This Week: IN Series: Desdemona/Othello at Baltimore Theatre Project, Katrina Sánchez Standfield and Tinglan Huang’s exhibition Woven: Art, Craft, and Healing at Gallery CA, Abdu Ali will be in dialogue with Dany Chan at the Walters, Bria Sterling-Wilson, Christopher Batten, Zach Wade, and Mitchell Noah at Bromo Arts Tower, Exploring Presence: African American Artists in the Upper South opening reception at the James E Lewis Museum of Art (JELMA) at Morgan State University, UMBC hosts The Maryland Arts Summit, Anacostia Portraits tintype sittings at Honfleur Gallery, Sight Unseen with Christopher Harris and Meg Rorison at SNF Parkway, and B-Side Pride Fest at the Farmer’s Market — PLUS Young Blood call for submissions at Maryland Art Place and other 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!
Desdemona/Othello
Tuesday, June 8 + Wednesday, June 8
@ Baltimore Theatre Project
An epic theater experience in two evenings. Audiences experience Toni Morrison’s shattering and meditative play Desdemona, told with the music of the immortal Nina Simone, featuring world-renowned crossover soprano Claron McFadden. The work comes to life within a sculpture installation by renowned visual artist Maya Freelon.
Audiences then take in an audacious reimagining of Verdi and Shakespeare’s Othello, with new musical “sea-interludes” composed and performed by Matthew Evan Taylor and in an all new English poetic treatment by Andrew Albin, featuring the searing images of British visual artist Keith Piper. Multifaceted artist Maribeth Diggle takes the role of Desdemona in both evenings.
COVID Policy: All patrons must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Please bring a proof of vaccination (either the original vaccination card, or a photo of the card) along with a valid I.D.
All guests must wear masks while inside Theatre Project. Seating will be limited.
If you have any COVID-associated symptoms the day of the show, please do not attend.
**Tickets are non-refundable.
*Tickets are also available at the door beginning 45 minutes prior to each show.
Woven: Art, Craft, and Healing | Reception
Thursday, June 9 • 5-7pm | Ongoing through June 30
@ Gallery CA
Woven: Art, Craft, and Healing is an exhibition that will focus on community engagement and learning methods of dealing with the effects of mental illness through fiber crafting therapy. Opening at Gallery CA in Baltimore, MD, on June 7th, and on view through June 30th, 2022, this exhibit welcomes audiences of all kinds, but focuses on African American communities in Baltimore—which research indicates are the most in need of access to mental health care. Woven features works by Katrina Sánchez Standfield and Tinglan Huang, two artists who use textiles for material exploration, cultural expression, and introspection. With forms ranging from traditional tapestries to woven sculptures and interactive installations, curator Yéjidé Washington opens a conversation to break down stigmas around mental health within Black communities and create safe spaces for contemplation and healing.
The exhibition includes a hands-on workshop that invites audiences to immerse themselves in fiber crafting and fiber craft therapy. Both the exhibition and the workshop aim to dispel stereotypes attached to fiber crafting: Younger Baltimore audiences may view knitting, crocheting, and weaving as hobbies for the older generation. Some may have never been exposed to these crafts at all. This exhibit reintroduces fiber crafting as a vibrant, contemporary creative medium and an effective tool for dealing with depression and anxiety.
Katrina Sánchez Standfield is an interdisciplinary textile artist born in the Republic of Panama and currently living and working in Charlotte, North Carolina. With an interest in texture, color, and touch, Katrina is inspired by both the history of textiles and its intrinsic connection to humanity. She creates works that explore social experiences and are often viewer interactive. Katrina received her BFA in Fibers from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Tinglan Huang is a mixed-media sculptor who was born and raised in the south of China. She received her MFA from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and her BFA in animation at LuXun Academy of Fine Arts, China. She is currently in a nine-month residency program at the Textile Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY.
Baltimore native, curator, artist, and travel enthusiast Yéjidé Washington earned her MFA in Curatorial Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and her BA in history from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Yéjidé’s research and professional goals are to develop new tools for treating mental health through engagement with fiber art.
Queering the Collection: Gender Fluidity and Buddhist Deities
Thursday, June 9 • 6-7pm
@ The Walters
Gender fluidity can be traced back several centuries and across cultures. In Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara (Chinese: Guanyin) is a gender-fluid bodhisattva, or divine being, who has put off enlightenment in order to first help humanity. In this program, multidisciplinary artist and community activist Abdu Ali will be in dialogue with Dany Chan, Associate Curator of Asian Art at the Walters, in a unique event that combines art historical and artistic perspectives of this deity. This conversation between curator and artist will expand understanding of images of Avalokiteshvara on display in the Walters collection and will connect to contemporary viewpoints about gender fluidity and representation.
Visitors will meet at the Centre Street entrance lobby or Upper Charles Street entrance lobby. Note: The closest accessible entrance to the program location is the Upper Charles Street entrance lobby.
Registration required. Capacity is limited.
