First and Franklin Presbyterian Church is expanding its annual “Prelude to Pride” concert to include not only music, but art and community impact with a curated art auction and fundraiser benefiting AIDS Action Baltimore.
The “Prelude to Pride” concert will take place on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 3 p.m. to help launch Baltimore’s Pride month. It will be part of The Spire Series and Art Under the Spire, the church’s signature concert series and art gallery, respectively. No tickets are required, and donations are accepted. All proceeds from the concert and auction will support AIDS Action Baltimore, which provides HIV prevention education, testing, and community-based services in Baltimore City.
Chapel doors will open at 2 p.m. so visitors can get a sneak preview of the artwork and make some early bids. The concert will begin at 3 p.m., and the Live Art Auction and Reception will follow from 4:30–5:30 p.m. Bidding on auction items will close officially at 5:15 p.m.
More than 20 artists will contribute their work for the auction, representing a wide range of styles and perspectives. Award-winning painter Joan Cox and acclaimed photojournalist Joe Giordano are among them. Cox has had a solo exhibition at First and Franklin in June 2025, and more recently, at the Immortal Queer Art Fair in Mexico City, Mexico. Giordano co-hosts the podcast “10 Frames Per Second” with Molly Roberts, he was a finalist for the National Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Prize, and his work from the “Struggle Civil Rights” series is in the permanent collections at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. The artwork of Cox, Giordano, and many of the others reflect the diversity and vibrancy of Baltimore’s creative community.
Art-lovers eager to help their communities do not have to wait until June 7 to begin viewing and bidding on the art, however. Online bidding will open on Sunday, May 31, and close on Sunday, June 7 at 12 p.m. The final online bid will serve as the opening bid during the live auction.
For more information about the “Prelude to Pride” concert and art auction, including online bidding details and how to contribute, visit the First and Franklin Presbyterian Church website.
