Visitors to Baltimore’s Top of the World Observation Level typically spend much of their time looking out the window – at panoramic views of the city below.
But starting this week they have a new reason to look around inside the building as well.
The popular attraction on the 27th floor of the World Trade Center Baltimore is now the setting for an art installation by Creatively Black Baltimore that features works by African American artists from the Baltimore area.
Approximately 40 paintings by local artists now line three walls of the gallery, which is Baltimore’s equivalent to observation decks in New York, Chicago and other cities. The paintings have been mounted on interior partitions and don’t block any views from the five-sided building, considered the world’s tallest regular pentagonal tower.
It’s the second location for Creatively Black Baltimore, which opened on Sept. 28, 2024, as a “temporary” tenant of Harborplace in the space previously occupied by Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum and still occupies that spot. With 12,000 square feet of space – room to display nearly 500 works by more than 100 artists — it has been described as “the largest regional exhibition of Black art.”
MCB Real Estate, the owner of Harborplace, has plans to tear down the two Harborplace pavilions at Pratt and Light streets and replace them with a mixed-use development containing two apartment towers, offices, shops, restaurants and open space. To help activate the pavilions and draw visitors to Baltimore’s waterfront while it finalizes its plans and lines up financing, the company provided space to short-term tenants who agree to move out when MCB is ready to begin construction.
Creatively Black Baltimore is the largest of the tenants that moved in knowing they would eventually be asked to move out. It’s led by Larry “Poncho” Brown, who serves as the exhibition curator; Paris Brown, publisher of The Baltimore Times, and Joy Bramble, the founder, publisher emeritus and owner of The Baltimore Times and mother of MCB managing partner P. David Bramble.
‘More than an exhibition’
“Creatively Black Baltimore is more than an exhibition; it’s a movement that celebrates the richness and diversity of Baltimore’s Black artists,” the Baltimore Times representatives said when the Harborplace location opened in 2024. “We wanted to create a platform where these incredible talents could shine and inspire.”
“CCB is not to be compared to a museum or gallery show,” the curator said in 2024. “This is something new and refreshing. We are embarking on a new way of celebrating our craft, our vision, and our contribution to the art world. I am blown away by the response to this effort. It’s clear that we are on to something.”
As MCB got closer to starting construction of its replacement project at Pratt and Light streets, the organizers of Creatively Black Baltimore looked for another location where they could continue displaying works by African American artists. The operators of the Create Baltimore, formerly the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, offered exhibition space at the Top of the World observation level at 401 E. Pratt St., one of the venues that it operates for the City of Baltimore
The World Trade Center building, primarily an office tower, is owned by the State of Maryland and operated by the Maryland Port Administration, which has its headquarters there. Creatively Black Baltimore began installing art works at the Top of the World this week and plans an official opening later this fall, but visitors can see exhibition now.
In effect, the exhibition represents a new chapter for Creatively Black Baltimore, whose organizers started at Harborplace but now want to grow from there. It signals a desire on their part to work with others wherever possible to showcase the work of African American artists in nontraditional settings — creating a new sort of roving museum reminiscent of the former Contemporary Museum that was founded in Baltimore in 1989 by George Ciscle.
“Creatively Black Baltimore is an initiative to heighten awareness of Baltimore’s creative artists by collaborating with partners to provide exhibition space and a platform for artists that traditionally do not have one,” says an ‘exhibition statement’ on view at the Top of the World.
“It showcases artists, presenting a diverse cross-section of talent from emerging, mid-career and established artists. The only requirement for participation was that artists reside in or have worked in Baltimore; all other limitations were removed.”
Emphasizing equitable participation and engagement, the statement continues, “the exhibition eliminated the jury process, allowing artists to submit their work regardless of experience level. The exhibition does not adhere to the traditional rules of museums or galleries but allows for full expression of the artists. Some participants are professionals, while others are exploring their artistic paths. Our goal is to provide a venue where all can be seen together in a pop-up environment.”
Showing work in nontraditional settings, rather than a museum, is a key part of the concept, the exhibitors note.
“Creatively Black Baltimore presents art in nontraditional settings as a growing expression that art can help us think, heal and thrive,” the exhibition statement says. “Being located in downtown Baltimore enables youth groups and the community to plan events with the Creatively Black Baltimore exhibition as the backdrop. Visitors are often surprised to discover the abundance of African American talent in the city…[T]his presentation showcases the breadth of talent in Baltimore. Together, we reimagine Baltimore’s Inner Harbor as a place that celebrates the city’s creativity.”
Representing African American culture
A Baltimore native, Larry Brown began his career as a signwriter at 17 and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art. His work, featured in national publications and television shows, has been recognized for its powerful representation of African American culture. He also leads philanthropic initiatives such as Raising the Arts, and he received the 2024 “Best Visual Artist” award from The Baltimore Times.
Brown credited Robyn Murphy and Tia Goodson of Create Baltimore for suggesting the Top of the World location and making the exhibition possible. He said Creatively Black Baltimore will stay at Harborplace as long as it can – the start of construction has been pushed from this fall to early 2027 — and that the Top of the World location will be its primary space when it has to leave the Light Street Pavilion.
Brown acknowledged that the Top of the World space has room to display fewer works than Harborplace does — about 40 compared to nearly 500 in the Light Street Pavilion — and said he had to make decisions about what to display in the new location.
He said the artwork on view at the Top of the World is a mix of works that are brought from Harborplace and works that haven’t been shown before by Creatively Black Baltimore. He and Goodson said Creatively Black Baltimore will have the space for a year and that Creatively Black Baltimore is considered an exhibit at the Top of the World, not a tenant.
Brown said Creatively Black Baltimore intends to showcase the same three categories of artists at the Top of the World that the Harborplace location does – emerging, mid-career and established creators. He said Creatively Black Baltimore put out a call for artists who want to have their work on display at the World Trade Center and he envisions having three shows over the next year. One way that he’s determining what to present in the new space, he said, is that the Top of the World exhibition won’t include any works that show nudity.
Formal opening in October
Brown said a formal opening for the Top of the World exhibition will most likely be held in October and that Creatively Black Baltimore is also planning special events and gatherings, similar to the ones it has held at Harborplace.
The Top of the World charges admission, whereas Harborplace doesn’t. Under the current arrangement, visitors who want to see the art on display there are required to buy a ticket. All of the works at Harborplace are for sale, and so are the works at the Top of the World. “We welcome and appreciate your support of this project,” the exhibition statement says.
Brown said opening an exhibit at the Top of the World is a full circle moment for him. He said he was working as a sign writer in downtown Baltimore on July 2, 1980, the day Harborplace opened. Without knowing it, he said, he was several blocks from the spot where 100,000 people gathered to celebrate the occasion. Now, from the 27th floor of the World Trade Center, he’s able to look down on Harborplace and will be able to watch its demolition.
Brown said he’s grateful to MCB for giving Creatively Black Baltimore the first space to display works by African American artists, which led to the Top of the World exhibit.
“African American artists have had a challenge of finding wall space in Baltimore,” he said. “I can remember when African American artists couldn’t get into Artscape. This has been a way to address that.”
Since 2024, “we have had thousands of people coming to see Creatively Black Baltimore,” he said. “Without MCB, none of this would have happened.”
Brown said he believes the new exhibit will give people another reason to visit the Top of the World and another way to learn about Baltimore and its residents in addition to looking out the windows.
“Art has always been a great means of communication,” he said. “This adds to the experience.”
Now that the Top of the World exhibit is on view, he said, he wants to keep going and find other venues in the city to display works by African American artists. One possibility may be the city-owned War Memorial building on Gay Street, which is transformed to an indoor gallery every year during Artscape.
“The city has lots of buildings, he said. “My goal is to align with Baltimore City to be sure we always have at least two locations.”
As for the pending closure of Harborplace and the exhibit there, Brown said he isn’t sad.
“I look at it as a beginning, not an ending,” he said. “It sets the stage for us to move on to other locations. We want to expand and have as many partners as we can.”
Create Baltimore (www.promotionandarts.org) is a nonprofit organization that serves as the city’s arts council and works to cultivate the city’s creative economy through programs, events and other activities. The Top of the World Observation Level (www.viewbaltimore.org) is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays; from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, and it’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Ticket prices are $8 for adults; $6 for seniors 60 or older and patrons with a military ID; $5 for children aged 3 to 12, and free for children under 3. Ticket sales end half an hour before closing.
