BmoreArt’s Picks: January 23-20
This Week: Baltimore Clayworks studio tour with Victoria Walton, Elizabeth Talford Scott reception at MICA, EMBODIMENT opening at MAP, The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad at 2640 Space, Constructed Stories & Fabricated Forms opening at Gallery 220, Baltimore Butterfly Sessions at Baltimore Center Stage, Temporary Boyfriend + Ari Voxx at The Club Car, Phaan Howng at the Smithsonian, and Lior Modan opening at CPM — PLUS a bonus edition of 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!
Baltimore Clayworks Studio Tour with Victoria Walton
Tuesday, January 23 :: 12:30-1pm
@ Baltimore Clayworks
Ceramic artists are at the heart of Baltimore Clayworks. Artists are at the center of the mission of Baltimore Clayworks, and provide the organization with talent and innovation to inspire our community and to enliven the artistic impact of ceramics in our region. Their professional and personal networks provide a kaleidoscope of interactions with peers, galleries, and academic institutions, which keep the organization at the forefront of contemporary ceramic art.
Victoria Walton b. 1994 is an emerging visual artist based in Baltimore. They have an MFA in Ceramic Art from NYSCC at Alfred University and a BFA with a focus in ceramics from Towson University. Victoria explores the wonder and complexity of Black identity, creating large-scale sculptures and video works that center the narratives of women and gender-expansive people. Walton draws from their own life: reflecting on the intersection of her identities and ongoing battle with her health. She further investigates the impact that historic societal factors and personal experiences have on the individual and the Black community, making multi-layered connections between clay and the body.
Transcending Tradition: The Art of Elizabeth Talford Scott, and the MICA Quilt Group | Reception
Thursday, January 25 :: 5-7pm
@ MICA Decker Gallery
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Exhibition Development Seminar and its groundbreaking exhibition Eyewinkers, Tumbleturds, and Candlebugs: The Art of Elizabeth Talford Scott.
In Scott’s earlier work, though the quilts were utilitarian, they were magnificent in color, shape and historical significance. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that she began pushing traditional quilting boundaries by incorporating a variety of fabrics and fibers to see her ideas come to completion. These quilts formed from unconventional objects combined with fabric create a sense of awe and wonder for the viewer. Her multi-layered work pushes the idea of what a quilt or any fiber piece can look like and what can be used in its making.
By examining the contemporary, collaborative work of the MICA Quilt Raffle Group we see the same play of materials within their pieces. Some follow traditional quilt patterns that have been used for generations while others incorporate objects in surprising ways.
Many of these quilts were made during the pandemic, when being in community and experiencing wonderment were especially needed. Elizabeth Talford Scott’s statement “Take what you have, make what you want” was especially relevant to this group’s methodology. Creating quilts together led to the investigation of traditional forms. Ultimately, they started working virtually, making a collective space, and finding power in the shifting landscape.
This exhibition, focuses on the idea of transitioning from quilts as a medium, to what they might become as stand-alone fiber art pieces. Through an array of materials, the pieces challenge long standing traditions thus expanding possibilities in fiber arts.
Location: Decker Gallery (Fox Building, Floor 1, Glass doors to the right of Cafe Doris)
On View: January 25 – March 10, 2024
Reception: Thursday, January 25, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Major support for “No Stone Unturned” provided by the Bunting Family Foundation and Friends of EDS.
Community Day is supported by Lorraine Whittlesey & Markell Whittlesey.
Printed and digital materials are supported by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund.
The Closing Reception is supported by Carol and Jerry Doctrow.
In-kind support is provided by the Estate of Elizabeth Talford Scott at Goya Contemporary Gallery.
EMBODIMENT | Opening Reception
Thursday, January 25 :: 6-9pm | Ongoing through March 23
@ Maryland Art Place
On View:
January 25th – March 23, 2024
Reception:
Thursday, January 25 | 6 pm to 9 pm
Merkin Dream Fashion Show II | Kenn Hall
TBA
Maryland Art Place is proud to announce EMBODIMENT, a group exhibition celebrating artwork about the human body. Bodies are anchors to the physical world. Through sensory experiences, they are the vehicle through which we negotiate our surroundings, inform our identity, and thus dictate how we participate and engage with spaces and others (real or imagined). The human form, historically and anthropologically, speaks to culture, ritual, religion, familial practices, symbolism, spirituality, mortality and more. It is a subject that has continuously informed artworks – a journey of constant rediscovery.
EMBODIMENT seeks to unveil the shared human experience by transcending cultural and societal boundaries, exploring the ever-evolving dialogue between art and the human condition. The focus is not on solving the mysteries of identity, but unraveling how artists use the human form to mutually discover the narratives it reveals about ourselves and others. This curated collection of works serves as a celebration of diversity, delving into the myriad ways we express ourselves, inhabit our bodies, and navigate the complexities of the human condition, reflecting our vested interest in articulating its intricacies and complexities. Join us on Thursday, January 25th for an opening reception from 6 pm to 9 pm.
Merkin Dream II, MAP’s second incarnation of a fashion show highlighting handmade merkins (pubic wigs) with guest designer Kenn Hall. As in Merkin Dream I, the fashion show confronts sex work as work, the commodification of women, body image, digital euphoria, performance, absurdity and humor. Details TBA.
Maryland Art Place is located at 218 West Saratoga St. Baltimore, MD 21201
Read more of this week’s picks at BmoreArt.
