.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 3,787 undergraduates, 1,353 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 12:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $53,430
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 80%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Business, Management, Marketing, Journalism, Social Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Psychology, English Language and Literature, Engineering and Education.

McDANIEL COLLEGE
McDaniel College sits in a bucolic setting near Westminster in Carroll County. The private, four-year liberal arts college offers more than 70 undergraduate programs of study and more than 20 graduate programs. McDaniel’s most recent addition to its curriculum is a National Security Fellows Program that provides students with knowledge, skills, and experience in national security as well as the ability to specialize in an area of interest, such as interstate conflict, intrastate political violence, cybersecurity, ethics, and human rights.

Also new this year, McDaniel appointed an inaugural associate provost for equity and belonging who provides vision and leadership to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and works in collaboration with the provost to co-lead the college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion administrative committee, and guides the Bias Education Response Support Team.

The school also launched a new STEM Center to serve as a physical hub to support students studying the sciences. It hosts workshops and other events while also supplying online and hybrid support.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 1,757 undergraduates, 1,324 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 13:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $46,336
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 81%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Kinesiology, Business Administration, Psychology, Biology, Political Science, International Studies

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
The largest of Maryland’s HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), Morgan is a public institution founded in 1867. It is situated in northeast Baltimore. As a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution, Morgan provides instruction to a multiethnic, multiracial, multinational student body and offers more than 140 academic programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan fulfills its mission to address the needs and challenges of the modern urban environment through intense community level study and pioneering solutions.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 6,270 undergraduates, 1,364 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 15:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $8,008 for in-state and $18,480 for out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 73%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Civil Engineering, Communications Engineering, Business Administration and Management, Social Work, Biology/Biological Sciences, Architecture, Finance, Psychology, Sociology

NOTRE DAME OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY
A private, Catholic liberal arts university in northern Baltimore, Notre Dame of Maryland University offers programs from undergraduate through PhD, as well as Maryland’s only women’s college. It recently launched the first master’s of art degree in Art Therapy program in the state.
The beautiful, wooded campus is just steps from the bustling downtown Baltimore culture. With values rooted in Catholicism, the school focuses on service to others and social responsibility.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 783
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 7:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $39,675
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 88%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Nursing, Education, Biology, Art Therapy, Pharmacy

TOWSON UNIVERSITY
One of the largest public universities in the state, Towson University offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and continues to draw students from other states, though it remains part of the University System of Maryland.

Its campus continues to expand, with a huge new dining hall, a 23,000-foot recreation and fitness facility with an indoor swimming pool, and its 5,200-seat arena for sporting events and concerts. In 2021, it opened its new Science Complex, the largest academic building on campus at 320,000 square feet.

In September, Towson opened its StarTUp at the Armory, a space for startups and new businesses to engage with the broader community and larger businesses. It serves as a home to Towson’s entrepreneurship programs, as well as student competitions and events.

While Towson remains the largest supplier of medical professionals and educators in the state, the university has also built a strong reputation for its College of Fine Arts and Communication, as well as its Asian Arts & Culture Center, both of which bring students into the wider community and the Baltimore community to Towson for enriching performing arts, music, and visual art programs.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 17,907 undergraduates, 2,949 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 16:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $7,100 in-state, $22,152 out-of-state
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Business Administration, Education, Nursing, Exercise Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Biology, Computer Science, Information Technology

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE
University of Maryland, Baltimore is Maryland’s only public health, law, and human services university. Located in downtown Baltimore, it offers 86 degree and certificate programs through its six nationally ranked professional schools—dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work—and an interdisciplinary graduate school.

The school’s 14-acre BioPark is Baltimore’s biggest biotechnology cluster, employing 1,000 people, and remains on the cutting edge of new drugs, treatments, and medical devices.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 7,244
• ANNUAL TUITION: Varies by school
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Medicine, Law, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Social Work

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY
University of Maryland, Baltimore County educates a campus of more than 10,000 students in programs spanning the arts, engineering, information technology, humanities, sciences, preprofessional studies, and social sciences. Located on the edge of Baltimore County, it allows easy access into the city and all the conveniences of suburban life and housing. It also offers plenty of opportunities for study abroad.

In the fall of 2021, UMBC opened the Center for Well-Being, a new two-story complex that houses Retriever Integrated Health, Student Conduct and Community Standards, and i3b’s Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being. UMBC’s already significant NASA partnerships have continued to grow. In October, NASA announced a major award of $72 million over three years for the new Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research II center. UMBC is leading the national consortium and will receive over $38 million. The GESTAR II consortium will support over 120 researchers, creating extensive opportunities for breakthroughs in Earth and atmospheric science research, and providing major opportunities for students to conduct research and be mentored by NASA scientists and engineers.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 13,638
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 17:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $12,280 in-state, $28,470 out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 81%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Social Sciences, Psychology, Visual and Performing Arts

Cited tuition costs exclude room and board and books.

9/19: BETTY COOKE: THE CIRCLE AND THE LINE
At 97 years old, Baltimore native Betty Cooke has left a lasting legacy through her timeless art. Born in Baltimore in 1924, Cooke has become known as a crucial figure in the world of American Modernist studio jewelry, all the while strengthening her local roots as a teacher at the Maryland Institute College of Art and the longtime owner of The Store Ltd. in Cross Keys. In the first major museum retrospective of her work, Cooke’s one-of-a- kind pieces will be on display at the Walters Art Museum from September 19 through January 2. The Circle and the Line is a collection of jewelry, drawings, photography, and design sketches spanning throughout her eight- decade career. Inspired by the natural world, each portrays deeply personal meanings, with her use of different mediums and geometric shapes creating finished products that stand the test of time. —Madelyn Osgood

TO 9/2: WTMD’S VIRTUAL FIRST THURSDAYS
The indie radio station wraps up its monthly First Thursdays concerts with local and national acts performing via Facebook livestream. WTMD. Thurs. 7:30 p.m.

9/2-30: DIRTY THURSDAYS WITH THE DIRTY GRASS PLAYERS
Enjoy the sounds of bluegrass bands every Thursday this month in Federal Hill, with new acts every week hosted by local band The Dirty Grass Players. The 8×10. 7 p.m. $14.

9/2-26: THE SWINDLERS: A TRUE-ISH TALL TALE
Playwright Noah Diaz channels the real-life exploits of his mother and grandfather to inspire the story of Marie, daughter of a notorious con man, who is faced with choosing between her family and the law. Baltimore Center Stage. Times vary. $20-40.

TO 9/3: CHESAPEAKE BAY PADDLE
To bring attention to Chesapeake Bay health, this eight-day paddle along the nation’s largest estuary will raise money for the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Teams and individuals can register to follow some 200 miles of shoreline, from Havre de Grace to Virginia Beach. Locations, times, & prices vary.

9/3-26: EVERY BRILLIANT THING
What makes life worth living? This new play tells the story of a 7-year-old boy holding onto hope while coping with a suicidal mother, with audience participation encouraged. Single Carrot Theater. Times & prices vary. singlecarrot.com.

9/3: BEYONCE VS RIHANNA DANCE PARTY
The Ottobar’s most beloved dance party is back, with DJ Mills and DJ Craig Boarman battling off between each pop icon’s top tracks. Ottobar. 9 p.m. $12.

9/4: UNDER ARMOUR CHARLES STREET 12
Starting at The Shops at Kenilworth, run 12 miles down Baltimore’s historic Charles Street alongside fellow runners to the Under Armour Headquarters in Locust Point. Charm City Run. 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. $55-115.

9/4: ZOO BOP
Explore the zoo and dance, too! Baltimore-based Baby Beats and the Grammy-nominated Milkshake band will perform for families in this kid-friendly music festival that includes all-day admission. The Maryland Zoo. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free- $31.

9/4-5: CAPITAL 2021 JAZZ FEST
For two days, the local “jazz festival with soul” is back with live music by big-name acts such as Bell Biv DeVoe, Eric Benet, Sheila E, Shanice, and more. Merriweather Post Pavilion. 122 p.m. $92.50-225.

TO 9/5: THE SECRET LIFE OF EARTH
AVAM’s environmental exhibition dives into the delicate nature of life on Earth and encourages visitors to take care of the planet. American Visionary Art Museum. Wed.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free-$15.95.

TO 9/6: THE MARYLAND STATE FAIR
Catch the final days of the Maryland State Fair with family fun activities, rides and games, and interactive agriculture exhibits in Baltimore County. 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Prices vary.

9/7: MY MORNING JACKET/BRITTANY HOWARD
Hear this cult-followed American alt-rock band, accompanied by Brittany Howard, lead vocalist for the Alabama Shakes. Merriweather Post Pavilion. 7 p.m. $46-96.

9/10: UNFINISHED REVOLUTION
This new exhibit explores how America rose to power and gained independence through early wars and victories, while delving into the effects on Maryland’s economic growth. Maryland Center for History & Culture. Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free-$9.

9/10-12: CYRUS CHESTNUT & AFFIRMATION
Join this American jazz pianist, composer, and producer for a weekend of soul- filled performances in Harbor East. Keystone Korner Baltimore. Fri.-Sat. 7:30 & 10 p.m., Sun. 5 & 7:30 p.m. $45.

9/11-10/16: SOMETHIN’ TO SAY
Curated by art historian Key Jo Lee, and co-curated by New York artist Felandus Thames, this new exhibition displays the work of 10 Black artists who have a deep connection to “The South.” Galerie Myrtis. Tues.-Sat. 2-6 p.m.

9/11: MERCY RUN TO REMEMBER
Charm City Run is hosting its final Mercy Run to Remember, with a 5K and 11K honoring the heroism and sacrifice of victims, survivors, and rescuers of 9/11. Charm City Run. 8:46-11 a.m. $45-55.

9/11: ITZHAK PERLMAN
World-renowned violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman joins the BSO for its season-opening concert with the sounds of Bach’s second violin concerto, Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet”, and Ravel’s “Boléro”. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. 8 p.m. Prices vary.

9/12-1/9: COLOR AND ILLUSION: THE STILL LIFES OF JUAN GRIS
In the first U.S. exhibition in 35 years dedicated to the Spanish artist, explore the pioneering art of Juan Gris, with more than 40 paintings and collages displaying his pivotal role in the evolution of the Cubist movement. Baltimore Museum of Art. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 

9/13: LORD HURON
The L.A.-based indie rock band, known for hits such as “The Night We Met,” will perform along the Inner Harbor for one night only. MECU Pavillion. 8 p.m. $30-225.

9/16: THE AVETT BROTHERS
Watch the O’s play the Yankees, then this post-game show by the Grammy-nominated duo. Tickets include both game and concert. Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Time TBD. $20-85.

9/17: SOCCER MOMMY
Singer-songwriter Sophie Allison, aka Soccer Mommy, is a quickly up-and-coming artist, beloved by fans for her unapologetically candid alt-rock music. Ottobar. 8 p.m. Sold out.

9/17-18: TOY STORY IN CONCERT
Disney’s family-favorite Toy Story comes to the Meyerhoff with a screening of the 1995 lm accompanied by a live score by the BSO. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 3 p.m. Price TBD.

TO 9/18: MAXINE TAYLOR: BRAMBLE AND BRUSH
This multi-medium Baltimore artist presents abstract and experimental works that explore self-expression and individuality through painting and collaging. Creative Alliance. Sat. 12-5 p.m.

TO 9/18: SUMMER ‘21
In celebration of its 44th summer gallery, C. Grimaldis Gallery displays mixed works by new talent in Baltimore City. C. Grimaldis Gallery. Tues.-Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 

TO 9/18: KEI ITO: OUR LOOMING GROUND ZERO EXHIBITION
Visual artist Kei Ito explores global threats, traumas, and disasters across time periods in his latest multimedia solo exhibition, inspired by his grandfather’s experiences and survival of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during WWII. Creative Alliance. Sat. 12-5 p.m.

9/18: BLUE WATER BASH 2021
This year’s 14th annual Blue Water Bash features live music, a silent auction, and waterfront views to bene t the Blue Water Baltimore’s environmental efforts to reduce pollution in nearby waterways. Barcocina. 2-5 p.m. $25- 85.

9/18: SEVEN VOICES: A TRIBUTE TO PATSY CLINE
Celebrate Patsy Cline’s legacy and famous country music hits with cover performances from talented DMV artists. Creative Alliance. 8 p.m. $8-25.

9/18: DOPE BODY, TRUT, INFINITY KNIVES & BRAIN ENNALS
Veteran local rock band Dope Body performs its latest post-punk record, Crack A Light, with opening acts Truth Cult, Infinity Knives, and Brain Ennals. Ottobar. 9 p.m. $15.

9/18: KIX
This fan-favorite Hagerstown glam-metal band performs its ’80s-tinged hits downtown. Rams Head Live. 9 p.m. $47.

TO 9/19: STEEL MAGNOLIAS
This Southern classic gets an Everyman treatment as it follows a group of Southern women and their growing friendship. Watch either in person, through September 5, or via streaming through the 19th. Everyman Theatre. Times & prices vary.

9/19: CHARM CITY RUN 20 MILER
Join local athletes for this scenic 20-mile run along the NCR Trail. Charm City Run. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. $55-60.

9/21: FIRE AND SHADOW
Opening September 21, this new permanent exhibition honors Baltimore’s industrial past and how it shaped the city we know today in this exploration of steel-industry heavyweight Bethlehem Steel. Baltimore Museum of Industry. 5:30 p.m.

9/23-26: DELFEST
This family-friendly music festival celebrates the musical prowess of regional bluegrass legend Del McCoury, featuring myriad Americana artists for multiple days of music in a scenic setting in Cumberland. Allegany County Fairgrounds. Times vary. $30-1,850.

9/24: OUTLAW MUSIC FESTIVAL
Willie Nelson is on the road again and bringing some friends along for his annual music festival, such as alt-country stars Sturgill Simpson, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Gov’t Mule. Merriweather Post Pavilion. 4 p.m. $45-199.50.

9/26: 11TH ANNUAL RUN WILD FOR AUTISM
Join local runners at the Maryland Zoo for a day of awareness and fundraising that benefits Pathfinders for Autism, a state-wide organization that supports individuals with autism and their families. Charm City Run. 8:30-11 a.m. $25-40.

TO 10/24: MARYLAND RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
In the woods of Anne Arundel County, travel back in time to the fantastical villages of King Henry VIII’s court during the annual Renaissance Festival. Don your chain mail and animal furs to catch joisting matches, eat massive turkey wings, drink mugs of mead, and more throughout the end of summer. 1821 Crownsville Rd., Annapolis. Sat.-Sun. Times vary. Free-$28.

8/15-21: AFRAM
The Baltimore AFRAM festival, one of the largest African-American cultural celebrations on the East Coast, returns this year to celebrate Black art, fashion, food, and culture after last summer’s hiatus. Presented by Mayor Brandon Scott, the annual event is known for entertaining crowds of more than 100,000 in Druid Hill Park. Following the COVID pandemic, this year’s week-long experience will be held both in-person and online starting on Monday, August 15, with the main festivities taking place virtually on Saturday and Sunday, August 20 and 21.

Even hybrid, this year’s lineup will be bigger and better than ever, with musical performances including big-name acts such as Busta Rhymes and Chaka Khan, plus Black business owners, local creatives, and artists showcasing their goods and artwork for purchase. A head’s up: Starting in 2022, AFRAM will take place on the weekend of Juneteenth. —JS

TO 8/1: SHE KNEW WHERE SHE WAS GOING: GEE’S BEND QUILTS AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Despite racial discrimination and limited opportunity, Black craftswomen in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, made quilts for decades out of fabrics and clothes, passing these pieces down each generation. This exhibit explores the work of these quilters and their path to entrepreneurship. The Baltimore Museum of Art. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

TO 8/1: BALTIMORE RESTAURANT WEEK
After a difficult year for the Baltimore dining scene, the summer’s beloved restaurant festival is back with discounted meals—be it brunch, lunch, dinner, or carryout—at approximately 100 of the city’s best eateries. Locations, times, and prices vary.

TO 8/1: THE ADVENTURES OF PERICLES
Step into a fantastical world with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company during this outdoor rendition of the heroic endeavors of Pericles, a prince whose life is in danger after learning a dark secret. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. PFI Historic Park. Thurs.-Sun. 6-8 p.m. Free-$19.

8/5: WRITERS LIVE! DR. LEANA WEN
Join in a conversation with former Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and WYPR’s Tom Hall as they discuss Wen’s new book, Lifelines, detailing the front lines of public health and her unique American story. Enoch Pratt Free Library. 6:30-7:30 p.m.

8/5: ARTIST TALK: THE ABSENT STONE
Join documentary filmmaker Jesse Lerner and cultural anthropologist Sandra Rozental at The Walters Art Museum as they discuss their film The Absent Stone, which explores the rich history and origin behind the Monolith of Tlaloc, which now lives at the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. The Walters Art Museum. 5:30-6 p.m.

TO 8/6: CHARLES MASON III: WHOSE PAIN DO WE ACKNOWLEDGE FIRST?
Baltimore-based, contemporary American artist Charles Mason III will showcase his work, which uses unconventional sculpt-painting to capture identity politics and themes surrounding police brutality, loss, and generational trauma. Goya Contemporary Gallery. Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 12-5 p.m.

TO 8/6: SONYA CLARK: EDIFICE AND MORTAR
In this exhibition, artist Sonya Clark unpacks America’s history of independence. Clark’s art seeks to uncover the complicated aspects of race, heritage, and politics using textiles and other materials. Goya Contemporary Gallery. Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 12-5 p.m.

8/6-9/10: MACHE TRIP-NOU
This new exhibit offers space for trans and non-binary artists of Haitian descent in the context of their identities, weaving philosophy, spiritual practices, and more in this multimedia display. Waller Gallery. Fri.-Sat. 1-5 p.m.

TO 8/7: INTIMATE REALNESS
In this new solo exhibit at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center, D.C.-based painter David Ibata explores how intimacy is affected both during and after the ongoing pandemic. Using various mediums, his work is known to intertwine universal human experiences with influences from his personal life
to create multidimensional portraitures relatable to many. Eubie Blake Cultural Center. Times vary.

TO 8/8: A PLAY FOR THE LIVING IN A TIME OF EXTINCTION
Baltimore’s own Miranda Rose Hall presents this darkly comic world premiere play about climate change, the theater world, and storytelling in the time of catastrophe. Baltimore Center Stage. Times & prices vary.

8/10: JAMES TAYLOR & HIS ALL-STAR BAND
Catch the sounds of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee James Taylor and his extensive accompanying band as they perform the singer-songwriters many classics, which include “How Sweet It Is” and “Fire And Rain.” Merriweather Post Pavilion. 7 p.m. $55-175.

8/10-9/19: STEEL MAGNOLIAS
This Southern classic gets the Everyman treatment as it follows a group of Louisiana women and their growing friendship. Watch either in person through Sept. 5 or via streaming through the 19th. Everyman Theatre. Times & prices vary.

8/11: VOICES OF WOODLAWN: A CONVERSATION WITH POETS OF WITNESS
Local poets perform and discuss poetry about America’s history of slavery, bringing to life the legacy of those enslaved at the Woodlawn Plantation Estate in Fairfax, Virginia. This virtual event is a part of Summer Break Baltimore. Enoch Pratt Free Library. 7-8:30 p.m.

8/12: ART SOUND NOW: PATRICK MCMINN
Composer, sound designer, and multimedia artist Patrick McMinn will perform a 20-minute composition inspired by the Florentine painting “Ideal City.” This virtual and filmed concert will showcase McMinn’s signature melancholy soundscapes inspired by the painting. The Walters Art Museum. 5:30-6 p.m.

8/13: GET THE LED OUT
For one night only, travel back to the ’70s with this locally loved Led Zeppelin cover band, bringing the best of the iconic rock group’s hits to the local stage. Rams Head Live! 9 p.m. $31-36.

8/13-15: PAQUITO D’RIVERA
Celebrate beloved Baltimore music veteran and Keystone Korner owner Todd Barkan’s 75th birthday with a performance from Grammy Award-winning Paquito D’Rivera. The accomplished Latin jazz musician and classical composer plays rhythmic pieces inspired by the sounds of Cuba. Keystone Korner. Fri. 7:30 p.m., Sat. 9:30 p.m., Sun. 5 & 7:30 p.m. $45.

8/18: UNFINISHED REVOLUTION
America’s early wars, and victories, propelled the United States into becoming an economic powerhouse, both nationally and internationally. This new exhibit explores how America rose to power and gained independence while delving into the effects on Maryland’s economic growth. Maryland Center for History & Culture. Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free-$9.

8/18: JACOBER
Hear longtime Baltimore musician David Jacober’s newest solo project, Light Years, a record created after a period of intense personal change that speaks to growing pains and reluctant optimism. The project also features Tariq Ravelomanana of Infinity Knives and Allison Clendaniel of the Mind On Fire collective. Ottobar. 8 p.m. $15.

8/18: KIDS WRITERS LIVE! JUANA MARTINEZ-NEAL
Join Juana Martinez-Neal and students from CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth to discuss writing and creative processes. Martinez-Neal is an award-winning children’s author and illustrator. She will discuss her career, works, and life during this virtual event. Enoch Pratt Free Library. 6 p.m.

TO 8/21: YOUNG BLOOD
After a year’s hiatus, MAP’s Young Blood exhibit returns this summer to feature artwork from Baltimore-area Masters of Fine Art candidates and graduates from both 2020 and 2021, with rising artists given an opportunity to exhibit their work to the greater art community and general public. Maryland Art Place. Thurs.-Sat. 6-8 p.m.

8/21: ST. MICHAELS RUNNING FESTIVAL
Calling all local runners. Since 2012, the St. Michaels Running Festival has drawn athletes from across the state of Maryland for its assortment of destination races, from 5Ks to half marathons on the scenic Eastern Shore. Back in person, registered runners will receive swag and an invitation to a post-race after party. St. Michaels. Sat. 7 a.m. Free-$95.

8/21 & 28: AUDUBON BIRDWATCHING
Bring your own binoculars and enjoy an early morning bird watching escapade at both Patterson and Druid Hill parks to spot Baltimore orioles and some of the other 200 local bird species. Patterson Park & Druid Hill Park. 8-9:30 a.m.

8/22: SHOFAR SOUNDS: A ROSH HASHANAH CELEBRATION
Join the Jewish Museum of Maryland and the Enoch Pratt Free Library in celebrating the Jewish New Year, with a Rosh Hashanah celebration including story time, music, and a shofar craft and game. This is a virtual event and pre-registration is required. Enoch Pratt Free Library. 3 p.m.

8/26: ART SOUND NOW: UPENDO
Experience the transformation of the Walters Art Museum as Upendo performs a 20-minute musical inspired by the Egyptian Gallery and artworks created by Black artists. Upendo is led by local jazz trumpeter Brandon Woody. The performances will also be streamed online. The Walters Art Museum. 5:30 p.m.

8/26-9/6: THE MARYLAND STATE FAIR
After a COVID hiatus, the beloved Maryland State Fair is back and better than ever with family fun activities and interactive agriculture exhibits, such
as the University of Maryland Dairy and Nature Play Space. 2200 York Rd., Lutherville-Timonium. 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Prices vary.

8/27: LET’S SCIENCE HAPPY HOUR
Beat the summer heat with a refreshing drink looking over Baltimore’s Inner Harbor during a science-oriented presentation at the Maryland Science Center. Signature cocktails will be created by Old Goucher gin bar Dutch Courage, with all proceeds benefitting educational programs. Maryland Science Center. 6-8 p.m. $20.

8/27-9/3: CHESAPEAKE BAY PADDLE
In their efforts to bring attention to Chesapeake Bay health, this eight-day paddle along the nation’s largest estuary will raise money for the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Teams and individuals can register to follow some 200 miles of shoreline, from Havre de Grace to Virginia Beach. Locations, times, and prices vary.

8/28: HOT AUGUST MUSIC FESTIVAL
The annual Hot August Music Festival is back for a full, fun-filled day of music, food, and festivities, with this year’s lineup including multiple artists and bands across musical genres, from country and rock to funk and psychedelic hip-hop. Oregon Ridge Park, 13403 Beaver Dam Rd., Cockeysville. Sat. 11:30 a.m.- 10 p.m. $69-89.

8/28-10/24: RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
In the woods of Anne Arundel County, travel back in time to the fantastical villages of circa-1534 England under King Henry VIII’s court during the return of the beloved annual Renaissance Festival. Don your chain mail and animal furs to catch jousting matches, eat massive turkey legs, drink mugs of mead, and more throughout the end of summer. 1821 Crownsville Rd., Annapolis. Sat.-Sun. Times vary. Free-$28.

8/31: ALANIS MORISSETTE
Iconic singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette celebrates 25 years of Jagged Little Pill with an anniversary world tour and special guests Garbage and Liz Phair. Merriweather Post Pavilion. 7 p.m. $66-166.

TO 9/2: WTMD’S VIRTUAL FIRST THURSDAYS
The indie radio station brings its free monthly concerts back with local and national acts performing live every first Thursday via Facebook livestream. WTMD. Thurs. 7:30 p.m.

TO 9/5: THE SECRET LIFE OF EARTH
This exhibition dives into the delicate nature of life on Earth and encourages visitors to take care of the planet. American Visionary Art Museum. Wed.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $15.95.

TO 12/19: WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY: 400 YEARS OF POWER & PROTEST
Featuring women throughout history who have defied societal standards and patriarchal authority, this exhibition includes roughly 80 prints, photographs, and books. The Baltimore Museum of Art. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

TO 7/30/2022: LOSING WINTER
Through a range of photographs, explore Marylanders’ reflections on past winter seasons. Maryland Center for History & Culture. Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free-$9.

Last Wednesday, hordes of art lovers gathered on the sidewalk of Art Museum Drive to take in the illumination of Tavares Strachan’s exhibit In Broad Daylight. Above the grand columns and staircase of the Baltimore Museum of Art, the orange letters came to life in front of everyone’s eyes. And, thanks to social media, everyone following along at home also had a front row seat.

Not only has social media been great for promotion and education, but it’s also redefining how the art world operates.

“It gives everyone equal access digitally to get their work out there and to get the word out about what they’re doing,” said Andrea Boston, the social media manager for the BMA. “I use social media to share facts about an artist or to share the history behind the work of art. It creates this experience with art and what’s going on behind the doors in real-time.”

Aside from artists using it to sidestep galleries to make a name for themselves, social media also makes it easier to sell their work. Boston says that she’s actually purchased prints from artists through Instagram and notices that some even forego professional websites for Facebook and Instagram accounts instead.

“Social media requires strong imagery and a compelling message, which is perfect for art,” she said. “Particularly Instagram, which is a platform that is pretty much designed for beautiful, well-curated photos. That’s the perfect soil for artists to grow a following.”

For local visual artist Hoesy Corona, he believes that social media is a game changer for the art world. By opening up the possibilities that were once limited to reach potential audiences, it’s helped him to establish his brand on his own terms.

“I tend to use it as a professional extension of my studio practice—a virtual marketing assistant of sorts,” he says. “I can give both insight into my studio process, as well as keep my audience informed about my goings-on.”

Strachan himself has a complicated relationship with social media. While he believes that it’s beneficial to his craft, he also knows it’s hard to escape. As an artist, he has to make sure that his work remains the most important thing.

“The art world and being an artist has become kind of global I think,” he says. “It allows for us to stay connected.”

Corona shares a similar philosophy about the influence of social media and believes that it will only continue to help open the doors for artists and patrons alike.

“Just a handful of years ago, artists were limited by the ways in which they could reach potential audiences and had to rely on discriminating middlepersons to sell their goods or gain access to show their work,” he explains. “Social media gives artists plenty of exposure without the help of predatory arts professionals which allows smaller independent artist run spaces to carve a niche for themselves and build a wider audience.”

The BMA has seen that happen quite literally. In just one year, their Instagram followers have grown from 8,000 to nearly 17,000 due to what Boston describes as “growing interest in the dope things the museum has been doing.” By using Instagram and other social media channels to share what’s new or coming soon, they have been able to draw in more visitors than they would have a decade ago.

“Our numbers show it,” she says. “It creates this immediacy and accessibility that we didn’t have before. It opens this portal to art and discovery that may have felt exclusive or roped off in the past.”

As the largest free outdoor arts festival in the country, Artscape will be once again painting the streets this July, with a color palette that’s overwhelmingly green.

In its 37th year, the free festival is making considerable sustainable efforts. Its agenda is threefold, according to Kathy Hornig, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts’ (BOPA) festival director, as these environmentally friendly efforts will be seen in its food and drink operations, transportation options, and visual arts exhibits.

For the first time, attendees can sip drinks through paper straws, as all BOPA vendors will be stocked with them and the remaining food stalls will be highly encouraged to do the same.

The initiative complements the successful ban of Styrofoam products among vendors, which the festival started two years ago, Hornig said.

“We were ahead of the curve on that one,” she added. Since then, the independent nonprofit Trash Free Maryland has led a bill to ban polystyrene foam in Baltimore. The organization works to create legislative and policy-driven initiatives to combat trash pollution.

“Often times, there’s something you can do—not in addition to—but differently,” said Ashley Van Stone, executive director of Trash Free Maryland. “Like using a different material.”

Along with using eco-friendly material, BOPA is partnering with Monument City Brewing Company to streamline recycling efforts, piggybacking off their partnership from Light City. The brewery will provide about 50 clearly labeled recycling containers.

With an estimated volume of 350,000 attendees, preventing trash pollution was a priority. The receptacles will help outline how to separate materials and make it easier to sort trash out.

“I think the Artscape attendees want to support sustainability,” Hornig said. “They just need clear, visible units to make that happen. With the addition of these assets, we find the crowd is as into being sustainable as we are.”

In line with celebrating Baltimore’s own sustainability efforts, Artscape will also make use of the new permanent bike lanes up Mount Royal Avenue. Starting this year, BOPA will have free pedicab rides going up and down the hill.

“It’s completely human-powered, sustainable pedicabs—a free way to get up and down the hill,” Hornig said. “We’re hoping that festival goers will use those to maybe see something at Artscape they haven’t seen before.”

Up at the top of Mount Royal, the festival features local bands, food vendors, and indoor art venues. Its footprint is “symbolic” of the culture Baltimore has to offer, including local sustainability practices.

“Whatever the best practices are for our city in general, festivals should try to accommodate those,” Hornig said. “As a showcase and celebration of everything that makes our city great, sustainability efforts should certainly be a part of that.”

Looking at Artscape festivals to come in the years ahead, the team hopes to continuously add more environmentally conscious efforts.

“We would like to just keep doing a better job year after year,” Hornig said. “We’re interested in the possibilities of solar power for some of our temporary power moving forward. We just want to continue to do the good work.”

After nearly 40 years, Baltimore Clayworks is forced to close its doors. The Mt. Washington ceramic arts studio and gallery released a statement on Monday announcing the closure citing “the loss of sale” and lack of funding created a “delicate situation” for the nonprofit despite the fundraising efforts of the arts community to save it.

The organization was forced to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy due to unpaid debts. According to board of directors president Kathy Holt, $200,000 would have prevented them from filing and allowed the doors to remain open. The initial plan was to sell the properties and relocate, but opposition from people who believed that Clayworks should remain in Mt. Washington caused delays and uncertainty forcing the buyer to withdraw and shattering any hopes for the nonprofit to continue.

“The ‘Community Campaign’s’ accrued funds came with a variety of restrictions in order to be disbursed,” Holt said in a statement. “While the administration of that group worked hard to release some of that now, and potentially later, it was not enough, nor in enough time, to stave off bankruptcy.”   

Baltimore Clayworks is the only nonprofit in the state solely dedicated to ceramic arts, providing career opportunities and community programming. Since its inception in 1980 and its expansion in 1999, its mission has remained the same: create a place for ceramic artists to develop and sustain their craft, and provide educational programs for the public.

“The problem with clay is that it tends to be addictive,” co-founder Deborah Bedwell told Baltimore in 2010 when she also admitted there was “financial fragility” within the organization. “You have both an emotional and a sensory experience . . . You touch it and you’ve made your mark on it immediately.”

For more than 20 years, the Community Arts program of Baltimore Clayworks has been collaborating with cultural grassroots organizations and schools to provide access to arts programming for underserved communities in the city. The program is committed to providing everyone—children, adults, and seniors—with a positive experience in ceramics. But with the doors of the main campus closing, the future of the programming is unclear.

“The board deeply regrets the outcome for artists, students, and kids who were to attend summer camps,” said Holt. “We are also hopeful we can find a new ‘home’ for the Community Arts program, and are actively engaging with possible organizations that could administrate it.”

Although Mt. Washington is not quite an official Maryland Arts & Entertainment District, Baltimore Clayworks provided a space in the historic neighborhood for artists to create and explore. The Studio building—formally an Enoch Pratt Free Library branch—offered hands-on classes in pottery and sculpting for patrons of all ages as well as exhibitions that showcased national, international, and local artists.  

“We understand the impact this will have on the larger arts community,” Holt said. “It is exceedingly painful to those that Clayworks has served. We are all grief-stricken with the result.”

As you note in the book, painted screens originated in London in the 1700s. Why did they become so popular in Baltimore? One reason: working-class rowhouses. Baltimore’s architecture required an intervention in the name of privacy. Painted screens, because you can see out and no one can see in, provided that measure of privacy for people living in rowhouses with no front yards. They also gave much-needed ventilation in the summer. An East Baltimore shopkeeper named William Oktavec figured that out 100 years ago, and he painted and sold a lot of screens to his neighbors. And being like your neighbor was something that was prized, so the screens multiplied quickly.

Who were the legendary Baltimore screen painters? There was Johnny Eck, who was a student of Okatavec’s, and Ruth Chrysam was an apprentice of Oktavec’s. There were screen painters and jack-of-all-trades like Ben and Ted Richardson. There were also youngsters like Tom Lipka from Canton.

Any favorites? They’re ALL my favorites—that’s why I wrote the book! Each of them had his or her own wonderful style and reason for going into screen painting.

What did they paint, and what was the source material for that imagery? They often painted nature scenes, or landmark buildings from the old country—the immigrants’ countries of origin, places like Poland or Czechoslovakia—or just about anything found on a greeting card or calendar. They were used because they were easily found and easily copied.

What factors affect the popularity of painted screens, which seems cyclical? The use of air conditioners in the 1950s and 1960s was a major factor. So were the changing demographics of East Baltimore in the 1990s, due largely to social mobility and the aging out of the original population. Modernization of home doors and windows is also a factor, as homeowners remodel and materials change from wood to metal to vinyl. Also, painted screens were embarrassingly affordable into the 1990s. From then on, they were valued as one-of-a-kind custom art and were priced accordingly. The cycle has been up and down for 100 years. Now, we’re experiencing something of a resurgence.

Who are the contemporary screen painters who are keeping the tradition alive, or even reinventing it? People like Dee Herget, the Lipka family, John Oktavec (the grandson of William), Anna Pasqualucci, Monica Broere, John Iampieri, and Pat Michalski. Monica does a sort of mash up of traditional and abstract, Anna paints minutely detailed pieces, and John is a great colorist who produces these mural-like screens for large windows and porches.

Why was the University Press of Mississippi a good home for this book? They are finest folk art press in America. And thanks to a partnership with the Mellon Foundation, we were able to add incredible production values to the book. Producing a coffee table book with over 300 color photos for $35 is unheard of. I think they realized it’s a book that will be evergreen. I feel it’s a book every Baltimorean will want to own, and it will also appeal to people who care about what makes cities beautiful and livable.

Artist

Chul Hyun Ahn

Costas Grimaldis first came
across Ahn’s light sculptures at the Korean artist’s MICA thesis show in
2002. Since then, Ahn’s work has been a fixture at Grimaldis’s Charles
Street gallery. He’s also been compared to artists Dan Flavin and James
Turrell, found his way into many private collections, and been exhibited
in France, Germany, and at this year’s Venice Biennale. Ahn’s
potential, like his mind-bending art, seems limitless.

Author Readings

The Ivy Bookshop

The
Ivy’s excellent stock makes it a top-notch indie bookseller, but the
Mt. Washington shop’s author readings and talks make it an essential
destination for lit lovers. During a recent month-long stretch, the Ivy
presented a talk with science geek Mario Livio, a Q&A with Sujata
Massey and Laura Lippman, an afternoon tea with Jane Austen expert
Juliette Wells, and book launches for Jessica Anya Blau and Marion
Winik. (Yes, that was all in one month!) And it launched a new monthly
reading series, Starts Here, which focuses on local up-and-comers. The
key to a book store surviving in today’s Kindle world? Make yourself
indispensable, which The Ivy Bookshop most certainly has done. 6080
Falls Road, 410-377-2966.

Band

Soft Cat

In
a music scene known for scrappy indie rock, post-punk clamor, and club
beats, Soft Cat offers something truly alternative—hushed and nuanced
songs buoyed by strings (violins, cello, acoustic guitar) and wide-eyed
wonder. Songwriter Neil Sanzgiri and a spirited crew of collaborators
find pastoral calm in concrete jungles and conjure idyllic sounds to
match. Sanzgiri sometimes brings Andrew Bird to mind on this year’s Lost
No Labor album, but with more frayed edges and a stouter heart. His
brand of chamber pop is as extraordinary as it is unassuming.

Concert Series

Jazz at the Johns Hopkins Club

For
almost two years now, Peabody Jazz Studies director Gary Thomas has
booked an amazing concert series at the Hopkins Club. It’s the perfect
mix of an intimate venue and world-class talent. Thomas, an acclaimed
saxophonist himself who’s played with the likes of Miles Davis and
Herbie Hancock, brings jazz superstars like Jack DeJohnette (another
former bandmate), Chick Corea, and Jason Moran to town. Thomas has a
deep Rolodex, and we look forward to seeing whom he’ll call for next
season. 3400 N. Charles Street, Hopkins Club Website.

Dinner and Show

Creative Alliance’s Marquee Lounge

Highlandtown’s
Creative Alliance, long an arts hub, became even more enticing after
the Marquee Lounge began serving food last year. The tasty dishes
(UTZ-crusted fried green tomatoes with crab salad!), local beers, and
Zeke’s Coffee go down easy before a concert, art opening, or movie at
the Patterson. And when a DJ turns up to spin a set of classic
soul/jazz, it makes for a particularly transcendent meal. 3134 Eastern
Avenue, 410-276-1651.

Exhibition

The Walters Art Museum’s Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe

The
wordy title pretty much covers the scope and intent of this insightful
show, which closed early this year. In it, Walters curator Joaneath
Spicer examines the complexities of race through dozens of paintings,
sculptures, objects, and prints, many of them culled from the museum’s
permanent collection. Spicer puzzles over historical facts, asks
questions, and raises issues relating to identity and how this art was
produced and perceived. She also shows that, even though budgets are
tight, smart people and resourceful institutions can produce remarkable
exhibitions. If you missed the show, it’s worth checking out the
catalogue at the Walters’s museum shop. 600 N. Charles Street, 410-547-9000.

Legacy

Fred Lazarus

Few
leaders have impacted Baltimore as mightily, and meaningfully, as
Lazarus. During his 35 years as president of MICA, Lazarus, who recently
announced his retirement, transformed the school into a nationally
recognized, more civic-minded institution. On his watch, MICA doubled
enrollment, added 18 undergraduate and graduate programs, and forged a
reputation as one of the country’s best arts schools. It also greatly
expanded its footprint (the campus is now ten times bigger than it was
when Lazarus arrived), played a major role in the establishment of
Station North, and made community engagement an integral part of its
mission. Lazarus changed the college and the city around it.

Folklorist

Elaine Eff

For
decades, Eff has worked to identify, spotlight, and preserve
traditional art and culture around the state. A former director of the
State Arts Council’s Maryland Traditions program, she can riff
authoritatively about everything from backwoods artisans to Smith Island
cakes, though she’s best known for her work with painted screens, an
art form that originated in East Baltimore 100 years ago. Eff’s
comprehensive book on the subject, The Painted Screens of Baltimore: An
Urban Folk Art Revealed, comes out this fall and figures to further
solidify her standing as the city’s Queen of Screens and our preeminent
folklorist.

Festival

Maryland Film Festival

There
is nothing commercial about the Maryland Film Festival. It doesn’t cater
to celebrities or any kind of studio agenda; instead it’s a veritable
orgy for film lovers of all stripes and colors. Like thought-provoking
documentaries? Check out Skizz Cyzyk and Joe Tropea’s Hit & Stay,
about the Catonsville Nine. Like moody, evocative art-house dramas?
Check out Matt Porterfield’s I Used to Be Darker or Eliza Hittman’s It
Felt Like Love. Like the kind of film that will inspire a ferocious
post-film debate? How about the challenging (and mind-blowing) Post
Tenebras Lux. Turning the Station North Arts District into exactly what
city planners envisioned—a lively hub for the nurturing, discussion, and
celebration of art—the MFF has become the must-attend event of the
spring. md-filmfest.com

Orchestra: Old School

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Thanks
largely to music director Marin Alsop, the BSO continues to throw
surprises our way: Programming works by local composer Christopher Rouse
alongside Carmina Burana and staging Hairspray with conductor Jack
Everly and narrator John Waters. 1212 Cathedral Street, 410-783-8000.

Orchestra: New School

OrchKids

The
BSO-sponsored program takes classical music to city schools with wildly
satisfying results, as the kids infuse the repertoire with new energy
and ideas. They also partner with other musicians from around the city
(and around the globe) to put spins on what symphonic music can, and
should, be.

Homecoming

Beach House at the Lyric

When
Beach House took the stage at the Lyric in April, it had been a few
years since the dream-pop duo had performed in their hometown. During
that time, they released a Top 10 album (2012’s widely acclaimed Bloom),
toured the world, and appeared at virtually every major American and
European music festival. So when singer Victoria LeGrand hit the Lyric
stage and declared, “Baltimore, it’s been too long,” the roar from the
audience drove home that point. The band’s generous set, coupled with
the gorgeous setting and appreciative crowd, made for a transcendent
evening.

Humorist

Marion Winik

Don’t expect
knee-slapping guffaws or giggle fits from Winik. In her books—especially
the new one, Highs in the Low Fifties—she threads sly humor through
poignant observations that generate reflection rather than mere
escapism. Winik recounts misadventures, admits shortcomings, confronts
demons, and stares down mortality with disarming candor. To her credit,
that sincerity never drifts into sentimentality. Instead, it resonates
with hard-earned wisdom that, like Winik’s humor, connects on a variety
of levels.

Idea

Center Stage’s The Raisin Cycle

Kwame
Kwei-Armah joked to The Sun that he “must have been high on drugs” when
he agreed to write a play in response to the Tony-winning Clybourne
Park——which was, itself, inspired by the classic A Raisin in the
Sun——and present both plays, in repertory, as The Raisin Cycle. It
turned out to be a great idea, because Kwei-Armah delivered a lively and
thoughtful piece, Beneatha’s Place, that played well with Clybourne and
nodded to its legacy. Kwei-Armah, who became the theater’s artistic
director two years ago, also delivered on a promise to up its national
profile, and indeed, the likes of Variety, The New York Times, and PBS
covered The Raisin Cycle.

Music Video

Dan Deacon’s “Konono Ripoff No. 1”

The
song nods to Congolese band Konono No. 1, but the innovative video hits
closer to home. It assembles jittery GIFs of local scenesters—including
Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner, Double Dagger’s Nolen Strals, and Deacon
himself—holding objects they consider meaningful. But that isn’t all. A
companion smartphone app syncs to the video and displays the objects,
which can be manipulated by the viewer. The simultaneous videos make a
good match for Deacon’s frenetic track.

Natural Art

Cylburn Arboretum

Visiting
Cylburn is like walking through a sprawling art installation full of
natural, carefully curated exhibits. Cylburn’s impressive collection
includes flowering shrubs, tree peonies, boxwoods, and beeches situated
in and around areas for sitting, walking, and gawking. Do not miss the
Japanese maples near the Mansion. The view from under their colorful
canopy of leaves late in the afternoon rivals anything Monet ever put on
canvas. It might even inspire you to pick up a paintbrush. 4915
Greenspring Avenue, 410-367-2217.

Patron Saints

Chris Toll, “Blaster” Al Ackerman, Thomas “Pope” Croke

Long
before Dan Deacon and the Wham City crew earned Baltimore a national
rep for its wildly creative, alternative arts scene, folks like Toll,
Ackerman, and Croke paved the way to that road less travelled.
Unconcerned with celebrity and seemingly oblivious to trends, they
walked through this city leaking unfettered creativity at every turn.
Sadly, they all passed away within the past year, but their eccentric
bravado continues to resonate.

Visionary Artist

Mars Tokyo

The
star of AVAM’s current mega-show, The Art of Storytelling, Mars Tokyo
(real name, Sally Mericle) exhibits two distinct bodies of work:
meticulously crafted, miniature assemblages she calls Theaters of the
13th Dimension and comic-like drawings taken from her visual diaries.
Although the forms couldn’t be more different, they accumulatively tell
an intensely personal story that deals with everything from
relationships and body image to quitting smoking. She also paints and,
like many AVAM artists, has a compelling backstory, so it may be time
for a retrospective exhibit of all Mars Tokyo’s work sometime in the
near future.

Acquisition: Old School

Ark Door of Cairo’s Ben Ezra Synagogue

This
11th-century piece was exhibited by the Walters this spring. It was
once affixed to a cabinet containing Torah scrolls in an Egyptian
synagogue. Now, it’s a priceless portal to the past. 6000 N. Charles
Street, 410-547-9000.

Acquisition: New School

Sarah Sze’s Random Walk Drawing(Eye Chart)

Purchased
for the BMA’s Contemporary Wing, this mixed-media sculpture is
comprised of intricately cut paper and everyday objects such as a tape
measure, pillow, small fan, and, yes, an eye chart. 10 Art Museum Drive,
443-573-1700.

Promoter

Bernard Lyons

Lyons,
who is also the bar manager at Bertha’s, consistently brings
exceptional, improvisational jazz to town. It’s particularly notable
because the music isn’t remotely commercial, though the acts Lyons books
(through his company, Creative Differences) are often internationally
known performers. Due to his determined efforts and good ear, the likes
of Marilyn Crispell, Tim Berne, Nels Cline, and our own Lafayette
Gilchrist turn up regularly at spots such as The Windup Space. Thanks to
Lyons and the annual High Zero Festival, Baltimore continues to thrive
as a spot for challenging and edgy music.

Small Press

BrickHouse Books

Local
lit hero Clarinda Harriss has been editing at BrickHouse for 40 years
now, but she certainly isn’t resting on her laurels. In fact, she turns
up new talent and doesn’t shy from work that might otherwise have
difficulty getting published. As a result, BrickHouse’s recent titles
range from Richard Fein’s essay collection, Yiddish Genesis, to Rachel
Hennick’s Ghetto Medic, an account of her father’s stint as a Baltimore
fireman and paramedic.

Stand-up

John Waters

Our
local icon hasn’t directed a film in nearly a decade, but that hasn’t
stopped him from being our highest-profile cultural ambassador. It also
hasn’t seemed to dampen his spirits, because Waters is funnier than
ever. At a recent Howard Theatre show in D.C., he riffed about
everything from the venue’s musical heritage and the city’s gay bars
(anyone remember the Chicken Hut?) to designer clothes and Justin Bieber
(who once told him, “Your ’stache is the jam”). Waters’s droll recap of
last year’s cross-country hitchhiking trip has us looking forward to
the book it inspired, Carsick, which is due out in May 2014.

Successor

Deana Haggag

George
Ciscle founded the Contemporary Museum in 1989, curated groundbreaking
shows at the Maryland Historical Society and the BMA, and started the
Exhibition Development Seminar and Curatorial Practice MFA programs at
MICA. As Ciscle flourished, the Contemporary floundered after his
departure in the mid-1990s and eventually shut down last year. Now, the
museum’s board is turning to Haggag, a recent graduate of Ciscle’s
Curatorial Practice program, to both reinvent the Contemporary and,
perhaps, recapture some of the old magic. She certainly has the passion,
and pedigree, for the job.

Slice of Baltimore

12 O’Clock Boys

Lotfy
Nathan’s film about the city’s wheelie-popping, law-defying dirt-bike
riders created quite a buzz, both locally and nationally. Nathan, a MICA
grad, introduced the rest of the country to a Baltimore subculture
that’s inherently dangerous and wildly fascinating. His film not only
documents the crosstown jaunts and high-speed stunts, it also speaks to
the motivation behind death-defying behavior that’s heroic to some and
criminal to others. Like The Wire, it humanizes its subjects and shows
us something about ourselves.

Theater Venue

Everyman Theatre

Artistic
director Vincent Lancisi planned and oversaw extensive renovations of
Everyman’s Fayette Street home, which opened in January, and it shows.
The main room retains the theater’s trademark intimacy, minus the
claustrophobic feel and sightline-busting columns, while
state-of-the-art lights and sound enhance the atmosphere of each
production. The lobbies are comfortable and encourage dining from a
curbside food truck or lingering over a drink from Vinny’s Bar. The new
site also includes spacious workshops and storage spaces, administrative
offices, classrooms, and an upstairs rehearsal hall that Lancisi hopes
to, one day, convert into additional performance space. 315 W. Fayette
Street, 410-752-2208.

Dance Event

Baltimore School for the Arts’ Appalachian Spring Festival

After
School for the Arts became the first high school given permission by
the Martha Graham Center to stage Graham’s classic ballet, Appalachian
Spring, it leveraged that coup into a school-wide, weeklong arts
festival in April. Students constructed the theater set, researched the
ballet at the Library of Congress (where it premiered in 1944), mounted
wall panels about its historical context, created visual artworks
inspired by the ballet, remixed Aaron Copland’s score, and drew
storyboards for an animation project. And most importantly, the dancers
nailed the performance (cover photo). 712 Cathedral Street, 443-642-5167.

Tribute Album

Mobtown Moon

It
takes guts to reinterpret a classic record like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side
of the Moon, but Sandy Asirvatham and Ellen Cherry not only did an
admirable job, they reinvented it in surprising ways. The two local
musicians assembled a diverse cast of players, tapped into the original
album’s gravitas, and, in some cases, wrung new meaning from it.
Incorporating elements of jazz, hip-hop, gospel, and roots rock into
Floyd’s prog-rock, they underscored the emotional range of the original
tunes and spotlighted the city’s wide range of talent in the process. As
a result, Mobtown Moon functions as a tribute to both Pink Floyd and
the breadth and depth of the local music scene.

Writer

Jen Michalski

We’ve
previously cited Michalski for editing the City Sages collection
(2010’s “Best Anthology”) and we’re fans of the 510 Reading Series she
co-hosts with Michael Kimball, but she really upped the ante this year
by publishing three books: a novel (The Tide King), short story
collection (From Here), and a pair of novellas (Could You Be With Her
Now). Though admirably multi-dimensional, Michalski never fails to tell
compelling stories capable of challenging and surprising readers. That
readership figures to grow substantially if she continues producing work
of this caliber.

Arrangements: Peabody Jazz Alumni

Gary Thomas has been director of Peabody’s jazz department for 10 years now, leading his students in the Peabody Improvisation and Multimedia Ensemble (PIME). In May, various PIME alums returned to perform new arrangements of Thomas’s compositions, and the results were revelatory. The director’s work can be knotty and difficult, but former students like saxophonists Russell Kirk and Jacob Yoffee opened it up, underscored its melodicism, and gave it a big-band sheen. “They made my music sound like music,” a smiling Thomas told the audience. They also showed that jazz can evolve in a conservatory setting. peabody.jhu.edu.

Art Sale: Baltimore Contemporary Print Fair

This year’s Baltimore Contemporary Print Fair at The BMA in April was hopping. The number of vendors practically doubled, filling the upstairs galleries with eye-popping art, much of it extremely affordable. The likes of Jim Kempner and Harlan & Weaver from New York kept the quality high, and visiting artist Trenton Doyle Hancock created a buzz with a collaborative MICA print and jam-packed artist talk prior to opening night. Whether you were buying or browsing, the Print Fair was an infectious draw for art lovers of all ages. artbma.org/printfair.

Boutique Publisher: Babetta’s World

It’s hard enough to be a book publisher these days, so it’s especially gratifying when a company puts passion over profits. Monica Lapenta is passionate about opera and wanted to spark similar excitement in children, so she wrote a series of opera-centric kids’ books, had them lavishly illustrated, and published them under her Babetta’s World imprint, which is based in Baltimore. Her gorgeous books summarize classic operas such as The Nutcracker and La Bohème in English, Italian, and the native tongue of the librettist, making them accessible to a diverse array of youngsters. If Lapenta had her way, Madama Butterfly would be the next Katniss. babettasworld.com.

Children’s Book Writer: Natalie Standiford

Baltimore native Natalie Standiford wrote a fantastic young-adult novel, How to Say Goodbye in Robot, in 2009 and penned an equally impressive book for middle schoolers, The Secret Tree, this year. Both books are set in and around her hometown and feature beautifully crafted, nuanced characters that aren’t wizards or vampires. The protagonist of the latter book is a 10-year-old roller derby aficionado named Minty Mortimer who lives in Catonsville. Need we say more? nataliestandiford.com.

Comeback: Ian Hesford

Telesma’s Ian Hesford didn’t just make an artistic comeback, he literally came back from the dead. During the band’s first song at an April 20 Rams Head Live! show, the 38-year-old didgeridoo player suffered a massive heart attack (the result of an undiagnosed heart condition). Luckily for him, the audience included a CPR instructor and an emergency-room nurse, and they gave him CPR until an ambulance arrived and took him to Mercy Medical Center. Eight defibrillations and 90 minutes later, Hesford’s heart still hadn’t restarted, but the doctor in attendance tried one more time——and it worked. According to bandmate Chris Mandra, his heartbeat “came galloping back.” Three weeks later, the band’s new disc of psychedelia, Action In Inaction, was released, and, within days, Hesford was released from the hospital. telesmaband.com.

Creative Hub: Creative Alliance at the Patterson

The anchor of the Highlandtown Arts and Entertainment district, the Creative Alliance at the Patterson has long been a hub of artisticendeavor. Where else could you learn African textile techniques, screen work-in-progress films, take a drawing class, study Spanish, celebrate World Refugee Day, view an exhibit of photos taken by Baltimore teens, and check out a traditional Irish band——all in the same week! Now, you can add food by Clementine and an elegant watering hole, the Marquee Lounge, to that heady mix. creativealliance.org.

Cultural Ambassadors: Beach House

Though they certainly didn’t set out to become ambassadors for the city, the band Beach House puts Baltimore in a positive light, nationally and internationally, with the piles of press generated by each album and concert tour. Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally champion their hometown in a low-key, unassuming manner that exudes integrity and leads by example. They are local treasures that hope to remain local. Even though the band isn’t making noises about leaving, city leaders should nonetheless take note and find ways to ensure they stay in Baltimore. It might be the art-scene equivalent of re-signing Ray Rice. beachhousebaltimore.com.

Dance Company: Effervescent Collective

Effervescent Collective has the moxie to stage what it calls “dance-based wonders” and the irrepressible talent to actually pull off such events. Founded by Goucher grad Lily Susskind, Effervescent bridges the city’s burgeoning DIY performance and music scenes with collaborations as inclusive as they are kinetic. You might see Susskind and crew at the Theatre Project, the High Zero Festival, a Baltimore Rock Opera Society show, the Transmodern Festival, or performances with the likes of Dan Deacon and Dustin Wong. effervescentcollective.org.

Distribution Method: Art-o-mat

Thanks to Art-o-mat, you can collect art with the same budget you might use for collecting baseball cards. The brainchild of MICA grad Clark Whittington, it dispenses artworks via vending machine for $5 a pop at locations like MICA’s Fox Building and the National Portrait Gallery in D.C. The machines are stocked with boxes the size of cigarette packs containing photos, paintings, jewelry, books, or prints from hundreds of different artists. Warning: Art-o-mat can be addictive, but the Surgeon General approves. artomat.org.

Documentary: Cafeteria Man

Cafeteria Man, Richard Chisolm and Sheila Kinkade’s engaging film about school food reformer Tony Geraci, premiered at last year’s Maryland Film Festival and was featured at the Silverdocs Documentary Festival in Silver Spring. Since then, it’s been popular on the film-festival circuit and has been a hit at conferences and symposia dealing with nutrition and food issues. Although Geraci’s two-year effort at greening city school cafeterias yielded mixed results, the film succeeds by using his magnetic personality to draw much-needed attention to a problem worth solving. cafeteriaman.com.

Exhibition: Open Walls Baltimore

The best art show of the year went up on walls around Station North over the spring. Curated by local street artist Gaia and funded by PNC and the NEA, Open Walls Baltimore featured the work of nearly two-dozen artists——who came from around the world, around the country, and around the corner——to create a public-art spectacle throughout Barclay, Greenmount West, and Charles North. Besides drawing attention to the arts district, it also brought visitors to these neighborhoods and created an online buzz. (See sidebar for more on Open Walls.) openwallsbaltimore.com.

Homage: Shodekeh’s Meredith Monk Remix

It’s darn near impossible to reinterpret material from a musical icon without diluting the original’s vitality or tampering with some key component of the artist’s vision. But local beatboxer Shodekeh effectively re-imagined Meredith Monk’s classic “Dolmen Music” as a hip-hop instrumental by enhancing it with a battery of rhythmic flourishes. Monk’s original displayed plenty of depth but not much drive, while the Shodekeh track, featured on Monk Mix, favored solid beats over the drift of abstraction. It exuded mystery, even as it flexed newfound might, and proved to be the highlight of a collection that also featured Bjork and DJ Spooky. shodekeh.com.

Legacy: Gary Vikan

We’re incredibly fortunate to have visionary leaders at the helm of our biggest arts institutions. Names like Fred, Doreen, Rebecca, and Marin ring with fond familiarity, and when Gary (Vikan) announced in March that he was leaving The Walters, it felt like a major loss. Vikan transformed the museum, making it more community-minded and audience-friendly, without straying from the basic mission of sharing its magnificent collections. He expanded, partnered, renovated, initiated, and boosted with the best of them. And when the economy soured, he stepped up and led a grassroots effort to garner public support for stable arts funding. Vikan shepherded the Walters into the 21st century, championing change and providing stability, an institutional mindset that could prove to be his greatest legacy. thewalters.org.

Man About Town: Tom Hall

Celebrating his 31st year as artistic director of Baltimore Choral Arts, Tom Hall shows no sign of slowing down——in fact, he seems more energetic and, thanks to his role as arts and culture editor for WYPR’s Maryland Morning, more ubiquitous than ever. And that’s most welcome, because he’s such an insightful and all-around talented guy. We have no idea how he also fits mentoring, teaching, emceeing events, and serving on boards into his jam-packed schedule.

MVP: Dan Trahey

When the BSO launched OrchKids in 2008, the notion of initiating an after-school music program in an underserved city school was hailed as a great idea. But someone had to execute the plan and see to day-to-day operations, and Dan Trahey is that person. A Midwesterner who plays a mean tuba, Trahey runs the program with the passion of a grassroots activist, the sensitivity of an educator, and the audacity of a true believer. And he had a hand in two of the best concerts of the year: the collaboration between OrchKids, Peabody, City Neighbors, School for the Arts, New Song Academy, and London’s Guildhall School in March and a spirited show with his band, the Archipelago Project, in the halls of Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School in May. bsomusic.org.

Photographer: Alexander Heilner

At first glance, Alexander Heilner’s photographs could be mistaken for abstract paintings. Look closer and you’ll see the effect comes from an aerial perspective and a keen eye for geometric composition. High above places like Houston, Las Vegas, and Dubai, Heilner, a 2012 Baker Artist Awards winner, finds beauty in loops of highway, clusters of housing developments, and the borders between built environments and the natural world. heilner.net.

Play: The Brothers Size

Everyman Theatre’s production of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brothers Size was one of the most compelling plays in recent memory. It was intimate (in the round), immersive (Chas Marsh’s sound design was particularly noteworthy), and dynamic (choreographer Vincent Thomas coached the actors on movement). Some Everyman regulars might have been taken aback by its coarse language and overt male sexuality, but McCraney’s writing, Derek Goldman’s snappy direction, and uniformly strong acting made for a transcendent show. everymantheatre.org.

Record Label: Friends Records

Baltimore’s burgeoning indie music scene has produced tons of great bands and an excellent record label, Friends. Founded by a pair of music geeks, Brett Yale (of the Bmore Music blog) and Jimmy MacMillan (who works at The Sound Garden), Friends puts out albums and 45s (vinyl releases with digital downloads) and cassettes (also with downloads) by local luminaries like Jenn Wasner’s Flock of Dimes, Celebration, Oxes, and Secret Mountains. It’s an impressive catalogue and important archive of a vital part of this city’s cultural scene. friendsrecordsbaltimore.com.

Residency: Whoop Dee Doo at MICA

Many artists-in-residence hunker down at their host institutions and don’t interact with the outside world. But when MICA grad students brought Kansas City-based performance group Whoop Dee Doo (WDD) to Baltimore, they expected community engagement, and that’s what they got. Over the course of two weeks in the spring, WDD’s Jamie Warren and Matt Roche transformed City Arts Gallery into a stage set that would make Pee-Wee blush and scouted local talent for an insanely fun variety show that included the Police Department’s honor guard, Prem Raja Majat (known around town as the Nepalese Elvis), polka dancers, wrestlers, and Miss Baltimore. WDD pretty much set the bar for future residencies. mica.edu.

Theater Experience: Centerstage

Soon after Kwame Kwei-Armah took over as Centerstage’s artistic director, he changed the theater’s tagline to “Welcome to the Conversation” and said he wanted the building to become “a focal point for art as a catalyst for debate.” Well, it didn’t take long to manifest exactly that, and, by April, the place had the feel of a mini-Lincoln Center with a buzzing lobby and excellent productions of Sondheim’s Into the Woods (in the Pearlstone Theater) and Matthew Lopez’s The Whipping Man (directed by Kwei-Armah in the Head Theater) running concurrently for a few weeks. The energy was so palpable that ushers had to hush the Whipping Man audience exiting the theater, while the Sondheim play was still in progress. The conversation was getting loud. centerstage.org.

Venue: Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric

When the Lyric reopened last year after extensive renovations, it didn’t seem like the city needed a swank venue in addition to the Hippodrome. But the Lyric’s diverse bookings have silenced the doubters, with the likes of Fiona Apple, Alvin Ailey, and John Waters taking the stage, in addition to the touring musicals and operas. lyricoperahouse.com.

Along a busy industrial stretch behind BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport, Scott Pittman wipes the sweat off his brow, brought on by a record-breaking Baltimore heat wave. Once inside the several storage vaults of Bonsai Fine Arts, Pittman reads the thermostat on the warehouse wall: “70 degrees with 50 percent humidity,” he says, proudly pointing to the Holy Grail of art-storage climate-control.

Pittman handles billions of dollars worth of priceless art by the likes of glass artist Dale Chihuly, environmental artist Christo, and the French Enlightenment’s Jean-Antoine Houdon. And he moves equally priceless objects—such as an early 20th-century Suffragette wagon and even Benjamin Franklin’s printing press. But he rarely sweats it on the job.

“I always tell my staff, ‘The most important thing you can do is make our clients feel comfortable,'” says Pittman. “If they are nervous, and they don’t trust you, your job is going to be hell. If you are sure of what you’re doing, and you have a backup plan, everything will work out. Everything you handle is the most valuable—you can’t say, ‘That’s only worth $2,000 and that’s worth $10 million’—you have to treat everything the same.”

The Glen Burnie-based Bonsai is one of a highly specialized coterie of companies in the country to pack, crate, and transport works of art, antiques, objects, and one-of-a-kind artifacts. The company, which grosses about $2.5 million a year, serves nearly every major museum and institution along the eastern seaboard (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian museums, the Mint Museum of Art, the Maryland Historical Society, and the Maryland State Archives, to name a few), as well as leading galleries and private collectors throughout the United States. As Jeanne Benas, registrar for the National Museum of American History, will tell you, “Art handling has, in and of itself, become an art form.”

In fact, there’s both an art and science to moving the art safely from one location to the next, with painstaking planning and, for the sake of security, a shroud of secrecy. “We wear elfin hats and shoes while we work,” jokes James Johnson, co-owner of Bonsai ARTransport, a sister company that handles the shipping side.

Only the most diehard culture vultures probably give much thought to how an object of art gets from here to there—be it a life-sized bronze statue or treasured painting. But even the most famous works of art have, at one point or another, been transported. To wit: in the early 1960s, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy charmed French Minister of Cultural Affairs Andre Malraux into loaning out the Louvre’s “Mona Lisa.” By December 1962, unbeknownst to the public, the painting was bolted to the floor of a French passenger ship and kept under secret surveillance by nine French guards and two Louvre officials en route to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

“We are like travel agents for art,” says Pittman. “We visit every site before we make a crate. The object stays where it is, and the crate is made in Maryland. I design the crate and then hand it off to my staff to make it.”

Pittman’s staff is far from what you would find at a traditional moving company. Several of the employees are highly trained artists, many of whom have studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art. “When the container looks good, we know it’s going to be handled properly instead of being thrown around,” says Edward Ryan, assistant registrar of the National Museum of American History, who has worked with Bonsai since its founding in 2002. “We know we won’t have to gasp when we take the lid off.”

For the truly priceless pieces, the shipping (done in incognito trucks outfitted with air-ride suspension, climate-controlled cargo compartments, built-in lifts, and GPS tracking) is almost like something out of a James Bond movie. “There are different levels of shipping,” says Pittman, “but at the highest level, it’s usually timed so you go straight to delivery and drop-off—even if it’s a delivery from the East Coast to California, you go through the night, and the courier has to be with the load the whole time.”

Pittman began transporting sensitive items in 1984 while still a student at University of Maryland where he majored in fine arts and economics. With a friend’s help, he got a $7-an-hour gig to work as a courier at the White House. After graduating, Pittman was anxious to work in his field, though his job on Pennsylvania Avenue helped position him perfectly for what was to come. “Working at the White House taught me to be formal and keep a comfortable distance with people,” says Pittman. “It also taught me to be discreet—all very important skills for an art handler.”

By 1986, Pittman was hired by the now defunct D.C.-based Artransport (where he met his Bonsai business partner, Lap Tran). There he became schooled in art-transport basics from scheduling to crate-making to protocol. Says Pittman, “It was all the foundation of what I still do today.”

Pittman went on to work for some of the biggest art-handling companies in the country. By 2002, he and Tran decided to go into business together. “We started in Crofton in this little roll-up garage next to a carpet place,” recalls Pittman. “We financed this through the housing boom by finishing basements, building decks, and doing construction stuff.”

But by 2005, the duo decided to give up home construction and devote themselves full-time to art handling. Pittman’s background as a fine artist made him perfectly suited to the job. “When I started actually thinking about art, it was always about making it and protecting it,” says the 49-year-old Pittman. “I was 24 when I got into this business. Early on, I took it seriously.”

Back in a workroom area, using a band saw, Chai Longenecker, a MICA graduate who majored in painting, meticulously measures and cuts strips of ethafoam. They’ll be used to make modular trays with cavities that will comprise the interior of a Tyvek-lined crate. Longenecker studies Pittman’s plan, which specifies the crate’s exact dimensions.

Meanwhile, in another room, smelling of heat-treated sugar pine, several staffers construct the exterior of crates that take roughly a day for a single person to build, depending on size. “I have a format that shows every piece of wood and how big it needs to be to make the crate,” says Pittman. “The person who is making the crate can just take it and cut the wood—within an 1/8 of an inch—to specification.” All of this labor-intensive work can be costly. A new crate can cost between $650 and $4,500, and Bonsai charges between $180 (for a simple installation or delivery in Baltimore) and $100,000 (for jobs involving hundreds of crates, packing, and rigging) for its services.

They’ve faced some daunting tasks over the years. Pittman says an antique cotton shredder from the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson, MI, was the heaviest thing he’s ever moved. “They had damage from Katrina,” says Pittman, “so they had to move all of their collections. The cotton shredder was built into the wall so it could be seen from three different perspectives in two different rooms. Originally, I thought it was three different large machines, but after we removed the walls, we realized it was one big beast—approximately 6,500 pounds—and the trick was getting it through the main doorway to the gallery. We made a reinforced pallet on site and used rigging techniques, stepping it up one side at a time until it was raised to the height of the pallet.” Even then, the challenge was far from over. Using a wheeled steel lever and palette jacks, the crew moved the shredder to another nearby building while the museum made repairs. “We actually rolled it down the sidewalk,” recalls Pittman.

Packing, crating, and shipping the only extant example of an African slave canoe in the United States that was bound for the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park in 2006 presented its own obstacles. Pittman and his crew traveled to the Eastern Shore to the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, where they got their first glimpse of the historical artifact that had been gingerly brought up piecemeal from the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay. Recounts Pittman, “They said to us, ‘Can you move this canoe without any of the pieces falling off?’ And we said, ‘We will do our very best.'”

Over the course of three days, Pittman and his staff constructed a crate with a four-inch foam padded tray. “We had to load it onto our truck all the way to Baltimore,” explains Pittman. “The truck went ‘boom, boom, boom’ down cobblestone streets in Fells Point, and then, using a crane, we had to load the crate into a third-story window.” To make matters more complicated, a TV crew and reporters filmed the entire exercise.

“You could have heard a pin drop,” says Pittman. “When the lid of the crate opened, the conservator walked around one time and said, ‘Perfect.’ And there was this applause at the end. It was dramatic.”

Though he loves working with art, seeing the hurdles that can come with acquiring it has made him a minimalist at the Bolton Hill home he shares with his wife, Joy, and their 13-year-old daughter, Isabella. “Though there have been pieces coming through that I’d love to own,” says Pittman, “I am inspired by the art and take something from the pieces to make my own art.

“I also enjoy thinking about the challenges of crating something I’ve never done before—like the Statue of Liberty,” he says, laughing.

And while he once dreamed of pursuing a career in architecture, Pittman is more than happy to let other’s work stand on display. “It has been said of art handling that we are like those life-sized Japanese puppets,” says Pittman. “There are a lot of people behind the puppets, but you’re not supposed to see them.”

Frank Arthur doesn’t just tell stories—he acts them out. Between bites of a Reuben at an Arbutus diner, Arthur recalls creeping past the Pepsi building on a summer night in 1986 with Scrappy G, One Way, and a few other graffiti writers in tow. An assortment of construction equipment and trucks concealed them from cars whizzing past on I-83. The expressway was being widened, and Arthur and his crew had determined that an enormous pile of metal support beams would be their next urban canvas.

“We wrote our butts off,” recalls Arthur.

“All of a sudden, one of the guys hollered, ‘Yo!'” Arthur hollers it, too, startling a few diners across the room. “Sorry about that,” he says, turning in their direction with a sheepish smile. He continues at (pretty much) the same volume but more excitedly.

“Then, I saw these high beams and crouched behind a truck,” he says, going into a crouch next to the booth. “Four cop cars flew past me and started chasing my friends, so I ran across the highway”—he stands and runs in place—”and see that the cops had them bent over a car. I felt like I had to do something, so I figured I’d create a diversion, and maybe they could get away.

“Me being an idiot, I grabbed four or five big rocks and threw them at the cop cars. Bop! Bop! Bop! Bop! The cops jumped down and thought someone was shooting at them. They called in ‘shots fired’ on the radio, and, as I jumped over one of those Jersey walls, a helicopter came out of nowhere and was right on me, so I ran under the highway near the Jones Falls.”

Arthur slides back into the booth and continues eating his sandwich. “I felt like Harrison Ford in The Fugitive,” he says. “I was climbing and jumping off of things, and, at one point, I had to stop. My body was going into convulsions, and it was scary, a total adrenaline rush. I was shaken.”

He did, though, manage to get away—by plunging into the Jones Falls and wading his way toward Druid Hill Avenue—that’s how his signature tag originated, and “Shaken” started appearing all over the city. By the late-1980s/early-1990s, it was everywhere, and Arthur was Baltimore’s most prolific—and most wanted—street artist, drawing the ire of property owners, community associations, and law enforcement.

If you drove the Jones Falls Expressway, the Beltway, or I-97; rode the subway, Light Rail, or Amtrak; or walked along Pratt or Lombard Streets, you saw his work. His distinctive tags and large, colorful pieces of interlocking letters were emblazoned on warehouses, exit ramps, overpasses, water towers, tunnels, and even the Mechanic Theatre and National Aquarium. By his own estimate, he completed thousands of pieces.

It was a compulsion, an addiction stronger than any drug, he says. “If you put sex, drugs, and rock and roll into one pill and called it graffiti, I ate that pill,” says Arthur. “Then, I spent years painting at all hours of the night and running from the police.”

Although he got away that night in 1986, he notes ruefully, “Sometimes, I didn’t get away, and I got in a lot of trouble.”

Over the years, the Pigtown native certainly paid a steep price for his graffiti habit. Although Arthur credits graffiti with saving him from the hardscrabble streets of Southwest Baltimore, it also landed him in jail, facilitated a long cycle of drug abuse and criminal hijinks, and nearly killed him.

But for the first time in years, he’s sober and not caught up in the criminal justice system. Now 43, he’s trying to go straight, raise a family, and get an education. He even paints on canvasses now instead of walls.

Perhaps even more surprisingly, he’s also being celebrated for the same artwork that got him in so much trouble. Arthur’s work appears in two recent coffee table books, The History of American Graffiti and Tools of Criminal Mischief, and he flew to Los Angeles in April for the opening of the much-ballyhooed Art in the Streets exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, where he signed books in the gift shop for three-and-a-half hours.

“Everyday, I pinch myself, because I can’t believe everything that’s happened,” he says. “I open my eyes in the morning, look around the room, and think, ‘I can’t believe I’m alive.'”

Arthur lives at the Beltway Motel where Washington Boulevard crosses 695. It’s a small, two-room apartment: living room, bedroom, with small bath and tiny kitchen. Album covers of classic-rock records by the likes of Led Zeppelin and Boston line the wall behind the sofa, along with a Star Wars poster and a few Marvel comic-book covers. A half-dozen sketchbooks sit on a coffee table, with a stack of books—including 8,789 Words of Wisdom and a dog-eared copy of The Narcotics Anonymous Blue Book, which Arthur says he reads “constantly.”

Arthur doesn’t own a cell phone or car and says he’s grateful to have a bus pass, which gets him to classes at Catonsville Community College and to his girlfriend’s house. A social-services check gives him enough money to cover expenses and buy some art supplies—stretched canvases, pens and markers, brushes, and tubes of acrylic paints are stacked neatly around the room.

“Living here, I don’t bother anybody,” he says. “I come and go and do my artwork. That’s it. In fact, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

Growing up, he wasn’t encouraged to pursue art. “Everybody I knew had a hustle, and alcohol and drugs ran rampant,” he says. “If you didn’t do drugs, people looked at you like you had seven eyes and fifteen lips. It was like, ‘Stay back. You don’t do drugs.’ That was ingrained in me all my life.”

Although Arthur describes his family as “very dysfunctional,” he was particularly close to his father, who took him to the nearby B&O Railroad Museum and to movies at the Patterson and the Hollywood theaters. His father also bought him his first can of spray paint in 1984, after Arthur expressed an interest in graffiti. He even kept watch as Arthur wrote his first tags in a tunnel near the rail museum, figuring graffiti would be a passing fad like break-dancing and skateboarding had been for his 15-year-old son. “But he was wrong,” says Arthur. “It consumed me.”

Arthur had already noticed graffiti tags along Pratt Street and started photographing them with a cheap camera. “It was totally mysterious,” he recalls. “It fascinated me, and I wondered why these guys were going around writing their names.”

He explored other parts of the city and discovered more tags, as well as large, colorful pieces by the likes of Revolt and Dillinger emblazoned on walls. “Those big pieces really blew my mind,” he recalls, “and after seeing them, I knew I’d do graffiti for the rest of my life. I also knew I needed to get around town more.”

Which is how Arthur became the least likely member of the Southwestern High lacrosse team.

Arthur played lacrosse, so he could scout locations and check out graffiti in other neighborhoods. “Heading to games on the bus, I’d look for the best walls and map out spots I wanted to hit,” he says.

During a game at Northwestern, a massive wall within eyeshot of the playing field caught his attention. “All I could concentrate on was that wall, which was painted with a lot of nice graffiti,” says Arthur. “The coach was yelling, ‘Frank! Frank!’ The ball was whizzing past me, but I didn’t care. I was mesmerized by that wall.”

Arthur got kicked out of school for fighting in 1985. By that time, he was shoplifting paint and markers, smoking pot, and drinking. He got booted from his mother’s house for writing graffiti and went to live with his grandmother, who turned him out after finding cans of spray paint hidden in her laundry-detergent pail. Homeless, Arthur stole sheets off of clotheslines and slept in freight trains when he didn’t have anywhere else to go.

He also frequented Jules’ Loft, an underground club at the corner of Eutaw and Mulberry streets that booked hardcore bands and attracted skate punks and graffiti writers. One night, Arthur stood transfixed as legendary artist Cuba executed a large piece on one of the club’s walls. “It was basically a step-by-step graffiti lesson,” says Arthur. “‘Here’s the outline. Here’s the filler. Do the other outline. Clean up that outline.’ It was like watching Bob Ross, [host of The Joy of Painting] on PBS. It made complete sense to me.”

Over time, Arthur helped develop a lettering style that’s unique to Baltimore. In The History of American Graffiti, it’s described as “starting small and flaring out left to right, staying straight along the bottom, and finishing with a crazy flourish.”

“Each city has its own style,” says Arthur. “I’ll see these panel trucks from out of town that have been written on, and I’ll instantly say to myself, ‘That’s Philly. That’s New York. That’s Miami.'”

He opens old sketchbooks and flips past rough pencil drawings that eventually evolve into intricate outlines of interlocking letters and finally full-color sketches. There are hundreds of them. “This is Baltimore,” says Arthur. “We’re notorious for our hand styles, which are unique. When people worldwide see that style, they know, ‘Oh my god, that’s Baltimore.’ You can spot it immediately, because it’s distinctive. It’s like Name That Tune. You hear the first three notes of The Beatles, and you know it’s The Beatles. Seeing the Baltimore style is like that. You can identify it right away.”

But it’s fleeting, because graffiti, by its very nature, is so temporary. “Graffiti’s like a sand castle, because it isn’t permanent,” says Arthur. “It gets taken down or painted over, and I’ve lost so many pieces over the years. I’ve risked my freedom and been out there painting my butt off all night, and the very next day, they’ve painted over it.”

But Arthur maintains the impermanence is far outweighed by the adventure and exposure graffiti offers. As he describes it: “It’s three in the morning, the moon’s out, and you’re hearing gunshots—it’s kind of poetic doing artwork like that. You might be painting along the Light Rail, and you’re aware that a normal civilian will never experience the Light Rail between stations. You see things from subway tunnels, water towers, on top of buildings, and under freeway overpasses—things about the city that most people never see, because they just ride along in an air-conditioned car.

“And there’s no middleman when you’re out there painting like that. There’s no gallery involved, and you’re not begging anyone to accept you. When you’re out there on those trains and along those highways, you’re speaking to everybody. On a highway, thousands of people will see your work between seven and ten in the morning. You don’t have to put an ad in the paper or go around convincing people to see your art—you’re just out there.”

Arthur became especially fond of painting freight trains. He was fascinated by the notion that something he created could end up practically anywhere. “Once you do a train, it rolls, and it might go all the way to California,” he notes. “You will never see that train again, but that’s not important. What’s important is that a little piece of you escapes the quicksand of life in the ‘hood.”

Arthur escaped that life, barely. But it’s still a daily struggle. At noon, it’s nearly time for him to visit the drug counselor he’s been seeing for the past few years, a woman he credits with saving his life. Two years ago, she diagnosed him with bipolar disorder and explained that he’d been using drugs and alcohol to medicate himself.

By that time, Arthur had been in and out of jail for two decades. His brushes with the law were initially graffiti related, and, according to Arthur, began in 1988 when he got nabbed for painting 13 city subway trains. He was 20 years old and got sent to Hagerstown, a medium-security prison.

He got out a year later and continued writing graffiti with even greater determination.

By then, he was Public Enemy Number One to community groups like the Union Square Association whose members saw him as a vandal and nothing more. The Shaken tag was seemingly everywhere, so when Arthur got busted again, it made the papers, and the Union Square Association’s president told The Sun that she and her neighbors were “delighted, absolutely ecstatic.”

After another stint in Hagerstown, Arthur spiraled out of control, caught in what he calls “the modern day black plague of heroin and crack.” He dealt drugs, shoplifted, and battled addiction for 13 years, until a court finally ordered him to see his current counselor. “I wanted to change, because I knew I was gonna die,” says Arthur, who by then also had a young son, three-year-old Krylon (named after a brand of spray paint), to consider.

He says the counselor, who asked to not be identified in this article, not only diagnosed the bipolar disorder and prescribed medication, she also taught him morals and how to do the right thing. She paged through his sketchbooks and encouraged him to paint, on canvasses and walls that are legal. And she challenged him to get sober for a year. “She said, ‘You have a lot of talent and drive,'” recalls Arthur, “‘and if you just stop doing drugs for one year, there’s no telling what could happen.'”

Arthur’s been sober for more than 18 months. He regularly attends Narcotics Anonymous meetings and takes art classes, like Color Theory, at Community College of Baltimore, Catonsville. “As a graffiti artist, I thought I was Mr. Color, but I had no idea,” he says. He admits to being intimidated by all the technology students use these days, but he hopes to get past that and someday take classes at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

On weekends, he sees Krylon and often finds himself, lying awake, watching his son sleep. “I’ll have to snap a rubber band against my arm to see if this is actually happening to me,” he says. “Then, I’ll get him up and make breakfast, and he’ll start singing Beatles songs. I’ll hear him in the other room singing ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ and I’ll start tearing up.” Arthur tears up just talking about it.

He also has a two-year-old boy, Lykaios, with his current girlfriend, and likes taking the kids to Patapsco State Park whenever he can. “Kids just want your time,” says Arthur, “and nothing touches doing the father thing. It gave me a completely different perspective, by making me think of someone other than myself. It also made me try harder.”

He’s been beating the pavement, trying to catch a break as an artist. He paints bright and bold acrylics on canvas, mostly pop culture stuff like animated Beatles figures and Transformers characters with an occasional graffiti-inspired piece in the mix. When told they bring to mind Pop artists like Lichtenstein and Warhol, Arthur excitedly grabs a nearby sketchbook and turns to drawings of National Bohemian beer cans that were inspired by Warhol’s soup cans. He hopes to complete a series of Natty Boh paintings, as part of a larger series of iconic Baltimore images.

He hasn’t approached many galleries, opting instead for less traditional outlets like Body Mod, a tattoo parlor in Annapolis Mall; Pedal Pushers, a Severna Park bike shop; and Trax On Wax, a Catonsville record store. He also paints legal walls as opportunities arise and recently traveled to Braddock, PA, near Pittsburgh, where the mayor invited dozens of graffiti artists to paint an abandoned building as part of a neighborhood revitalization effort.

It’s emblematic of a shift in public opinion with regard to graffiti and whether it’s legitimate art or not. The debate goes on, but the Art in the Streets exhibit in Los Angeles certainly helped put the stamp of art-world approval on graffiti and street art. It’s been leaning in that direction for years, thanks to high-profile work by the likes of Shepard Fairey, who famously created the Obama “Hope” poster, and Banksy, who directed the acclaimed documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.

“That show was a whirlwind of respect,” says Arthur, who was blown away by the reception he got. “A lot of people I met had the American Graffiti book open to the Baltimore section. Some people told me, ‘I’ve been following your work since the 1990s.’ I had no idea.”

Roger Gastman, who co-wrote the American Graffiti book and co-curated the L.A. show, calls Arthur “an icon of Baltimore graffiti.”

“Frank is more committed to his art than pretty much anyone I’ve ever met,” says Gastman, who’s worked on projects with both Fairey and Banksy.

Jeff Vespa, who used to write graffiti with Arthur, agrees. Vespa, who is now a celebrity photographer and editor-at-large for Life magazine, says that his old friend is extraordinarily dedicated. “In my business, I meet a lot of creative and motivated people,” says Vespa. “But I’ve never met anyone as motivated as Frank.”

Vespa, who’s based in Los Angeles, caught up with Arthur during his visit to the city. “It was good to seem him calmed down and focused,” he says. “It’s especially satisfying, because now people really respect what he does. People at the museum were freaking out about it and asking for his autograph, and it was great seeing him in that world. He should have many years ahead of him making art, if he can just keep doing the right thing.”

On his way to meet his drug counselor, Arthur stops at the Corner Florist in Lansdowne. He comes here to get her a bouquet, which always includes a sunflower, whenever he has an extra $10. “It’s not much,” he says, “but she fought a battle with me and pulled me from the dark side.”

On the way inside, he notices someone has tagged the shop’s wall—an indecipherable black scrawl on the white siding—and winces. It’s obvious he doesn’t approve. Arthur mentions the tag to the storeowner, a middle-aged woman with a no-nonsense demeanor. “It’s a shame what they did out there,” he says. “I’m an artist, and maybe I could help you out by painting some big, colorful flowers over it. I could really make that wall look great.”

The owner says she’ll consider it, but she’ll need approval from the neighborhood association. “I understand all about neighborhood associations,” Arthur tells her, with a grin.

Apparently, it’s not the first time the wall has been tagged. “It seems like these graffiti writers have some sort of need to do this,” she says. “It’s like it’s their life or something.”

“I know,” says Arthur. “I used to be one of those guys.”

He reaches across the counter for his flowers and leaves a $10 bill on the counter. “But I’m under new management now,” he says, heading toward the door, “and I’d be happy to help you out.”

Once outside, he stops abruptly and peers intently at the bouquet he’s holding. “Wow,” he says. “Look at the color of that sunflower.”

When police arrived at the Fell Street apartment building early in the morning on October 1, they found Shawntia Hardaway sitting on a chair in the opulent lobby, sobbing.

According to a police report, Hardaway was extremely upset that her son, Mario Dewar Barrett, had destroyed things in the apartment the two shared. She was in pain and discomfort, Hardaway told police, because Barrett had shoved her in the chest, using his hands and forearms. Just three days earlier, Hardaway claimed, she struck her head after Barrett pushed her into a wall. She could still feel the pain.

Within minutes, Barrett—the pop-R&B singer and actor, one of Billboard’s “Artists of the Decade” for the 2000s, known to fans simply as “Mario”—was arrested, charged, and headed for a long night in Baltimore’s Central Booking and Intake Center, accused of assaulting his own mother.

Fans interviewed on local television news shows expressed shock and astonishment. Some wondered if the young megastar could really be guilty of attacking his mother. Those who have known Barrett the longest were among the most incredulous.

“I was very sad and hurt to hear the news reports because I knew they couldn’t be accurate,” said Thaddeus L. Price Jr., the choir director at Baltimore County’s Milford Mill Academy High School, where Mario was a standout singer. “I felt bad for him and for what I knew he would have to experience because of this negative press.”

On November 3, Mario appeared with his lawyers at the Eastside District Court Building in the 1400 block of E. North Avenue and took the stand. Within minutes, the charges against him disappeared.

“Shawntia Hardaway, the state’s only witness and the defendant’s mother, recanted,” said Joseph Sviatko, a spokesman for the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office. “She stated that she was severely under the influence of drugs and alcohol when she called the police, and Mario Barrett never placed his hands on her.”

Thus ended the latest chapter in a mother-son relationship that the singer describes, perhaps with considerable understatement, as “strained.”

“I would never assault my mother or any other woman,” Mario says, weeks after the incident. “I wasn’t raised that way. To be falsely accused of something by my own mother is a devastating blow.”

Throughout Mario’s life, his mother has struggled with addiction, and he was alternately raised by her and his maternal grandmother, Alternease Hardaway. Still, Hardaway always took Mario’s musical ambitions seriously, buying him a karaoke machine at a young age and later trotting him around town to talent shows.

In 2007, after the release of his third album, Go, Mario appeared in an MTV special, I Won’t Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom, which detailed the singer’s attempts to help Hardaway recover from her addictions. Several months after the show aired, Mario dedicated a song, “Do Right,” to her. “Through you I discovered,” he sang, “there’s only one way to go through life and that’s, ‘Be right.'”

A year later, he co-founded The Mario Do Right Foundation, an organization committed to helping children whose parents are addicted to drugs and alcohol.

But on the night of October 1, Hardaway apparently fell off the wagon, sparking the confrontation that led to Mario’s arrest. The mug shots made national news and dinged the singer’s good-guy reputation. But more important to Mario, it threatened to forever ruin his lifelong bond with his mom.

Mario was born August 27, 1986, to Hardaway and Derryl Barrett Sr., a singer in a gospel group called Reformation. Mario’s half-brother Derryl “D.J.” Barrett Jr., a professional drummer, says he and Mario learned early on that they inherited musical gifts from their father, who wasn’t otherwise very involved in their lives.

“I started playing drums when I was 3,” says D.J. “Mario started singing at about the same age.”

When Mario was 4, his mother heard someone singing and thought it was a song on the radio. She entered the room and found her son crooning. She entered him in talent shows after that, and Mario also started singing in churches, barber shops, and just about anywhere else. D.J. recalls adolescent jam sessions, where he would play the drums and Mario used a light bulb as a microphone.

When Mario was a toddler, his mother was in a serious car accident and fractured her neck. She was given morphine to treat severe pain. After she recovered, she became addicted to heroin, a fact the young boy only vaguely understood.

“My mother has had a substance abuse problem as far back as I can remember,” says Mario, who has hazy memories of seeing his mother shooting up when he was about 5 years old. “As a child, I always knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t sure what it was until I got older and could understand.”

As a result of his troubled home life, Mario couldn’t focus on school. “I really struggled,” he recalls. “That was when I actually looked at music as a way to escape.”

When Mario was 11, his mother took him to audition for a talent show held in Coppin State University’s James Weldon Johnson Auditorium. Wearing blue jeans, a brown shirt and Timberland boots, Mario stepped onto the stage of the packed room, facing off against mostly older competitors.

Despite his age, the budding crooner tackled Boyz II Men’s bedroom ballad, “I’ll Make Love To You,” filling the room with his booming tenor. The audience—along with the five judges—were blown away. Mario won.

Troy Patterson, owner and chief executive officer of the Third Street Music Group production in Teaneck, NJ, who was in attendance, was impressed. After the show, Patterson introduced himself to the winner and his mother.

“You are one of the most talented young people I’ve ever seen,” Patterson told Barrett. “Would you like to meet Dru Hill?”

Barrett just laughed, perhaps not realizing that in just a few years, he would outpace the renowned Baltimore singing group in record sales. Hardaway would ultimately sign a contract with Patterson on behalf of her son, helping to get his singing career off the ground, but it would be several years before Mario hit it big.

In the meantime, the aspiring singer attended Milford Mill Academy, where, as a freshman in 2000, he was a founding member of the Concert Chorale.

“Mario was always a very talented young man and a truly gifted singer,” says Price, who is still chair of the Fine Arts program at Milford Mill. “I told Mario that if he remained focused and remembered what I call ‘the three Ds,’ he would be a star one day.”

Price’s three Ds are discipline, determination, and dedication. As Price recollects, Barrett readily applied the three Ds to his favorite subject, music—but not so much to his other subjects.

“Mario loved his music class,” Price recalls. “When it came to his other classes, let’s just say he wasn’t as focused. He would often get put out of classes and his teachers would send him to my class. He was your typical high school boy: a class clown one second and a shining star the next. But coming to choir class was his passion.”

Price recalls a day when he lectured Mario about his academic performance—a scene eerily like one Mario would portray years later in 2007’s Freedom Writers, opposite Oscar-winner Hilary Swank.

“There is a powerful scene in the movie where Mario’s teacher takes him into the hallway for a tough one-on-one talk,” Price said. “This scene was very real because it happened. Mario was getting into trouble in some of his classes. He was losing focus; his grades were slipping; he was being pressured by the wrong crowd to do the wrong things. I yanked him into my office and gave him a very, very tough-love, heart-to-heart talk, one that ended in tears. From that day forward, I saw a tremendous change in him, and, shortly thereafter, things began to take off with his career. When I saw the film, it freaked me out a bit.”

As he got older, Mario began to understand his mother’s addiction. In 1999, when the future star was 13, his grandmother died, and he went to live with Hardaway full time.

“I began to see things lying around the house that probably shouldn’t have been there,” he recalls. “At some point, we had a conversation about her problem. I still didn’t understand the situation well, and all I wanted was my mother back like all the other kids in the neighborhood.”

In 2001, while Mario was still a freshman at Milford Mill, Hardaway agreed to let Troy Patterson be his legal guardian. Patterson had the aspiring singer move in with him in Teaneck, New Jersey, and began working on a demo. At the age of 14, Mario was signed to J Records, the label founded by music legend Clive Davis and home to Alicia Keys.

Mario’s first single was “Tameeka,” a collaboration with the rapper Fabolous for the Dr. Dolittle 2 soundtrack. A year later, Mario, who cites Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye as his primary inspirations, upped his profile when he sang a killer rendition of Wonder’s classic “You and I” before an audience of music industry bigwigs—including Wonder himself—at Davis’s annual Grammy party.

In 2002, he released his first official single, “Just a Friend,” which quickly climbed to number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The video for the song, which featured Mario in a Ravens jersey, dancing in the Senator Theatre, became an MTV staple. Later that year, the singer released his first full album, Mario, which sold over a million copies worldwide.

Even then, as Mario was fast becoming a global celebrity, he displayed a somewhat uncommon loyalty to his mother and yearned to find the normal family life he never had. In a 2003 Baltimore Sun profile, Mario, then 16, said, “The goal is definitely to be at the point where I can buy my mom a house and me and my mom can have our own crib.”

Mario’s star got even brighter in 2004, with his second album, Turning Point. The single “Let Me Love You” hit number one on the Hot 100 and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks, becoming one of the year’s biggest singles. The album sold over 2 million copies. Suddenly, Mario was a bona fide star, headlining national tours, performing on talk shows, and appearing both in tabloids and pinup posters.

By 2006, the singer’s relationship with Patterson had soured. In February of that year, Mario sued Patterson to void what the singer called an “oppressive contract,” alleging that he’d received only $50,000 for the three million-plus sales of his records. Patterson countersued, charging Mario with a breach of contract. The suit was settled in 2007, with the stipulation that the terms would be confidential. In the aftermath, Mario signed with a new manager, J. Erving, who had once managed P. Diddy.

Throughout 2006 and much of 2007, the singer’s follow-up to Turning Point was delayed, something he attributed to record label disputes. In the meantime, the star launched an acting career, debuting in the Baltimore-set teen dance movie Step Up and following up that performance with one in the more serious-minded Freedom Writers.

In December 2007, Mario finally released Go, intended to be a more mature album, which the singer dedicated to his mother. It peaked at number 21 on the charts. A few months after the release, Mario appeared on season six of Dancing With the Stars, making it to week nine and finishing in fifth place overall.

At this point, Mario had achieved his goal of buying a house for he and his mom to live in together—a condo in Fells Point. Mario was spending a lot of time on the road but, as documented in the MTV special, he was paying for his mother to live a lavish lifestyle, spending thousands of dollars on shopping sprees. And, though he tried to ignore it, Mario knew she was still using heroin. He blamed himself for enabling her.

“I think a lot of it is my fault because I haven’t said ‘You gotta leave’ or ‘Give me the keys,'” he said in the documentary. “When I’m away, I put it all out of my mind.”

As documented on the show, Mario coordinated with his mother’s boyfriend and best friend to stage an intervention and convince her to go to a treatment facility in Los Angeles. “I have to be a son to my mom,” he said. “I need to make sure she’s okay.”

Several months later, when he released the single “Do Right” from Go, he dedicated the video to her, and, at the end, congratulated her on three months of sobriety. In addition, Mario founded the Mario Do Right Foundation (MDRF), dedicated to helping children whose parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

“I was inspired to found the Do Right Foundation by the pain I endured growing up and watching my mother battle the disease of addiction,” he says. “I want to support other children who are going through the same situations with their parents or family members. I had this vision of helping all children so they won’t have to fight this battle alone, because it can be overwhelming for a child.”

Mario named childhood friend Kevin Shird, who witnessed what Hardaway’s family endured, executive director of the MDRF.

“The last thing Mario wanted was another celebrity foundation that didn’t have any teeth,” Shird said. “He didn’t want to show up once a year to take pictures with the kids and leave. He wanted more than that, and so did I.”

Shird set up meetings with experts from Johns Hopkins Center for Learning and Health and the University of Maryland to talk about developing “real programs for children with real proven results” and signed up powerful locals, including developer Pat Turner, to serve on the Board of Directors.

One of MDRF’s core programs involves placing mental health professionals in schools to help identify, counsel and support children adversely impacted by their parents’ addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. They’ve implemented a pilot program at Westport Academy, a public elementary-middle school located in the tough, working-class South Baltimore neighborhood of the same name.

“The kids there have been really great, and the principal, Mrs. [Felecia] Irick has been very supportive,” says Mario, who makes regular trips to the school to speak to students and give away prizes.

Pat Turner, who is involved in some of the most high-profile development projects in Baltimore, including the Silo Point condos on Locust Point, said he had “absolutely no” reservations about continuing to be involved in the Do Right Foundation, even after Mario’s arrest. “I know Mario well, and I know he wouldn’t do a thing like that,” says Turner. “Mario’s a good guy.”

In October of last year, Mario released a fourth album, D.N.A., which debuted at number nine on the album charts. It included the single “Break Up,” which hit number fourteen on the Hot 100, his biggest hit since “Let Me Love You.”

Unfortunately for the singer, his arrest in October of last year—which was covered extensively by Internet gossip site TMZ—got more attention than his music has in years. Mario says the experience has been among the lowest points in his life. “I’ve been in the music business for 10 years and I’ve prided myself on the fact that I’ve never been in any trouble before now,” says Mario, who continues to deny laying a hand on his mother. “I feel like I let some of my fans down.”

But the singer is determined to recover from the incident—and to help his mother recover, too.

“This is my mother, and this will always be my mother,” says Mario, adding that he and Hardaway are speaking regularly, but no longer living together. “I’m not at all happy with what happened, but I have to move on.”

To that end, the singer is working on a new album, which he has said will have a more European, club-oriented sound. He says the bitterness over the arrest and negative publicity will fade in time.

“Imagine being accused of something you didn’t do like this—it’s a hard pill to swallow,” he says. “But over time, I think it will work itself out. It won’t be overnight. It’ll probably be a long process.”

In March of 2009, when Mary Claire Helldorfer first learned that her book Kissed by an Angel had hit USA Today’s Top 150 Books, she was working as a 10th-grade English teacher at Friends School of Baltimore.

“An editor from another company had called to talk to me about an idea I had submitted for an adult book,” recalls the 56-year-old Helldorfer, who uses the nom de plume Elizabeth Chandler for her young adult fiction. “And he commented that Kissed by an Angel was doing really well. I said, ‘I guess so, if you add up all the copies that have been sold since 1995.’ And he said, ‘Don’t you know it was reissued?’ I knew it had never gone out of print,” she says, “but it hadn’t exactly taken the world by storm.”

The book’s rise up the charts is a story in itself. First published in 1995, two sequels followed, and the entire trilogy was reprinted as a single, “bind-up” book in the late ’90s. Then, in the wake of Stephenie Meyer’s blockbuster Twilight series, Helldorfer’s own series on teen love from beyond the grave was re-released in December 2008 with a new cover.

The re-release not only made USA Today’s list, but it also found a spot on The New York Times Bestseller Children’s Series list. “Because of the way they mix all the categories, one week, on USA Today’s list, I was next to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby,” says Helldorfer with a laugh. “It was such a shock.”

Sitting on the daybed in her second-floor office, the publicity-shy Helldorfer is one of Baltimore’s best-kept literary secrets. As the author of 30 books, including the Dark Secrets series, Helldorfer, who retired from teaching last year to focus on writing, turns out teen fiction in the charming Towson row home she shares with her husband, Bob, and their brown tabby, Puck. Her newest entry in the Dark Secrets series, The Back Door of Midnight (in which a young girl attempts to solve her uncle’s murder on Maryland’s Eastern Shore), was released in November, and she is at work on the March release of Evercrossed, the first book in the second set of Kissed by an Angel trilogies. There’s also talk of a Kissed by an Angel movie, though nothing is official.

The unpretentious author, who dresses in jeans and sneakers, might have kept plugging away in obscurity, too, if not for the Twilight phenomenon. And though the Twilight books have been derided in some literary circles, Helldorfer will have none of it.

“I’m delighted when books like those in the Twilight series or Harry Potter prove once again that a book can cast a spell on readers,” she says pragmatically. “I’m a believer in popular fiction. If it wasn’t for Nancy Drew . . . I might not have continued to read my way to Milton and Shakespeare.”

Indeed, growing up in Rodgers Forge, she was more interested in playing with the neighborhood kids than literature. “I was not a reader,” she says. “My mother was constantly giving me the Newbery prize winners—I just didn’t want to read them. I’d start the books we picked out together at the library, then I’d imagine the rest.”

At Mercy High School, a young English teacher helped harness Helldorfer’s imagination. “Before that, I’d only written organized paragraphs on serious subjects, but she encouraged me to write poems or stories I was daydreaming about—I couldn’t believe anyone would like what was in my head.”

After earning her doctorate in literature from the University of Rochester in 1984, Helldorfer set her sights on becoming a writer in the Big Apple. After a few lean years, she moved back to more affordable Baltimore to continue to write and work part time at the University of Baltimore. In the mid-’90s, she got her first big break—a contract with a book packaging company (which produces books, then sells them to publishing companies) to write Kissed by an Angel.

As is often the case with mass-market books, the packager provided the premise.

“They told me, ‘Girl believes in angels, girl’s boyfriend does not, boyfriend dies and comes back as her guardian angel,’” she deadpans.

Still, the story was hers to shape. And though she chose to set the Kissed by an Angel books in Connecticut, she often inserts Maryland references in her other stories. Friends and family even make veiled appearances. For instance, her cold-blooded villain in the Kissed by an Angel books is named Gregory after one of her favorite cousins. “I had to feel positive about my murderer to make him convincing through three books,” she says, smiling.

Stay tuned for more stories. “I have always carried stories in my head,” says Helldorfer. “I began to think of myself as a writer when I realized that no matter what happened, I would write—when I realized that for better or worse, I couldn’t not write.”

Like so many visionary artists, it seems, John Root Hopkins lives in the middle of nowhere. Outside Cambridge on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Route 16 rolls past clusters of aluminum sided houses and fields of corn and soybeans. In Church Creek, just beyond the firehouse, the road branches off and meanders through stands of Loblolly Pines to a gravel driveway that leads to Hopkins’s home, which overlooks the creek. The house actually belongs to Hopkins’s lady friend, Helen “Bunny” Crump, and she’s scurrying around packing for a trip to London, while Hopkins sits at the kitchen table.

The 80-year-old Hopkins may have 10 pieces in the American Visionary Art Museum’s (AVAM) upcoming exhibition, What Makes Us Smile? (co-curated by Simpsons creator Matt Groening, artist Gary Panter, and AVAM founder/director Rebecca Hoffberger), but he’s hardly your typical visionary artist. He isn’t a recluse, hasn’t struggled with mental illness or addiction, and isn’t prone to anti-government rants or religious epiphanies. He’s actually a South Carolina native, retired patent attorney, world traveler, decorated war veteran, and all-around southern gentleman, with a disarming smile and wicked sense of humor. “I like to paint every day and stir up trouble,” he’s fond of telling people.

Since retiring from AMP Inc.—where he worked out of offices in France, Italy, Spain, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania—and moving to Dorchester County 20 years ago, Hopkins has painted 1,400 pieces and, he estimates, sold more than half of them. They’re popular items at Joie de Vivre, a Cambridge gallery that’s been exhibiting his work for nearly a decade.

“The ones that make people smile sell the best,” says owner Joy Staniforth. “They’re simply a reflection of John Root’s brilliant wit.”

Hopkins’s larger-than-life portrait of Jack Kevorkian, holding an actual scythe, is in AVAM’s permanent collection, and he’s been included in two previous exhibitions at the museum. And he’s quick to joke that he’s had work shown at The Louvre and The National Gallery: paintings done on sardine cans and Altoid tins that he secretly hung in the restrooms. “That way, I can say my art has been shown at the finest museums in the world,” he cracks.

Though he painted as a youngster, Hopkins never had any formal training, and his work leans toward a wry primitivism that suits his humor. “I don’t think there’s any rational explanation for what I’ve painted over the years,” he says. “I just paint what comes to mind, and that’s it.”

Crump points out Hopkins’s pieces that hang throughout the house, surprisingly conventional paintings of cats, a lion, sailboats, a blue heron, and a perfectly drawn rabbit—a gift to “Bunny” from the artist. “That rabbit is the best thing he’s ever done,” says Crump. “You can see every hair.”

“You know, the Cambridge Women’s Club always asks him to donate a painting for their auction,” she adds, proudly.

When asked if there’s anything on display that reflects Hopkins’s sense of humor, she points out a painting of Noah’s Ark. At first glance, it’s a typical scene of the animals heading two-by-two toward the giant ship. Look closely though, and you’ll notice that the tiny mice holding hands in the foreground are iconic Disney characters and McDonald’s golden arches illuminate the distant shore.

“I get such a kick out of that,” says Crump. “It always makes me chuckle.”

Rebecca Hoffberger figured the time was right for a humorous exhibition at AVAM.

“With the economy and job market the way it is, it seemed like a show centered on humor and the things that make us smile would be timely and useful,” she says. “If you think of when you laughed hardest and best, it probably didn’t have anything to do with money. I think it’s healthy to refocus people on that.”

So she began researching laughter in primates—she gleefully notes that apes have the capacity to tickle themselves—and looking at laughter’s scientific underpinnings, cultural significance, and therapeutic value. Besides learning that, yes, laughter is good medicine, and that smiling is, indeed, a universal language, Hoffberger also found something surprising: Jokes about flatulence are more ancient and universal than one might think.

“Did you know that the ancient Greeks wrote a book of fart jokes?” she asks. “It turns up in the writings of Shakespeare and Chaucer, too. And the highest paid performer in late-1800s France wasn’t Sarah Bernhardt, the great actress, it was Joseph Pujol”—the “fartiste” known for his musical expulsions of gas.

So, yes, the exhibition will include a Whoopee Cushion Bench, in a gallery titled “Toot Suite.”

It will also include more sophisticated fare, some of it suggested by Hoffberger’s co-curators, who are both steadfast AVAM fans.

“AVAM is a wonderful place,” says Gary Panter, the legendary alt-comix artist who’s probably best known for designing the Pee-Wee’s Playhouse sets. “One senses a great spirit behind the scenes, which turns out to be Rebecca and Ted [Frankel, who runs AVAM’s gift shop] and friends of the featured artists.” Beyond that, Panter calls the art “strong,” and says he recognizes its “supernatural charge of unhinged exploration.”

Matt Groening had a similar reaction while visiting AVAM a few years ago. He was in town to see his son, who was attending a local college, and left a message for Hoffberger. “He left his card, which had Marge Simpson on it,” recalls Hoffberger, “and he wrote how much he loved the museum and the museum store, which he said was his favorite in the whole world.”

Hoffberger contacted Groening, and they talked for an hour-and-a-half. “AVAM is the only museum that has ever brought me to tears,” he told Hoffberger, who says they also bonded over how much they loved Fractured Fairy Tales and Mad magazine as children. Hoffberger asked Groening to co-curate What Makes Us Smile?, and he agreed.

It turns out that he and Panter are good friends, and they’re both huge fans of a famous Baltimorean.

“Matt and I are both rabid Zappa fans,” says Panter. “It’s one of the things we bonded over.” Panter notes that they’re both John Waters fans, as well. In their discussions about the exhibition, Panter says he and Groening “enthused about the museum and talked about humor and objects a lot.”

At Groening’s suggestion, the show will include a tribute to Mad magazine—in the form of an elaborate, Alfred E. Neuman-inspired bedroom; work by Pedro Bell, who drew the classic Parliament/Funkadelic album covers in the 1970s; and screenings of The Simpsons episode in which Homer unwittingly becomes a visionary artist (“Mom and Pop Art,” from Season 10).

For his part, Panter recruited Atlanta cartoonist Lonnie Brooks—“His cartoons make me laugh and have a great offhand attitude,” says Panter—and artist Ian Flynn, whose work Panter describes as “high energy folk cubism.”

But Hoffberger did the lion’s share of the curatorial work, choosing the balance of the show’s 80-plus artists. She’s excited about a metal sculpture of a red-haired, bikini-clad biker—by Lou and Judy Hagen, who are husband and wife and long distance truckers—that will hang over the front entrance, and a giant “Smile” welcome mat made from toothbrush bristles by Boston artist Nadya Volicer. She’s also got costumes and props from physician/clown Patch Adams, a huge collection of “junk-picked” toys from comedian Michael Baldwin (known as “the legendary WID”), drawings by quadriplegic humorist John Callahan, a few pieces by John Waters, and postcards culled from Frank Warren’s Post-Secret project.

“This is going to be a very playful and loving show,” says Hoffberger, “but with some serious undertones. Its themes are meant to spark communal contemplation, so it’s more grassroots than some of our previous exhibitions.”

Hoffberger finds Hopkins’s art especially playful, and she spends a day rummaging through the attic of the Cambridge condo where he stores his work. Hoffberger’s eyes sparkle with a glint of anticipation as she makes her way through stacks of paintings and drawings, as Hopkins looks on. Every so often, she shrieks with delight and pulls a piece from the pile.

There’s a watercolor of a safe leaning against another safe (Safe Sex); a painting of a man walking his dog, their faces nearly identical (It’s True); a large painting of a nude woman wearing a small hat and driving a tractor (Straw Hat is its unlikely title); and an untitled piece showing Winnie-the-Pooh with a popgun and Christopher Robin’s hands in the air.

“I love the sense of play, coupled with a keen intelligence,” says Hoffberger. “We often think that intelligence makes for serious art, but this work shows that needn’t always be the case. It has an impish sense of joy and delight.”

“It’s true that I want to make people smile,” says Hopkins. “And I do that. Sometimes, I even make myself laugh.”

A few weeks later, Hopkins finds himself in a Cambridge nursing facility. Bed-ridden and withdrawn, he’s struggling with the effects of diabetes and various other maladies that have sapped his strength and darkened his demeanor.

I bring a book of Impressionist paintings and make small talk, with little result. Not even a mention of the October 9 opening at AVAM draws much of a response. When I ask Hopkins if there’s anything he’d like to have, something that might make him feel a little better, he says flatly, “I wish there was,” and drifts off to sleep.

A few moments later, I go to the nurse’s station for scissors and tape. I tear pages of paintings by the likes of Monet and Cézanne from the book, trim them, and hang them around the room.

At one point, Hopkins awakes and looks around. His eyes widen just a bit, and he smiles. Then, he goes back to sleep.

Q: What are some of your favorite hometown memories?

A: My favorite memories were probably at the Roland Park pool. That was kind of my summer hangout. I lived off of Cold Spring Lane, so we would walk down to Sam’s Bagels and The Daily Grind. I went back about a year ago with my boyfriend, and all these memories came flooding back. I thought Roland Park Country School’s theater was the biggest I’d ever seen when I was in my middle-school productions. But it looked a lot smaller this time around.

Q: We hear you’re a big football fan.
A: I love the Ravens and every season, I’m like, “This is the year.” It’s always fun in L.A. because you don’t run into a lot of Marylanders. I was watching college basketball in a bar once and a man was wearing a Ravens jersey. We became best friends. I’m also the proud owner of a football from a Ravens game. It was a Christmas gift from a friend who plays for the Eagles [Jon Dorenbos]. My boyfriend asked if he could have the game ball signed by Steve McNair. The ball is dirty and deflated, but I love it.

Q: Most girls hate fantasy football, but you like it.
A: I’m completely addicted. It’s just so much fun and it gets so competitive. It’s kind of like gambling because you can look at the projections, but you can also go with your gut. In some of our closed circuit leagues, our friends would cheat and ask [Dorenbos] if Westbrook was playing that night. We get pretty cutthroat.

Q: The creator of Mad Men, Matthew Weiner, is from here as well.
A: It’s not just Matt—there are tons of people from Baltimore. When I wound up on that show, I was like, “This is where you’ve all been hiding.” Even in my audition, they loved the fact that I was from Baltimore. Baltimore is a big city, but it’s also small. It’s so cool to be able to cross-reference places back home with people on the set.

Q: Is playing Jane on Mad Men as fun is it looks?
A: I have an absolute blast. When I came on, I had no idea what would happen to the character. They keep you guessing, even the actors. I had no idea she was going to wind up marrying the boss [Roger Sterling]. I remember sitting at that table read and everyone was like, “What?”

Q: Do you get to keep any of the clothes?
A: Definitely not, but there have been times where I’m having one of those days, where I could really use my girdle. It’s uncomfortable, but it really makes you look so good.

The Samick spinet piano in Kayle Simon’s front foyer in Columbia comes with the standard, wooden piano bench. When her 16-year-old son Ethan is visited by his classical piano teacher, the instructor pulls up a chair alongside the bench and cocks his head attentively, listening to see if the teenager’s phrasing and timing on the Bach and Beethoven pieces are accurate.

But Kayle instinctively knew that arrangement wouldn’t work for Ethan’s jazz lessons, for that music is taught as much by ear as by paper. Ethan’s jazz teacher, the Baltimore pianist Lafayette Gilchrist, would want to get his hands on the keyboard to play examples—and that would lead to slapstick if they were both trying to sit on the same three-foot-long black bench.

So she looked around her living room and spotted a five-foot-long, Ethan Allen bench, covered in a tan-and-cream tapestry design. She switched it with the regular piano seat, and soon her son and Gilchrist were spending every Monday evening, sitting side-by-side, trading jazz licks over a bluesy funk swing.

What happens on that five-foot bench represents what’s so valuable about the Maryland Traditions Master-Apprentice program. Sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council, the program is built on the premise that “Folk and traditional arts are handed down from generation to generation through word of mouth or example.” And that handing down is most effective when one older master artist works at close quarters with one younger apprentice.

It might be an experienced shipbuilder and an apprentice crouched beneath a skipjack. It might be a mosaic artist and a student perched on ladders in a church. It might be a veteran muskrat skinner and a youngster kneeling on the bank of an Eastern Shore creek. Or, it might be two jazz pianists sharing the same long bench. No book, no classroom can ever match the education of sitting beside an experienced practitioner and mirroring his every move, asking about his every motive.

A $2,000 Maryland Traditions grant is allowing Gilchrist and Ethan Simon to work together for a year that began last July and culminates with a public performance as part of the annual Maryland Traditions Gathering June 10 at the Creative Alliance.

At the Simons’ home, Gilchrist, wearing a ribbed-knit gray hat turned backwards and a small tuft of hair on his chin, plops down on the right end of the bench. Ethan, wearing a green surfer’s jersey and shaggy dark bangs, sits to his left. Gilchrist pulls out a new, untitled composition and props it up in front of Ethan, who leans in and tries to play through it. “No, that’s an A-flat,” Gilchrist comments.

He reaches across his student and plays through the changes, marking the syncopated rhythm with clucks of his tongue and pats of his right foot. “It’s hard getting around that figure, because it’s not the notes you usually play,” Ethan remarks.

“It’s like the standard blues we’ve been dealing with,” Gilchrist replies, “but with little twists thrown in.”

Ethan stabs at the keys again; Gilchrist stabs at them, too. The mentor sings out the wordless melody and the apprentice mimics the line on the keys. Finally, Ethan grasps the flow of the piece, and his mentor cries, “Yeah, that’s it. That sounds good—nice and full.” Big smiles break out on both faces.

“It’s so interesting to hear these lessons,” Kayle says after the session ends. “It’s not like a classical lesson where Ethan plays what’s put in front of him. This is more of a dialogue, a back-and-forth to find out where they’re going.”

“When my mom first mentioned an apprenticeship,” Ethan recalls, “I was confused. Why would I want to be a blacksmith or a cobbler? But when she explained it to me, it sounded like a good thing, because I felt stuck on the piano. I’d been doing the traditional New Orleans thing, but I couldn’t get to the next stage. Working side-by-side with Lafayette has gotten me there.”

Gilchrist occupies a unique position in Maryland Traditions, for he was an apprentice in the program before he became a master. Between July 2007 and June 2008, he apprenticed with master artist Carl Grubbs, a saxophonist who has recorded with Stanley Clarke, Julius Hemphill, and others. The year of lessons in Grubbs’s Baltimore County basement led to a joint concert (with Mike Formanek on bass and Eric Allen on drums) at Baltimore’s An die Musik that was recorded and, thanks to a second grant, released as a CD, Maryland Traditions in Jazz.

But this mentoring story goes back much further than that. In 1958, when Grubbs was a fledgling 13-year-old musician in Philadelphia, he traveled with his parents and older brother to New York to visit their cousin Naima. There, he met Naima’s husband, saxophone great John Coltrane.

“Man, I was so green that when I saw him with his neck strap on, I thought it was a funny tie,” Grubbs remembers. “We were sleeping at their place at 103rd and Broadway, and we knew John was awake when we heard him playing tenor sax for an hour. . . John explained that he was playing the intervals to his recent composition, ‘Giant Steps’; he even showed us the voicings on the piano.

“We wrote down the voicings and even recorded his practice session. When we got back to Philadelphia, we played that tape over and over again.”

So you have this transmission of the jazz tradition that goes from Coltrane to Grubbs to Gilchrist to Simon. “It’s important that Carl’s roots are planted in the jazz of this region,” says Cliff Murphy, co-director of Maryland Traditions. “I believe very strongly that the geographic and cultural landscape of a region creates a sense of place that affects art, especially traditional art. Country music is different in Maryland than it is in Texas or California—so are cooking, wood carving, and jazz. Regional accents go beyond the way people talk; it goes to the way they view the world and express themselves. It comes out in music; it comes out in food, in all sorts of things.

“Even the newest traditions are regional,” Murphy continues. “You can go to a tortilla joint in East Baltimore and get a fish taco with Old Bay seasoning. That’s why it’s important that Ethan is absorbing not a universal jazz tradition but a very specifically Mid-Atlantic jazz tradition from Lafayette, Carl, and Coltrane.”

And each link in that chain was forged when an experienced musician met one-on-one with a younger player. Is there a difference, though, between the impromptu encounters of Coltrane with his cousin-in-law and the more organized sessions of Gilchrist and Simon? Yes, and that improvement is a key component of Maryland Traditions’s contribution to the centuries-old customs of cultural continuity.

Because these art forms are perennially undercompensated, master artists are usually scrambling to make a living and don’t always have time to pass on their knowledge. The Maryland Traditions program gives the experienced craftsman a financial motive to meet with an apprentice on a regular schedule rather than on a catch-as-catch-can basis. The process doesn’t necessarily change, but its intensity does, and an apprentice can learn in a year what might have taken much longer under a less structured system.

Gilchrist’s experiences illustrate this. He was a latecomer to the piano, not starting on the instrument until he was a freshman at UMBC in 1986. Two years later, the Carl Grubbs Quartet played a concert at UMBC, and Gilchrist sought out the saxophonist backstage after the show.

The youngster was soon invited to Grubbs’s home near Liberty Road and the Beltway, and Gilchrist found himself following the dreadlocked veteran down a set of narrow stairs to a basement studio. After a minimum of ceremony, Grubbs sat the visitor down at a piano bench.

“Carl wasn’t much for words,” Gilchrist remembers. “He wanted you to get it by playing with him. He’d call a tune, and we’d see if we could get through it. Usually, I couldn’t. He’d explain stuff, and I’d try to understand within my limited knowledge at the time. It was in that basement that I learned how to move through chord changes and what time was all about. These were informal, irregular, unpaid get-togethers, but it meant a lot, that Carl would let me come over to his house.”

When Grubbs and Gilchrist resumed their sessions in 2007 through the Maryland Traditions grant, the experience was much different. For one thing, Gilchrist was now an accomplished jazz artist, with three nationally distributed albums and several tours as part of the David Murray Quartet under his belt. But the pianist knew there was still something he could get from Grubbs—especially if they met regularly.

“It was a chance to deal with that Coltrane s**t, which I knew Carl was privy to,” Gilchrist explains. “It was also a chance to deal with Carl’s compositions, which are pretty heavy. I’m a firm believer that art forms get passed on not so much through universities as through apprenticeships. That’s particularly true of jazz, where the emotional and spiritual aspects of the art are so interwoven with the technical aspects. It’s so tied into each person’s perspective that you have to spend time with that person if you want to learn their approach.”

“Practicing by yourself will only get you so far,” agrees Grubbs, “and playing with a CD won’t get you much further. When you play with someone else, especially someone who’s better than you, you can see what kind of response you get. That’s how jazz musicians learn to play—not in the classroom but from older musicians passing it down.”

He recalls once attending a conference sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council, “where they were talking about the traditional arts. Someone was playing the banjo, and someone else was spinning a pot. I said, ‘Why isn’t jazz here?'”

Hoping to remedy that, Grubbs applied for a Maryland Traditions grant and became the first jazz master artist in the program in 2005. His first student was bassist David Lowe, and Gilchrist was his second.

Five months after Grubbs and Gilchrist recorded their live CD, Ethan played piano for the 50th birthday party of his stepmother Laura Lippman in January 2009. Maryland Traditions co-director Elaine Eff was at the party and was so impressed by what she heard that she suggested to Ethan’s dad, David Simon—of Homicide, The Wire, and Treme fame—that his son might be a good fit for the program. David was already familiar with Gilchrist’s work—in fact, he used one of Gilchrist’s piano pieces, “Assume the Position,” on a Wire soundtrack—so the connection seemed natural.

“We saw Lafayette perform live at the Patterson Theater,” David related in an e-mail, “and Ethan turned to me at the end of ‘Assume the Position’ and said drily, ‘That was in the key of outrageous.’ It was then that I approached Lafayette and asked if he did any teaching. Mentorship as a concept had always appealed to me, because everything creative to which I have been a party has been made dramatically better because of smart editors and producers who were guiding me, schooling me, and, yes, protecting me. . . . There may be prodigies who come to artistic maturity and creative control on their own, but I am not that. And neither is Ethan. But he works hard and he is hungry to learn, so a mentor is essential to the equation.”

Back at his house, Ethan plays one of his own compositions, “Enigmatic, Idiosyncratic,” for Gilchrist. “I’m not sure if I like this whole bridge section,” he tells his teacher, “but I just wrote it today.”

“I think what you already have can work, if you brighten up the rhythm and give it a bounce,” says Gilchrist. He demonstrates on the keyboard, and Ethan is soon playing the same groove. Gilchrist suggests a different time signature (6/8) and when Ethan adds the triplet feel, the whole piece snaps into focus.

“What I’ve learned from these sessions, is that music is more flexible than I thought it was,” says Ethan afterwards. “Someone once told me that you can play any note over any chord if you really mean it. I didn’t think that was true. But after working with Lafayette, I know it’s true.”

“What I discovered with Carl, and what I hope to pass on to Ethan, is that melody, harmony, and rhythm are like a river,” says Gilchrist. “They all flow into each other, and it all depends on where you step into it on any given day.”

Thanks to such encounters, the river of tradition keeps flowing, too.

The members of Dru Hill have gathered at the Belvedere Hotel’s Owl Bar to discuss the logistics of a forthcoming tour to promote their reunion album, InDRUpendence Day, the quartet’s first new music in eight years.

As they talk, Larry Anthony Jr.—known as “Jazz”—orders a Long Island iced tea and a crab cake to take home to his wife. All three of the original members still in the group have kids, and family-friendly travel is a sticking point of their plans. “We have to learn how to balance work and family,” says Tamir Ruffin, a.k.a. Nokio, who founded the group in 1994. “It’s not the same as when we were teenagers.”

That’s for sure.

Nokio was 17 in 1996, when Dru Hill’s self-titled debut became the soundtrack to a million love affairs. With songs ranging from the sexy drama of “In My Bed” to slow-dance anthem “Never Make a Promise,” the Baltimore-based quartet of Nokio, Jazz, Mark “Sisqo” Andrews, and James “Woody” Green (who is replaced by Antwuan “Tao” Simpson for the new album) presented a sophisticated, sultry form of R&B that made audiences—particularly women—swoon.

“We were young, but we made grownup music,” jokes lead singer Sisqo, whose solo success with hits like “The Thong Song” and “Incomplete” boosted Dru Hill’s profile but also contributed to its demise. “Dru Hill made relationship music.”

Over the course of three albums—Dru Hill (1996), Enter the Dru (1998) and Dru World Order (2002)—the quartet became R&B stars, with number-one hits “In My Bed,” “Never Make a Promise,” “How Deep is Your Love,” and “Wild Wild West” with Will Smith. Critics compared them to soul sensations Boyz II Men and Jodeci.

But, in a turn of events that could have been Xeroxed from a Behind the Music script, the former church boys were tempted by flashy demons and sank into a quicksand of jealousy, depression, and drug addiction, before disbanding in 2003.

“I started smoking a lot of weed and taking ecstasy,” Nokio confesses. “We had done everything in excess and we were tired.” Later that year, Sisqo was arrested in front of his Randallstown home and charged with first-degree assault, resisting arrest, and reckless endangerment for allegedly firing a 9mm pistol at his neighbor’s brother’s car. Charges were dismissed, but the incident underlined the demise of Dru Hill.

In the years since, band members have kept a low profile—except for Sisqo, who recently appeared on UK’s Celebrity Big Brother. But in 2008, Nokio, Sisqo, and manager Kevin Peck first discussed reuniting the group, and brought everybody together for a meeting.

“Once we got together, it was like a party, and we started messing around in the booth,” says Jazz. “I’d forgotten how good we sounded together. It was like no matter how mad we were at each other, there was no denying the magic we make together.”

Now, they’ve got a new album co-produced by fellow ’90s R&B refugee Keith Sweat, a single with hip-hop heavyweight Ludacris (“Rollercoaster”), and a forthcoming reality show on BET’s new Centric Network documenting the comeback, including infighting, real fighting—the trailer shows Sisqo and Nokio in a boxing ring—therapy sessions, and recording sessions.

It won’t be easy for the aging harmony specialists to land on top of the R&B heap again. Male soul groups have dropped off the radar. The quartet’s two-step mission is to remind R&B fans why they loved Dru Hill and to convince them to fall in love again.

Tamir Ruffin grew up surrounded by music. His grandmother played piano by ear—any song you wanted to hear—and every Sunday he watched his mom wail in the church choir. His Uncle Irvin even bragged about a friendship with Motown king Smokey Robinson. So it was no surprise when, as a lanky but sharp-dressed teen, Ruffin started a singing group called 14K Harmony.

“I remember singing in the City College courtyard and a workman dropped five dollars down,” recalls the singer, who was already going by Nokio at the time. Nineteen years later, stepping outside of the Belvedere for a smoke, he wears a knit cap covering his purple Mohawk—still a sharp dresser, as cool as the diamonds in his ears. “I was happy just singing for girls,” he says. “But, at that moment, I realized—hey, we can make money from this. We can be famous.”

The quartet became an immediate smash at local talent shows. Sliding across auditorium stage floors as girls screeched from the audience, 14K Harmony—later, they changed their name to Legacy—was the group everybody wanted to beat. For years, they practiced in classrooms and basements and as harmonizing employees of Inner Harbor sweet shop The Fudgery.

“They used my classroom to practice after school,” says retired music teacher Carolyn Starks. “The one song they sang over and over was [Stevie Wonder’s] ‘Ribbon in the Sky.’ They sang it so much, I started calling them the one-hit wonders.”

They dreamed of becoming stars, but, since no R&B artist from Baltimore had ever broken nationally, they weren’t sure it could happen. “It seemed like it might be impossible,” says Sisqo. “I thought you had to be from California or New York to make it.”

But in 1996, manager Kevin Peck secured them an audition with Hiriam Hicks, president of Island Black Music, at New York’s famed Hit Factory recording studio. Hicks was so impressed, he signed Dru Hill that night and rushed them into the booth to record the sensuous “Tell Me” for the soundtrack to Eddie, starring Whoopi Goldberg. Chicago-based R&B singer Dave Hollister had already recorded the track, but his vocals were wiped out at the eleventh hour and Dru Hill’s were inserted.

Dru Hill were poised to become stars.

Perhaps the most underrated member of Dru Hill is Jazz, who has been battling with Nokio since they were students at Douglass.

“When I got to Douglass, I had heard about Nokio’s group and I wanted to be down,” says Jazz, who, at 33, still has a baby face and teddy-bear frame like Barry White or Luther Vandross. “But, even then, Nokio could be an ass, so he wasn’t really listening to me.”

That changed when Nokio heard Jazz sing Whitney Houston’s maudlin classic “The Greatest Love of All” in a school assembly. The same song had gotten him accepted into the Baltimore School for the Arts and, onstage at Douglass, he simply made it his own. Soon afterwards, Nokio asked Jazz if he wanted to join 14K.

“Larry Anthony was one of my best students,” recalls Miriam Fitzgerald, a vocal teacher at Douglass since 1974, who declines to call Jazz by his stage name. “He did a lot of classical music and studied one-on-one with Dolores Jones, a Baltimore opera singer who traveled throughout the country. It didn’t surprise me when Dru Hill became successful. The guys just seemed to work so well together.”

Local R&B singer Paula Campbell, who has toured with Ne-Yo and is currently working on new material, was enrolled in the music program with the boys. “In the music curriculum at Douglass, we had a big brother-big sister program and Jazz was my big brother,” she recalls. “He helped me a lot with my vocals. I always sang in a falsetto and Jazz taught me not to be afraid of my natural voice.”

But once the quartet hit the big time, Jazz’s vocal chops took a backseat to Sisqo’s sharp looks and wild style.

“Our label pushed me in front, but anyone in the group could’ve sung lead,” explains the 31-year-old blonde-haired singer, who, more than anyone in the group, has retained some celebrity, as on Big Brother, where he appeared alongside actor Stephen Baldwin, Donald Trump’s ex-wife Ivana, and was the fifth person evicted. “On the new project, we tried to distribute the vocals more evenly, and, for the first time, you can really hear Jazz sing.”

As a child, Sisqo won countless Michael Jackson dance contests. In grammar school, still going by “Mark,” he and best friend Milo started a dance duo called M&M Productions. Decked out in MC Hammer pants, they danced for classmates and signed autographs. “My love for dancing can be traced back to seeing Michael Jackson do the moonwalk on the Motown 25 special,” Sisqo says of the 1983 television show that aired when he was four. “I was blown away. At that moment, I knew what I wanted to do.” Sisqo, who met Jackson after “The Thong Song” came out, recently recorded a cover of “Billie Jean” for an upcoming solo record, his third.

Wearing a backwards baseball cap over his trademark platinum hair, Sisqo’s thick diamond-encrusted bracelet sparkles in the light. Two platinum chains dangle around his neck: a crucifix and a dragon. In 1996, when Dru Hill arrived for their first photo shoot at a studio in New York’s Chinatown, there was a dragon painted on the wall. They insisted that the fire-breathing creature be included in their shots, and the dragon became Dru Hill’s trademark. “The Rolling Stones have the lips and tongue; we had the dragon,” says Sisqo.

While Nokio launched the group that would become Dru Hill, it was Sisqo who earned the boys their first measure of acclaim, at The Fudgery. “I was working there first, so I helped the rest of the group get jobs there,” he says, smiling at the memory. “Part of the job was to take popular songs and throw the word fudge in there. So, instead of ‘Isn’t she lovely?’ we sang, ‘Isn’t fudge lovely?’ No one is going to get discovered at The Fudgery, but it was a good place to practice.”

Although their label and managers had always tried to make Sisqo the center of attention, it didn’t start to roil the group until 1999, when Sisqo was featured prominently on Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West” soundtrack song, as well as in the extravagant video.

On the set, Woody quit the band and soon thereafter, Sisqo left to make his solo debut, Unleash the Dragon, featuring “The Thong Song,” which proved to be one of the biggest tracks of 2000.

“It started as a joke,” Sisqo says of the mega-hit, recently heard on the popular show Glee. “A friend told me about a date he had been on, and, in a serious voice, he said, ‘Guess what she gave me.’ I was waiting for a serious answer and he says, ‘That thong, thong, thong, thong.’ Man, I laughed for three days. When it was time for me to go into the studio, I just started freestyling that word.”

Unleash the Dragon sold five million copies. “The Thong Song” became the soundtrack to the summer of 2000, but it wasn’t long before there was a Sisqo backlash. “Thong Song” was seen a novelty hit and nobody took Sisqo seriously. Though it went platinum, his follow-up solo album Return of the Dragon (2001) was seen as a flop. “It seemed like my name was like a curse word,” Sisqo says.

The spring 1996 night Dru Hill recorded their debut single “Tell Me” at The Hit Factory, they were just a bunch of well-groomed teenagers from Baltimore hoping for a break. Willing to compromise in order to make the big time, the group’s name Legacy was changed by the same Island Records executive who signed them.

“What’s the name of the park where you guys hang out?” he asked. Someone answered, “Dru’ Hill,” and that became their name.

“Getting signed felt like taking a rocket,” chuckles Jazz. “One minute, we’re auditioning, and the next, we’re shooting a video, finishing our album, and sleeping in airports. Talent-wise, we were ready, but in terms of maturity, not even close.”

When things ended as suddenly as they began, the group members were lost, adults who never learned to grow up. “I hit rock bottom,” Jazz recalls. “I had to come down off the hype and experience the struggle.”

While Sisqo starred in movies and continued his solo career, other group members struggled. “After the glitz and glamour, all I did was watch television and eat,” says Jazz. “There was no real money coming in, so I would drive around the city [in a cab] just to make seventy or eighty dollars. I had gone from spending thousands a day to hacking.”

Beyond the financial loss, the singers had to deal with a loss of identity. “I’d look at the platinum plaques and rewards and felt like, if I didn’t have that again, then something was wrong,” says Nokio. “I was nothing.”

They started families and other ventures, but when reunion talk came up, everyone jumped. “Being in Dru Hill is like being a superhero,” says Nokio. “When they show the Dru signal in the sky, it’s time to go sing.”

Soon after the joyful reunion, Woody decided to sit out the project to focus on a solo gospel album. Jazz, who had started an artist development company, suggested his friend Tao as a replacement.

Tao won the gig and on the very next night, the new Dru Hill crowded into Sisqo’s home studio and started trying out fresh material. “We recorded a song called ‘Loose,'” says Tao. “And the next thing I knew, we were on the road with Keith Sweat.”

Sweat, himself an old-school soul crooner, helped Dru Hill focus on work, updating their music. “The challenge was to keep the basis of our sound, but tweak it enough to be accepted by new audiences,” Nokio says. “We did a few more up-tempo songs than usual, but we maintained the core Dru Hill sound.”

Sisqo jumps in. “We’ve evolved as artists,” he says. “Our sound is tighter and fuller. I think we’re better now than ever.”

“Guitars are almost like iPods,” says Paul Reed Smith. “I’ve never seen anybody in a bad mood with an iPod in their ears. It’s a mood adjuster. It’s almost like really sophisticated, expensive OxyContin.”

Smith is musing on the power of the six-string “mood adjusters” he’s been creating for 35 years, the last 25 as the pioneer behind Paul Reed Smith (PRS) Guitars, now the third largest electric guitar manufacturer in the nation. (Iconic old lions Fender and Gibson are numbers one and two, respectively.)

Seated at a conference table in his office at the PRS factory, a 100,000-square-foot facility on Kent Island, Smith, 54, is dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt rolled up to his elbows. He is tall and lean, his silver-gray hair cropped short. He keeps a guitar pick wedged between his thumb and index finger and carries it with him from appointment to appointment, using it as needed. Doctors have stethoscopes; Smith has guitar picks.

On the surface, he presents a reserved, professional air, but when he speaks, Smith’s eyes widen behind his spectacles. His voice, infused with an intense musicality, shifts in levels—from a weighted whisper to a bright melody—when discussing his beloved instruments.

“I think Joseph Campbell called it ‘aesthetic arrest,'” says Smith, “where you hear a sound, you go. . . .” He takes in a quick, deep breath, as if he’s just seen the Grand Canyon for the first time. “It kind of arrests you a little bit, right? That’s the goal of any good art. We’re making art here and tools to do jobs. It’s a very interesting combination.”

Poster-size sheets of white paper with specs lay before him on the conference table. They’re reminders that Smith’s job isn’t just some rock ‘n’ roll fantasy. He has a lot on his mind, these days. In fact, a tangible sense of excitement and urgency can be detected throughout the factory—from the top down, from this conference room to the shop floor. PRS is about to unveil its 25th Anniversary guitars at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), one of the largest industry events in the world; the launch of new lines of acoustic guitars and guitar amplifiers is already underway, and today is the employee awards ceremony.

Jon Wasserman, a research and development engineer, pops into Smith’s office holding a guitar. “Hi, Jon,” Smith says. “What was wrong?”

Apparently, a pick-up needed adjusting on one of the guitars; Jon explains the modification that’s been made, and he and Paul duck into a sound room next to the amp department. Smith sits on a stool, plugs in the guitar, and starts strumming chords. “It’s still not right,” he tells Wasserman, before quickly adding that he’s “almost there.”

Smith obviously likes being hands-on, the ultimate quality-control guy, who interacts with employees and remains an integral part of the process. “The most enjoyable part of my day is when we get it right,” he says.

Smith has been getting it right for decades, transforming a specialized product and boutique operation into a recognizable brand and formidable company that employs 235 people and generated $35 million in sales last year. The PRS catalogue boasts more than 50 electric guitar models, acclaimed for their playability and design. In addition to distinct tonal qualities, they’re known throughout the industry for their elegant body shapes, colorful finishes, and trademark symbols, such as the silhouetted birds detailed in the fret inlays. (They were inspired by images from his mother’s bird-watching books.)

“I’ve always maintained a Paul Reed Smith is the Lamborghini of guitars,” says Paul Riario, technical editor for Guitar World magazine. “Each one is a custom, finely tuned instrument built for speed and awe.”

Riario describes Smith as a “CSI guitar specialist.”

“Paul is already a visionary designer, but the one thing that remains constant is he possesses a creative unrest to improve his already popular guitars,” Riario says. “He is also an accomplished guitar player, which is key, because he’s able to distinguish what makes a guitar tick when he’s exploring a new sound or considering materials to begin construction for future guitar models.”

Adding to PRS’s street cred is a stable of “signature” and endorsement artists, a diverse array of heavyweight guitar-slingers, including Carlos Santana, Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers fame, and country picker Ricky Skaggs.

Smith realized the importance of such endorsements early in his career.

For awhile, in the 1970s, he was building guitars at his parents’ house by day, and hitting up the likes of Ted Nugent (and his guitarist, Derek St. Holmes) and Peter Frampton at local concert venues at night. “I wouldn’t make a sale every time,” he recalls. “It was a sale one out of 10 times. I was scared. I did it anyway. I met Stanley Clarke once. Couldn’t control my voice. ‘Hi Stanley . . . I . . . I . . . make guitars,'” Smith says in an exaggerated, high-pitched squeal. “I was so frightened. He said, ‘Calm down,'” Smith laughs at the memory.

When he met Carlos Santana at the Capital Centre in 1976, trying to make a sale to one of his heroes wasn’t what scared him. “I was very frightened when he asked me to play with him,” remembers Smith. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ That scared the hell out of me.”

Santana recalled their meeting in the 2008 summer edition of Signature, the official PRS magazine. He remarked on the guitar Smith had brought him, “a beautiful guitar that was cherry red, a different red than I’d ever seen.” He also noted that it had “a different kind of tone to it, the varnish was different, everything was.”

But the iconic guitarist also picked up on something else, something equally important. “He had really bright eyes,” said Santana. “And he was just filled with hope and future possibilities.”

Raised in Bowie, Smith grew up surrounded by music. When Smith was 5, his father bought him a ukulele, and he also learned to play his mother’s classical guitar. After hearing The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, he became obsessed with guitars and played in a few local bands.

But early on, he knew what he wanted to do. “I dreamed about it when I was 14, 15 years old,” says Smith. “The story is—I don’t know if it’s true or not—that Christina Aguilera used to sing to her dolls on her bed when she was like 12 or 13, right? I wasn’t singing to dolls on the bed, but I had visions of being a guitar maker when I was young.”

He made a bass—affixing the neck from a Japanese model to a body he constructed—during his senior year at Bowie High. He also landed a job at the Washington Music Center as a repairman, which allowed him to hone his craftsmanship and skills.

He went on to St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the only school that accepted him. “I even applied to Paul Smith College in upstate New York and said, ‘Come on, my name is Paul Smith,'” he says. “They wouldn’t take me.”

While at St. Mary’s, Smith built his first “real” guitar as an independent study project. One guitar led to another, and Smith eventually moved into a small shop in Annapolis. There, a handful of craftsmen churned out one guitar a month.

“Paul’s dynamic personality was as evident [then] as it is now,” says Jack Higginbotham, President of PRS Guitars. Higginbotham was one of the first builders Smith hired for the shop 25 years ago. At the time, Higginbotham had no experience making guitars—he was a local musician. “I remember going home and telling my girlfriend that I just met a really interesting guy who I think is going to do something in this world,” says Higginbotham. “The way I think of it is: Paul had a dream and brought us into his dream.”

To fully realize that dream, Smith moved to a larger manufacturing facility—on Virginia Avenue in Annapolis—and officially launched PRS Guitars in 1985. That same year, the company introduced its first model, the PRS Custom, at the Winter NAMM. Guitar Player called it “a wonderful, subtle instrument for discerning players who know the difference,” and PRS began its ascent in the guitar market.

A year later, Smith fortuitously met Ted McCarty, who ran Gibson in its heyday and helped design the classic Les Paul and Flying V models. (The towering guitar affixed to the Hard Rock Café is a McCarty design.) McCarty became a crucial mentor, and Smith hired him as a consultant. “I wasn’t guessing how it was done,” says Smith. “He told me how it was done.”

The veteran designer helped the young entrepreneur enhance and evolve his designs and also provided a role model for Smith, who was growing into his position as the head of a blossoming guitar company. “He basically handed me the baton and said, ‘I support you,'” says Smith. “It was a big deal for him to align himself with us.”

The PRS McCarty model the company debuted in 1994 took on added significance after McCarty passed away in 2001. By that time, PRS had moved to its current Kent Island facility, where it now produces between 40 and 75 guitars a day.

At 2:30 p.m., employees gather in the lunchroom for the awards ceremony. The awards are given for perfect attendance over the course of several years. (Perfect attendance includes not being late.) It’s a no-frills affair that lasts about 20 minutes, and then it’s back to work.

Smith, donning a black sports coat, stands behind a microphone and presents the awards, which range from new guitars to plaques and gift certificates. He does it all with a soft-spoken casualness that conveys respect and gratitude.

Kenny Dennis, who does finishing work at PRS, says the feeling is mutual. Dennis has worked 10 years for the company and never missed a day—so he gets a plaque. He says all the employees know that Smith has done almost every job in the factory at some point in his career, and that carries a lot of weight.

Smith and his staff are also aware that the economy has taken a toll on PRS, which had to lay off 35 employees last year. “I think that the art going on in this building [has] been very strong,” notes Smith, “and one of the reasons we’re still alive in this economy is because of that.”

He echoes that sentiment when asked about the significance of the 25-year anniversary. “It means we survived,” he replies. “The only thing I think when I look backwards is I can’t believe that kid did that. I look at the pictures of myself, and I look at the guitars that are in the archives and I can’t believe that kid did that. It doesn’t even seem like me.”

And he’s convinced his best work lies ahead of him. He ticks off the names of his predecessors: “D’Angelico, McCarty, Fender, Stradivari—you name ’em,” he says. “They got good around 50, 55 years old. Guitar makers don’t get good until they’re my age.”