Artscape’s changes met with early approval amid sunny weather and positive vibes
by Wesley Case
Published May 24 in The Baltimore Banner
After much discourse around the changes to this year’s Artscape, there was one thing Saturday seemingly everyone agreed on: It was gorgeous out.
“This is perfect weather,” said Keonda Adih of Baltimore. “I like it being this weekend because, if you don’t have travel plans, you have something free to do in the city.”
Artscape, Baltimore’s crown jewel of public festivals and the largest of its kind in the country, is turning a new page in 2025, with an earlier start date — Memorial Day weekend instead of the sweltering dog days of July — and a relocation from the Station North Arts District and Mount Vernon to downtown, a controversial decision by Mayor Brandon Scott intended to bring attention and foot traffic to an area that could use both.
Like many regular attendees of Artscape, I was curious how these changes would affect a beloved city event that dates to 1982. So, on Saturday afternoon, photojournalist Ulysses Muñoz and I took a stroll around the new footprint to talk to visitors and vendors about their experiences — and responses were overwhelmingly positive. Here’s what stood out.
Inside the War Memorial Building on North Gay Street, the inaugural Scout Art Fair earned rave reviews from visitors and participating artists.
The fair, curated by artist Derrick Adams and Baltimore Beat’s Teri Henderson, is a platform for local artists to display, explain and sell their work, while providing patrons a relatively affordable entry point into the world of art collecting. (All works are priced from $150 to $5,000.)
“This might be one of the most important things that’s happened in Baltimore, in terms of art, for the next 50 years,” artist Ainsley Burrows said. “Most of the people showing here today are artists with booths, and that doesn’t happen at art fairs normally.”
Sarah Koenig, The New York Times journalist behind the popular “Serial” podcast, purchased a print from a series called “Eileen’s Daughters” by Maryland Institute College of Art alumna Ciarra K. Walters. Koenig said she had walked through Artscape more than a decade ago but Saturday was the first time she had explored the event. She and her husband stumbled upon the fair after realizing both had never been inside the War Memorial Building.
“I think it’s smart that they’re doing it down here,” said Koenig, who described Artscape as a great experience.
Carmen Perkins is no stranger to art fairs, having attended Art Basel in Miami and Affordable Art Fair Austin. The Washington, D.C., resident was impressed by Baltimore’s offering.
“It’s great to see artists who are in our backyard,” Perkins said. “The art is affordable, and you can catch the evolution of the artist from, perhaps, earlier positions in their career and really see them grow.”
After last year’s Artscape was cut short due to thunderstorms and heavy wind, Monique Downs prayed every day this week for good weather. On Saturday, the Bowie-based painter was all smiles at her artisan market booth under the Jones Falls Expressway.
“I think I like this area better than last year,” Downs said. “Because this area is well known for the [farmers] market, I think the crowd is definitely better and bigger.”
Like other attendees, Downs praised the vibrant new murals painted on the concrete columns in recent weeks as part of Artscape’s Oasis Mural Project. The works — which feature black-eyed Susans, orioles, Monsteras and powerful women — add much-needed color to the site of the city’s weekly farmers market.
Although Artscape organizers have faced criticism for not allowing the farmers market to take place as usual Sunday, Baltimore native Setuch Adih said the trade-off is worthwhile.
“I know they were talking about the farmers market being pushed out, but I feel like, for a day, if you can get everybody in the same central setting together, why not do it? Because Baltimore rarely has had things like that. It’s kind of cool to see down here,” Setuch Adih said.
For many, the highlight of Artscape is often the music, and early on Saturday the event felt like a mini music festival along the green space in front of City Hall.
Erin and Scott Levitt of Annapolis brought their three kids to celebrate daughter Rosie’s eighth birthday.
“It’s really nice to be able to bring our kids in a safe space to interact with the environment,” Erin Levitt said. As an employee of Health Care for the Homeless, she had one reservation: “The thing that I’m a little bit hesitant about is there are a lot of people who actually live in this space who may or may not be displaced at the moment.”
On the main stage, the Baltimore performing arts company WombWork Productions spread poetic messages of Black love and power over African drums, while honoring Black Americans who were killed by police, including Freddie Gray and Tamir Rice.
Soon after, host Logan H. James got the crowd dancing to 803Fresh’s viral line-dancing hit, “Boots on the Ground,“ before the Latin American folk-dance program Jóvenes en Acción from Mexico brought lively choreography to the stage.
In the crowd, Anthony Bookman stood smiling with his 5-year-old son, A.J., on his shoulders. The West Baltimore resident has been coming off and on to Artscape for the past decade. This year, he’s excited to see the rap group Little Brother and R&B singer Fantasia, who’s closing out Saturday night.
What did he think of Artscape’s new downtown location? “This is actually better,” Bookman said. “It’s more accessible. It’s more open, you know? I actually like it.”
Artscape continues Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with Robin Thicke, Tanner Adell, Mike Thomas and others set to perform.
This story was republished with permission from The Baltimore Banner. Visit www.thebaltimorebanner.com for more.
