Baltimore is a fantastic wormhole full of surprising, interesting and shockingly deep projects, collaborations and creative businesses. I am never bored here.” and richness. These individuals, stories and projects consistently blow me away. When I read a story sent in by one of our contributors and I find myself in tears, I know we are onto something good. It’ s difficult to not be inspired by this work!
“
Baltimore is a fantastic wormhole full of surprising, interesting and shockingly deep projects, collaborations and creative businesses. I am never bored here.” and richness. These individuals, stories and projects consistently blow me away. When I read a story sent in by one of our contributors and I find myself in tears, I know we are onto something good. It’ s difficult to not be inspired by this work!
HOW does the art in Baltimore compare to what is happening in other cities around the world?
I travel a lot to conduct research— this means attending art fairs, museum exhibitions and gallery shows not just in Baltimore, but in Miami, New York, Memphis, San Francisco, Mexico City, Venice, and other art destinations. The art made in Baltimore is consistently high quality— the best of it can compete with the art I see on a global stage.
There are a number of artists whose careers are poised on the brink of much larger fame and success. Amy Sherald is a spectacular example, but she is not the only artist working at such a high and compelling level. Baltimore’ s artists are paying attention to larger trends and are typically ahead of the curve, so I see a lot of energy and ambition that is wellinformed by the larger, global art world.
HOW does being based in
Baltimore influence resident artists?
I know a lot of artists who moved to New York to elevate their careers, but found it too expensive to have a studio space or to find time to make their art. Baltimore is not perfect, but it does offer large and beautiful studios at a fraction of the cost, which allows for artists to take risks and make bigger projects. The art community in Baltimore has a lot of different factions, but art brings us together. We all value opportunities to work, play, perform and exhibit collectively, especially through artistrun initiatives, like independent theater, and nonprofit art spaces like Creative Alliance, Maryland Art Place and School 33 Art Center.
I think MICA plays a big role in the pool of talent that exists here, both in faculty and students, and I am pleased that MICA President Sammy Hoi has made it a priority to retain talent and to offer entrepreneurial mentorship opportunities. Also, there are a lot of grants and opportunities for artists here.
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