A studio is often a reflection of an artist’s mind and work, as well as a source of inspiration. From warehouse spaces piled high with source material to lounge areas where models pose for figurative painters to a historical-church-turned-studio, the studios on this year’s tour promise to reveal the inner workings and the private world of each artist.

Ahead of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts and School 33’s 30th annual Open Studio Tour on Saturday and Sunday, we visited a few studios that stood out in this diverse range of roughly 120 spaces that will open to the public.

Paul Moscatt
The Cork Factory, 1601 Guilford Ave. (main entrance at 302 East Federal St.)

Not only will you get to see phenomenal paintings that span some 50 years at Paul Moscatt’s massive warehouse studio inside the artist-owned Cork Factory, but you might get treated to his homemade Sicilian hors d’oeuvres, maybe even a tune on his piano, and certainly his delightful company. The figurative painter and former MICA professor has lived in Baltimore since 1967, and his studio’s lived-in feel contains decades of work, as well as a lounge area for models during painting sessions.

Timothy Horjus

400 W. 24th St.

As cofounder of C&H Restoration & Renovation, Timothy Horjus is no stranger to historic structures and knowing how to make them shine again. His studio is a perfect example. About 18 months ago, the abstract painter began restoration on a church built in 1892 in Remington, which now serves as studio space for his paintings, as well as that of two additional artists (another painter and a jeweler), and the ground level is used for workspace for C&H. The walls and floors have a distinctly historic vibe that makes this studio, especially with all of Horjus’ finishing touches, one of the most unique on the tour (and to think, the property was briefly in danger of becoming a WalMart).

Neil Feather

The Hooper Industries Building, 2121 Druid Park Drive (proceed up the ramp and enter through door on the loading dock)

This studio in the industrial Hooper Industries Building is a feast for the ears as much as it is for the eyes. Neil Feather is a Baltimore institution in and of himself, but in his creative space, you can witness the inner workings of this mad scientist’s mind. Gadgets, bicycle wheels, machine parts, gauges, drum pieces, and mechanical miscellanea fill the space. His inventions, like the one he calls The Former Guitar, are experimental musical instruments, some of which make music on their own and others that need someone to play them. Most of the sculptural pieces create ambient, organic sounds and beats, a niche that grew out of studying ceramics as a graduate student. As he puts it, “It all involves a little bit of well-crafted chaos.”

Maxine Taylor

126 N. Madeira St.

Maxine Taylor was living in New Carrollton in the mid-1990s when she decided to sell her home after her kids moved out and buy an old stable in Butchers Hill and renovate it as live/work space. “No one had ever lived here,” the artist says. “I had to put in windows, build a deck.” It was a ton of work, but it afforded her plenty of space to make her mixed-media pieces, and eventually she began opening her studio each year for BOPA’s citywide tour. When BOPA asked her to join the Artscape Gallery Network, the basement of her home was being used as storage space for her work (and bicycles, a lawnmower, etc.). But joining that network gave her incentive to transform it into what it is today: MAX Gallery. She exhibits work by artists in all disciplines there and has open hours on Fridays and Saturdays. This weekend, guests on the tour can see both her work space and the gallery.

Rachel Guardiola

School 33, 1427 Light St.

With a background in science and art, Rachel Guardiola has taken working from nature to the next level. After becoming a resident artist at School 33 in 2017, she constructed an actual greenhouse inside her studio walls, where she grows plants and later transplants them outside (she’ll start planting a new batch this winter), and also where she occasionally does performance art. She works predominately in photography and film, and when she doesn’t have access to a location or research in the field, she brings the field to her, creating fantastical installations, where she imagines what various landscapes would look like without human presence. “Art is a way to make science accessible,” she says.

Tony Shore
Crown Cork & Seal, 4401 Fait Ave.

Tony Shore, chair of the painting department at MICA, has made his studio home inside the Crown Cork & Seal building on Eastern Avenue. He will be one of several artists in the old warehouse building to open their studios for the event, although his will be open to the public on Saturday only. He moved into the space in 2000, when there were only a handful of artists working there, and now there are more than two dozen. “There’s a real community of artists here,” he says. His black velvet paintings come from his growing up in the blue-collar neighborhood of Morrell Park and seeing them there. “They were kind of like the poor man’s art,” he says. “They’ve always had a kitschy, lower-class connotation . . . but I wanted to take this lowbrow art and elevate it to be museum-worthy.”

VISUAL ART

Miami Is Nice
October 7-28, SpaceCamp, 16 W. North Ave. Cue the timeless notes of “Thank You For Being a Friend.” Miami is Nice is a group art exhibition, queer performance series, and gay wedding, inspired by the fearless irreverence of the hit television show The Golden Girls. In addition to the various programmatic elements—including an evening of queer performances—Miami is Nice will host a marriage celebration of Baltimore artists and performers Zachary Z. Handler and Nick Horan as part of the exhibition. Decorative remnants from the reception will remain in the gallery for the duration of the show as an art installation: a reminder of the ever-present fragility of the queer experience in America today.

Retreat/ William Lamson/ Lu Zhang
Oct.14– Jan. 13, 2018, Area 405, 405 E. Oliver St.  This exhibit features the work of Lu Zhang and William Lamson, two artists whose practices specifically focus on immersing themselves in creating a studio practice that is the process. Zhang, formerly of Baltimore’s roving modern art museum The Contemporary, transforms the front gallery space into an expanded series of experiments that will remain in flux throughout the exhibition. Lamson features projected videos in the back gallery. Curated by Area 405 creator Stewart Watson. 

Coyote
Oct. 18-29,  The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St.  In a special installation, artist Edgar Reyes responds to the museum’s ancient Americas collection and explores the ongoing displacement of native people whose traditions are not defined by national borders. Coyote explores the connection between the art of the past and the contemporary Mexican diaspora.

A Measure of Place
Oct. 27-Dec.1, The Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.  Artist Erin Fostel explores and documents mood, atmosphere, and the immensity of grief in her haunting charcoal drawings of the architecture of Baltimore. A love for drawing and storytelling led her to the Maryland Institute College of Art and upon graduating in 2004 she stayed in Baltimore. She loves to draw, and even though she appreciates that the world is full of amazing colors she enjoys pushing the tonal boundaries of charcoal, which is her primary medium.

Structure and Perspective: David Brewster Explores Maryland’s Social Landscape
Oct. 12- Oct. 14, 2018 The Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St. This installation will bring together commissioned works by Maryland-born artist David Brewster with objects from the MdHS collection. This marrying of old with new, contemporary with “antique,” creates a dialogue that will inspire thought-provoking discussions of how the objects of the past remain relevant to today’s ever-changing social landscape. Brewster’s commissioned works focus on challenging and complex themes including gender as an evolving concept, race relations in the State of Maryland, the impact of urban decay, suburban sprawl’s effects on rural areas, and many topics causing intense political tensions in America today. 

Birdland and the Anthropocene
Oct. 6-29, The Peale Center, 225 Holliday St.  This 30-artist group exhibit examines different perspectives on birds and people’s relationship to them and includes more than 120 art pieces in media ranging from a 360-degree hologram of bird migration to creative taxidermy of extinct species. Special programming includes a performance of birdsong-influenced selections by Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s principal cellist, a bird-themed open mic and a closing costume party. 

PERFORMING ART

Embody
Tonight, Oct. 5, WTMD Studios, 1 Olympic Place, Towson  This award-winning, mind-blowing showcase of the human voice just sold out, but if you can score a ticket by any means necessary, it’s worth it. Embody returns to WTMD for a second installment featuring Tuvan throat-singing stars Alash, Baltimore rapper DDm of Bond St. District, singer-songwriter/vocal trumpeter Victoria Vox, New York vocal percussionist/beatboxer pioneer D.O.A., Baltimore vocal artist Shodekeh, and singer/rapper Jasmine Pope. And remember this is a vocal-only show.

The Songster Series—Susan Alcorn
Oct. 10, Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.  The pedal steel guitar is a hard instrument to play and very difficult to master. 2017 Baker Artist Award-winner Susan Alcorn is a master. She has a deep grasp of where pedal steel has been and is a bold pioneer of where it can go. Join host Brooks Long for an evening of music and conversation with Susan about how blues great Muddy Waters led her to pedal steel guitar, her time playing Country in the 1970s, Straight-Ahead Jazz in the 1980s and since then, bringing her pedal steel under the influence of Indonesian Gamelan, Indian Classical and avant-garde influences like late-period John Coltrane and mentor Pauline Oliveros’ deep listening philosophy.

Manuel Barrueco-The Spanish Guitar
Oct. 28, Kaplan Concert Hall, Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson  The legendary guitarist Manuel Barrueco will perform live at the 30th anniversary celebration concert for the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society. The program will include the most-loved Spanish guitar music. 

The Inaugural WTMD Towson Rock Block
Oct. 7, 1 Olympic Place in Towson  Think a fall version of First Thursdays in Towson and on a Saturday. This free live event features performances by The Districts, Stone Senate, and Grizfolk and food from Cunninghams’s, Bagby Pizza Company, Kona Ice, and Jimmy’s Famous Seafood.

EVENTS

Open Studio Tour
Oct. 7, 8, various locations  It’s the 29th anniversary of School 33 Art Center’s event that celebrates artists and their creative places throughout the city, giving collectors and art lovers the opportunity to visit the studios of visual artists. For two days, meet Baltimore’s artists, see their work and get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their creative processes. And if you get a chance, check out the Open Studio Tour Kick off on Friday, Oct. 6 at the Youth Resiliency Institute in Cherry Hill, where you can meet with artists from the community and watch a panel discussion while enjoying West African cuisine and music from Abu The Flutemaker.

NEWS

The Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance has announced the nine artists selected for 2017 Rubys Artist Project Grants in literary and visual arts. The Rubys give up to $10,000 to emerging and established Baltimore-regional artists to support the creation of innovative artistic projects. The artists and their projects are as follows: M. Saida Agostini (poetry collection); Oletha DeVane (visual artist); Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson (memoir); Celeste Doaks (poetry collection); Tiffany Lange (puppetry ); Ada Pinkston (installation art); Kate Reed Petty (novel); Ernest Shaw and Kenneth Morrison (visual art and poetry project)

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

 EAT

Oct. 6: Maritime Magic

Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park, 1417 Thames St. 7 p.m. $110. 410-685-0295.

On Friday night, fulfill all your foodie dreams at one of the best benefits in Baltimore. Underneath the stars against the backdrop of the rippling harbor, sample your way through delectable dishes from more than 80 top area restaurants, including classic favorites like Birroteca, Cunningham’s, and Waterfront Kitchen, and new go-tos like Sandlot, Minnow, and Points South Latin Kitchen. Wash it all down with local beer from Union Craft, Diamondback, and Heavy Seas, to name a few, plus wine and booze from the likes of Old Line Spirits and Lyon Distilling. With a rocking music lineup, silent auction, and annual chefs’ competition to tie it all together, it’ll be an exceptionally memorable night, especially since all proceeds go to support Living Classrooms, one of Baltimore’s longest standing nonprofits for disadvantaged youth and adults.

 DRINK

Oct. 7: Baltimore Craft Beer Festival

Canton Waterfront Park, 3001 Boston St. 12-5 p.m. $15-55. 410-252-9463.

This Saturday, grab your growlers and hop on over to Canton Waterfront Park to celebrate the city’s craft beer boom. This small-batch brew festival features unlimited samplings from more than 40 Maryland breweries, from seasoned veterans The Brewer’s Art, Flying Dog, and Oliver Brewing Co. to up-and-comers like Attaboy, Black Flag, and Hysteria. Don’t miss the homebrew competition with Nepenthe, the beer yoga session led by HopAsana, a feast of local food trucks, and the Battle of the Brewskies band contest. Proceeds support Strong City Baltimore, which works to strengthen neighborhoods through community programs and invested partnerships.  

 SEE

Oct. 7-8: Baltimore Open Studio Tour

Locations vary. Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. 443-263-4350.

Calling all art aficionados: This is your chance to peer into the studios of more than 100 area artists and discover where phenomenal art starts. In its 29th year, this citywide event presents local artists with a wide range of styles in every corner of the city, from Woodberry to Brooklyn Park. Explore new and alternative arts spaces, like SpaceCamp and the Baltimore Jewelry Center in Station North, or Terrault in the Bromo Arts District, or Y:Art Gallery in Highlandtown. Get to know local creatives like Annie Howe and her beloved papercuts, Mary Mashburn of local letterpress fame, Taha Heydari and his mesmerizing installations, and Ernest Shaw, who creates some of the city’s most beautiful murals. Presented by the School 33 Art Center in Federal Hill, this self-guided tour with an official map allows art lovers of all kinds to get out and get inspired by Baltimore.

 HEAR

Oct. 7: The Local Oyster’s 2nd Anniversary Party

Mt. Vernon Marketplace, 520 Park Ave. 7-11 p.m. Free. 844-748-2537.

What’s a better combo than oysters and live music? This Saturday night, one of Baltimore’s favorite party bands is making its way to the Mt. Vernon Marketplace to celebrate the second birthday of our beloved Local Oyster. Having performed at The Kennedy Center, Rams Head Live, and Baltimore City Hall, this Swingin’ Swamis will bring a gumbo of R&B, rock-and-roll, jazz, and world rhythms, while L.O. devotees slurp down ice-cold, award-winnig bivalves and tip back tall pours of oyster stout. With the city’s best shrimp sammy in hand, boogie down to the groovy sounds of this musical sextet with shell-ebrity owner Nick Schauman and cheers to his evolution from roving shucking stand to Mount Vernon mainstay. Long live the Local Oyster! 

 DO

Oct. 7-8: Fells Point Fun Fest

Thames St. at Broadway. Sat. 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Free. 410-675-8900.

In 1966, Fells Point started a small neighborhood festival to fight the proposed highway that would have cut through the heart of the historic ’hood. Thanks to a local outpouring and diehard efforts by the likes of Barb Mikulski, that dreaded road never came, and over the past 51 years, that little festival has grown to mass proportions, reaching as high as 100,000 attendees in 2016. This year, they’re scaling things back to highlight the artists, restaurants, and businesses that made Fells Point great in the first place, while also supporting the revitalization of the neighborhood. Sample snacks from the area’s best eateries, comb the cobblestone streets with local beer in hand, and peruse a handful of local crafters, hawking homemade goods. Maryland bands will be performing from two stages, with revered Fells regulars like the Kelly Bell Band and Sean K. Preston, while the music at local haunts like Cat’s Eye Pub and Admiral’s Cup will be playing into the wee hours of the night.