BMORE Inspired at Station North Arts District

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

If you’re looking for an art-centric destination that is more than a one-stop shop then consider spending your day in the Station North Arts District. Located in the heart of the city, Station North has something for everyone—even the non-designer in your life.

Founded in 2002, Station North is the home of the first State designated Arts & Entertainment District in Baltimore. One of 22 in the State of Maryland, the five block radius that is Station North is home to dozens of projects, installations, local galleries and cafes. While it’s hard to pick just one, here are a few of the highlights.

Open Walls
For the street art fan, the neighborhood is scattered with large, vibrant wall murals as part of the Open Walls project. Kicking off in 2012, Station North joined forces with local artist Gaia to produce the project, which features nearly two dozen murals and art installations.

Tapping the talents of local and global artists of all backgrounds and nationalities, the project succeeded at and surpassed its goal of invigorating the city and bringing art into a community that would otherwise have just another exposed brick wall. Over two months, Open Walls earned several “Best Of” awards from the Baltimore City Paper as well as features in the Washington Post and New York Times.

Credit: <a href="http://stationnorth.org/" target="_blank">stationnorth.org</a>
Credit: stationnorth.org

More than three years after its inception, the murals can still be found and admired by the public. Spanning several blocks surrounding North Avenue, Open Walls makes for a great self-guided tour. A catalog of the project is also available from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) bookstore.

The Charles
For the movie fan, consider seeing a show at The Charles Theater. The 1150-seat historic, multi-screen theater shows new releases as well as classics, as part of its revival series. The building itself was designed in 1892 by architect Jackson C. Gott and went through many purposes in its life, including a streetcar barn, library and ballroom. Even through its 100+ year lifespan, the integrity of the main auditorium remains mostly untouched since it was originally dubbed the Times Theatre in 1939. The Charles is also home to family friendly anime and movie nights.

Credit: <a href="http://thecharles.com/">The Charles</a>
Credit: The Charles

Red Emma’s
The Station North Arts District is also home to several local eateries too. If you are in the mood for house roasted coffee and an all vegetarian menu, consider stopping by Red Emma’s.

Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicknormal/">Nick Normal</a>
Credit: Nick Normal

On the corner of Maryland and North Avenues, Red Emma is not just a coffee shop. Owned by its employees, Red Emma’s houses a bookshop, complete with radical, small press books, as well as regular schedule of community fueled talks, workshops and author events. Promoting a “no-hate, everyone is welcome” environment as one of their core values, Red Emma’s makes for a relaxing stop within the Arts District.

This post is part 3 of our “Bmore Inspired in Baltimore” series. See part 1 and part 2 here.

Image Credit: stationnorth.org

Shannon Crabill is an HTML Email Developer at T. Rowe Price. Outside of the Internet you can find her riding her motorcycle and binge-watching home improvement shows on HGTV. Tweet her at @shannon_crabill.

BMORE Inspired at the AVAM

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

If you’re looking for somewhere to go in Baltimore to satisfy your desire for the unconventional, look no further than the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM). The AVAM, located at 800 Key Highway in Federal Hill, is the place to go to see art that you might not see anywhere else.

The museum was established in 1995 as a place to display and preserve outsider art and has been designated by Congress as the national museum for self ­taught art. Even a cursory glance will tell you that this is no ordinary museum, as visitors are greeted with a stunning mirror mosaic on the exterior walls. The AVAM’s other permanent installations include the Giant Whirligig, a massive, wind ­powered, outdoor sculpture; the World’s First Family of Robots, a collection of robots made from salvaged parts of old electronics; and Baltimore Painted Screens and Row home Theater, a historical tradition and folk art born right here in Baltimore.

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Image Credit: Erica

Each year, the museum holds one main exhibition embodying a particular theme, ranging anywhere from We Are Not Alone Angels and Other Aliens to The Marriage of Art, Science, and Philosophy to The Art of Storytelling: Lies, Enchantment, Humor, and Truth. The AVAM describes its current exhibit, The BigHope Show, as:

“An original and unabashedly idealistic art exhibition that champions the radiant and transformative power of hope. Over twenty ­five visionary artists, among them many “super survivors” of enormous personal traumas, exhibit soulful creations reflecting their personal transcendence, and, often, a heightened or newfound creativity and sense of humor.”

The Big Hope Show runs until September 4, 2016. In addition to their regular exhibits, the AVAM is regularly involved in community efforts, often sponsoring local artistic events, such art car events and the annual East Coast Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race.

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Image Credit: callison-burch

The AVAM’s dedication to unconventional art makes it a quintessential Baltimore landmark. Anyone with an artistic side would do themselves a disservice to not visit this one of a kind museum.

This post is part 2 of our “Bmore Inspired in Baltimore” series. See part 1 here.

Image Credit: Andrew Hazlett

Mitch is a volunteer copywriter for AIGA Baltimore. In the real world, he’s usually indulging in
gaming of some kind, controller or dice in hand. Find him on Twitter at @mc_mittens.

BMORE Inspired by Local Arts Events

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Designers and creatives of all kinds visiting Baltimore will find that the city has a long tradition of supporting
the arts and so regularly hold events in that vein. The warmer months in particular allow visitors to take in
these events and festivals while wandering our beautiful city. Three such events are the Maryland Film
Festival, Artscape, and the Kinetic Sculpture Race. (But, we’d be remiss if we didn’t also mention the
newcomer festival in Baltimore, Light City.)

Artscape
Artscape is an annual festival that takes place in the areas surrounding Baltimore’s centrally located Penn
Station. It is the country’s largest free arts festival, hosting hundreds of artists of just about every variety.
Visual arts exhibitions can be found throughout the festival, at specific locations or even in the streets,
featuring fine art, fashion, crafts, sculpture, art cars, photography, and more.

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Credit: Chris Dilts

Artscape also features plenty of
performance art, including theater, opera, dance, film, live music concerts, and even performances from the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The festival is one of the highlights of the summer for Baltimore residents
and visitors alike. Artscape 2016 will be held from July 15­–17, and you check their website for details on
specific events.

MD Film Festival
Going into it’s 19th year, the Maryland Film Festival has continually fostered local
and international film and video work of all lengths and genres. There are screenings over five days every
year in the first week of May at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA),
and the soon­to­be­restored Parkway Theater. Baltimore’s most legendary filmmaker John Waters picks a
favorite film every year to introduce, too, and he’s as hilarious, uncouth, and as witty as you’d imagine.

Kinetic Sculpture Race
Although already past for this year, the Kinetic Sculpture Race is one of Baltimore’s most distinctive events.
Hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum, the race challenges entrants to custom build amphibious
human­powered vehicles to race through the city. The races takes eight hours and covers 14 miles, leading
racers through several Baltimore neighborhoods, parks, and even into the Inner Harbor itself.

Credit: Ben Mason
Credit: Ben Mason

The first ever Kinetic Sculpture Race took place in 1969 in Ferndale, California, though the races now take place is several places across the country. The first Baltimore race took place in 1999, when AVAM founder Rebecca Hoffberger heard about the California race on television. Since then, the AVAM has not only sponsored the event, but also participated, racing Fifi the giant pink poodle every year since 2001. Fifi has become the race’s mascot and is on permanent display at the museum. Vehicles are built to resemble
anything from a giant crocodile to a Rube Goldberg mousetrap. Words don’t really do justice to the creativity
that racers have in building their vehicles. You can find pictures of vehicles from each year’s race on their
website.

Though these are three of the most distinguished large­scale Baltimore events, they are only a very small
sample of what our city has to offer visiting designers. AIGA Baltimore’s own Annual Design Week, held the
3rd week of October each year, is sure to entice visiting and local designers alike. And you can always
check out the city’s events calendar to find something to suit your tastes. Baltimore is a city that has something
for everyone!

This post is part 1 of our “Bmore Inspired in Baltimore” series.

Image Credit: kineticbaltimore.com

Mitch is a volunteer copywriter for AIGA Baltimore. In the real world, he’s usually indulging in
gaming of some kind, controller or dice in hand. Find him on Twitter at @mc_mittens.

A recent transplant from Texas by way of NYC, Andrea Chen is happy to call Baltimore her home. She’s a
graphic designer at T. Rowe Price, owns her own company the codex club, and loves to knit, cook, and
garden. Tweet her @andreachen3d.