BmoreArt

This Week: Ira Glass and David Simon in conversation at MICA, High Zero Festival at the Theatre Project, Deborah Brown English book launch at The Ivy, Maryland Opera performs at Peabody Library, Jen White-Johnson artist talk + reception at Julio Fine Arts, curatorial talk + reception for Picturing Mobility at UMBC, Baltimore Jewelry Center’s farewell to Shane Prada, Disability Pride Art Market, artist talks + receptions for two new Joy Davis curated exhibitions at Gormley Gallery, Jamal Moore performs at the BMA, and The Great Detour performance at Bogus Gallery — PLUS apply for a culinary artist residency at Ox-Bow and more featured opportunities!

BmoreArt’s Picks presents the best weekly art openings, events, and performances happening in Baltimore and surrounding areas. For a more comprehensive perspective, check the BmoreArt Calendar page, which includes ongoing exhibits and performances, and is updated on a daily basis.

To submit your calendar event, email us at events@bmoreart.com!

 

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< Events >

 

The Art of the Story: A Conversation With Ira Glass and David Simon
Tuesday, September 16 :: 6:30-8pm
@ MICA Brown Center

Join us on Tuesday, September 16, at the Brown Center at the Maryland Institute College of Art for The Art of the Story: A Conversation with Ira Glass and David Simon. This special evening will feature a live, unscripted conversation between Ira Glass, the legendary creator of This American Life, and David Simon, journalist and creator of The Wire.

Together, Ira and David will talk shop, story, and Baltimore. The conversation will be followed by an open audience Q&A, offering guests the chance to engage directly with two of the most influential voices in modern media.

This event is hosted by The Baltimore Banner in partnership with WYPR. Advance registration is required.

Please note that the event will be on the record, and may be photographed or recorded for future use.

 

 

High Zero Festival
Thursday, September 18 | Ongoing through September 21
@ Baltimore Theatre Project

High Zero is the premier festival of Improvised, Experimental music on the East Coast, being fully devoted to new collaborations between the most inspired improvisors from around the world.

Lasting two weeks in total, the festival brings together 22 core musicians, but also involves a much larger subculture of musicians in Baltimore and on the East Coast. Unlike many related festivals, High Zero is not narrow in terms of sensibility or subculture, but rather widely inclusive of all the different types of experimental music-making in the moment. The fact that half of the festival’s core participants are from Baltimore speaks to the depth of Baltimore’s experimental music subculture, which in recent years has grown to be one of the richest cities in the country for experimental art.

The festival has a unique structure. HIGH ZERO is focused solely on new collaborations in freely improvised experimental music. Internationally famous musicians play side by side with younger “unknowns,” united by their commitment to the musical imagination. Each year, Baltimore becomes a fertile meeting-ground for a large group of inspired players, drawn from a fascinating international subculture.

The festival exposes large audiences to this radical music in its pure form. Large-scale public concerts, recording sessions, workshops, and guerilla street performances are all part of the heady mix. The players are carefully selected by the festival’s organizers for their intense, unique music, whether it is based around dramatic intensity, humor, specially designed instruments, original approach, raw sound, or nearly superhuman instrumental technique. The resulting collaborations challenge the limits of music and delight by their audacity, expressiveness, immediacy, and innovation. It isn’t about stars or established projects; it is about the most uncompromising and stimulating new improvised music we can bring together.

To say the High Zero Festival is an unusual event is an understatement. Not only does the festival intend to provide the audience with extremely varied, inspired and ingenious experiences, it is also a major challenge for the improvisors, who are put in contexts where their stock personal musical languages may not work, pushing them into terra incognita.

This year’s festival again promises to be the best yet, with new performers and unpredictable music. We hope to see you at the High Zero Festival, and hope that you will spread the word to anyone you think might be interested!

 

 

Book Launch for Deborah Brown English: TIME’S BREATH (with Martha Anne Toll)
Thursday, September 18 :: 6-8pm
@ The Ivy Bookshop

The Ivy invites you to a book launch for a one-of-a-kind debut novel: Time’s Breath by Deborah Brown English! The novel includes the author’s own paintings and illustrations in oil and graphite, and this form itself participates in the story, which opens with the discovery of a book within the remains of a small Norwegian boat. She will be joined in conversation with accomplished author Martha Anne Toll.

Over the course of Time’s Breath, the story emerges in both words and pictures to create a storytelling style at the intersection of the timeless and the contemporary.

We look forward to hearing the author’s perspective on her unique creation, and hope you will join us to hear more.

TIME’S BREATH will be available for purchase at the event.

Click here to RSVP

Deborah Brown English grew up on Maryland’s Upper Eastern Shore, and originally intended to be a fiction writer, studying English and creative writing at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She graduated from MICA with honors in 1985, and her work has been exhibited in Maryland at Steven Scott Gallery, Paper Rock Scissors, the Annual Gala Show of the Choral Arts Society of Baltimore, the Academy Museum, and at the former Sales and Rental Gallery at the Baltimore Museum of Art; as well as in galleries in Pennsylvania and Nebraska. She and her husband, Philip, live in Baltimore and are known together for their joint collecting and support of the arts.

Martha Anne Toll is a novelist and literary and cultural critic. Her debut novel, Three Muses, was shortlisted for the Gotham Book Prize, with New York’s Vulture noting, “by the time you finish this, you’ll realize you’re in the hands of a maestro.” Her new novel, Duet for One, another love story set in the high-pressure performing arts world, takes place in the classical music scene around Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square. Toll is a recipient of Fellowships from the Vashon Artist Residency, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Virginia and France, Monson Arts, and Dairy Hollow. She is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and serves on the Board of Directors of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. A graduate of Yale, Toll holds a B.A. Degree in Music, and her classical music training informs her artistic practice. She holds a J.D. Degree from Boston University School of Law, and comes to writing professionally after a career dedicated to social justice. Toll grew up in Philadelphia, and lives in Washington, D.C.

 

 

In the Stacks: Maryland Opera
Thursday, September 18 :: 6:30-7:30pm
@ George Peabody Library

“But it’s a long, long while from May to December, and the days grow short when you reach September.”  

Join Maryland Opera for a musical walk through the autumn leaves for this fall-inspired performance featuring soprano Colleen Daly, baritone Timothy Mix, and pianist James Harp.

The program will feature vocal music based on autumnal themes, including operatic selections such as Purcell’s “Come see my many coloured fields” from The Fairy Queen and “Warm as the Autumn Light” from Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe. Art songs such as Fanny Hensel’s “Im Herbst” and Hope Temple’s “In Sweet September” will be enjoyed as well as works by Elgar, Massenet, Wolf, Fauré, and Richard Strauss.

Immerse yourself in the musical colors of the season as we celebrate the bittersweet time of “September Songs” in one of the most beautiful libraries in the world!

 

 

KnoxRoxs: Autistic Joy | Artist Talk + Reception
Thursday, September 18 :: 6:30-8:30pm | Ongoing through October 10
@ Julio Fine Arts

Join us for these corresponding events!!

September 18, 2025 6:30-8:30PM
Artist Talk 6:30PM in the Black Box Theatre
Immediately followed by a reception in the gallery

October 8, 2025 5:30-8:30PM
Autistic Justice & Joy, A Disability Zine Making Workshop
more information and registration coming soon!

The Framework: Disabled Mothering as Resistance

My journey as an artist is deeply intertwined with my role as a parent. It wasn’t until my son was diagnosed as autistic at age three that I began to fully embrace my own neurodivergence. I recognize my art and design practice as a critical tool for redefining my role as a disabled parent raising a disabled child. This perspective informs a framework I call “Disabled Mothering as an Act of Resistance.“

This framework aims to empower and activate change, amplifying what happens when we center disabled parenting. It’s a weapon of creative resistance that dismantles the demonization and social inaccuracies often aimed at autistic children and adults. Now more than ever, we need designs crafted by disabled artists for the disabled community. Disabled artists are the blueprint.

A Personal Journey

From a young age, I knew I was different. While I was gleefully goofy at home and with friends, I experienced selective mutism in school due to being overwhelmed and to avoid bullying. Art became a tool and a language that didn’t discriminate. It allowed me to be my authentic self and carried me through college and into motherhood. As a parent, masking my disabilities became harder, prompting me to explore how my art could be a powerful tool for community engagement and advocacy, celebrating disability joy.

My advocacy journey began with a photo zine, KnoxRoxs, released in 2018, dedicated to my autistic son, and re-released in 2024, with additional photography. This project was a way to provide much-needed visibility to children of color within neurodivergent communities. I hope this exhibition is the first of many opportunities to co-curate disability-centered shows, continuing to disrupt and dismantle social stigmas.

 

 

Picturing Mobility: Black Tourism and Leisure during the Jim Crow Era | Curatorial Talk + Reception
Friday, September 19 :: 5pm
@ UMBC Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

The Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents the exhibition Picturing Mobility: Black Tourism and Leisure during the Jim Crow Era, on display from September 2 through December 19.

Picturing Mobility explores what it meant to seek leisure and travel as a Black American during the Jim Crow era. The exhibition features snapshots and travel ephemera of Black leisure experiences primarily from the mid-Atlantic during the 1920s to 1960s. From beach outings to family road trips, these images offer glimpses into everyday moments of happiness, relaxation and community, challenging dominant narratives that define the era solely through restriction and struggle. Viewers are encouraged to reflect on the emotional power of these images of Black resistance and mobility.

Explore more about the Picturing Mobility exhibition.

Public Programs

Friday, September 19, 5 p.m. — Join us for a curatorial talk with Elizabeth Patton, chair and associate professor of media and communication studies at UMBC, followed by an opening reception.

Thursday, December 4, 5 p.m. — Join us for a panel discussion. Complete details will be announced.

Visitor Information

Admission to Picturing Mobility and the public program is free. For driving directions and parking information, please visit here.

Library Gallery hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

 

 

Thank You Shane! A Celebration & Farewell Party
Friday, September 19 :: 5-8pm
@ Baltimore Jewelry Center

After 12 years of leadership, Shane Prada, the BJC’s founding executive director, will be stepping down from her role this fall. Over the last 12 years, Shane has grown the BJC from a tiny organization with 4 programs and a budget of $150,000 in 2014 to midsize organization with 20 programs and a budget nearing $800,000 in 2025. She has spearheaded programs that have allowed the BJC to expand its reach and impact, from workforce development and youth programming to symposiums and artist residencies.

We have grown exponentially with Shane’s shared vision. Under her leadership, the BJC has secured an endowment (and doubled that endowment!), ensuring that the BJC has a long-term sustainable funding structure. While it is bittersweet to think about what the next era of the BJC will look like without her at our helm, this transition comes at a time when we are able to project our ideas, hopes, and dreams into the future. We are excited to welcome a new leader to the BJC.

Before we let her go, we are having a big, beautiful celebration of Shane and all of her accomplishments over the last 10 years! Please join us on Friday, September 19th from 5-8pm to say farewell to Shane as our Executive Director. Please RSVP, and BYOB!

 

 

Disability Pride Art Market
Friday, September 19 :: 5-9pm
@ Our Time Kitchen

On Friday September 19 from 5-9pm, come to our first Disability Pride Art Market in Baltimore in the backyard of Our Time Kitchen (117 W 24th St, Baltimore, MD 21218). This is a fundraiser for Safety Drive Fund and Make Studio, highlighting a dozen disabled artists, mainly Queer, Trans, Black and Brown people. Join us to support local artists, organizations, and mutual aid groups.

Accessibility information is linked below, and more information is available on @cosmopoeticchaos on Instagram.

Accessibility info: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOGO-ZFjVhB/

 

 

Walking Together // In the Wake of: Resilience and Revolution | Receptions + Artist Talks
Saturday, September 20 :: 4-6pm
@ Gormley Gallery

Walking Together

Curated by Joy Davis, Walking Together brings together three Baltimore-based artists, Schaun Champion, Charles Mason III, and kolpeace, in an exploration of identity, memory, and cultural transformation.

Exhibiting Artists: Schaun Champion, Charles Mason III, and kolpeace.

Curated by Joy Davis

On View: August 25th – October 10th, 2025

Reception & Artist Talk: Saturday, September 20th, 2025, 4-6PM

 

In the Wake of: Resilience and Revolution

In the Wake of: Resilience and Revolution, examines the intersection of social unrest and artistic expression. This exhibition features the work of Devin Allen, J.M. Giordano, and Paul Abowd whose work captures the raw emotion, tension, and solidarity that defined the 2015 Baltimore Uprising and explores their lasting impact on communities.

Curated by Joy Davis, In the Wake of offers an insightful reflection on the power of art to challenge, inspire, and transform in moments of societal upheaval.

Exhibiting Artists: Devin Allen, Joe Giordano, and Paul Abwood

Curated by Joy Davis

On View: August 25th – October 10th, 2025

Reception and Artist Talk: Saturday, September 20th, 2025, 4-6PM
Panel Discussion: Thursday, October2nd, 6:30-8PM

 

 

Jamal Moore: Black Earth Rising Closing Performance
Sunday, September 21 :: 2-3:45pm
@ Baltimore Museum of Art

Experience a transformative sonic journey as Jamal R. Moore presents a live rendition of Ma’at Nadjartat Nun, the soundscape composed for the Black Earth Rising exhibition. This immersive performance features Moore alongside a dynamic quintet of musicians and performance collaborators, weaving global sounds into a vibrant exploration of humanity’s relationship with the Earth and the equilibrium we must restore.

The title Ma’at Nadjartat Nun draws from ancient Egyptian cosmology—Ma’at, the principle of truth and cosmic order, and Nun, the primordial waters of creation—inviting listeners to reflect on the sacred balance of the natural world.

 

 

The Great Detour
Sunday, September 21 :: 3-6pm
@ Bogus Gallery

Title: The Great Detour
Artists: Claire Alrich, Bao Nguyen, Hideo & Xin Ni, VILLAGER
Date: Sunday, September 21, 3–6 PM
Location: Bogus Gallery, 1511 Guilford Ave, Baltimore, 21202
Curator: Rui Jiang & OTS Production
Ticket: $25 At The Door; $20+service fee on Eventbrite

Detours are the cunning response of humanity to obstacles, a relentless pursuit of what must be achieved. They are also a covert action that has always existed with unwavering resolve in both individual and collective processes. We have tried and failed countless times, yet we persist, advancing along the path leading to the theater. What is more fascinating and despairing is that the theater and the curtain are forever unreachable. They are the enigmatic fruits of collective unconsciousness, existing only in the infinite proximity of longing. This grand fruit is entangled with countless threads of goodness and darkness and the gaps in between, but regardless, people collectively gasp for breath, striving for that eventual arrival—if the road is blocked, then take a detour; if it leads nowhere, then choose another route and detour again. Thus, the narrative forever remains in the rehearsal of “before,” before the performance, before the curtain rises, in front of the theater. The unsolvable issue is the reason people take to the road, but the repetitive cycle, the sudden return to the beginning, and the momentary cruelty of this journey have already determined that the entire endeavor is “unsolvable.” The search for a monument is doomed to futility—the “detour” itself, then, becomes the monument.

This performance is a fragmentary witness to the unsolvable detour. The obstructed, unyielding performance artists use their most economical bodies to mark the desolation, planting the lingering resentment and sorrow that permeates the air and their bodies. Bao Nguyen is a skilled guerrilla satirist, whose slightly cruel humor corrodes and adds weight. Claire Alrich’s strips of cloth—oh, flags—can grow out of the body and be torn apart by its own hands… Ni Xin and Hideo’s collaboration is a clash of poetic percussion and absurd, sharp counterpoint, creating an experience that defies categorization. Finally, VILLAGER, as both the child of the universe and its interlocutor and observer, entices invisible waves and the animalistic connections between all things. Since the great detour is a continuous dilemma and the continuous exposure of that dilemma, the spectator is invited to come and walk a short distance along the way.

 

 

< Calls for Entry >

 

Culinary Artist in Residency
deadline October 1
posted by Ox-Bow School of Art

The Ox-Bow Culinary Artist in Residency is a unique program designed to support and elevate artists working at the intersection of food and art. Application and participation is not limited to creators with traditional fine arts training, but open to anyone who identifies as having a creative practice that considers food material – whether as research, or as a conceptual, sculptural, performative and/or event based practice.

The program takes place in two parts over the course of a winter and summer season. First, a cohort of up to 6 artists will collectively gather on Ox-Bow’s campus for a 10-day residency in late January/early February (dates are determined with final cohort). During the following summer, artists return to campus to create a culminating public program through our culinary series, Taste of Ox-Bow. Collaborators/collectives are welcome to apply.

 

 

Askmbuya | Artist In Residence
deadline October 1

We’re inviting individual artists and small artist collectives who could use dedicated space and time in a professional photo and video production environment to apply for a short-term residency at Little Church Studio in Yonkers, NY (askmbuya.com/studio).
‍
Selected artists will receive 10 days or up to 80 hours of studio access, scheduled flexibly over a four-month period. This is an opportunity to develop new work, experiment with ideas, and take advantage of our large, light-filled production space.
‍
At the close of the residency, artists will share their work in a public showing or event hosted at the studio.
‍
Please note: This is an unfunded residency. We do not provide a stipend, but we offer full access to the space and its production resources, along with promotional support for the final presentation.

We welcome applications from across disciplines—visual, performance, music, installation, film—especially those seeking room to explore and create in a flexible, supportive environment.

 

 

16th Annual Manifest Prize
deadline October 1
posted by Manifest Gallery

Open to works of any media, any genre/style, any size… One work will be selected for the award, featured in the gallery, and published. Four finalist works will also be recognized and published.

In our 12th season we were excited to announce that our non-profit board of directors approved an increase in the annual Manifest Prize (ONE) award amount to $5,000. This underscores our organization’s strong desire to reward, showcase, celebrate, and document the most exceptional artwork being made today, and to do this in a tasteful non-commercial public context. Further, it is to incentivize the creation of excellent work and to support individual artists in meaningful, career-impacting ways. Manifest’s mission is centered on championing the importance of mastery and quality in visual art. This project is one aspect of the realization of that mission which now continues in our 22nd season.

 

 

Windgate Artist in Residence
deadline October 5
@ University of Arkansas, Little Rock

The Windgate Artist in Residence at UA Little Rock is a semester-long residency program open to artists, designers, and craftspeople. This residency offers the selected applicant the opportunity to create work and engage with the School of Art and Design community, as well as the greater Little Rock community.

The primary goal of the residency program is to provide time to make and develop work, and the space to make it while interacting with our community. This program provides a $30,000 stipend, housing, funding for materials and travel, studio space, and access to UA Little Rock’s extensive studios.

The selected artist will have 24-hour access to a private studio and specialized areas including: a Woodshop equipped with a CNC and laser cutter, Ceramics Studio, Jewelry and Metalsmithing Studio, Smithy and Foundry, Photography Studio, and a Printmaking Studio.

Artists will interact with students through weekly open studio hours, studio visits, and in-class activities (artists will not be required to teach courses).

The Artist in Residence will run a minimum of one 2-day workshop for students during the semester. There are also opportunities for artists to teach paid workshops at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art’s Windgate Art School for those interested.

The Artist in Residence will give an artist talk at the Windgate Center of Art + Design and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art. Participating artists give one work of art to be added to the Permanent Collection at UA Little Rock.

 

 

Call for Entry, The Members Show
deadline October 6
posted by SE Center for Photography

It’s that time again, the 2025-26 Members show. Anything goes, all subjects, any photo based imagery. Analog and digital manipulation in all its forms welcome. Monochrome or color, all subjects, analog, digital or antique processes, Member photographers of all skill levels and locations are welcome. If you’re not a Member, please Join and submit..

Our juror for the ‘25-26 Members Show is Christopher Dant. Chris Dant is an artist and educator based in Georgia, where he currently serves as Associate Professor of Photography in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of North Georgia. Chris’s vocation as an educator, mentoring the next generation of artists, motivates his own creative practice.

As an image maker, he uses the camera not only as a documentary tool, but as a means of affirming value—exploring the ways a photograph can build bridges, mend wounds, and find common ground.

40-50 selected images will hang in the SE Center’s Virtual gallery space for approximately one month. In addition, selected images are featured in the SE Center social media accounts (FB, IG, Twitter) and an archived, online slideshow. A video walkthrough of each exhibition is also featured and archived.

 

 

FY26 Mark Ryder Original Choreography Grant
deadline October 9
posted by Howard County Arts Council

The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) is a private, nonprofit 501c3 organization established to enrich and serve our community by fostering the arts, artists, and arts organizations. HCAC is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors whose members are elected to two terms.

Mark Ryder was an established dancer, choreographer and leader in the dance community. He danced alongside Martha Graham in the 1940s until founding the Dance Drama Duo, later called the Dance Drama Company, with Emily Frankel. Mr. Ryder went on to teach dance in the 1960s at Goddard College in Vermont before becoming chairman of the dance department for two years at University of Maryland, College Park in 1974, and retired from teaching in 1988. After moving to Howard County in 1975, Mr. Ryder also became very involved in choreographing local productions in his community. He passed away in July 2006 and is survived by his wife and family who wish to honor his legacy by offering an annual competitive grant award in the minimum amount of $500 to choreographers through the Howard County Arts Council. Mr. Ryder believed individual expression is the most important part of the creative process for both choreographer and dancer and that more is learned through being a part of the process and actively participating in it than by simply being taught the movements or viewing the final product.

 

 

2026 Open Call (Boundaries)
deadline October 10
posted by Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Greenville)

Tiger Strikes Asteroid Greenville (TSA GVL) is pleased to announce our 2026 open call for a solo or two-person exhibition in our gallery space in Greenville, SC. Running January 24 – February 28, 2026, this year’s call is broadly themed around boundaries, interpreted in the widest sense. We welcome exhibition submissions from individual and two-person artist groups to apply. As a national organization, Tiger Strikes Asteroid is committed to highlighting the breadth and range of artists within our community, and encourages historically underrepresented perspectives and viewpoints to apply. All applicants will be considered for future programming in our space, with finalists being notified.

This cycle, we are interested in hosting exhibitions that address contemporary themes of boundaries. Boundaries can be physical, emotional, cultural, social, political, personal, geographical, material, formal, and more. As a framework, we hope to showcase how boundaries shape, limit, and transform. Proposals that speak to the theme will be prioritized, and we welcome broad and unexpected interpretations.

We look forward to reviewing and being introduced to new artists. Our gallery floor plan can be found here. Located inside: Hive Studios, The Lofts of Greenville, 201 Smythe Street, Greenville, SC 29611.

 

 

Call for Issue 16: Winter 2026 | Curated by Teri Henderson
deadline October 10
posted by Cut Me Up Magazine

Ritual & Collage

What are the rituals that shape our lives, from the mundane to the miraculous, the sacred to the profane? For this issue of Cut Me Up Magazine, guest curator Teri Henderson invites artists to explore the multifaceted theme of Ritual & Collage.

We seek submissions that explore the ways collage can document, depict, and interpret rituals in their diverse forms.

Consider:

Traditional Rituals: How can collage represent established cultural, religious, or societal ceremonies and practices?

Personal Rituals: What unique routines, habits, or actions do you perform in your daily life that hold personal significance?

Invented Rituals: Can collage be used to visualize entirely new or imagined rituals, perhaps reflecting our hopes, fears, or desires?

We are also interested in exploring the act of collage-making itself as a ritualistic process.

Consider:

Does your creative process involve specific steps, routines, or adeliberate selection of materials that feel akin to a ritual?

Are there intentions or symbolic meanings embedded in your process?

Does the repetitive act of cutting, arranging, and adhering become a meditative or transformative experience?

How can the layering, juxtaposition, and transformation inherent in collage speak to the essence and significance of ritual?

– Teri Henderson, Curator