Baltimoreans don’t have to wait until November to see a painting by the renowned artist Amy Sherald in the city. There’s a billboard-sized mural of her work that’s visible on the west side of the SNF Parkway Theatre at 5 W. North Ave.
‘Equilibrium’ is the title of the mural, which depicts a woman balancing on a tightrope, dangling a heart-shaped locket from one hand. Printed on vinyl, with a vibrant red-orange background, it’s a supersized version of an oil-on-canvas painting by Sherald that’s part of the collection of the U.S. Embassy in Senegal.
Sherald painted ‘Equilibrium’ in 2012, six years before she became famous for creating the official portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama for the National Portrait Gallery. The Parkway Theatre mural is owned jointly by the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) and the Station North Arts District.
Transformative Art
BOPA commissioned the mural in 2014 as part of its Transformative Art Prize program, supported by Baltimore’s housing department and PNC Bank to “enliven underutilized public spaces through high-impact, community-driven public art projects.” It allocated $28,000 for the commission.
The mural took four days to install above a McDonald’s drive-thru lane and was dedicated in a ceremony with former Mayor Catherine Pugh on Aug. 21, 2018. It shows Sherald’s signature use of grisaille to portray skin tones, a painting technique that employs monochromatic shades of gray, or sometimes brown, to create the illusion of three-dimensional forms. For her, it’s a way of challenging conventions about skin color and race.
At the time of the installation, Sherald had graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art, had a studio in Baltimore, and was gaining widespread attention and acclaim in the art world. Her mural was expected to remain on display indefinitely.
Today, Sherald lives in New York and is internationally known for her stylized portraits of African-Americans. Her works sell for millions. Over the past year an exhibit of about 40 of her paintings, entitled “Amy Sherald: American Sublime,” has been touring the country, with stops last fall at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and earlier this year at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
On Nov. 2, the exhibit will open at the Baltimore Museum of Art and remain on display until April 5, 2026. “American Sublime” was originally scheduled to open this fall at the National Portrait Gallery, but Sherald cancelled the show in July due to concerns about censorship. She has said she learned that museum officials were considering removing one of her paintings, “Trans Forming Liberty,” which depicts the Statue of Liberty as a Black trans woman. The BMA’s directors heard about Washington exhibit’s cancellation and offered space in the museum’s contemporary wing instead.
A coup for Baltimore
City arts leaders said in 2018 that it was a coup for Baltimore to gain a prominent work by Sherald, who once waited on tables at the BMA’s restaurant and later became part of its board of trustees.
“The inclusion of the mural, ‘Equilibrium,’ created while Ms. Sherald was an artist working in this city, underscores the caliber of the creative community here in Baltimore,” said Krista Green, BOPA’s interim cultural affairs director at the time. “The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts is fortunate to have the opportunity to mark this space for her, and… proud to produce programs like the Transformative Art Prize.”
Sherald was chosen to complete the mural for Station North before she got her first big break by winning first prize in the Smithsonian’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition in 2016, said Cassandra Miller, at that time the managing director of the Motor House arts center, where Sherald had her studio..
“Having a mural by such a Baltimore art star in Station North is evidence of the neighborhood’s exciting place in and for the city’s creative community,” Miller said. “It’s a tangible reminder of Amy’s social and historic significance, and of what our city’s artists can accomplish, whether they were born here or simply flourished here.”
Sherald mused about searching for equilibrium after the Transformative Art Prize was awarded in 2014.
“Embracing an in-between state is an ideal situation in which we open our hearts and our minds and walk the line in search of equilibrium,” she said in a statement published by Baltimore Style magazine. “Pointing to our own hearts to discover what is true isn’t just a matter of honesty, but also compassion and respect for what we see in each other around the world.”
‘Equilibrium’ was originally supposed to go on an exterior wall of the J. Van Story Branch Jr. apartment tower on 20th Street, but installation was delayed due to renovation work on that building and a change in ownership.
Ultimately, Station North planners had to find another location for the mural and selected the Parkway. Then they had to wait for the theater’s renovation to be complete and for approval by the Maryland Historical Trust, which has an easement on the exterior.
BMA Ball & After Party
The BMA also has a work by Sherald in its collection, entitled “Planes, Rockets, and the Spaces in Between.” But because it’s part of the traveling ‘American Sublime’ exhibit, it’s not currently on view at the museum.
In addition to the exhibit, Sherald will be honored with one of the museum’s “Artist Who Inspires” awards at its 2025 BMA Ball & After Party on Nov. 22. Tickets to the BMA Ball are sold out, but After Party tickets are still available online for $125 until Oct. 17 and $180 after. The After Party starts at 9 p.m. with music from DJ Ty Alexander, dancing, late-night bites, and an open bar.
Last year’s BMA Ball drew more than 600 guests and raised a record $1 million to support the museum’s exhibitions, educational programs and community partnerships. Another ‘Artist Who Inspires’ award will go to Wangechi Mutu, and the ‘Changemaker Who Inspires’ Award will go to the Sherman Family Foundation, in honor of the late George Sherman.
“The BMA Ball has become one of the most anticipated events of the year,” said James D. Thorton, Chair of the BMA’s Board of Trustees, and Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director, in a joint statement.
“The museum’s program to honor artists, advocates, and philanthropists with local and global ties has galvanized our supporters — from the record-breaking fundraising last year to the incredible outpouring we’ve already received this year. As the largest art museum in the state, and an important voice in the national contemporary art scene, we are celebrating the groundbreaking achievements of our honorees, as well as the unique ways art and art education at the BMA empower our communities.”
More information about the BMA is available on its website, www.artbma.org.
