This Week: Qrcky // Damani Washington // Murjoni Merriweather opening reception at Bromo Arts Tower, Pride Film and Poetry Mixer at the Lewis Museum, Julia Glatfelter opening reception at the Peale, Chris Jay at the Walters, Tola’s Room hosts a Puerto Rican summer party, Lania D’Agostinio // Scott G Brooks // Douglas Johnson artist talk at Gallery Blue Door, and the BMA’s Midsummer Night’s Gala — PLUS residency and fellowship deadlines approaching at Pyramid Atlantic and more featured opportunities!
BmoreArt’s Picks presents the best weekly art openings, events, and performances happening in Baltimore and surrounding areas. For a more comprehensive perspective, check the BmoreArt Calendar page, which includes ongoing exhibits and performances, and is updated on a daily basis.
To submit your calendar event, email us at events@bmoreart.com!
Emerge: This Is Baltimore Too | Opening Reception
Thursday, June 22 :: 6-8pm
@ Bromo Arts Tower
Join us at the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower for the captivating “This Is Baltimore Too” exhibition, an extension of the renowned Emerge Baltimore series. From June 22nd to September 24th, immerse yourself in the historic galleries and discover the incredible works of rising artists.
Step into the multimedia world of Qrcky, where the fusion of Black diaspora sensibilities and urban spaces takes center stage. With a contemporary and mesmerizing approach, Qrcky’s pieces, predominantly in black and white, invite contemplation and exploration.
Delve into the abstract figure paintings of Damani Washington, a Baltimore native whose artistic journey took a unique path. Despite facing health challenges while studying at the Savannah Institute of Art and Design, Washington embraced his role as a stay-at-home dad, raising his autistic daughter. Over 15 years of nurturing and devotion, he has created a collection of images that are both breathtaking and haunting, unraveling a deeply touching narrative of a father’s love, understanding, and profound patience.
Experience the powerful works of Murjoni Merriweather, whose sculptures and video art aim to challenge and dismantle stereotypes. As a Black woman artist, Merriweather recognizes the potency of art as a means to create dialogue and understanding surrounding Black culture.
Join us in celebrating these artists and their unique perspectives as they use their talent to shape conversations and transcend boundaries. “This Is Baltimore Too” invites you to engage with art that captures the essence of the city and challenges conventional narratives.
PRIDE Film and Poetry Mixer: How the Boogeyman Became a Poet featuring Tony Keith Jr., Candice Iloh, and the Baltimore International Black Film Festival
Thursday, June 22 :: 6-8pm
@ Reginald F. Lewis Museum
Mix and mingle at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum with afro futuristic exhibits, poetry, short films, music, and refreshments during Baltimore Pride Week. The evening kicks off with a series of short films exploring themes on same gender love, coming of age, parental acceptance, and bullying screened by the Baltimore International Black Film Festival. A talk back about coming of age and growing into their own personhood will follow.
Tony Keith, Jr., Ph.D. and Candice Iloh will then present poetry and literary readings from their works, On How the Boogeyman Became a Poet and Everybody Looking. Dr. Keith shares original stories and poems and performs spoken word about his journey towards being an openly gay Black man in America.He discusses key moments as a teenager when poetry protected him from racism, poverty, homophobia, and white supremacy. In Candice Iloh’s debut novel in verse, Every Body Looking, college and the newfound independence it brings launches 18-year-old Ada from her conservative upbringing into a discovery of what she wants.
Anthony R. Keith, Jr, Ph.D. is a Black, gay, spoken word artist, poet, Hip-Hop educational leader, and writer who produces academic and community-based scholarship about the politics of Black language, and the possibilities for Black intellectualism to disrupt White supremacy in American education. Tony is a multi-year fellow and grant recipient of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities from his hometown of Washington, D.C., where he lives with his husband, Harry Christian, III.
Candice Iloh is a first generation Nigerian-American writer, dancer, and author of the 2020 National Book Award finalist and 2021 Printz Honoree, Every Body Looking. They have performed their work around the country, most notably at Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City; the Women in Poetry & Hip Hop celebration at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore; and as part of the Africa In Motion performing arts series at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.
The Baltimore International Black Film Festival (BIBFF) promotes and celebrates culturally significant films directed, produced, and starring African Americans and members of the African Diaspora. They also prominently feature and celebrate films with content of interest to the Same Gender Loving – Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (SGL-LGBT) community. Their mission is to couple the film festival with education, health, and exhibition programs that enrich life in Baltimore City and the greater Washington, D.C.; Maryland; and Virginia communities.
You Be Safe Now by Julia Glatfelter | Opening Reception
Friday, June 23 :: 5-7pm
@ The Peale
You Be Safe Now is a retrospective exhibition of art made in Baltimore. For the past 5 years, Julia Glatfelter has captured moments in paint and cut paper collage – rendering the colors and noticings of our city. The result is a large collection of everyday images: magnolia blossoms, “no shoot zone” signs, narrow alley streets, and foxtrot patrols. What we notice sets the tone for our experience here. What do you notice in Baltimore?
As a person who creates images of place by what she sees – this collection is the artists’ honest perspective of the beauty, the dull and the heartbreaking views. Absorbed in the sights, residents often receive a common departing prayer from strangers. “Be safe,” they say. When you check out at the corner store, “be safe” they call out. After mumblings with a neighbor at the bus stop, “get home safe now,” they say. That wish wraps you in a hug and scares you all at once. It reminds you to use caution, seek beauty and to pass on the same wish to others. After 5 years of living and loving in this city, Glatfelter is moving. As she leaves, this exhibition is her departing wish to all who might view it. You be safe now.
Artist Bio
” I grew up on the green hills of Southeastern Pennsylvania. My earliest memories are of playing in the sun with my siblings – chasing each other through labyrinths of trees. We regularly attended the Brandywine River Museum, “home of the Wyeths” and I lived among realistic depictions of my county by an American great, Andrew Wyeth.
My art practice is a trail of places I’ve been and the people I’ve been with. By making, I preserve the memories and experiences I’ve had.Through the use of limited color and breathable space, I invite viewers to see the truth of things that have happened to me and perhaps them too.
Currently, I make art among the beauty of Old Lutherville, and I also teach art to young children in Baltimore City Public Schools. This summer, my family is relocating to Alexandria Virginia where I will continue making and teaching art.”
Read more of this week’s picks at BmoreArt.
