On April 16, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will present a focus exhibition of 35 rarely shown photographs by Baltimore-based artist Devin Allen. “Heavy with History: Devin Allen and the Baltimore Uprising” documents one of the city’s defining moments, capturing the raw emotion of the protests that followed Freddie Gray’s death while in police custody in 2015.
“Organized by Lisa Snowden-McCray, Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Baltimore Beat, this exhibition of powerful black-and-white images capture impassioned protestors, joyful children, wary police officers, and a collective righteous anger, pain, and advocacy for a different future,” reads the press release. The exhibition will mark the tenth year since Gray’s arrest and death.
Freddie Gray, 25 years old and African American, was arrested by Baltimore City Police for possession of a knife on April 12, 2015. During his arrest and transport, police inflicted fatal injuries on Gray resulting in his being taken to R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He died seven days later, on April 19, 2015.
His arrest and subsequent death touched off the Baltimore Uprising, a series of largely peaceful protests in Baltimore, which turned to unrest on April 25, resulting in dozens of arrests, injuries to at least 20 police officers, one day of public schools being closed, and two postponed Orioles games, the third being played in a stadium completely devoid of fans. U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D, 7th District) famously walked into the heart of the angry crowd with a bullhorn, half-demanding, half-imploring that the protestors channel their anger into respect for Gray’s memory and his family’s pain, by putting an end to the violence.
Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency on April 27, deployed the Maryland National Guard to the city and established a 10 p.m. curfew, which lasted until May 3 when the Guard began to withdraw.
The six officers involved in his arrest were suspended, and the medical examiner’s office ruled Gray’s death a homicide because police failed to safely buckle him in the back of the van, per safety procedures recently put into practice. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s office filed charges against the officers, ranging from illegal arrest to second-degree depraved-heart murder. One trial ended in a mistrial, three officers were acquitted, and charges against two officers were dropped.
In addition to the rarely shown photos from April 2015 in Baltimore, the exhibition by Devin Allen includes a soundscape featuring voices from the Baltimore Uprising for visitors to listen to while they are in the gallery.
“Devin Allen’s photographs are evocative, poignant, and magnetic. They draw you into a critical moment in time, reflecting a raw and shared humanity,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “We are honored to collaborate with Lisa Snowden-McCray to present these significant works as we remember Freddie Gray and the Baltimore Uprising and to capture the resilience and beauty of our city in the face of incredible sadness and trauma. Heavy with History is part of our institutional commitment to platform the voices of our community, and we look forward to inviting people into the museum to experience the exhibition.”
“Heavy with History: Devin Allen and the Baltimore Uprising” will be on view at the BMA through June 22, 2025.
The BMA is located at 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD.
