EAT

Nov. 22-24: Roll Up at R. House

R. House, 301 W. 29th St. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Free.

The rotating space at R. House has been a launchpad for several local food concepts (Urban Oyster and The Big Softy, to name a few), and now Roll Up, an Americanized eggroll pop-up, is taking its turn at the helm. Created earlier this year by Baltimore food industry veteran Whitney Johnson, the concept’s handmade eggrolls are packed with experimental fillings, such as crab dip and baked mac and cheese, and best paired with a pile of Roll Up’s beer-battered onion rings. Stop by the Remington food hall to sample one of each roll, including the “That’s Bananas” dessert roll, before the pop-up ends on Sunday.

DRINK

Nov. 23: Baltimore Whiskey Festival

The Assembly Room, 316 Guilford Ave. 12-4 p.m. $69.

Spend the evening sipping whiskeys from around the world during this fine spirits festival. Choose from 100-plus craft-distilled whiskeys, stop by the Founder’s Finds table to browse a curated selection of rare products, or learn about the art of distillation from experts during a series of free seminars. If the entry price makes you pause, keep in mind that a portion of the event’s proceeds will directly benefit the Spirit of Hope Children’s Foundation.

SEE

Nov. 24: Opening of Mickalene Thomas: A Moment’s Pleasure

The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Free.

Starting this weekend, the lobby at The Baltimore Museum of Art will be transformed into a homey living room, thanks to the linoleum floors, picture frames, and mixed-pattern furniture of artist Mickalene Thomas’ latest installation. Best known for her jewel-encrusted portraits of African-American women and high-profile clients such as Michelle Obama, Thomas is using this two-year exhibition to showcase works by Baltimore-based artists. Among them will be music videos by the likes of TT the Artist, Abdu Ali, and Hunter Hooligan—which will play on a loop as part of the installation. Be one of the first to see this immersive work during its opening reception on Sunday, and stick around for a signature cocktail, beats by DJ Trillnatured, and custom nail art by Power Decals.

HEAR

Nov. 23: Caleb Stine & The Revelations

Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St. Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. $15-50.

To say that singer-songwriter Caleb Stine is a longtime mainstay of the Baltimore folk scene may be an understatement at this point. His Americana sound has drawn comparisons to artists from Townes Van Zandt to Neil Young, and this month, he will return to Creative Alliance to premiere a new batch of songs. Stine will bring his thoughtful and poetic lyricism to the stage and invite The Revelations band and a few other special guests to share it with him. Come out to support this local troubadour and revel in the good vibes he brings to every show.

DO

Nov. 23: Greedy Reads Grand Opening

Greedy Reads, 320 W. 29th St. 11 a.m. Free.

It’s been less than two years since the independent bookshop Greedy Reads brought new life to the corner of Aliceanna and South Ann streets with its curated selection of titles, author talks, and monthly book club. Now, owner Julia Fleischaker is opening a second location of the fan-favorite store in Remington. On Saturday, stop by to see the new digs—located just a stone’s throw away from R. House—before spending the afternoon browsing for a new winter read, participating in opening-day giveaways and games, and petting Audie, Fleischaker’s Labrador-greyhound mix and the official Greedy Reads mascot.

The Baltimore Museum of Art has announced a new public art commission to be displayed in the museum’s east lobby, adjacent to the gift shop and Gertrude’s restaurant.

Starting new fall, the Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker Biennial Commission—made possible by a historic endowment from its namesake donors, both longtime patrons of the local arts and sciences—will create a new exhibition space for art works by internationally renowned contemporary artists. Emphasis will be placed on promoting diversity within the museum and throughout the greater art world, with Brooklyn-based African-American artist Mickalene Thomas chosen for the inaugural commission.

“Time has taught us that the experience of entering a museum can be alienating for a variety of populations,” says museum director Christopher Bedford via email. “The very institutional architectural rhetoric of museum entrances does not say welcome in mainstream terms, but rather speaks to rarefication and exclusion. We think working with [artists like] Mickalene is an opportunity to shift that rhetoric completely and make vastly more people from diverse backgrounds feel comfortable entering the BMA.”

Though an artist of many mediums, Thomas’s intricate paintings—often covered in colorful patterns, encrusted in rhinestones, and featuring black women in everyday settings while drawing inspiration from art history and pop culture—have garnered international acclaim. Her work has been exhibited in many iconic art museums, such as the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., and it is held in collections at the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, and the Whitney in New York, as well as abroad at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo.

In addition to the two-year commission, the BMA will be launching a parallel fellowship program to nurture aspiring curators, also with a focus on diversity. “We—the BMA and the museum field at large—must pay close attention to the need to diversity the ranks of presenters and interpreters within museums,” says Bedford. “We have to develop pipelines into leadership positions that make this aspiration a reality in the future. At the BMA, we believe some of of the most important work in the world is being made by black American artists. We think it is important that the same populations be represented on our curatorial staff.”

Thomas’s new work will debut in the fall of 2019, while applications for the fellowship open this December.