Visual Art

Shuttered Too: Steel Falls Beyond Baltimore

J.M. Giordano’s images chronicling the fall of the steel industry in Baltimore are currently on view at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, but take a trip around the harbor to Fells Point to the newly refocused Luann Carra Gallery and you’ll find this companion show highlighting the resilience of the communities steel built across Ohio and West Virginia. These stark black-and-white images both haunt and hearten. Through Oct. 10. Luann Carra Gallery, 1918 Fleet St.

Literature

Grand Reopening of the Central Library

Celebrate the return of the Central Library with a full day of music, art, lectures, games, food, and dancing along Cathedral Street and in the newly renovated library’s updated digs. Highlights include a conversation with Chris Wilson, Kondwani Fidel, and D. Watkins in Wheeler Auditorium and performances by the Black Cherry Puppet Theater in the Weinberg Children’s Library. Sept. 14. Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral St.

Unscripted: A Celebratory Evening with Patti Smith

Punk icon Patti Smith’s memoir Just Kids earned accolades for its delve into the decades-long relationship between Smith and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Now, Smith returns to her own past to recall the dreams and realities of a transformative year spent wandering the country. Join Smith at Goucher College for what’s sure to be an unforgettable evening of stories, song, and sage wisdom. 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 25. Goucher College, Kraushaar Auditorium, 1021 Dulaney Valley Rd.

Music

Maryland Piano Masters: Daryl Davis & Lafayette Gilchrist

One of these two local legends on the bill would be enough, but the two together are a can’t-miss event. Join boogie-woogie pianist Daryl Davis and self-taught jazz-funk artist Lafayette Gilchrist for a night of dueling keys and styles from both past and present. 8 p.m. Sept. 27. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

FIYAH Power Tour

Adbu Ali is a creative force to be reckoned with, and their latest album, Fiyahh!!, is chock-full of both poignance and power. Experience one of their singular live performances this month at the Ottobar as Ali celebrates this genre-blending release on home turf with guest Grace Ives. 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sept. 27. Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St.

Theatre

BIG Monsters: An Improv Puppet Extravaganza

Bring your nostalgia for the days of Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, but leave the kids at home for this improvised puppet show for adults put on by the folks at Baltimore Improv Group. Expect musical numbers, felted faces, and lots of laughs at this BIG Lab experiment. 7:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 25. The BIG Theater, 1727 N. Charles St.

Film

InFusion East Baltimore Film Festival: Are We Loud Enough?

Art, film, and conversation will come together to highlight East Baltimore voices at this two-day festival. View works by dozens of local artists at the opening night East Baltimore: Her Artists and Her People exhibition, or stop by Saturday for a full day of selected short films, documentaries, and performances. Sept. 20-21. MICA PLACE, 814 N. Collington Ave.

EAT

Sept. 14: Baltimore Seafood Festival

Canton Waterfront Park. 12-7 p.m. Free-$100.

What better way to honor Baltimore’s undoubted love for seafood than a full-blown festival with crustaceans as far as the eye can see? Head to Canton Waterfront Park for this sixth annual extravaganza as local seafood spots—including favorites like Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, Nick’s Fish House, and The Local Oyster—serve up crab cakes, shrimp salad, oysters, and steamed crabs. Indulge in the only large-scale seafood festival in Baltimore City and spend the day trying new drinks, listening to live music, and taking in cooking demonstrations.

DRINK

Sept. 14: WTMD’s Rock and Rye

South Point, 101 W. Cromwell St. 6-9 p.m. $65.

With five cocktail tastings and unlimited samplings of 75-plus hand-crafted spirits, Rock and Rye is the idyllic goodbye to summer. Sip the night away while enjoying DJ Who’s soundtrack. In between glasses, hear from representatives of 18 Maryland distilleries—including local favorites like Sagamore Spirit and Old Line—which will offer insights into the trade and how to best serve their whiskey, gin, and vodka at home.

SEE

Sept. 14: Central Library Grand Reopening

Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.

After three years of top-to-bottom renovations to the Enoch Pratt Central Library, the city’s 86-year-old institution will celebrate its grand reopening on Saturday with a block party and open house featuring some of the best performers, musicians, and authors Baltimore has to offer. As you take a virtual tour through the library to see its new additions and expansions, take in the host of activities going on in each section, including a performance by The Ellen Show-famous drummers A1 Chops, a Black Cherry Puppet Theater show in the Children’s Department, and readings by revered local authors like Laura Lippman and Kondwani Fidel in the Wheeler Auditorium.

HEAR

Sept. 13: Eze Jackson & The Backwudz Band

Baltimore Soundstage, 124 Market Pl. 8 p.m. $20-25.

If you haven’t yet tuned in to local legend Eze Jackson’s latest record, Fool, start binge-listening ahead of this Friday’s can’t-miss show at Baltimore Soundstage. Joined on the downtown stage by a packed lineup of up-and-comers—including FUNSHO, Apex Tha Genius, Dre Thompson, MC Bravado, and Christen B, as well as rising comedian Ivan Martin—the frontman of beloved hip-hop collective Soul Cannon will take the audience through new songs like “Unapologetically Black” and “Be Great” in the same fiery, high-energy way that he’s known and loved for.

DO

Sept. 15: Abell Community Street Fair

Abell Ave. 12-5 p.m. Free.

Whether you’re a longtime Abell resident or new to the neighborhood, spend Sunday afternoon exploring the sights and shops along its main avenue during this annual street fair. After grabbing a bite from local food trucks like Farm to Charm and cm.pops, browse through free books from The Book Thing of Baltimore, snag some fall-inspired pieces from The Clothing Swap’s free collection, and jam out to live music from 13 local acts including Bobbi Rush and School of Rock Baltimore. There is something for everyone at this fun-in-the-sun event, including a parade and game booths for the kiddos, as well as beer from Peabody Heights Brewery for the grown-up set.

After three years of top-to-bottom renovations to the Enoch Pratt Central Library, CEO Heidi Daniel says she can’t wait to throw open the library’s doors and let visitors see the results of the first major facelift in its 86-year history.

The $115-million renovation sought to preserve the integrity of the Central Library—with restoration of its hand-painted ceilings and main entrance—while introducing technology upgrades and increased public spaces to serve the next generation of library-goers. “[Enoch Pratt] is the cultural heart of the city,” says Daniel. “We bring people together, we connect them with resources, and we view that as a major part of our role for not only Baltimore, but the whole state.”

Many of the additions, such as the job/career center, teen and young adult wing, and expanded multi- purpose rooms, reflect how the role of public libraries has shifted from just a place to check out books to a community resource hub—with services ranging from English-learning classes to “hip-hop architecture” summer camps. Now that there’s more room to host large groups for programs such as panel discussions and author talks, the library’s team hopes to have one million people visit the Central Library this year, doubling the number of walk-ins.

Among the additions made to the library are more computers and laptops, now 176 total. This exemplifies the library system’s commitment to not only providing free-to-use technology, but also helping visitors navigate the digital world with the aid of staff members and courses. “We look at it as part of our mission to make sure that people aren’t barred from participating in digital life,” says Daniel.

While Daniel is looking forward to welcoming visitors to the library during its reopening block party and open house on September 14, she says she’s equally excited to see how the community uses its new resources and services for the next 100 years.

“The thought of continual generational usage of this building really makes the time and effort that we put into this historical renovation worth it,” says Daniel.