The Brew’s Spring Short List
A calendar of what’s cool & coming up
Above: “Superwoman Complex” part of artist Mina Cheon’s show, opening at Maryland Art Place on Thursday.
This is a new arts and events feature we’re road-testing. Please send event info and feedback to editors@baltimorebrew.com
THURSDAY, APRIL 5
SECRET LIFE OF OPERA SINGERS: Mezzo-soprano Stephanie McGuire promises an intimate, uncensored look at the struggle between an opera singer’s private and public life in a free performance of her solo operatic theater piece, Mezzo Laid Bare. A mash-up of classical recital and downtown theater that mixes traditional recital repertoire, operatic arias and monologue, the show promises to weave “sex, opera, doubt, Handel, Strauss, dreams, delusions, gender, race and more. (The program warns that “Mezzo Laid Bare” is not suitable for children younger than 13.) At 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Baltimore Museum of Art. RSVP to Katie Cook at 410-516-5581 or kcook16@jhu.edu.
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11
ROOFTOP COCKTAILS IN PIGTOWN: As part of their ongoing efforts to encourage home-ownership in city neighborhoods, LiveBaltimore is throwing a series of “pop-up” events, including this one at 805 Scott Street, in Pigtown. It’s meant to also highlight Barre Circle, Ridgely’s Delight, Hollins Market and Union Square. This and other pop-ups start at 11 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. (They ask participants to RSVP. For more information, contact info@livebaltimore.com. 410-0637-3750.)
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FRIDAY, APRIL 13
SOME DEGENERATE EVENING: “She Had Style, She Had Grace” is a celebration of Open Walls Baltimore, a street art project in Station North and the Entertainment District has drawn recognized artists from around the world. Organizers say the opening night event “works with themes of leisure, professionalism, beauty, business and success with cocktails, décor, atmosphere, and attitudes exploring the balance between working hard and playing hard.”
Detail from one of the Open Walls Baltimore murals, by Overunder. (From photo by Martha Cooper, for Open Walls)
The climax is a clash of the terpsichorean Titans, a Baltimore vs. Philadelphia Dance Battle. Presiding over the celebrations is Ellen Degenerate, “a mistress of faded glamor, an aging rocker, divorced trophy wife, and wearer of fabulous gowns ruined by falling asleep with a lit cigarette.” Program 8-11:30 p.m. Area 405, 405 East Oliver Street, Baltimore.
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SATURDAY, APRIL 14
LITERARY LIGHTS: The Enoch Pratt Free Library and the CityLit Project sponsor a day-long celebration of the literary arts. The CityLit Festival’s featured authors include: Walter Isaacson, bestselling biographer of Steve Jobs; Benjamin Busch, “Wire” actor, former Marine infantry officer and author of memoir, “Dust to Dust.”
Author Neela Vaswani will be at the CityLit Festival at the Pratt. (Photo by wemixed.wordpress.com)
Also appearing will be Jennifer Bodine, author of latest book of her father’s images, “Bodine’s City: The Photography of A. Aubrey Bodine;” Nora Pierce, author of the novel “The Insufficiency of Maps”; Poet Derrick Weston Brown; and Neela Vaswani, 2011 winner of the American Book Award and author of “You Have Given Me a Country.” The Pratt Library, 400 Cathedral St. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
THE FASTER I GO THE BEHINDER I GET: Join the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen for a very important date at the Creative Alliance’s Alice in Wonderland-themed Marquee Ball. Preview Dinner, 6-9 p.m. Ball 9 p.m. to midnight. There will be art auctions, performances and the masters of Motown, the Bellevederes, for the dance party. The CA will honor arts lawyer Scott Johnson with “The Golden Formstone Award” and recognize Terry Meyerhoff Rubenstein for her family’s Lifetime Achievements in the arts. For ticket prices, more information, email info@creativealliance.org or call 410-276-1651.
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18
BALTIMORE FROM THE GROUND UP: A panel discussion hosted by author Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson at MICA’s Brown Center, part of the lecture series, ThinkMake: Exploring the Art and Craft in Architecture and Design. The panel includes Pete O’Shea of Siteworks Studio; Keith and Marie Zawistoski, Associates AIA; and others. All AIABaltimore lectures begin at 6 p.m. and are followed by a reception. Brown Center, 1300 Mt. Royal Avenue. www.aiabalt.com.
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SATURDAY, APRIL 21
NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES: Opening reception at the Spur Gallery in Hampden for solo show “Swords Buried Deep” by Brooklyn illustrator Benjamin Marra, the creator of underground comic books including “Night Business,” “Gangsta Rap Posse” and “The Incredibly Fantastic Adventures of Maureen Dowd: A Work of Satire and Fiction,” which turns the sassy New York Times columnist into a curvaceous superheroine. Marra’s work has been called “compellingly absurd” by Comics Alliance. Spur Gallery, 3504 Ash Street, Hampden, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
"The Incredibly Fantastic Adventures of Maureen Dowd," a comic by Benjamin Marra, who has a show at the Spur Gallery.
WHOLE LOTTA ART: The 20th Annual Lotta Art Benefit features juried art by local artists who have donated their work to benefit the School 33 Art Center. Art ticket holders are guaranteed to go home with a work of art in this lottery-style drawing, organizers say. Cocktail buffet and art viewing begins at 6 pm, drawing at 7:30. Silo Point, 1200 Steuart Street, Baltimore, MD 21230., 443-263-4350.
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SATURDAY, MAY 5
MICA MASTERS BENEFIT ART SALE
This annual benefit art sale offers a chance to browse and buy affordable works of art from students in the Mount Royal School of Art, Hoffberger School of Painting, Rinehart School of Sculpture, M.F.A. in Graphic Design, M.F.A. in Photographic & Electronic Media and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Fine Arts programs. A percentage of the proceeds from the event will support a graduate-specific scholarship. The sale, which includes a reception, is a rare opportunity to visit the Maryland Institute College of Art’s studios and facilities of the College’s graduate programs. Studio Center—a former JoS. A. Bank factory undergoing a $20 million renovation to be completed in fall 2012—serves as an anchor to the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. Saturday, May 5, Noon–4 p.m., Studio Center, 131 W. North Ave.
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THURSDAY, MAY 10
ARTWALK 2012 -Tour the MICA galleries, mingle with the world’s most talented emerging young artists and fellow art enthusiasts, and discuss the students’ artwork at the preview party for the 2012 Commencement Exhibition. ArtWalk guests can purchase work by graduating seniors before the exhibition opens to the public at this visually energizing 3-kilometer walking tour installed in seven buildings along the Mount Royal Cultural Corridor.
From Artwalk 2011, at MICA.
Between tours and after the exhibition closes at 8 p.m., guests are invited to relax and enjoy casual dinner fare and have a glass of wine with the student artists. Thursday, May 10, 5–9 p.m., Campus-wide, starting at Cohen Plaza, 1303 W. Mount Royal Ave. For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit mica.edu/artwalk. Limited space available.
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FRIDAY, MAY 11
HOPE AND GLORY – Opening of the four-day 2012 MICA Commencement Exhibition highlights works by nearly 400 emerging artists in the undergraduate class of 2012. The College’s permanent galleries, hallways, classrooms and open spaces are transformed into one expansive gallery space, giving each student a chance to show a substantial body of work. Programs of study: animation; ceramics; drawing; environmental design; fiber; general fine arts; graphic design; illustration; interaction design and art; interdisciplinary sculpture; humanistic studies; painting; photography; printmaking; and video and film arts. Special gallery hours: Friday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Saturday–Monday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Campus-wide. Reception: Sunday, May 13, 1:30–5 p.m. www.mica.edu.
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SATURDAY, MAY 12
BUYING INTO BALTIMORE WEST: The semi-annual LiveBaltimore home event, held annually at Baltimore Polytechnic High School, returns, with narrated bus tours of city neighborhoods, home buying workshops, meetings with realtors and lenders, discussions with neighborhood associations and lenders. Registration opens April 11. info@livebaltimore.com. 410-0637-3750.
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SATURDAY, MAY 26
ZOOBREWSKI POINT: Opening day of BB&T Bank’s two-day “Brew at the Zoo” event, the annual outdoor festival at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore at the Waterfowl Lake Pavilion. This fun, family-friendly event provides guests with the chance for unlimited sampling of a diverse assortment of local and national beers and wines, while absorbing some local live music.
The band line-up this year features six bands: Dagmar & The Seductones, Flow in the Dark, Old Man Brown, The 8-balls, Jah Works and the Kelly Bell Band. There will also be a Kids’ Zone, visits from the Zoo’s animal ambassadors and of course the opportunity to tour the Zoo and visit with all your favorite (party) animals. Time: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets include Zoo admission, and are on sale at www.marylandzoo.org.
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GALLERY & ARTIST EVENTS
Maryland Art Place, 8 Market Place, Suite 100, May 3 – June 30.
POLIPOP AND PAINTINGS: MINA CHEON – Mina Cheon’s solo exhibition includes 14 digital paintings coming from her celebrated mid-career solo exhibit Polipop (Political Pop Art) at the Sundkok Art Museum in Seoul, Korea. The exhibit will also include her enormous hand-painted work, “15 Billion Years,” a celebration of popular science and the cosmos. Cheon calls it her masterpiece. The show is opening on May 3rd, with an Artist’s Talk at 6 p.m. and Reception from 7 – 9 p.m. 410-962-8565
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SCHOOL 33 Art Center, 1427 Light St., March 6 – May 16
“WALK THE LINE” – Art by Mary Anne Arntzen, Christina Barrera, Nancy Bruce, Michelle Carollo, Jeanne Heifetz, Artemis Herber, Erika Kim Milenkovic, Jordi Williams (in the Main Gallery). RECENT WORK by Christian Parks, recent work. (In the Members’ Gallery.) A CAPTIVE BEHAVIOR, by Becca Pad and Lauren Nikolaus (in the Project Space).
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SILO POINT LOBBY, 1200 Steuart Street, April 27 – May 25
THE CONSISTENCY OF MOTION: KELLY WALKER– Walker‘s abstract paintings are alive with color, texture, and movement. Her work reflects the techniques, textures, and patterns she employs as a professional decorative painter, which allows her the freedom to push the boundaries of the medium. Her artwork has been featured at numerous venues in and around Baltimore, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, Goucher College, James L. Pierce Framing Gallery, Patrick Sutton Home and Silo Point. Opening reception on May 12, 7-11 p.m.