Create Baltimore has announced the winner of the 2026 Municipal Art Society of Baltimore (MASB) Artist Travel Prize and 2026 Free Fall Baltimore grantees, which include both Baltimore City individual artists and small arts organizations.
The 2026 MASB Artist Travel Prize winner is Chukwudumebi “Chuks” Amadi-Emina, a Nigerian (Igbo and Yoruba) American multidisciplinary contemporary artist based in Baltimore, Maryland. The $8,000 prize is meant to fund travel that would be considered crucial to an artist’s studio practice but otherwise financially out of reach. Within a year of returning from the artist’s funded travel, they must offer a public-facing presentation showcasing new work created either during the travel or because of their travel experience.
MASB Board of Directors chose Amadi-Emina’s proposal because of how essential his proposed travel would be to his practice. “Crossroads” is a research-based art project focusing on the history and relationship of his parents, who come from two different Nigerian ethnic groups. His mother is Yoruba from Ogun State, and his father is Igbo from Delta State. He has never been to either of his parents’ homelands. “Crossroads” examines how both histories shape who he is as a Nigerian American.
“Through this travel research project, I will deepen my understanding of my parents’ histories and cultures by tracing their lineages, visiting their birthplaces, and engaging with the people and landscapes of my ancestors for the first time in my life,” Amadi-Emina said. “This opportunity comes at a pivotal moment in my artistic development, as I prepare to begin my Master of Fine Arts in Lens-Based Media at the Willem de Kooning Academy in the fall of 2027. Receiving this travel grant would allow me to enter the program with a foundation of firsthand research and lived experience, equipping me to develop Crossroads with greater historical depth, cultural understanding, and artistic rigor. Photography and text are the storytelling mediums through which Crossroads will unfold, as I believe they are uniquely capable of capturing both the contemporary and historical nuances that define this project.”
Barbara Hauck, director of arts council programming at Create Baltimore, is excited to see how Amadi-Emini’s travel to Nigeria will deepen his practice and inspire him as an artist and person.
“It’s always a good day when we get to put money in artists’ hands,” Hauck said. “Baltimore’s creative community deserves that support and we’re happy to deliver it through partnerships with organizations like the Municipal Art Society of Baltimore and grant programs like Free Fall Baltimore.”
Studio photography and digital collage 30×30. 2022. Via Amadi-Emina’s @artbychuks Instagram page.
Free Fall Baltimore expands accessible arts programming with free concerts, dance and theater performances, festivals, lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, and other special events during the month of October. Create Baltimore makes this possible by providing $1,500 grants to individual artists and small arts organizations to be able to offer these events to the public completely free of charge.
The individual artists who will receive 2026 Free Fall Baltimore grants include: Chabria Cannaday, Maria Celleri, Kelly Jo Chartier, Lynne Streeter Childress, Andrea Conte, Amber Daniels, Tesha Davilmar, Roscoe Davis III, Akio Evans, Alana Guzman, Rae Hample, Ayana Harris, Dr. Dajaneil McCree, Albert Phillips, Jr., Rhonda Robinson, Gianna Rodriguez, Kristyn Rohrer, Wayman A. Scott, Wasaba Sidibay, Shelby Switzer, Christen Taylor, Susan Tuberville, Nasia Turner, Marissa Vazhappilly, Angel Wilson, and Olufunmike Woods.
The small arts organizations who will receive 2026 Free Fall grants include: CityLit Project, Creative Nomads, DC Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Keur Khaleyi African Dance & Cultural Institute, Highwire Improv, Make Studio, and Muse 360.
Many of Baltimore’s larger arts and cultural institutions and organizations participate in Free Fall, too, even though they are not eligible for grants. They offer free arts and cultural events included on the Free Fall calendar.
Free Fall Baltimore is a citywide celebration held every October in conjunction with National Arts and Humanities Month. It is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council.
