Editor’s note: As cancellations and postponements due to COVID-19 precautions continue to roll in, please remember to check with venues about changes to events and procedures. A running list of changes to programs and events can be found here.

Visual Art

Too Long, Didn’t Read

South African-born artist Candice Breitz examines privilege and visibility through two vastly different groups in this new video installation at the BMA. TLDR highlights the treatment of workers in her home country and the power structures that keep them from the rights they deserve, while Love Story features Julianne Moore and Alec Baldwin joining six refugees in the retelling of their experiences. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr., March 15 through July 12.

News

2020 Baker Artist Award Finalists Announced
Keep an eye out for upcoming showcases from the finalists for the 2020 Baker Artists Award, which will take place throughout the city over the coming months. The winners from this talented pool of 31 Baltimore creatives will be announced later in the spring. The finalists are:

Literary: Maria Adelmann, Pat Montley, Timmy Reed, Pamela Woolford, Jung Yun

Film/Video: Chung-Wei Huang, Amy Oden, Matthew Porterfield, Lynn Tomlinson

Interdisciplinary: Laura Amussen, ellen cherry, Hosey Corona, FORCE, Phylicia Ghee

Performance: Anna Fitzgerald, Ryan Johnson, Lola B. Pierson, Glenn Ricci, Allen Xing

Visual: Larry Poncho Brown, Michael Kirby, Christine Neill, Lauren Schott, René Treviño, Susan Waters-Eller

Music: Abdu Ali, Andrew Bernstein, Ami Dang, Lura Johnson, Outcalls, Meng Su

Coronavirus News:

Update: Following an announcement by Governor Larry Hogan on March 12 that all gatherings of 250+ people are to be postponed, most theaters are in the process of cancellation or rescheduling procedures. Check with box offices for information concerning tickets and new dates.

The Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, and the JHU Museums have announced that all public programs through April 12 are postponed or canceled, though they remain open during regular hours. Enoch Pratt Libraries will remain open, but all public programs, including the CityLit Festival, are postponed or cancelled. Greedy Reads has also suspended all events through the month of March.

As of March 12, the Hippodrome Theatre has cancelled the upcoming Celtic Woman and The Band’s Visit touring dates and shared the following: “If you are a ticket holder for one of these events, please hold onto your tickets as we work to reschedule their performances in Baltimore. We will be in touch in the next 7-14 days with more information on the status of this event.”

Similar statements regarding increased sanitation measures and continued monitoring of the situation have been issued by the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Baltimore Improv Group, The Strand, Arena Players, Vagabond Players, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Rams Head Live!, Fells Point Corner Theatre, the SNF Parkway Theatre, and Creative Alliance.

In addition, Creative Alliance has instituted a new full refund/exchange policy during the month of March, postponed the Baltimore Old Time Music Festival (likely until the summer), and fully canceled the March 21 performance by the Marja Mortensson Trio. Everyman Theatre has waived ticket exchange fees and upgrade charges for the remainder of the New Voices Festival. Charm City Players has suspended pre-show activities, but performances will continue as scheduled.

Visual Art

Maren Hassinger: The Spirit of Things
Maren Hassinger’s four-decade career in art is rooted in sculpture and dance. A selection of her sculptures, made with wire rope, plastic bags, and newspapers, are on exhibit in the Contemporary Wing of the Baltimore Museum of Art in the solo show The Spirit of Things. Some have been reconfigured for this exhibition, which also contains video installations of her performance art and dance. She’s also known for her role at the Maryland Institute College of Art as director of the Rinehart School of Sculpture, which she has served since 1997. July 18-Nov. 25, performance and conversation with the artist at 3 p.m. Sept. 8. BMA, 10 Art Museum Drive.

ISLA: Regarding Paradise
Ironically, the etymology of the word “paradise” goes back to its Greek and Old Iranian roots meaning “walled enclosure.” In this group exhibit at Towson University, curated by Baltimore artist Jackie Milad, contemporary artists working in an array of mediums examine the figurative and literal walls that enclose the pristine beach images of the Caribbean islands, a place that has worked toward political autonomy and environmental justice. Sept.7-Oct. 20. Reception on Sept. 6. Center for the Arts Gallery at Towson University, 8000 York Rd., Towson.

DOS-à-DOS
Baltimore artists L. Nef’fahtiti Partlow-Myrick and Jenny O’Grady met as students in the Creative Writing and Publishing Arts master’s program at the University of Baltimore and will now exhibit the fruits of their labor: a collection of art books, made from a variety of materials both traditional and unorthodox (paper—but also metal and beans, for example). The show’s title references a bookbinding technique that ties together two text blocks with a shared spine-that spine being the MFA program, in this context. Sept. 7-30. Hamilton Gallery, 5502 Harford Road.

Baker Artist Awards 2017 & 2018
Recent Baker Awards awardees—Abraham Burickson (interdisciplinary, 2018), Sara Dittrich (interdisciplinary, 2017), David Marion (visual art, 2017), and Amy Sherald (visual art, 2018)—will show work in an exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Included in the show will be Burickson’s “The Odyssey Works Box,” an archival box filled with books, photographs, and other ephemera, accompanied by a video tour of the history of the arts collective Odyssey Works; Dittrich’s wall sculptures, arranged with hundreds of clay ears; Marion’s multimedia sculptures “Extinction Event” and “Fracking,” which explore violence perpetrated on the natural environment; and two portraits by Sherald. Sept. 12-Oct. 14, with a free opening event with performances on Sept. 13. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive.

Balancing Act
Joseph Paul Cassar has been working in Baltimore for 13 years as a visual artist and art historian, and is a professor at the University of Maryland University College. He’s shown his work around the world, and this month will exhibit in our city, when Y:ART Gallery in Highlandtown shows his recent work in Balancing Act—drawings in ink and pastel, paper cut-outs, collage, and acrylic on canvas. Sept. 12-Oct. 20, opening reception from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 15, artist talk from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 13. Y:Art Gallery, 3402 Gough St.

Mark Bradford: Tomorrow is Another Day
Renowned contemporary artist Mark Bradford represented the U.S. at the 2017 Venice Biennale and will bring that work to Baltimore for the exhibit Tomorrow is Another Day, accompanied by a new site-specific installation, at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Bradford explores themes from his personal life, black identity, Greek mythology, and the universe through mixed-media pieces, paintings, and video. Sept. 23, 2018-March 3, 2019; opening celebration, 1-5 p.m. Sept. 23. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive.

What Makes Us (Us)
Gina Pierleoni exhibits some 200 paintings and mixed-media portraits of people encountered over a 25-year period in Baltimore and beyond. She’ll lead a coinciding workshop which will include live music to help to dig deeper into questions of place and perception. Aug. 25-Sept. 29; workshop, 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 15. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

AfriCOBRA: The Evolution of a Movement
This group exhibit at Galerie Myrtis celebrates artists in AfriCOBRA, aka African Commune for Bad Relevant Artists, a coalition that was born from the black arts movement that began in the 1960s and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. The aesthetic of these artists emerged from activism and aims to speak to black people specifically. The show will display paintings, photographs, prints, and 3-D pieces by the group’s earliest and most recent members, including Akili Ron Anderson, Kevin Cole, Adger Cowans, Michael D. Harris, Napoleon Jones-Henderson (founding member), James Phillips, Frank Smith, Nelson Stevens (founding member), and Renee Stout. Coinciding programming will include Tea with Myrtis (as in, founding director of Galerie Myrtis, Myrtis Bedolla) and an art salon with AfriCOBRA members who will talk about their artwork and its impact on the black arts movement. Sept. 15-Oct. 17, with an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. Sept. 15. Galerie Myrtis Fine Art, 2224 N. Charles St.

Music

Taste of Tuva
Celebrated artist Joyce Scott will host this special evening featuring the music, art, and food of Asia. Alash Ensemble, a trio of throat singers from the Central Asian state of Tuva, will bring both their music and culinary specialties, while collaborating with Baltimore musicians Shodekeh and J Pope. The event supports the Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University. 6-9 p.m. Sept. 15. TU South Campus Pavilion at Towson University, 8000 York Rd.

Abdu Ali’s Last Show of 2018
Baltimore music artist Abdu Ali will perform their last live show of the year this month at Metro Gallery, joined by Kotic Couture (hip-hop with pop, Baltimore club, and underground art influences), Pamela_ and her sons (the solo music project of Alessandra Hoshor), and W00dy (Philadelphia-based experimental pop artist). 8 p.m. Sept. 5. Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St.

BeatClub at the Lewis
Over the years, Bmore BeatClub has met regularly inside clubs, bars, and initially a record shop to celebrate hip-hop and beats. Novice artists rap alongside experts at these gatherings, and this month’s event will be extra special, as Bmore BeatClub will bring hip-hop, spoken word, and poetry to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. 7 p.m. Sept. 28. Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St.

Theater

Fades and Fellowship Barbershop Stories
Barbershops are places of conversation and camaraderie—and from this idea came the production Barbershop Stories by Baltimore-based theater troupe Fades & Fellowship. A cast of real barbers will perform the stories overheard in the shop—and then give actual haircuts to selected audience members. Sept. 28. The Motor House, 120 W. North Ave.

Literary Arts

CityLit Swing: A Special Celebration Honoring Kwame Alexander
CityLit will honor poet, educator and New York Times bestselling children’s author Kwame Alexander with its Chic Dambach Award for Service to the Literary Arts during a celebratory evening at The Motor House. Sliding-Scale tickets are available for this CityLit fundraiser, which will include lite fare, libations, jazz, and a reading by Alexander. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 13. The Motor House, 120 W. North Ave.

Small Press Expo
The annual Small Press Expo celebrates indie cartooning and comic arts, bringing more than 4,000 creatives to Bethesda for readings, workshops, and to meet with one another. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 15 and noon-6 p.m. Sept. 16. Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, North Bethesda

Miscellanea

Mortified: Share the Shame
Everyday adults share their most mortifying moments via teenage diary entries, poems, love letters, lyrics, and locker notes in this popular show. 6 and 8 p.m. Sept. 22. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Mono Practice
Founding director Ruri Yi is opening a new contemporary art gallery, Mono Practice, in Station North this month, with a focus on abstract and reductive art. The inaugural exhibit, Pointing To The Sun | An Exercise In Abstraction, is curated by Rod Malin and will feature work by Baltimore-based artists David Brown, Zoë Charlton, Ariel Cavalcante Foster, Terence Hannum, Stephen Hendee, Bill Schmidt, and Yi. Sept. 6-Oct. 13, with an opening reception from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 6. Mono Practice, 212 McAllister St.

It might come as no surprise to learn that Amy Sherald has won yet another major arts award tonight—this time, the $40,000 Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize as part of the annual Baker Artist Awards, presented by The Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and the William G. Baker Jr. Memorial Fund.

A jury selects winners from a large database of some 900 artists in the region who have created an online Baker Artist Portfolio.

Winners—one per each artistic discipline—were announced during a pre-recorded awards ceremony that aired on MPT this evening in the program The 2018 Baker Artist Awards: An Artworks Special. Additional artists, winning $10,000 Mary Sawyers Baker awards, were Lisi Stoessel for Performance, Lafayette Gilchrist for Music, Margaret Rorison for Film/Video, Dora Malech for Literary Arts, Abraham Burickson for Interdisciplinary Arts.

Beloved in Baltimore, Sherald rose to national fame when her official portrait of former first lady Michelle Obama was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery. Also in 2018, she was chosen for the prestigious Driskell Prize and named as a new trustee on the Baltimore Baltimore Museum of Art of Art board.

“Amy’s work has struck a profound cord with the American public this year, and I am thrilled to see her win the 2018 Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize for her remarkable artistry,” Connie Imboden, president of the William G. Baker Jr. Memorial Fund, stated in a release.

Visual and Interdisciplinary Arts winners will present work at the BMA September 12 through October 14 with 2017 awardees in the same categories. This year’s winners in the remaining categories will present their work during an opening reception Sept. 12 at the BMA.

“The Baker Artist Awards reflect the vitality of this region’s creative community. It sounds almost cliche but it’s a fact,” says Susanne Stahley, Senior Producer, Arts & Culture, for Maryland Public Television. “The celebration of these artists hopefully inspires viewers to get out and visit galleries, concerts, theaters—and the web. The Baker Artist Portfolios showcases hundreds of the area’s artists across genres.”

The Baker Artist Awards ceremony will air again at 8 p.m. May 19 on MPT2/Create and 6:30 a.m. May 20 on MPT-HD.

Susan Alcorn was at a hair salon when she got the call. And when she heard the news, she was dumbfounded.

Alcorn, the noted Baltimore pedal steel guitarist, had won the top, $40,000-prize at this year’s Baker Artist Awards, which recognize artists in any medium who reside in Baltimore City and five surrounding counties.

 “All of a sudden, your reality changes,” Alcorn said. “Now, it’s ‘What am I going to do now, and with all this money?’”

Alcorn is being recognized along with five other artists, who won $10,000 prizes: dancer Naoko Maeshiba (who was also a recipient last year), visual artist David Marion, filmmaker Theo Anthony, writer Elizabeth Dickinson, and interdisciplinary artist Sara Dittrich.

Alcorn said she was first attracted to the steel guitar by its floating, iridescent sound. “There’s just something magical about it that drew me to it,” she says. “As my relationship with the steel guitar has progressed, I listen to the instrument more and try to feel what it’s telling me.”

She started playing in bands that specialized in pop, country, and western music, where the instrument is more commonly heard, but soon found herself pulled into the worlds of free jazz and experimental classical music. Alcorn has released six albums and toured the world, collaborating with artists from a variety of genres (including the Baltimore Boom Bap Society).

In addition to sprucing up her home studio, Alcorn said she will use the prize money to start a collaboration with Swedish singer Hanna Olivegren.

It’s exciting “to get recognition here in Baltimore from my colleagues and the arts community,” she said. “This process was validating in ways I didn’t imagine.”

The 2017 Baker Artist Awards: An Artworks Special airs on MPT-HD Saturday, May 27, at 8 p.m. and on MPT2 on Sunday, May 28 at 6:30 a.m.