Global Sister Cities Exhibition Explores the Role of Art in
Civic Leadership
Baltimore, MD—May 29, 2014. Center Stage’s newest Fourth Space initiative, Global Sister Cities, connects Baltimore and five international cities to examine the impact of art in the civic sphere.
This exciting video installation aims to catalyze public discourse through art and will be on display May 31-June 29. The exhibition showcases international artists’ filmed reflections of their own cities and explores subjects ranging from post-industrial trauma to the ability of dance to help heal communities. Center Stage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah welcomes the Baltimore community to participate in this celebration of artists who are redefining civic leadership.
Global Sister Cities is free and open to the public during performance times for Wild with Happy. From May 31 through June 29, the installation off of Center Stage’s Deering Lobby will showcase performance videos created by five international artists about their city.
On Saturday, May 31, a kick-off event and live-streaming conversation will be held at Center Stage between civic leaders in Baltimore and leaders in Reykjavik and Durban. The launch event will take place at 1 pm on Saturday, May 31, and is free and open to the public. Reservations for the launch are encouraged.
“We are excited to engage in this global conversation, and to work with so many talented artists,” says Kwei-Armah. “We will be bringing right into our lobby an international discussion of how the arts can comment on, and impact, the challenges in their cities, and opening up that conversation to the people who make those changes here in our great city of Baltimore.”
Global Sister Cities is a groundbreaking global adventure in The Fourth Space, Center Stage’s digital initiative dedicated to the intersection of technology, media, and the performing arts. Extending the reach of The Fourth Space through a global conversation, Global Sister Cities connects Baltimore audiences with five peer cities across the world: Durban, Glasgow, Ho Chi Minh City, Detroit, and Reykjavik. Exploring the role of art in public discourse, Global Sister Cities asks artists and communities, “How is your city responding to today’s challenges, and what is the role of art in shaping new ideas and solutions?”
The following videos and artists make up the Global Sister Cities installation:
Stepping Into Freedom
Doung Anwar Jahangeer
Durban, South Africa
Choreomania
Choreography Reykjavik
Reykjavik, Iceland
Lost Detroit: the Politics of Urban Decay and Urban Renewal
Jimmy Keys
Detroit, North America
Everyone’s A Winner, Baby!
Fish & Game
Glasgow, Scotland
Strangers’ Land
Tran Minh Duc
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Global Sister Cities Launch Event
Saturday, May 31, 1 PM
Participate in a lively discussion of the role of art in public discourse at a unique Global Sister Cities kick-off event this Saturday, May 31 at 1 pm. The live streaming symposium will feature dialogue between artists and civic leaders from participating cities Durban and Reykjavik, and their counterparts here in Baltimore.
Take part in this digital town-hall discussion between the Baltimore community and civic leaders from Reykjavik, Iceland and Durban, South Africa. Participants will include artists, city leaders, activists, and community members who will engage in a collaborative exploration of the role of art in civic innovation.
The kick off event will also include a live performance art installation by contemporary painter Michael Owen, the creator and lead artist of the Baltimore Love Project. Beginning at 1 pm, Michael will explore the word “home” and focus on what makes a place a home. More information on the special event, including a list of participating civic leaders and a schedule of live conversations, as well as reservation details, will be available at www.centerstage.org.
Center Stage is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges, and universities for arts activities. Funding for the MSAC is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Center Stage’s 2013-14 Season is made possible by Season 51 presenting sponsor M&T Bank. Maryland Public Television is a Media Partner for Center Stage’s 2013-14 Season.
About Center Stage
Under the leadership of playwright, actor, and director Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE (Artistic Director) and national arts leader Stephen Richard (Managing Director), Center Stage is an artistically driven institution committed to engaging, entertaining, and enriching audiences of today andtomorrow through joyous and bold performance. Hailed by The Wall Street Journal as “a model of what regional theater can and should be,”Center Stage has, for more than 50 years, dedicated itself to exploring new works and bringing classics to life. This rich history is marked by critically acclaimed new works that have shaped the American theater; from the Tony Award-winning The Triumph of Love to World Premieres such as Miss Evers’ Boys by David Feldshuh and On the Verge by Eric Overmyer. In 2013, Center Stage’s unprecedented presentation of the Tony Award-winning Clybourne Park in repertory with the World Premiere of Kwei-Armah’s Beneatha’s Place sparked dialogue, drew international media attention, and became the subject of a nationally broadcast PBS documentary, “A Raisin in the Sun Revisited: The Raisin Cycle at Center Stage.” With its signature focus on civic and community engagement, Center Stage, The State Theater of Maryland, enters its second 50 years with a commitment to exploring how art and entertainment communicate in the 21st century and to igniting conversation in Baltimore and beyond.
