“Isn’t life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?”

It’s a question that was asked by Andy Warhol decades ago, likely rhetorically. But all the same, as the summer fades, we find ourselves thinking through the many changes this city’s artists and performers have seen in the past year, and the ones they have in store for the months to come.

This June, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra suffered their first work stoppage in 31 years and musicians took to the streets to protest the institution’s management in the wake of a financial crisis. But still the band plays on, determined to carry on their legacy as a world-class ensemble.

In more encouraging news, in July, a year after selling pieces by Warhol, Franz Kline, Robert Rauschenberg, and others to acquire works by women and people of color, the Baltimore Museum of Art premiered an exhibition featuring black artists from the past two centuries, reconguring its Contemporary Wing to highlight the new acquisitions. And in 2020, the museum plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with a full year of exhibits and events dedicated to women artists.

Meanwhile, downtown at Everyman Theatre, room is currently being made for a new upstairs stage, which will play host to a new festival featuring contemporary works by women next year. And around the corner at the former Eutaw Savings Bank, work is underway to expand the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. Farther north, Single Carrot Theatre left behind its home in Remington to spread its shows around the city, allowing long-wandering, color-conscious troupe ArtsCentric to put down roots in the old space.

Even some of the city’s oldest cultural cornerstones are feeling the winds of change. Many historic homes and museums are finally taking steps to address their histories with slavery and indentured servitude and bring those stories to the forefront—leading to new programming, exhibitions, and discoveries.

There’s almost too much to keep track of, but as we plan visits to our favorite hallowed halls and holes in the wall, we look forward to what we may find there. These new developments—whether made to physical foundations or the fundamental ways we think about a place—each make their subtle change to the repeating image. And, eventually, they evolve into a whole new scene.

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Through Dec. 1: Hitching Their Dreams to Untamed Stars: Joyce J. Scott & Elizabeth Talford Scott
For 60 years, MacArthur award-winning artist Joyce J. Scott lived in Baltimore with her mother, Elizabeth Talford Scott, who passed away in 2011. This exhibit will bring together a collection of nine pieces of art that the two made, either collaboratively or separately. There will be quilts, beaded and glass sculptures, and weavings, among other types of art, that showcase the elder Scott’s experience in the aftermath of slavery and the influence she had on her daughter. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

Sept. 3-Oct. 6: Proof
Everyman’s biggest season yet opens with this Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning classic about a father and daughter grappling with genius, identity, and mental illness in the past and present. Audiences who saw resident company member Megan Anderson shine as Catherine in the 2003 rendition will delight in seeing her take on the role of Catherine’s older sister, Claire, in this new performance. Everyman Theatre, 315 W. Fayette St.

Sept. 3-Oct. 6: Daniel Stuelpnagel Solo Show
This Baltimore native has showcased his acrylic paintings nationwide for more than 20 years. In 2017, Stuelpnagel had the distinguished honor of being a featured artist for TEDxJHU at Johns Hopkins University. Now, his collection, which encompasses an interest in science, architecture, and technology with dynamic imagery, is on display at this Fells Point contemporary gallery. The Alchemy of Art, 1637 Eastern Ave.

Sept. 6-29: Twelve Angry Jurors
The decision on a life—that’s what this is all about. Experience Reginald Rose’s electrified drama, the title of which has been given a timely update, about a dozen men and women gathered to determine whether an accused teenager is guilty of murdering his father. Tempers flare as the vote comes to 11-1 and evidence is re-examined. This courtroom drama will keep audiences on the edge of their seats and thinking about exactly what it means to live in a democracy. Vagabond Players, 806 S. Broadway.

Sept. 11-Oct. 19: Bianco e Nero
Black and white does not always have to mean plain and simple. Terry Thompson explores the boundaries of maximalism and minimalism in his new exhibition of monochromatic works. With some works bustling and busy and others mellow and tranquilizing, Thompson forces viewers to focus on the encryption layered throughout this chaotic series. Become entranced by his optical illusions and feel the energy of his monochromatic world. Y:ART Gallery, 3402 Gough St.

Sept. 11-Oct. 19: Miss You Like Hell
Mother-daughter relationships can be a roller coaster for anyone, but this especially complicated example is threatened by intense immigration policies. Join whip-smart, deeply imaginative teenager Olivia and her free-spirited Latina mother on a cross-country road trip as they come to understand what sets them apart and what connects them forever. This musical without borders is a must-see and a reminder to audiences that theater has the power to make politics personal. Baltimore Center Stage,
700 N. Calvert St.

Sept. 13-Oct. 13: Mr. Wolf
In their first show after leaving behind their Remington theater in favor of ever-changing performance spaces, Single Carrot Theatre will take over the St. John’s Episcopal Church rectory to explore broken ties and reconciliation in Mr. Wolf, a tale of a child abducted and returned to her family more than a decade later. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3009 Greenmount Ave.

Sept. 13-15: Roots & RaÍces Festival
This Charm City-based festival celebrates and showcases the work of local immigrant artists. The festivities begin Friday evening at Creative Alliance with a dinner and gala, followed by a SOMOS Migrantes film feature and awards ceremony. Saturday’s lineup includes live music and performance art at Little Lithuanian Park. Between entertainment, enjoy tasty bites at the El Mercado market.

Sept. 18-21, Oct. 2-5: Best of Enemies
Based on the bestselling novel by Osha Gray Davidson, which recently became a major motion picture, Best of Enemies depicts prejudice in the South through the relationship between C.P. Ellis, a leader in the Ku Klux Klan, and Ann Atwater, an African-American civil rights activist. This co-production by the McDaniel College and Coppin State University theater programs brings to life Mark St. Germain’s adaptation of a true story that captures the controversy of school desegregation. Coppin State University and McDaniel College.

Sept. 19-Nov. 10: Second Tri-Annual Maryland State Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Maryland Art Place has partnered with the Maryland State Art Council to present this statewide exhibition of pieces voted in by jurors. After receiving submissions of all media types (including literary arts), with a heavy emphasis on visual and performing arts, a select few were found worthy for entry. Experience the curated pieces as they highlight the wide range of skilled artists and artwork featured on the Maryland State Arts Council Artist Registry. Maryland Art Place, 218 W. Saratoga St.

Courtesy of Mono Practice

Sept. 20: Gallery Opening: Retrospective
The Baltimore School for the Arts has been educating and promoting talent in the city for four decades now. In honor of its anniversary, the Mount Vernon institution will highlight the creations of its alumni in this reflective new exhibition. Segal Gallery in Baltimore School for the Arts, 712 Cathedral St.

Sept. 20-21: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back—In Concert
A mix of science fiction, melodrama, and galactic action, iconic film The Empire Strikes Back will be screened alongside a live orchestra for two nights this month. Conducted by Nicholas Hersh, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will perform John Williams’ noteworthy score as Jedi Master Yoda teaches Luke Skywalker about the Force. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St.

Sept. 28: Made in Baltimore Short Film Festival
Whether you’re a fan of animation, horror, or documentary, all these genres and more will be featured at this celebration of Baltimore-inspired film. Works are submitted by local filmmakers and then judged on technical ability, originality, and Baltimore flavor. You won’t want to miss this shot at getting a glimpse of the best up-and-coming film talent Charm City has to offer. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Sept. 29, 2019-Jan. 19, 2020: Generations: A History of Black Abstract Art
This touring exhibition will arrive under a new name and with an expanded collection of more than 80 paintings, sculptures, and mixed media pieces. This exploration of abstract art as a political choice and a personal statement for black artists will include both pioneers of post-war abstraction, such
as Norman Lewis and Alma W. Thomas, and more recent artists such as Kevin Beasley and Lorna Simpson. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

Sept. 29, 2019-Jan. 12, 2020: Melvin Edwards: The Architecture of Being
The pioneer of contemporary sculpture showcased here is also the great-great-great-grandson of a West African blacksmith. Explore how he conveys the influence of his African roots and the experience of his time living, traveling, and teaching
in Africa for many years through this collection
of 16 works from across the four decades of his incredible career. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

Oct. 4-31: Cordially Invited
For the second year in a row, Make Studio is offering a look at the works of artists with disabilities from studios around the world. This invitational exhibition will feature artists from as far away as Australia alongside local talents and celebrate the work of progressive art studios through pop-ups, artist talks, and workshops around the city. Schwing Art Center, 3326 Keswick Rd. & other locations.

Oct. 5-6: Doors Open Baltimore
Charm City has no shortage of buildings with unique designs and histories, and this annual citywide architectural exploration is the perfect opportunity to visit as many as possible. Take free self-guided walking tours through more than 50 buildings and neighborhoods, including new sites such as 414 Light Street and decades-old spots such as The Baltimore Basilica and The Arch Social Club, or sign up for bike or bus tours to discover some of Baltimore’s most interesting spaces and places on wheels. Locations vary.

Oct. 5-Sept. 6, 2020: The Secret Life of Earth: Alive! Awake! (And Possibly Really Angry!)
AVAM’s yearly exhibition is back, and it has a bone to pick with the citizens of Earth. This collection of works seeks to show visitors the state of our planet now and where it could be going if we’re not careful. Take in pieces such as Dr. Bob Hieronimus’ original 1972 Earth Day poster, Judy Tallwing’s Spirit Bear painting (which inspired 22 global poets to join AVAM in protesting the placement of an oil pipeline through Canada), and Bobby Adams’ kitchen diorama, Global Warming. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy.

Courtesy of AVAM

Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society

Oct. 5-Oct. 2020: Spectrum of Fashion: Celebrating Maryland’s Style
Explore the wearable art that has defined generations of Maryland dwellers, from everyday workers to Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, at this yearlong exhibition. Attend the opening gala on Oct. 5 for an early peek at the nearly 100 pieces while mingling with homegrown fashion star Christian Siriano. Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St.

Oct. 6-Jan.5, 2020: Designing the New: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style
Celebrating the 150th anniversary of iconic Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s birth, this is the first exhibition in a generation to highlight his work. There will be about 165 pieces on view from across various mediums, including furniture, textiles, posters, and architectural drawings. The link between Glasgow and Baltimore as the cities grew both industrially and artistically will also be explored.The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St.

Oct. 10-20: Charm City Fringe Festival
Experimental art installations, slam poetry, street acrobatics, puppet debates, dance parties—with the sky as the limit, all this and more is possible at the eighth annual Charm City Fringe Festival. This celebration of quirky theater and performing arts aims to engage diverse communities and elevate the local theater scene. The 11 days of performances across multiple venues contribute to the cultivation of Baltimore as a hub for art without boundaries. Bromo Arts & Entertainment District, locations vary.

Oct. 11-14, 17-20: Proxy
Rapid Lemon Productions concludes its 2019 Season of Belief with the world premiere of Proxy, by local authors Alex Reeves and Nell Quinn-Gibney. Directed by T.P. Huth from Inkubator New Works Development Laboratory, this play asks the challenging question, “When we die, who cares for those we leave behind?” Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St.

Oct. 18-20: The Snow Queen
During the premiere performance of the Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s new season, the story of The Snow Queen will come alive on the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts stage. Watch in awe as local ballerinas use their graceful movements to bring to life the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, which also inspired the Disney blockbuster Frozen. On your way out of the Annapolis theatre, be sure to grab information about the troupe’s annual performance of The Nutcracker in December as well. Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis.

Oct. 23-Nov. 30: Marc Boone
Boone’s art has always had two unchanging factors:
he creates works in series and employs a studio sound backdrop. In his latest exhibition, Shaman’s Way, he focuses on medicine men and women who connect with nature and all creation to influence the world of good and evil. Come experience different worlds through unique art and jazz musicians and vocalists as Boone attempts to capture some magical conjuring.Y:ART Gallery, 3402 Gough St.

Nov. 16-17: Refuge: Needing, Seeking, Finding
This collection of works from Full Circle Dance Company explores varied themes through separate works explicitly created to be shown together. The result is a challenging yet beautiful array of pieces tackling such subjects as the global refugee crisis, America’s dark past with lynching, mental illness, loss, and what exactly home means through new music and stunning choreography. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St.

Time Out of Mind

East Lafayette Avenue
October 22, 2016

The metal letters nailed on the wooden door read simply: “HANS SCHULER—SCULPTOR.” “I’ve walked past it so many times and have always been curious about what’s inside,” says a visitor, ducking into the 110-year-old ivy-covered brick and sky-lit atelier.

“We get that a lot,” chuckles Francesca Schuler Guerin, the granddaughter of Hans Schuler, an Alsace-Lorraine immigrant known as Baltimore’s “monument maker” for his classical works across the city. An accomplished sculptor in her own right, Guerin is leading a rare tour of the Schuler School of Fine Arts, founded here in 1959 by her parents—Schuler’s son, also named Hans, and her mother, Ann Didusch Schuler.

Schuler’s works include five pieces in the Walters Art Museum collection, most notably a sculpture of Ariadne, the distraught daughter of the mythological Greek king Minos, which won him a gold medal at the Paris Salon in 1901. His outdoor works include the renowned Meditation and Memory pieces at Green Mount Cemetery, the 18-foot statue of Martin Luther at Lake Montebello, and the giant relief of Gen. Casimir Pulaski at the entrance to Patterson Park.

At the moment, a half-dozen students—surrounded by original scale models of Schuler’s sculptures—are quietly painting and sculpting clay in the day-lit studio, as others practice the basic drawing techniques that serve as the foundation of the school’s traditional curriculum. Students here learn to grind their own pigments in the manner of the old masters. In fact, the school was started as a protest against the modernist movement sweeping the nearby Maryland Institute College of Art, where Hans and Ann taught and the elder Schuler served as director from 1925-1951.

Despite the changing times, the school survives, buoyed by a commitment to what Schuler once described as “pure art” that has remained steadfast through succeeding generations. “I read an art magazine story about how the practice of teaching ‘cast’ drawing [charcoal studies of plaster busts] has been recently ‘rediscovered,’” Guerin says. “We’ve always taught cast drawing. It’s not like somebody’s discovered the Incas or something.”

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Homeward Bound

Greenmount Avenue
October 10, 2016

“I counted on the first 60 miles wearing her down, but it didn’t help,” laughs Erek Barron, a Prince George’s County state delegate, as he jogs into the Greenmount Avenue offices of Community Mediation Maryland behind a surprisingly fresh Lorig Charkoudian. “She can run.”

Charkoudian, co-founder of the nonprofit, which offers free mediation services to prison inmates, their families, and others, had just completed a two-day, 70-mile run from Hagerstown to Baltimore to raise awareness about the benefits of reentry services. She was joined by supporters along her trek—symbolic of the journey thousands make each year as they return from Hagerstown’s penitentiaries—and by Barron, a key legislator behind Maryland’s recent Justice Reinvestment Act, who ran the final 10 miles with her.

Charkoudian picked up a gaggle of runners as she reached the Baltimore Museum of Art and then was greeted by balloons and cheers as she led the way across 33rd Street. Later, glancing at a 10-foot map hung in the nonprofit’s hallway to chart her progress, she notes her southeastern route appears misleading. “It looks downhill, but I can assure you it wasn’t,” she says, running her finger toward the Appalachian Mountains.

Among those meeting Charkoudian were Barbara Doran and her daughter, Rita, who went through multiple family mediation sessions with Doran’s son, Ricky, who has been incarcerated for much of the past 13 years. “I didn’t know what we were going to do with him when he got out,” says Barbara, choking up. “We had lost trust.” Rita, 22, adds she grew up without her brother around. “Basically, we didn’t have a relationship.”

“The sessions were his idea. He learned about them [while incarcerated],” Barbara says. “They’ve made a big impact on all our lives. And my son isn’t even home yet.”

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Visiting Hours

St. Paul Street
October 22, 2016

Charlie Murphy taps the brakes of his road bike as he heads down St. Paul Street, slowing to allow the three-dozen bicyclists trailing behind to keep pace during the blustery morning start of the Doors Open Baltimore Bike Tour. With more than 50 distinctive buildings accessible to the public today, the third annual Doors Open project—organized by the Baltimore Architecture Foundation and the Baltimore branch of the American Institute of Architects—offers a free opportunity to peak inside some of the most historic sites in the city.

Led by Murphy, a Bikemore board member, and Zach Chissel, founder of Two Wheel Tuesday—a weekly bike-to-work event—the ride includes stops such as the Arabber Preservation Society in Sandtown, the new Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum in Bolton Hill, the Eubie Blake Cultural Center on Howard Street, Open Works in Greenmount West, and Lovely Lane United Methodist Church on St. Paul Street, before wrapping up at the Peabody Heights Brewery situated at the former home of old Oriole Park in Waverly.

The oldest building on the cue sheet is the first—the Lovely Lane church, which broke ground in the late 1800s, almost a century after its original meeting house hosted the famous Christmas Conference that established the first Methodist denomination in the U.S. Designed with an oval sanctuary for better acoustics, the church still has its original organ and oak seats. But it is best known for its nearly 200-foot tower—with massive windows that are lit in the shape of a cross each evening—and in the dome above the pulpit, a heavenly fresco depicting the stars in their exact position on the night of the church’s dedication on Nov. 6, 1887.

“It’s a great place to preach, but if you’re boring, you’ll know right away,” says the Rev. Travis Knoll. “Everybody starts looking up.”

Lunar New Year Festival
Jan. 29. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. 410-547-9000. While the Gregorian calendar’s New Year might have come and gone, the Chinese Lunar New Year is once again upon us. At The Walters Art Museum, celebrate the Year of the Rooster with a special focus on traditional Chinese and Korean dance. Several groups will perform, including the Baltimore Chinese School, Johns Hopkins’ Yong Han Lion Dance Troupe, and the Korean Sang Hee Ju Traditional Dance Company. With fun for the whole family, partake in arts and crafts and take group selfies in the Pixilated photo booth to ring in the new year.

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Mamma Mia!
Jan. 13-15. Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 12 N. Eutaw St. Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 & 8 p.m., Sun. 1 & 6:30 p.m. $48-142. 410-837-7400. For one weekend only, this smash-hit Broadway musical is making its way to Baltimore. The Tony-nominated crowd pleaser follows a mother and daughter through love, laughter, and family drama in a comedic coming-of-age story set in the Greek islands. Best of all, it features Swedish pop supergroup ABBA’s greatest hits.

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Baltimore Restaurant Week
Jan. 13-22. Locations vary. $20-35. Charm City might be best known for crab cakes and Berger cookies, but it’s so much more than that. For nine days this month, fulfill your foodie-on-a-budget dream, and choose from more than 100 of Baltimore’s best restaurants offering discounted meals for dinner and lunch—including the newly rebranded Bar Vasquez, classic Prime Rib, and more casual Rowhouse Grille.

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Orioles FanFest
Jan. 28. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. $6-12. 888-848-BIRD. Bring friends or the whole family to this daylong celebration of Orioles baseball, where you can shake hands and rub elbows with players, coaches, and super fans. Catch the hilarious kids’ press conference, snap a selfie with the Bird, and grab an autograph from Buck Showalter. Sorry guys, no Adam Jones pie-throwing this year.

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Dancing With The Stars: Live!
Jan. 15. Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave. 8 p.m. $34-595.50. 410-900-1150. As a part of a 43-city North American tour, the ABC hit series Dancing With the Stars is making its way out of the television and into a theater near you. During this live performance, get a front row seat to all the glitter and glamor of the show, with top-notch dance numbers and celebrity contestants, including recent DWTS and Olympic champion Laurie Hernandez and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy.

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Ina Garten
Jan. 17. Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 12 N. Eutaw St. Fri. 7:30 p.m. $69-97. 410-837-7400.
Over the years, Ina Garten has encouraged countless people to cook with her bestselling books, and has garnered a huge fan following thanks to her Barefoot Contessa show on the Food Network. But it’s her husband, Jeffrey (also a Johns Hopkins alum), who has been her greatest admirer, inspiring her 10th and latest tome, Cooking For Jeffrey, which she’ll be talking about this month. “It’s a little bit of a love letter to my husband, who has been unbelievably supportive,” says Garten. “Jeffrey always told me, ‘If you love something, you’ll be good at it’—and that was really good advice.”—Jane Marion

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LaxCon
Jan. 20-22. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. Fri. 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. $10-160. 410-235-6882. In the midst of football season, celebrate Maryland’s state team sport at the US Lacrosse Convention. Back in Baltimore with hopes to be bigger and better than ever, the convention will feature all lax everything, with dozens of speakers, educational clinics, on-field demonstrations, gear, swag, and the nation’s best coaches and athletes. Grab autographs from Team USA players and catch keynote speaker John O’Sullivan, founder and CEO of the Changing the Game Project.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabaar
Jan. 26. Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St., Frederick. 7:30 p.m. $50-65. 301-600-2828. Don’t miss all-time leading NBA scorer and recent Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as he brings his life lessons to Frederick. Both on the court and off, the U.S. cultural ambassador, black activist, and CML Leukemia survivor has served as an inspiration. For one night, he shares personal experiences and his new book, Writings on the Wall.

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Polar Bear Plunge
Jan. 26-28. Sandy Point State Park, 1100 E. College Pkwy., Annapolis. $75. Take a dunk in the Chesapeake Bay this month as the Polar Bear Plunge celebrates 21 years of freezing our tails off for a good cause. With a pledge of $75 or more and a frigid few seconds in our ice-cold state estuary, you can help support the 7,311 athletes of Special Olympics Maryland.

Visual Art

Monsters & Myths: Surrealism and War in the 1930s and 1940s
Constant conflict throughout Europe in the 1930s and 1940s shaped many of the great modern artists. This show focuses on the Surrealists—Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, and André Masson, among others—and how they interpreted the violence and destruction around them. View masterworks inspired by the Spanish Civil War and World War II in this exhibition of nearly 90 pieces. Opens Feb. 24; on view during museum hours through May 26. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

David Driskell: Memories of Romare Bearden
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Romare Bearden: Visionary Artist, join one of the leading authorities on African-American art for a discussion of Bearden and his impact. David Driskell will present not only his scholarly opinion, but his personal memories of Bearden as both a friend and artist. 1-3 p.m. Feb. 9. Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St.

Music

Fourth Annual Charm City Django Jazz Fest
Celebrate the musical legacy of jazz legend Django Reinhardt over two days at the Creative Alliance. Enjoy workshops and performances from acts such as Baltimore gypsy jazz outfit Ultrafaux and Ellicott City teen guitar star Samuel Farthing, or stop in Saturday evening for a free lecture about the life of the man himself from Siv B. Lie. Times vary Feb. 22-23. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Theater

UnPresidented! A Political Variety Show
The most people usually do to celebrate President’s Day is buy a mattress at a discount. Spice up this holiday by heading to Single Carrot Theatre for a cabaret-style night of parody songs, political-themed strip tease, and artful renditions of presidential erotic poetry. Pro tip: Snag a VIP ticket for a front-row seat and open bar privileges. 8 p.m. Feb. 16. Single Carrot Theatre, 2600 N. Howard St.

Film

Docs from the Docks: Trash Dance
When most people see garbage trucks, they don’t think beauty—and that’s if they think of them at all. Choreographer Allison Orr wanted people to see these essential vehicles and the people who work on them in a new light, so she got to work. The result is Trash Dance, a Sundance- and AFI-lauded documentary about Austin’s sanitation workers, their lives, and the one night they came together to dance in front of thousands. Ahead of the screening, enjoy a live dance performed by Baltimore’s own Fluid Movement. Doors at 6:30 p.m., screening at 7 p.m., panel Q&A to follow, Feb. 21. Brown Advisory, 901 S. Bond St.

From Swastika to Jim Crow
Jewish academics who escaped Nazi Germany arrived in the United States to find that antisemitism was rampant on both sides of the Atlantic. Turned away by many major universities, these scholars began teaching at Historically Black Colleges and Universities throughout the South, where they bonded with their students through shared experiences of segregation and discrimination. From Swastika to Jim Crow explores this phenomenon and the ways it shaped both groups. 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 27. Morgan State University Student Center Theater, 1700 E. Cold Spring Ln.

Dance

Lunar New Year Celebration
Ring in the Year of the Pig with this annual celebration at The Walters Art Museum. Let the kids try out art activities and a Chinese zodiac-themed scavenger hunt through the Arts of Asia, then secure your spot in the Sculpture Court for a performance by the Yong Han Lion Dance Troupe. The colorful dance featuring traditional lion costumes is a spectacle not to be missed. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 10. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St.

Literature

Talking About Race: Steve Luxenberg and Judge Robert Bell
Author and Washington Post senior editor Steve Luxenberg will be joined by former chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals Robert Bell for this conversation about the lasting impact of Plessy v. Ferguson, the court case that established the “separate but equal” doctrine in the United States. Luxenberg’s new book, Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, recounts the case through the eyes of its major figures using letters, diaries, and archives. Copies will be available for sale and signing following the discussion. 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 13. Church of The Redeemer, 5603 N. Charles St.

News

True Vine Finds a New Home
The True Vine Record Shop has announced that the store will move to a new location in Station North. Golden West Cafe will take over the shop’s former Hampden home, and True Vine is scheduled to reopen in its new space at 1827 N. Charles Street sometime this spring. A GoFundMe to help cover relocation costs has raised nearly $3,000 since being launched Dec. 16.

Volunteering Untapped Fake Wedding
Feb. 23. The Baltimore Museum of Industry. 7 p.m. Prices Vary. On a Saturday night last February, John Magiros jumped in front of a crowd of dressed-to-the-nines party-goers at the Baltimore Museum of Industry and called out, “Who’s single and wants to get married tonight?” Magiros then ushered two volunteers forward, gave the “groom” a top hat and the “bride” a veil, and “married” them using Mad Lib-style wedding vows in front of hundreds of strangers. And while the wedding was fake, the mission of the party—to support the local nonprofit network Volunteering Untapped—was very real. At this year’s Black Tie Baltimore Fake Wedding on February 23, the VU leadership team including Jeremy Raichle, Teddy Davidson, Brittany Fowler, and Magiros, will cut out the obligations of attending a wedding—no presents or plus-ones required—while keeping the drinks flowing all night. “It’s all the fun of a wedding with none of the commitment,” says Magiros. “What more could you ask for?”

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Grateful Dead Tribute for Kids
Feb. 2. 800 Key Hwy. 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Free-$50. Deadheads, rejoice! If you’ve been looking for a way to introduce your kids to the mother of all jam bands, you’re in luck: the American Visionary Art Museum and local radio station WTMD are hosting a Saturday morning celebration of all things Grateful Dead. Local cover act Ed Hough’s Dead Collective will perform kid-oriented favorites in the museum’s banquet hall, with plenty of snacks, drinks, and art to go around.

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Jim Gaffigan
Feb. 7-8. 140 W. Mt Royal Ave. 7 p.m. $35.25-204. Whether it’s in his scene-stealing TV roles, his bestselling books, or his four Grammy-nominated comedy albums, Jim Gaffigan always manages to earn a laugh. The family-friendly comic, who launched his Quality Time tour in January, is known for finding humor in the mundane, such as doctor visits, food, and fatherhood. Get your tickets quickly—his show is almost guaranteed to sell out.

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Lunar New Year Celebration
Feb. 10. 600 N. Charles St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Across Asian cultures, the lunar new year marks the beginning of a new calendar year. To ring in the Year of the Pig, the Walters Art Museum is throwing a free, family-oriented celebration in their sprawling Mt. Vernon complex. Visitors of all ages can explore the museum’s expansive and much-lauded Arts of Asia exhibition, followed by a chance to create their own Asian-inspired works. Make sure to catch the traditional lion dance performance, which is believed to bring good luck in the new year.

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Creature Feature
Feb. 12. The Senator Theatre, 5904 York Rd. 7 p.m. $15-$23. Whether you love them, hate them, or are allergic to them, there’s no denying that animals have a special connection with humans. This month, the Stoop Storytelling Series invites locals to get onstage at the Senator Theatre to share the good, bad, or the ugly about their relationships with four-legged friends (or foes). Get to the theater early to grab a pre-show cocktail and hear live music by (appropriately) Brooks Long and the Mad Dog No Good.

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A Date With John Waters
Feb. 14. 124 Market Place. 8 p.m. $44-110. Perhaps no one embodies the spirit of Charm City more than hometown auteur John Waters. Fresh off of a retrospective at The Baltimore Museum of Art, the beloved director of films such as Pink Flamingos and Hairspray is making Valentine’s Day a little weirder with a monologue about his artistic influences, good taste, and sexual politics. To make date night unforgettable, filth followers can even spring for a meet and greet with the Pope of Trash himself after the show.

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Max’s Belgian Beer Fest
Feb. 15-17. 737 South Broadway. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Free. According to Lyft, Max’s Taphouse was the most visited bar in Baltimore during 2018, and for a good reason. During this annual beer fest, belly up to the bar and sample a selection of rare European pours that will join the pub’s usual 200-plus bottles and taps for the entire weekend. If you have one dubbel or tripel too many, no worries, the Fells Point favorite will be serving up Belgian-inspired snacks to soak up the suds.

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Charm City Django Jazz Fest
Feb. 22-23. 3134 Eastern Ave. 8 p.m. $25-28. In celebration of this finger-plucking music genre pioneered by Belgian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, gypsy jazz musicians from near and far will take over Creative Alliance for two days of blazing guitar runs and jazz heat during this fourth annual jam fest. Revel in the chance to hear the likes of Ellicott City-based wunderkind Samuel Farthing, local jazz group Ultrafaux, and Philly-based accordionist Dallas Vietty and his group Passarinho. creativealliance.org.

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Frozen Harbor Music Festival
Feb. 22-23. Inner Harbor, 34 Market Pl. Prices vary. While most music festivals wait until the warm weather months to host big-name acts and sold-out crowds, the Frozen Harbor Music Festival embraces the cold and parties on anyway. This year, spend the weekend show-hopping to Inner Harbor venues (think Baltimore Soundstage, Rams Head Live!, and Leinenkugel’s Beer Garden) to hear 160 regional and national acts jam out across 10 stages.

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American Craft Show
Feb. 22-24. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W Pratt St. $5-$50. Times vary. Whether you’re visiting this revered makers festival for an hour or for the entire weekend, the American Craft Show is guaranteed to have something for everyone. The three-day downtown event, which features work by artisans from near and far, hosts wares such as jewelry, ceramics, and furniture at every price point. Be sure to stop by one-of-a-kind booths like Tristan Sopp’s, where you can buy DIY folded-paper animals, and Marc Tickle’s, which features handmade kaleidoscopes.

On the second Saturday in October (aka this Saturday, October 13), The Walters Art Museum will host its annual gala, this year celebrating a year of transformation with their theme “Metamorphosis.” While this isn’t exactly the Met Gala, The Walters and executive director Julia Marciari-Alexander enlisted local design prodigy Bishme Cromartie to make her outfit and encourages patrons to dress to the nines as well. We talked to Marciari-Alexander and Cromartie about the design process, their inspiration, and what to expect from this year’s event.

How did this collaboration come about?
Julia Marciari-Alexander: He did a photo shoot at the Walters for Bmore Art and I loved it.

Bishme Cromartie: It was just so weird. I did a collection called “The Chrysalis” because I felt like I was going through the process of being a caterpillar and coming out of my chrysalis as a designer. So, when I got the information about this event I kind of teared up because it felt like the universe letting me know that I am going in the right direction.

JMA: I was so nervous meeting you, I was like, “Oh my god, I’m going to meet a real-life designer. He is going to be all stiff and art-y.” But you just were so awesome and put me at ease immediately, and your collection is just so beautiful.

BC: I appreciate it. I’m prolonging the fittings because I don’t want it to end.

JMA: You can just be my personal stylist forever.

Why did you choose to have a local designer make your outfit?
JMA: We have such a commitment at the museum to Baltimore and the ways that the collection inspires Baltimore, and to have someone for whom that is 100-percent true being the star of the evening is just awesome.

BC: Don’t make me cry again. My mascara is not waterproof.

JMA: Fashion is art and we have a lot of examples throughout our collection of fashion throughout the ages, so this collaboration is just another piece of that.

What inspired the garment?
JMA: Well first, we walked through the museum with Bishme. Our collection is really about design, and I think that most of the works in the collection were used as inspiration in some way. Walking around with Bishme was just amazing because I was seeing the collection through his eyes and seeing his mind click in terms of what he was interested in and how it would fit with his development as an artist.

BC: I got chills walking through because we were standing in the museum talking and I realized we were standing there looking at one of my favorite artists’ paintings. I love Sir Lawrence and his work as far as draping and stuff. To see one of my favorite artist’s paintings for the first time in person was amazing and has been an eye opener to keep going and how things come full circle.

JMA: Seeing you looking at the Lawrence Alma-Tadema paintings and knowing the way this painter treats fashion and treats fabric has been a guiding force in your creativity and to have that happen right here, that made me cry. That was a moment of wonder. You had a moment of wonder and we got to experience that with you.

How much input did you have on the piece Julia?
JMA: The most interesting conversation that we had about the outfit—and I say outfit—was whether it was going to be a dress or pants. I saw myself wearing a dress, but Bishme really wanted to put me in pants.

BC: When you guys came to me, I was told you were open to different styles, so pants were a thought. But then when I got to meet Julia and got to know her, I thought she needs to stand out. A dress would’ve been expected, so for me I really just wanted to create a moment that reads well with the theme of the night. And then once I saw the invitation, I wanted the fabric to sort of mimic how the invitation looked with the detailing.

How is this event different from others in the city?
JMA: We don’t have any auctions, it’s really just a beautiful party in an extraordinary setting. This isn’t about an exhibition, it’s about the museum and celebrating the opportunity for everyone to have access to creativity. The money from tickets goes straight into our operating budget and covers a lot of our education programs.

BC: I love the fact that the theme of this event has a message behind it that I and other people can connect with. It’s about transition in our lives and growing. It’s not just a theme, it’s something that everyone experiences. Everyone is developing, and I think that’s why this experience has meant so much to me.

I’ve heard you want this to be sort of the Met Gala of Baltimore. Do you think people will get that and incorporate the theme into what they choose to wear?
JMA: Absolutely! We saw it last year with a lot of people you could tell thought about what they put on. Our theme last year was Egypt and I felt like our patrons got it and really stepped up their game in bringing their most beautiful clothing to reflect the collection well without being culturally inappropriate. I’m really interested in connecting our collections with contemporary artistic practice primarily through the lens of people in Baltimore and what better way to do that then through what we all are wearing.

This year I think we’ve been really intentional about how we’ve presented the event and I think people will understand even just from a feeling level the theme and what kind of event they are going to. It’s elegantly fun. But it does make you think.

What are you most excited for at this year’s event?
JMA: Sitting with Bishme. It is such an honor to be wearing something of yours because there is no one else that could’ve made something like this for me. Plus, we just really like each other.

BC: My fittings with Julia. I don’t want them to end.

JMA: Also, there is no one in this town that cares more about fashion than our Mayor [Catherine Pugh] and the opportunity to sit you right next to her and to let her see the amazing creativity that lives here in Baltimore all the time and to talk about your work and mentorship with the Baltimore Design School—the school she set up. That’s just so exciting. That’s what a museum can do.

When curators revitalized a Walters Art Museum wing, unveiled in June as 1 West Mount Vernon Place, they were intentional about making a space that merges past with present—a contemporary palette on the walls of a historic mansion, a digitized collection of illuminated manuscripts on tablets in the decadent library, and ancient art displayed alongside pieces made specifically for the museum’s opening.

Featuring work by Philadelphia-based ceramic artist Roberto Lugo was a no-brainer. His vases (some several feet tall), dinnerware, and sculptures are exhibited throughout the building, depicting such cultural figures as Frederick Douglass, Freddie Gray, Colin Kaepernick, John Brown, and, most site-specific of them all, Sybby Grant, a slave who once worked in the kitchen at 1 West, under its original owners, the Thomas family.

“Here was someone making powerful work that spoke to the past and present at the same time,” says Alexander Jarman, who co-curated the work in 1 West with Eleanor Hughes.

Lugo borrows motifs and techniques from ancient Greece and Rome, as well as 17th-century French pottery—and really anything that strikes his fancy—but viewers don’t have to have a knowledge of art history to appreciate the beauty of his pieces. He sees that familiarity as a way into his work. “People will get a sense of seeing it before,” he says, adding that some—certainly art scholars—understand the context but often don’t relate to the cultural experiences in the work, and for others, the opposite is true.

Lugo grew up in a dangerous area of Philadelphia and first expressed himself artistically through graffiti. He had 57 first cousins, and all the males did graffiti, he says, so it was a way for him to connect with his family.

Wanting to escape a destructive life of drugs and gangs, he went to Orlando, Florida, when he was 20 to start anew—try to hold down a job for more than a few months, take some community college classes, stay out of trouble. He enrolled in art classes rather than something like English literature because he didn’t want to expose that he was poor and from the ghetto, he says.He took to ceramics quickly.

“The ceramics studio was always poppin’—music playing, people working,” he says. “I actually met my wife there.”

One of the first pieces he made was a fire hydrant, which hearkened back to his days growing up, when he and his father would shower in the water from a hydrant outside when their water got shut off.

He went on to earn a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from Penn State University, and has since exhibited his work and given lectures throughout the country.

Lugo’s introduction to Baltimore came when he worked as an artist in residence at Baltimore Clayworks, where he taught art throughout the city at places like Jubilee Arts Center. He saw numerous connections between Baltimore and Philadelphia, he says, especially during the Freddie Gray protests.

A three-year timeline for the 1 West project allowed Lugo the luxury of talking with curators, seeing the space, and doing independent research to create pieces that engage with the history of the mansion as well as Baltimore.

“There’s a transparency there,” Lugo says. “We’re not hiding the fact that there were servants in the house.”

On one of his jars is the likeness of Freddie Gray. “People assume it’s political, but really what this is about is a person worthy of having an urn in their name,” Lugo says. “When a human being’s life is taken, it becomes really difficult to disagree with that.”

On Thursday, August 9, Lugo will be back at 1 West with artist Ezenwa “Shane” Wosu for an interactive performance event that explores the question, “Who gets a seat at the table?” It will take place in the dining room at a table with place settings made by Lugo—one of several installations within 1 West, which is considered by its creators to be one massive art installation.

“This is an opportunity for local audiences to connect with, and start a conversation about, our own local history,” Jarman says.

Visual Art

First Fridays Free Curatorial Tour: Meleko Mokgosi: Acts of Resistance
As part of a free series at the Baltimore Museum of Art, curators give tours of exhibitions they curated and explain the shows in further detail, providing rich insight into the artists and their work. This month, senior curator of contemporary art and department head Kristen Hileman will lead a group through the much-talked-about show Meleko Mokgosi: Acts of Resistance. Mokgosi explores race and gender through intimate yet larger-than-life portraits and paintings of domestic environments. Curatorial tour from 2-3 p.m. Aug. 3; the show remains up through Nov. 11. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive.

We Are Everywhere: Travels of the African Diaspora
Photographer Schaun Champion will show images from Baltimore and around the world that represent the African diaspora in her exhibit We Are Everywhere: Travels of the African Diaspora at Ida B’s Table, a beloved Southern soul food restaurant in downtown. The show is part of the monthly series Necessary Tomorrows, created by resident curator Sharayna Christmas to feature work that complements the visit and mission of the restaurant. Opening reception and artist talk, 5-8 p.m. Aug. 7. Ida B’s Table, 235 Holliday St.

Counterweight
Sera Boeno, Cevahir Özdoğan, and Noa Heyne examine concrete as a material and as a gender—its cultural and sociological implications and history—in the show Counterweight. Artist talks, a printmaking/archiving workshop with Lebanese archivist and artist Celia Shaheenon (Sept. 9), and an exhibition catalogue release on Sept. 21 will accompany the show. Aug. 10-Sept. 21, opening reception from 7-10 p.m. Aug. 10. The Menial Collection, 243 W. Read St.

Music

Summer in the Squares: Symphony Number One
Pull up a chair (or blanket) for the finale of this season’s Summer in the Squares. Symphony Number One will perform at Mount Vernon Place for the free series of shows that bring the work of emerging composers to the stage alongside beloved pieces by classical greats. During this show, the Baltimore-based chamber orchestra will feature the Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” alongside new works and pop favorites. 7-8:30 p.m. Aug. 29, Mount Vernon Place, 699 Washington Place

Baltimore International Surf Music Showcase
Four instrumental surf acts from around the world will take the Ottobar stage this month for a totally tubular night. Headlining the show will be Surfer Joe, based in Italy and often called the “international surf ambassador.” The legendary California surf band The Volcanics, and Les Agamemnoz (France) will also perform alongside local surf rockers the Flying Faders. 8 p.m. Aug. 15. Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St.

Art/Sound/Now: Suldano Abdiruhman and The Compositions
In collaboration with the High Zero Foundation, The Walters Art Museum will present its annual ART/SOUND/NOW, featuring artists creating soundscapes throughout the museum’s various gallery spaces. This year’s event highlights work by interdisciplinary artist Suldano Abdiruhman, a member of the artist collective BALTI GURLS and cofounder of 4c Gallery. 7-8:30 p.m. Aug. 23. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St.

Film

High Fidelity / Empire Records Double Feature
When a beloved music shop in Baltimore turns 25, a nostalgic screening of two cults classics is in order. The Sound Garden was born in 1993, and shortly thereafter, the films Empire Records and High Fidelity were released—in 1995 and 2000, respectively—both set amid the backdrop of record stores. And if watching these back-to-back on the big screen weren’t nostalgic enough, please note they’ll be screened on 35mm. 7-11 p.m. Aug. 30. The SNF Parkway Theatre, 5 W. North Ave.

Theater

Variations on Sacrifice
Rapid Lemon Productions will present its annual Variations Project this summer with Variations on Sacrifice. Eleven 10-minute plays by local authors will premiere during two weeks, followed by a third week (new this year) of staged readings of eight additional plays. Audiences of 2017’s Variations on Magic voted to select this year’s theme, Sacrifice. Plays, Aug. 3-12; staged readings, Aug. 16-19. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St.

Literary Arts

‘Sentiments’ by Press Press: Baltimore Book Launch
What could be better than a summertime potluck? A summertime potluck hosted by Press Press, with readings to satiate your palate. The launch of “Sentiments: Expressions of Cultural Passage,” the latest publication by Press Press, will feature readings about creating sanctuary, by Bilphena Yahwon, Rami Karim, and others, beginning at 5 p.m., plus a reading of “Manifesto for Sanctuary-Building & Sanctuary-Keeping.” Bring along a snack or something to grill at this community potluck of Baltimore creatives. 3-7 p.m. Aug. 11. Press Press, 427 N. Eutaw St.

Miscellanea

Comedy, Music and Poetry Showcase with Heda Rose and Guests
A lineup of Baltimore talent will take the Motor House stage for an evening of poetry, standup comedy, and music, headlined by vocalist, songwriter, actress, model, activist, and film producer Heda Rose. The remaining lineup includes comedian Larry Lancaster, comedian Ebony “Miz Jaxxxn” Jackson, comedian Ray Diva, and poet Gradalove. Heda will perform a comedy set and music set with a live band. 8-11 p.m. Aug. 31. The Motor House, 120 W. North Ave.

Fluid Movement’s ‘The Water Ballet’
The Baltimore-based performance art group Fluid Movement channels the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock for its latest production, “The Water Ballet” at Patterson Park. Take a deep dive into all that horrifies you. Day and night shows, Aug. 3-5. Patterson Park.

Painter and former MICA artist in residence Mequitta Ahuja is now one of the 2018 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship. Awarded to fewer than 200 people every year, the honor has been helping professionals expand on their art for nearly a century.

Ahuja’s artwork over the past 15 years has been an evolution of the typical self-portrait and this most recent recognition will help further her work to shift the self-portrait of a woman of color away from a conversation about identity and instead use it to show her expertise in painting.

What made you apply for the Guggenheim fellowship?
For a lot of artists, we apply for something and get our hearts set on it because we think it’s in our lane. Other times, we apply for some things just as exercises to kind of keep putting our work out there just to throw our hat in the ring. So, I applied to the Guggenheim more as an exercise honestly.

So, were you shocked that you were actually selected?
It was right near April Fool’s Day, on April 4, so I was like, ‘Wait, really?’ I was surprised bordering on disbelief, then once it settled in, I was just extremely proud, humbled, and excited. I think as artists we all learn how to make our work when money, support, and recognition is in short supply. But then when you finally get those things, it really is a confidence booster that makes it easier to do your work and to feel good doing it—it’s validation.

How long have you been painting?
It’s really the only thing I’ve ever pursued. My earliest memories are of wanting to be an artist. Of course, my ideas of what that means have grown and shifted over time, but it is what I studied in both undergraduate and graduate school. I’ve had a number of jobs over the years, but my main job has long been being an artist.

Can you explain why you chose self-portraiture as a focus for your art?
Working from oneself as a subject matter, we’re there as ready models. So, in some ways there’s this early convenience to it and I think the self and the expression of the self is a really basic and universal feeling.

As an adolescent, like most, I did a lot of self-portraits and as I got older, self-portraiture was not always the element of the work. Then it came back full force when I was in graduate school, initially again for convenience, I wanted to make figurative paintings. I started taking photographs of myself and working from those photographs. Then it has continued, I would say the meaning has changed. I’ve moved from thinking about self-portraiture being about my personal identity to moving to thinking about the genre of self-portraiture—it’s not just about picturing something about my identity.

In your artist statement you said you want to “turn the artist self-portrait into a discourse on picture making.” How does this reflect in your paintings?
There’s multiple layers of subject matter—some has to do with American history and some is dealing with a more domestic space. I want there to be multiple entry points for developing a relationship with the viewer and the painting. But I also don’t think I have control over that, so what a person gets from the painting is always an unknown factor in terms of how I may think about it. They may have a very different relationship with it.  

As you said, this is a reflection of your most recent work which differs from your past work. What caused that transition?
Going back to adolescence, my story is that I have a relatively unique cultural heritage—my mother is African-American, and my father is from India. I think in the conversation about race, it’s always black and white. If somebody is mixed-race, we assume they’re mixed black and white, not Indian and African-American or two non-white ethnic groups. For a long time, that was the subject of my work, having that cultural heritage.

Growing older changes the degree in which those things matter. There was always a feeling I had that I didn’t fully fit into either of my heritage groups or just fit people’s expectations of me. When you get older, you just don’t care anymore [Laughs]. You don’t need to fulfill somebody else’s expectations and, as some of those concerns just became less prevailing in my experiences in the world and my identity, other things came forward. I was able to take self-portraiture and make it about the genre itself, about art history, about painting, and about what it means to position a maker of the work within the work.

How do your travels impact your artwork?
My paintings travel more than I travel. This month I had work in Hong Kong—a place I’ve never been to. I have one right now in London—a place I have been to but not since I was a kid. A lot of times I actually don’t travel with my work or to the shows. I’m really a homebody. Most recently I did a residency in Siena, Italy which had a big impact on me. For me, it’s an unalloyed good to have the work travel all over the world because it’s a way in which I can be a global citizen from the small area of land in Baltimore.

You aren’t originally from Baltimore. What made you settle here?
I was born in Grand Rapids actually and I’ve lived a lot of places. We left Michigan before I can remember. I spent my childhood in a couple of different towns in Connecticut and then I went to Massachusetts for undergrad and Chicago for grad school. Then Houston, New York, and then Baltimore.

The Maryland Institute College of Art invited me in 2011 as an artist in residence, that’s what brought me here. I met my husband the first week I was in Baltimore, at the time he was working on his PhD at Johns Hopkins—now he’s a scientist at Hopkins.

What do you think of Baltimore’s art scene?
I was just talking with some folks about what Baltimore needs and how we can promote Baltimore and lift each other up as artists in the city. There’s a lot of energy here, there’s a lot of support in terms of the social artist scene. There’s less support when it comes to gallery infrastructure and collector groups. I think a lot of us have to go outside of Baltimore to find that kind of support. I think that there are ways to build that kind of infrastructure here.   

What’s your favorite thing to do in Baltimore?
I feel like this is boring, but I love going to the art museums. I really love the Walters, it’s one of my favorites out of anywhere. I also really love the Baltimore Museum of Art. I also recently discovered ice skating. It’s not about being good at it, half the fun is being bad at it [Laughs].

Now that you are a Guggenheim fellow, what’s next?
I’m working right now on a body of work for a fall show in Milan at a gallery called Brand New Gallery—that’s the actual name of the gallery. That’s what’s now. I will be leaving Baltimore for a month to do an artist residency this summer at the Marin Headlands in California. I’m really excited to continue with my work.

Expressions

Mar. 3-4, 6. Baltimore School for the Arts, 712 Cathedral St. Sat. 6:30 p.m., Sun. 2 & 5:30 p.m., Tues. 6:30 p.m. $15-375. 443-642-5165. At the end of every winter, there comes a bright moment in the form of the Baltimore School for the Arts’ annual fundraiser, Expressions. Support the local art school during one of four awe-inspiring student shows—plus a cocktail party and evening gala—which we consider among the don’t-miss performance art events of the year.

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Stephen Towns: Rumination and A Reckoning

Mar. 7-Sept. 2. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 443-573-1700. In late 2016, Stephen Towns became an official artist to watch in Baltimore with the debut of his Take Me Away to the Stars exhibit at Galerie Myrtis. Towns’ installations were used to draw parallels between Nat Turner’s historic slave rebellion in 1831 and the modern violence and inequities that still plague African Americans today. Many of these profound textile works are now on display at the BMA, continuing both the conversation and the artist’s compelling reputation in Baltimore.

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Intercambio

Mar. 9. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. 8 p.m. $25-30. As part of Stoop Storytelling’s “Stoop Special Engagement” series, and coinciding with the closing of the BMA’s Mexican modernist print exhibit, these two cultural institutions are teaming up for a night of positive foreign relations. Seven Baltimoreans will share personal stories about exchange and inspiration found across the U.S.-Mexico border.

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National Cherry Blossom Festival
Mar. 20-Apr. 15. Tidal Basin, 1500 Maine Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. Times & prices vary. 877-442-5666. In the DMV, spring is marked by a bounty of flowers— including daffodils, dogwoods, and, of course, an abundance of cherry blossoms. At the end of the month, those blooms reach their peak in Washington, D.C., with the entire tidal basin turning pale pink and pillowy white. For nearly four weeks, admire their beauty and celebrate the new season with a variety of festivities, including a pink-tie party, parade, kite festival, and world-renowned performances.

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Snail Mail

Mar. 21. Ottobar, 2549 N Howard St. 8:30 p.m. $10. 410-662-0069. It wasn’t long after the 2016 release of Snail Mail’s debut album, Habit, that Lindsey Jordan and her two bandmates started to get national attention. The band’s lo-fi indie rock music was suddenly getting written up in Pitchfork and, before long, sprawled across a multi-faceted feature in The New York Times. The trio sold out local shows at WTMD and the Ottobar, recorded an NPR Tiny Desk concert, signed a deal with national label Matador Records, and then went off on tour with indie darlings Beach Fossils. (We also awarded them a Best of Baltimore for “Rising Star” this past August.) Fresh out of high school and already well beyond their years, it’s safe to say that they are officially the next big thing to come out of Baltimore. See for yourself as the trio returns home to perform at the Ottobar on March 21.

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BSO Pulse: Valerie June

Mar. 22. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. 8:30 p.m. $35-55. 410-783-8000. After three short years, the BSO Pulse concert series has become a beloved arts institution here in Baltimore thanks to its unlikely fusion of classical music and indie rock that features artists from near and far. This time, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and WTMD team up with June, the vibrant singer-songwriter from Tennessee whose Memphis roots shine in her soulful blend of gospel, folk, and blues. Before the show, be sure to catch a performance in the lobby by local Americana musicians Nick and Luke.

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Mobile Unit: Twelfth Night

Mar. 22–25. Various Locations. $25. 410-332-0033. They say that all the world’s a stage, and Mount Vernon’s Center Stage takes that adage literally. In 2017, the local theater company launched the Mobile Unit, a free-wheeling production project, in the belief that everyone deserves access to the arts. For those who don’t have the option to enjoy a night of theater, the Mobile Unit brings it to them, and to date, actors have delivered dramatic, whimsical, and comedic performances in such unconventional spaces as shelters, jails, retirement homes, and recreation centers in underserved communities. From March 22-25, a cast of five will perform Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at various sites around the city. Center Stage calls these shows “minimal,” but we think they’re pretty grand.

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Annapolis Oyster Roast & Sock Burning

Mar. 24. Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second St., Annapolis. 12-4 p.m. $25-75. 410-295-0104. Every March, it’s worth the drive down I-97 for this spring tradition in the state capital. For the 40th year, celebrate the spring equinox with roasted oysters, live music, and an oddball sock burning (literally) in Annapolis to welcome the beginning of boating season (for brave, blanket-wearing souls) on the Chesapeake Bay.

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Crowning Glory: Art of the Americas

Mar.-Oct. 7. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Free. 410-547-9000. The exhibits at the internationally renowned Walters have long traversed the globe, from the tapestries of Medieval Europe to the textiles of the Middle East. In this new exhibit, the museum stays close to home with a collection culled together from North, Central, and South America. Some 20 objects spanning thousands of years will explore the two continents’ various cultures and their relationships to power, spirituality, and identity through head-worn decorations.

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Jimmy Buffett

Mar. 30. Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. 8 p.m. $52.50-152.50. 410-347-2020. For one evening at the end of the month, Baltimore will transform into the blue waters of the Florida Keys with the island-themed country-pop music of the legendary Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band. Whatever the weather—lion or lamb—imagine sun, sand, and margaritas in hand during this feel-good Friday night show.

If your NewsFeed is suddenly filled with 19th-century portrait paintings, you likely have the Google Arts & Culture app to thank. 

While the app itself—aimed to connect users to works of art and museums around the world—has been available since 2016, its new feature to match people’s selfies with famous works of art has only been available since mid-December. This past weekend, it became the most downloaded mobile app and celebrities from Kristen Bell to William Shatner have used it, successfully or not, to try and find their portrait parallels.

The new feature culls works of art from more than 1,200 museums in 70 countries around the world, including the Walters Art Museum here in Baltimore, which has a collection of 1,408 objects in the Google database. 

“These apps are great for bringing people into the museum,” says Walters’ director of curatorial affairs Amy Landau. “While it’s been immediately very popular with user-engagement, people have come to realize that it isn’t always successful.”

While many users have joked that their doppelgängers do them a disservice, Landau says, it raises a greater issue of people not feeling like they are being represented in artifacts of history, particularly when it comes to Asian Americans and African Americans. 

“What’s most interesting is the question the app raises about who is being represented and who is not,” Landau says. “And that speaks to museums like the Walters in its presentation and also in our acquisitions.”

Landau notes that the Walters is constantly in conversation about the issue of diversity and that the museum has always made an effort to represent different populations, as in the acquisition of Pietro Calvi’s bust “Othello.” The bronze and marble sculpture bears striking resemblance to Ira Aldridge, one of the first African-American actors in the 19th-century to play the famous Shakespeare role in Europe, and was acquired by the Walters last spring.

What the app also lacks, Landau says, is more context surrounding the works of art. When a user takes a selfie, the algorithm spits back up to five works of art with the name of the piece, artist, and museum location. 

“I think Google and museums can work more closely together so then you can get the story behind the image,” she says. “This is the kind of information a museum or docent would offer if you were physically present.”

However, the use of technology to bring traditional arts and culture to a new audience is something most institutions can get behind. In fact, Google estimates that more than 20 million selfies have been uploaded using the new feature, which has hopefully created new art fans along the way.

“While this app isn’t perfect, it’s important to keep in mind how significant experimentation is when it comes to museums and technology,” Landau says, “especially when it comes to bringing younger generations through the door.”

Animal Collective
Nov. 3. Rams Head Live, 20 Market Pl. 7:30 p.m. $25-28. 410-244-1131. It’s been more than 15 years since Animal Collective got together in Baltimore. Their otherworldly, electronic sound changed the indie music scene, and brought us memorable albums like Merriweather Post Pavilion and enduring songs like “My Girls.” This spring, they released their first new record in four years—an accomplished, colorful collection made just in time for summer. For one night this month, come out and support this local-turned-international band and hear the new tracks for yourself.

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Great Baltimore Oyster Festival
Nov. 5. West Shore Park, 501 Light St. 1-5 p.m. Free. 410-779-4700. After a successful inaugural launch, the Waterfront Partnership is back with its second annual Great Baltimore Oyster Festival. Benefiting the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor Initiative, the festival pairs an impressive array of Maryland oysters with local food trucks, beer, and wine on the waterfront. Slurp down shucks, listen to live music, and celebrate the rich waters of our Chesapeake Bay.

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Baltimore Blast
Nov. 5-Mar. 5, 2017. Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. Times & prices vary. 410-732-5278. Start the month off right by cheering on Baltimore’s most underrated sports team—the Baltimore Blast. Returning to their home field at the Royal Farms Arena as last season’s reigning indoor soccer champs, their jam-packed lineup includes evening matches against teams from across the country. With Lucas Roque and Tony Donatelli leading the charge, the Baltimore Blast is set to impress as they aim for yet another indoor championship.

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Charm City Fringe Festival
Nov. 3-13. Locations, times, & prices vary. With fall finally upon us, Baltimore’s bigwig theater institutions are back in full swing, but it’s once again time to celebrate the underdogs. At the fifth annual Charm City Fringe Festival, get to know the city and country’s independent thespians with nearly 20 productions across Hampden and Station North. For 11 days, enjoy off-center comedy and cutting-edge drama, plus ballet, puppetry, and magic.

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Ferocious Beauty: Wrathful Deities From Tibet and Nepal
Nov. 13-April 16. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 410-547-9000. See Buddhist deities in a new light through artworks of the Himalayas. Despite their at times intimidating appearance, these supreme beings used their fearsome power for good, protecting their followers from obstacles on the journey to spiritual enlightenment.

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Amy Schumer
Nov. 12. Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. 8 p.m. $47.50-113. 410-347-2020. Over the past few years, Long Island native Amy Schumer has skyrocketed to raunchy-humored stardom, but many Baltimoreans still like to claim the onetime Towson University student as one of our own. Luckily for us, even after a hit television series and a Judd Apatow-directed and LeBron James-starring film (that she wrote and starred in, too), Schumer hasn’t been a stranger. At a no-holds-barred show at her alma mater this spring, she joked about her days on campus, from freshman year and Greek life to heavy drinking and bad decisions. This August, in her bestselling debut memoir, The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo, she reprinted an angry journal entry from her early days at TU, some 15 years ago, followed by an affectionate footnote: “Baltimore is not bullshit; I grew to really love it.” This month, she returns to the heart of the city for one night of cringe-worthy memories and unapologetic humor.

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Bazaart Holiday Art Market
Nov. 26. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 410-244-1900. The holidays come early at AVAM each year with Bazaart, the museum’s annual shopping spectacular. Whether you’re grabbing gifts for family and friends or simply treating yourself, meet more than 40 regional makers selling paintings, sculptures, paper crafts, metalwork, jewelry, and textiles. Don’t miss the early bird preview day on Black Friday, Nov. 25.

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Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Nov. 26-Dec. 23. Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. Times vary. $20-64. 410-332-0033. Admire the brand new renovations of this Mount Vernon mainstay during the first play of the new season. Translated as Dangerous Liaisons, this scandalous French tale follows two aristocrats who start a twisted game of seduction, love, and betrayal. Some scenes from the 18th-century novel might feel familiar, as it inspired the 1988 film of the same English name and the 1990s pop-culture classic, Cruel Intentions.

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Miracle on 34th Street
Nov. 26-Jan. 1, 2017. 700 block of W. 34th St. 5-11 p.m. Free. Just like the iconic Hollywood movie, Hampden’s aptly named Miracle on 34th Street is a classic Christmas tradition. Celebrating its 70th year, the annual lighting is an eclectic display of hundreds of glittering holiday lights. Locally organized, this Charm City custom touts everything from dancing Santas and reindeer to Maryland crabs, Mr. Natty Boh, the Utz Girl, and the legendary hubcap tree. Join hundreds of locals and tourists alike to wander the street and soak up the sights. You’ll be sure to leave with a twinkle in your eye.

The new year is all about trying new things, making resolutions, and, most importantly, sticking to them. This January, challenge yourself to learn something new with one of these eight events.

Taste the City

JAN. 10: RA SUSHI LESSON
RA Sushi Bar Restaurant, 1390 Lancaster St. 2 p.m. $32-60. 410-522-3200. Learn the traditions of sushi, its cultural significance, and, of course, how to roll your own at RA.

JAN. 28: WINE & CANVAS
Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Hwy. 6:30-9:30 p.m. $40. 410-727-4808. Enjoy a glass of wine while you learn to paint a Ravens-themed masterpiece.

Get Moving

JAN. 1: NEW YEAR’S DAY RESOLUTION RUN
Patterson Park, 2638 E. Baltimore St. 2-6 p.m. $15-30. 410-308-1870. Start the year off right with a 5K through Patterson Park, finished off with a hearty chili dinner.

JAN. 5-26: GROUP TANGO CLASSES
Towson Dance Studio, 9486 Deereco Rd., Towson. Tues. 7 p.m. $65-70. 410-828-6116. Dance your January nights away with tango lessons in Towson.

See Something New

JAN. 20-MAR. 5: RAOUL MIDDLEMAN
C. Grimaldis Gallery, 523 N. Charles St. Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Free. 410-539-1080. Don’t miss prints and watercolors by this prolific contemporary American painter and MICA professor whose works have been shown at the Met, National Gallery, and BMA.

JAN. 21: MAKE NIGHT: INSCRIBING THE SELF, ISLAMIC BOOKBINDING
The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. 6-9 p.m. $25-35. 410-547-9000. Learn about the history of Islamic bookbinding and try it for yourself with help from bookmaker Kelly Laughlin.

Conquer Your Fear

JAN. 23: COMEDY TONIGHT!
Everyman Theatre, 315 W. Fayette St. 10 a.m. $100. 443-615-7055. Whatever your experience level, head to the local theater and partake in this comedy acting workshop with noted playwright Michael Hollinger.

JAN. 30-31: REPTICON
Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Rd., Lutherville-Timonium. Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $5-12. 863-268-8573. Forgo your fear of scaly, snaky things at this up-close-and-personal exhibition featuring hundreds of reptiles, exotic animals, vendors, activities, and informational seminars.

“I would hope that people would describe it as modern-traditional ‘shambolic,’ with an emphasis, perhaps, on the last word,” The Walters Art Museum’s executive director Julia Marciari-Alexander says with a laugh. She’s talking about the interior design of the four-bedroom Homeland house she and her husband, John Marciari, bought in 2013, which is, just for the record, anything but a shambles. But it’s clear the goal is simple: Forget the Joneses and just make the place comfortable for the home’s eight denizens, human and otherwise.

Those would include herself, her husband, 11-year-old twins Beatrice and Jack, plus a menagerie of pets: Pancake the bearded dragon and cats Smitten, Lovey, and Dovey. As for the modern-traditional, that comes in the form of what Marciari-Alexander lovingly calls a “mishmash” of furnishings and artwork: some brought from their last home, a custom-build in southern California, others handed down through family or picked up over the years, and some given or made by friends.

Almost all of it came with them when they packed up their West Coast lives and moved to Baltimore so that Marciari-Alexander could take over as the museum’s fifth executive director, the first woman to hold the post.

Though the timing wasn’t exactly planned, the landing in Baltimore was not quite surprising, either.

“When you’re a young, aspiring museum professional, people ask you what your five dream jobs are and one of mine was always the Walters,” says Marciari-Alexander, who most recently was deputy director of curatorial affairs for the San Diego Museum of Art.

But there was also an existing Charm City connection: Prior to her California stint, she spent 12 years in various roles at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, CT, and for three of those years, her husband was commuting to Baltimore to teach at Loyola University. And Marciari-Alexander got to know and love both the museum and the city. “So we were thrilled that we ended up back here,” she says.

Though they considered a few homes in Baltimore County, “we very quickly knew we wanted to be in Roland Park or Homeland,” says Marciari-Alexander. John Marciari knew the areas especially well: At Loyola, he’d taught a class on landscape architecture and gardens and often used Homeland—the creation of the two sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, America’s first landscape architect—as an example of neighborhoods that have park-like settings without looking overly designed.

In California, they’d gone for new construction, but their New Haven home had been a 1922 Colonial. “We loved the idea of coming back into a historic development that really reflected the idea around city planning,” says Marciari-Alexander. “That was really important to me, to be part of the city fabric and to support the city as a homeowner.”

The Homeland house turned up early on in the search, but though it seemed ideal, “we thought it was kind of out of our price range,” Marciari-Alexander recalls. The family’s search took them through a host of Roland Park Victorians—“big houses, small rooms,” she says—but they kept circling back. “We really loved this neighborhood and this house.”

A big part of the appeal to the two art-history aficionados was that it was designed in the early part of the last century by the darling design duo of Palmer-Lamdin—architects Edward Livingston Palmer Jr. and William D. Lamdin—and is one of the pair’s “Cotswold Cottages,” with a meandering layout, “destinational” rooms, and intimate interiors.

The elegant first floor seemed ideal for the occasional small dinners Marciari-Alexander hosts for work. And a third-floor space jokingly dubbed the “man garret” (since “man cave” isn’t quite right for the sunlit room, she says) seemed the perfect home office for Marciari, who was about to embark on a year-long book-writing project. (Mission accomplished: The finished work now sits on bookstore shelves and the family’s coffee table and Marciari has since moved on to a job as a curator and head of drawings and prints at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, commuting home on weekends.)

For Marciari, the quiet third-floor space was certainly alluring, “but the biggest selling point for us with the house was the classic design,” he says. “The combination of exterior stone and slate and the woodwork inside really appealed to us.”

There was another big plus, too: The home was not only move-in ready, but “the previous owners had refurbished the house and the similarity of their taste to ours was really striking,” says Marciari. Arts and Crafts-style touches like the Stickley-inspired built-in table in the breakfast nook, Stickley-inspired radiator covers, and the William Morris wallpaper were reminders of the home Marciari-Alexander’s parents had lived in (and of John’s time as curator of a Stickley exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art). Kitchen tiles inspired by Scottish artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh also caught their eye.

That she’d have little to do before moving in was a boon for Marciari-Alexander, who had just taken the helm of the Walters, where she faced the challenge of “following a terrific director.” The most daunting task was thinking about “new ways to view and talk about this collection that is so cherished by so many,” she says.

At home, the challenge was finding space for the couple’s significant collection of books (which leans, no surprise, toward art history) and marrying their home’s style with their eclectic collection of furnishings and art.

In the two-and-a-half years since they moved in, the Walters exec has continued the expansion of the museum’s digital collection and continued to help the public access the museum’s collection in new ways. At home, the family has gotten an even greater appreciation for the intimacy of the space. Says Marciari-Alexander, “We’re very much homebodies, so livability is really it.”

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Julia Marciari-Alexander in 30 Seconds

Age: 48

Early years: Grew up in Claremont, CA; completed undergrad studies in art history and French at Wellesley; earned a master’s and Ph.D. in history of art at Yale University, plus a master’s in French literature from New York University.

First knew art was in her blood: During a family trip to Rome while she was in 6th grade. “It was 1979, so the then-Pope was brand new. We went to mass in St. Peter’s. We’re not Catholic, but spending that day in St. Peter’s and experiencing how architecture and art and life can create these moments of wonder was a really formative moment in my life.”

Favorite book on her bookshelves: “All books by my husband, most recently his Italian, Spanish, and French Paintings Before 1850 in the San Diego Museum of Art (2015). This represents an important and entire chapter of our life together and all the people from that moment.”

Favorite piece of art at home: “My favorite changes every day. . . . I take great joy especially in the two watercolors by my twins that hang in my bedroom.”

Favorite corner of The Walters: The jewelry collection. “Maybe that’s a little bit obvious for a gender stereotype, but I love the fact that jewelry is one of the art forms that brings together artistic expertise, technology, materials, and what the zeitgeist was doing at the time.”

The Book of Mormon
Nov. 3-15. Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 12 N. Eutaw St. Times vary. $58.50-147. 410-837-7400. Simply put, The Book of Mormon is not for the faint of heart, but we heartily recommend you see it. Hailed “the best musical of this century” by The New York Times, the nine-time Tony winner and Broadway smash hit follows two young missionaries on their quest to convert African citizens to the Mormon faith. Throwing politically correct niceties to the wind, it tackles religion, race, and sexuality through satire, song-and-dance, and a dash of explicit language. From South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, it’s a bold, witty show unlike anything on the stage before it.

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Zadie Smith
Nov. 3. The Johns Hopkins University, Hodson Hall, 3400 N. Charles St. 6:30 p.m. Free. 410-516-6286. When we look back, Zadie Smith—alongside the likes of Jonathan Franzen, Michael Chabon, and Junot Díaz—will be one of the authors who helped define the beginning of the 21st century. Born in London, the young writer graduated from Cambridge before penning her remarkable, award-winning debut, White Teeth, in 2000. Tackling topics of race, identity, history, and culture through elegant prose, acute wit, flirting plotlines, and magic realism, her social dissection of modern London inspired critical comparisons to Charles Dickens, Martin Amis, and Salman Rushdie. This month, hear Smith discuss her writings as part of the President Speaker Series at JHU.

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Baltimore Blast
Nov. 7-Feb. 2, 2016. Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. Times & prices vary. 410-347-2020. Indoor soccer season is back, and its time to kick things off with our oft-overlooked hometown team, the Baltimore Blast, as they return to Royal Farms Arena at the beginning of the month. Starting with Saturday evening matches against Chicago, IL, Syracuse, NY, and Harrisburg, PA, see this year’s stellar lineup, with the top three point producers Tony Donatelli, Lucas Roque, pictured, and Pat Healey all back for another shot at the Major Indoor Soccer League championship.

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Jerry Seinfeld
Nov. 6. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. 1212 Cathedral St. 7 and 9:30 p.m. $65-155. 410-783-8000. What’s the deal with Jerry Seinfeld? In an era when it seems like every entertainer is trying to “expand their brand” and diversify into some kind of performer/diet guru/fashion designer/tech visionary/chakra healer, Seinfeld has, thankfully, kept it simple. Sure, he has made forays into film (the 2002 documentary Comedian; 2007’s animated Bee Movie), and yes, he can be found tooling around town with his funny friends in the delightfully idiosyncratic web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, but he has never strayed far from his core talent: He tells jokes and he does it well.

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Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, & Poets at the Great Islamic Courts
Nov. 8-Jan. 31, 2016. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 410-547-9000. thewalters.org. In this new exhibit at The Walters, explore the exotic treasures of the great Islamic empires with over 100 artworks dating back to the 16th century. Through three vignettes of paintings, ceramics, textiles, and luxuries, delve into their rich cultural history and discover the relationship between imagination, collaboration, and creativity.

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Charm City Fringe Festival
Nov. 8-15. Locations, times, & prices vary. Now in its fourth year, the Charm City Fringe Festival
returns to Station North to celebrate Baltimore’s diverse performing arts
community. Starting on Thursday with an opening party at Joe Squared, this
weeklong event features a medley of 20-plus performances by local and regional
talent, including Baltimore Improv Group, Baltimore Shakespeare Factory, and
Gilded Lily Burlesque. See theater, comedy, improv, and dance at venues like
Terrault Contemporary, Mercury Theatre, Gallery 788, and Church & Company,
followed by after-parties with shows, music, and drinks at Liam Flynn’s Ale
House and Joe Squared each night.

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Waterfowl Festival

Nov. 12-15. 40 S.
Harrison St., Easton. Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free-$15.
410-822-4567
. Head across the bridge
and celebrate the Eastern Shore for one fall weekend full of wildlife arts,
tidewater culture, and local activities in the historic town of Easton. Now in
its 44th year, the Waterfowl Festival attracts thousands for its esteemed
artwork, with paintings, photography, sculptures, and carvings on view and for
sale. Also, don’t miss its bucolic, bay-oriented activities, like goose- and
duck-calling contests, dock-jumping dog competitions, and retriever, live bird,
and fly-fishing demos, all of which you can observe or participate in.

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BSO Pulse: Wye Oak
Nov. 12. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. 5 p.m. $35. 410-783-8000. We have to hand it to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and WTMD for their cool new music series, Pulse. The pairing of BSO musicians with rising indie-rock bands creates one-of-a-kind concerts that connect the present to the past and takes another step in the symphony’s ongoing quest to evolve with modern times. In this second installment, see local duo Wye Oak perform a night of genre transcendence or listen live via 89.7 FM.

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Bazaart Holiday Art Market
Nov. 27-28. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy. Fri. 5:30-8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free-$20. 410-244-1900. This holiday season, it’s time to boycott the big boxes and instead buy your loved ones some unique local gifts. At AVAM’s annual holiday market, browse original works by more than 40 regional artists and craftspeople, including paintings, sculpture, paper crafts, metalwork, jewelry, textiles, and apparel, with early-bird shopping at the First Dibs preview party on Friday.

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Miracle on 34th Street
Nov. 28-Jan. 1, 2016. 700 block of 34th St. Free. 5-11 p.m. Christmas comes early in Hampden again this month, just as it has for the past 67 years. Shortly after Thanksgiving, the festive neighborhood tradition of Miracle on 34th Street returns with the entire block decking their digs in bright holiday lights, sporting everything from illuminated Bohs and Miss Utz to crabs, flamingos, and the famous hubcap tree. Through New Year’s Day, join the throngs of locals and tourists alike to get in the holiday spirit with this Baltimore classic.