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)