BmoreArt

This Week: BmoreArt ICONS Benefit Auction is live; Half Remembered, Half Made exhibition at CAC, Root Work: Practice Beyond Fear at Waller Gallery, Dresher Center for the Humanities and CADVC roundtable discussion + Shakespeare in Harlem at UMBC, Voices from the Margins at BLIFTD ART STVDIOS, Booktoberfest Fundraiser for The Book Thing at Peabody Heights, Merkin Dream III at MAP, Chocolate Covered Rocky Horror at BCS, Maryland Emancipation Day celebration at The Lewis, and American Sublime Community Day at the BMA — PLUS Call for Solo Exhibitions at VisArts 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 >

 

BmoreArt Icons Benefit Auction
Ongoing through December 4

Baltimore-based artists are living proof that we exist in a City of Artists, brimming with creative excellence. Their vision extends far beyond studios, galleries, and museums. They capture our shared experience in diverse and beautiful ways, turn city blocks into magical discoveries, and remind us that everyone loves a soiree to share marvelous art. When given the opportunity, the art of our place and time brings a thoughtful beauty into our homes. It’s not decoration: it sparks conversations, it brightens our minds, it elevates our memories, it reminds us who we are. Their work reflects the stories, histories, and rhythms of the city, absorbing its energy, responding to its people, and leaving a mark on the places they move through.

For the past decade, BmoreArt has had the privilege of engaging with this magic through our magazines, online stories, books, partnerships, and exhibitions. As we grow and expand alongside these incredible artists, we are thrilled to celebrate ten years of print publications with Iconically Yours, a fall exhibition and benefit auction honoring the dedication, creativity, and collaboration that adds to Baltimore’s iconic reputation. This exhibit features twenty artists whose work has been featured by BmoreArt over the past decade, but more importantly, it offers a cross section across stylistic and conceptual barriers, of some of the very best artists making work in Baltimore today.

We encourage you to claim a piece of the city for yourself, revel in the magic these artists create, and remember that in Baltimore, creativity is everywhere you look. Iconically yours.

This benefit auction offers a rare opportunity to purchase artworks while directly supporting 19 artists in our community and BmoreArt’s work as an independent, regional platform for creative communities to share original, inventive works and ideas with new audiences.

All artworks are ready for your walls, shelves, pedestals, or for you to wear. The online auction can be found on BetterWorld using the QR code below. All bids must be made using the website. This is a silent auction.

Bidding is open now, and items close on December 4, 7:30 p.m.

 

 

Half Remembered, Half Made
Ongoing through November 6
@ Chesapeake Arts Center

This body of work explores the tension between cultural memory and the fragmentation of identity experienced by first-generation Americans. Rooted in the visual language of ancestral iconography, dance music culture, and the ritual of movement, the exhibition brings together murals, textile pieces, and paintings that function as remixed archives of personal and collective history. Drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of rave posters, Caribbean color sensibilities, and mythological motifs, the works reflect on themes of hybridity, healing, and transformation. By layering vibrant patterns, hieroglyphics, and symbols sampled from her Mexican, Cuban, and Guyanese heritage, Catherine Rupan Mapp creates immersive environments that invite viewers to reflect on their own connections to place, identity, and community. The exhibition becomes both a celebration and a reconciliation—honoring the past while navigating what it means to belong in the present.

This exhibition will be on display from September 30-November 9, 2025 in the Patricia Barland Gallery at Chesapeake Arts Center. To view more of Catherine’s work, visit her website at https://www.catherinemapp.com/

 

 

Root Work: Practice Beyond Fear
Ongoing through November 15
@ Waller Gallery

Exhibition Dates: October 10 – November 15 | Open Hours: Saturday, 1-5 pm

The exhibition “Root Work: Practice Beyond Fear,” showcases the works of former artists within OARA’s 2023 and 2024 fellowships. The exhibition expresses the grit required in building relationships with oneself and others, while maintaining faith that hard work and sacrifice will flourish into long-lasting beauty. Although we do not know the outcome of our struggle, we commit to learning by doing and trusting that showing up with consistency creates lasting growth, change, and transformation. OARA’s artists embody the truth that practice is the most fertile ground. (Written by: Savannah Wade)

 

 

Pedagogy Study Hall: Dresher x CADVC: “Arts & Humanities Funding Cuts in Baltimore”
Wednesday, October 29 :: 12-1:30pm
@ UMBC CIRCA

This roundtable discussion, co-produced between the Dresher Center for the Humanities and CADVC, focuses on the impact of funding cuts in the Humanities & Arts in Baltimore City and its regions. Featuring Lindsay Baker of Maryland Humanities, Marc Ruppel of UMBC’s Creative Achievement and Research Administration Team, moderated by Amy Froide, Director of the Dresher Center.

 

 

Voices from the Margins
Wednesday, October 29 :: 6-8pm
@ BLIFTD ART STVDIOS

Voices from the Margins: For the stories we carry quietly and the healing in saying them out loud.

A monthly storytelling circle by The First of Many

Voices from the Margins is a monthly storytelling circle where healing, truth, and deep connection meet. This is a sanctuary for those stories that live just beneath the surface, the ones you may never have spoken aloud, but they shape who you are.

Each month, we’ll center a theme connected to truth, identity, and the inner narratives we’re still learning how to say out loud. We’ll gather in an intimate, judgment-free space to listen deeply and reflect honestly. Whether you choose to share your story or simply hold space with others, you will leave feeling seen, understood, and a little more whole.

Every gathering features a powerful guest speaker—an artist, creative, healer, or visionary who shares their own journey and guides us through reflection. Their story becomes a mirror, inspiring you to dive deeper into your own truths and creative spirit.

This isn’t a workshop or panel. It’s a circle of realness where your voice, your silence, and your presence are all honored. You’ll learn from others’ courage, resilience, and healing and discover new ways to access your own inner wisdom.

Participants are encouraged to go deeper than you’ve had the time or space to, or allowed yourself to. You are encouraged to reflect, write and share verbally if you’d like to release.

We do not record conversations unless clearly communicated in advance for documentation, research purposes, or as part of ongoing graduate work at MICA. However, by attending this event, you consent to being photographed for media and promotional purposes.

Voices from the Margins is a live, healing-centered space rooted in trust, vulnerability, and deep listening. To honor the intimacy of these gatherings, we do not record sessions unless clearly communicated in advance as part of documentation or research tied to our mission or Jasmine Gabrielle Washington’s ongoing work as an Interdisciplinary Artist, Curator, Writer, MFA Candidate and Cultural Worker.

Your presence matters. Be in the room. Witness and be witnessed. Bring your voice, your silence, your presence.

A year in the making, this program was developed by our founder, Jasmine Gabrielle Washington.

October’s Theme: The Story Behind the Work

What inspired your creative path? What don’t people see behind your output? Facilitated by: Jasmine Gabrielle Washington, Founder of The First of Many

 

 

Shakespeare in Harlem
Thursday, October 30 | Ongoing through November 9
@ UMBC

UMBC Theatre presents Shakespeare in Harlem by Langston Hughes, adapted and directed by Gerrad Alex Taylor, a university-professional collaboration between UMBC Theatre and the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

The year 2025 marks the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance, perhaps the largest cultural and artistic American movement of the 20th century. In celebration, the Department of Theatre will amplify the work of Black and African American theatre-makers and our engagement with the Baltimore theatre community by mounting an adaptation of Shakespeare in Harlem by Langston Hughes.

A rare gem from Langston Hughes, this collection of monologue poems revives the rhythms of jazz, the blues, and the pulse of the Harlem Renaissance—its love, struggles, and street-corner spirit. In director Gerrad Alex Taylor’s adaptation, Hughes’ words come alive in a dynamic full-length play, blending poetry, music, and dance for an immersive journey into the world he so vividly celebrated.

The production process will include a UMBC residency of Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s Black Classical Acting Ensemble in the Fall of 2025, culminating in a two-week run of the play performed by a cast of professionals and students. In Winter 2026, the play will be remounted for a week’s run at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s downtown home on South Calvert Street.

 

 

The Book Thing Booktoberfest Fundraiser
Thursday, October 30 :: 6:30pm
@ Peabody Heights Brewery

Join us on October 30th at Peabody Heights Brewery for books, beer, music, and cheer in support of The Book Thing, which has put more than a million books into the hands of those who want them, for free over the past 26 years.  We will have a silent auction, live entertainment from The Mirrors Jazz Quartet, and all sorts of bookish fun.

Tickets include two beer tokens, light snacks, and a 25% off coupon for food from The Concession Stand, Peabody Heights’ on-site food vendor. Additional beer tokens will be available for purchase at the event.

In advance, tickets are $35 (plus approximately $2.40 in processing fees).  On October 30th, the price will rise to $40 + processing fees.  If you wish to pay cash, a limited number of tickets will be available for $40 cash at the door.

If you are unable to attend the event but would like to support The Book Thing’s mission, donation opportunities (including options with no added processing fees, like the PayPal Giving Fund) can be found at The Book Thing’s website.

 

 

Merkin Dream Fashion Show III
Thursday, October 30 :: 7-10pm
@ Maryland Art Place

Maryland Art Place (MAP) in collaboration with Baltimore-based fashion designer Kenn Hall is proud to present Merkin Dream III, a runway show. The first Merkin Dream show was held during the 100th Anniversary of the women’s suffrage movement during the Covid pandemic.The third iteration of Merkin Dream Fashion show will continue to expand on themes such as women’s rights, sex work, body image and dysphoria.Volume 10: Dismantled explores queer identity and community as an exercise of celebration by bringing together artists from the Bureau of Queer Art and Maryland. Volume 10: Dismantled will serve as the backdrop to the third biennial Merkin Dream Fashion Show. Merkin Dream III  will be held on Thursday, October 30 from 7 PM to 10 PM with additional programming in the basement following the event.

Merkin Dream III will be an exclusive event and limited to only 80 guests due to capacity limitations. Purchase your ticket HERE.  MAP is located at 218 West Saratoga Street between Park and Howard Streets just within theBromo Arts & Entertainment District.

What is a Merkin:
A merkin—a pubic wig for women —first appeared around 1450, primarily as a practical solution for hygiene serving both sanitary and economic purposes for sex workers who suffered from lice. It was also used in early theater, allowing male actors playing female roles to conceal their genitals on stage.

By the mid-18th century, merkins took on a decorative role, often embellished with ribbons, pearls, and dyes to reflect fashion trends or social status. In contemporary times, their most common use is in film and television, where they provide modesty for actors during nude scenes, help productions meet rating standards, or offer privacy for performers who prefer not to appear fully exposed. Outside of Hollywood, merkins are occasionally seen in fetish contexts.

About Kenn Hall:
Kenn Hall began as an assistant designer eventually moving on to production and development roles for renowned names like Donna Karan, Men’s Wearhouse, and Express. Kenn currently resides in Baltimore to expand his own brand identity OMRY International.

 

 

Chocolate Covered Rocky Horror
Friday, October 31 + Saturday, November 1
@ Baltimore Center Stage

This Halloween, come up to the lab! Celebrate 10 years of Chocolate Covered Rocky Horror; on the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Dark-Comedy Classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon.

Since 2015, this African American Shadow-cast ensemble entitled “Chocolate Covered Rocky Horror” has Thrilled, Chilled, and Fulfilled audiences and followers across the Country. Created and Directed by Visionary Earl Orrin as a tribute to black queer art forms and the horror genre. While showcasing and exposing minorities to lesser known forms of artistic expression.

Get ready for a Scary Sexy evening with Preshow, Costume Contest and Audience Partici…pation.
This high energy live Shadow-cast production features original choreography by New Renaissance and pantomiming that compliments “The Rocky Horror Picture Shows” campy and androgynous themes. It’s Rocky Horror with a Black aesthetic and sensual taste. Chocolate Covered…

The tradition of Chocolate Covered Rocky Horror will continue under the Direction of Dr. Renaissance and New Renaissance, a performing arts 501c3 non-profit organization that focuses its artistry on community service.

 

 

Border State Freedom Seekers: Celebrating Maryland’s Emancipation Day
Saturday, November 1 :: 1-3pm
@ Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Did you know that Maryland legally abolished slavery a year after the Emancipation Proclamation  on November 1,1864?

Join us and historian Maya Davis with author Scott Shane as we explore the complexities of abolishing slavery in this southern border state while also learning about earlier freedom fighters who helped enslaved Marylanders gain their freedom. Author Scott Shane will discuss the compelling story of Thomas Smallwood, a self-educated former Maryland slave turned abolitionist in Shane’s book, Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery’s Borderland. Maya Davis, Director of the Riversdale House Museum will discuss the origins of Emancipation Day and its impact on the state of Maryland. As of October 1, 2025, Maryland Emancipation Day is officially recognized on November 1st as a state legal holiday.

Scott Shane was a reporter for 15 years at The New York Times, where he was twice a member of teams that won Pulitzer Prizes, and before that for 21 years at The Baltimore Sun.

Maya Davis is the Director of the Riversdale House Museum, the former 19th Century Plantation home in Prince George’s County. Prior to her arrival she was the Research Archivist and Legislative Liaison at the Maryland State Archives where she consulted on statewide projects related to the African American experience. Previously she served as the Vice Chair of the Annapolis 1864 Commission to Commemorate Maryland Emancipation Day.

 

 

Amy Sherald: American Sublime Community Day
Sunday, November 2 :: 11am-2pm
@ The Baltimore Museum of Art

Celebrate the opening of Amy Sherald: American Sublime during this free event for all ages.

Explore the special exhibition and enjoy art-making activities, interactive writing projects, lite-bites and a pop-up family photo booth that brings Sherald’s themes of identity, imagination, and everyday beauty to life. Connect with friends and neighbors, create your own works of art, and experience the Museum as a space of joy, reflection, and community.

Free timed-entry tickets to access Amy Sherald: American Sublime on Sunday, November 2 are now SOLD OUT.

:: Related Event ::

A Baltimore Homecoming: Amy Sherald & Asma Naeem in Conversation
Saturday, November 2 :: 2-3:30pm
@ The Baltimore Museum of Art

 

 

< Calls for Entry >

 

Wherewithal Grants | 2026
deadline November 14
posted by Washington Project for the Arts

Wherewithal Grants are a funding source for artists in the DC-area. Generously funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts as part of its Regional Regranting Program and managed by Washington Project for the Arts, these grants are intended to support a wide range of experimental and multidisciplinary practices, particularly those that emphasize collaboration and discourse. Since launching in 2019, Wherewithal Grants has supported 156 visual artists and collectives with a total of $400,000 in grants.

 

 

Call for Entry, The SE Center Open
deadline November 16
posted by SE Center for Photography

The Open Call is just that, an open theme – all subjects, The SE Center is looking for images of any theme, media, digital, analog, or antique processes that show your best work. Analog and digital manipulation in all forms are welcome. Monochrome or color, all subjects, analog, digital or antique processes, photographers of all skill levels and locations are welcome.

Our juror for the SE Center Open is Alexa Dilworth. Dilworth, an independent editor, writer, and curator based in Durham, North Carolina, was the publishing and awards director at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University for more than twenty years. Currently a senior editor for Aperture’s Vision and Justice series and text editor of their Photography Workshop Series, she has edited the text and/or photos for over seventy books, including Larry Fink: Hands On/A Passionate Life of Looking (powerHouse Books, 2025),Pictures for Charis by Kelli Connell (Aperture, 2024), Graciela Iturbide on Dreams, Symbols, and Imagination (Aperture, 2022), The Pretend Villages: Inside the U.S. Military Training Grounds by Christopher Sims (Kehrer Verlag, 2021), and Road Through Midnight: A Civil Rights Memorial by Jessica Ingram (CDS/UNC Press, a New York Times Best Art Book of 2020).

Dilworth has a BA and an MA, both in English, from the University of Florida, and an MFA in creative writing (poetry) from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. Her writing has appeared in Lenscratch, Aperture’s Photobook Review, and such photography monographs as Beth Lilly’s The Seventh Bardo (2025), Lisa McCord’s Rotan Switch (Kehrer Verlag, 2024), Benjamin Dimmitt’s An Unflinching Look: Elegy for Wetlands (UGA Press, 2023), and Will Warasila’s Quicker Than Coal Ash (Gnomic Book, 2022).

35-40 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.

 

 

REVELATIONS | Call for Exhibition
deadline November 16
posted by LoosenArt

Every work of art is a revelation: of itself, of the world, of others.

What does it mean, nowadays, to reveal? What emerges when you look more deeply, listen better, pierce the veil of appearances?

The collective exhibition “Revelations” will investigate the concept of revelation as a moment of truth, insight or unveiling. At a time when appearance often subdues substance, to reveal means to go beyond, to bare, to bring light into shadow.

The call is open to photographers, video artists and designers who want to confront this theme through works that explore revelation as a visual, narrative, symbolic or emotional act, capable of suggesting, denouncing, moving, or simply provoking thought.

 

 

11th Regional Juried Photography Exhibition
deadline November 17
posted by Rehoboth Art League

Open to members and non-members living in DE, PA, MD, NJ, VA, DC.

Registration Fee: RAL Members $25.00 / Non-Members $45.00. Registration fee is non-refundable.
Application Deadline: Monday, November 17, 2025 (4pm).
Notification of Acceptance: by Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
Opening Reception: Friday, January 9, 2026 (5-7pm)
Gallery Talk: From the Juror and Awards Judge with John Steck Jr, Saturday, January 10, 2026 (10am)

Delivery of work shipped or dropped-off: Wednesday, December 3, 2025 through Wednesday, December 31, 2025 (4pm). *Please refrain from delivering work on Saturday, December 13 due to a Rehoboth Art League event and Thursday, December 25 as the campus will be closed Christmas day.

Pick-up of unsold work: February 9 through February 12, 2026.

 

 

Calling All DMV Local Artists for Solo Show Development Opportunity
deadline November 17
posted by Solas Nua

Solas Nua and Fishamble: the new play company seek pitch submissions from performing artists for Show In A Bag, which provides developmental support to actors and performing artists interested in creating theatrical works for a solo performer.

Show In A Bag is a newly launched program that offers an opportunity for DMV area performing artists to create a solo show with dramaturgy from Solas Nua and Dublin’s Fishamble: the new play company. The aim of this 6-month long program is to offer performers support to develop a solo script to tell a unique story with a small-scale production that they can perform anywhere. Strong applicants will be able to articulate why their idea is both truly remarkable and also can be performed with minimal production elements, embracing the aesthetic of a “show in a bag.”

At the end of the 6-month process, the selected artists will have a public-facing works-in-progress sharing of their solo shows through the support of Solas Nua.

If you have any questions, please reach out to production@solasnua.org.

 

 

Synergies: Hybrid Art | Call for Entry
deadline November 17
posted by New Bedford Art Museum

The New Bedford Art Museum presents Synergies: Hybrid Art, a juried exhibition inviting submissions from artists working in all media. This call seeks works that merge artistic disciplines, materials, and technologies to create innovative forms of expression. Synergies: Hybrid Art is open to artists internationally.

The exhibition is juried by Amy Lemaire & Nicolas Touron, an artist duo based in Brooklyn, NY, whose collaborative practice explores materiality, form, and the intersection of natural and constructed environments. Working across diverse media, their work bridges the disciplines of sculpture, glass, and installation, creating immersive visual narratives that challenge perception and engage the senses.

 

 

Visual Arts Residencies
deadline November 19
posted by Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Nomadism is conceived as a mode of existence and territorialization grounded in practices of regulated mobility. This residency invites participants to engage with the theme of nomadism as both a critical and aesthetic framework. Exploring experiences and relations such as itineraries of humans and non-humans, trajectories of circulation, spatial resistances, and alternative cartographies, nomadism will be approached as a site of inquiry and a form of sensitive and formal attentiveness to the earth. This approach will guide the intentions, conditions, and gestures of art making and artistic collaboration.

 

 

YICCA International Art Contest
deadline November 20

YICCA International Art Contest embodies a convergence of talent and opportunity, making it an unmissable chance for artists with dreams of leaving a mark on the contemporary art landscape. The competition is open to all types of artworks and all techniques are allowed. This includes videos, performances and installations. By participating in YICCA, artists gain access to an influential global network that can significantly impact their careers. This exposure and recognition can be a game-changer for artists, providing them with a place to share their artistic vision and connect with a discerning audience. YICCA thus serves not only as a prestigious platform but also as a springboard for artists wishing to gain recognition in the contemporary art world, furthering their careers in a highly qualified international context.

 

 

Call for Solo Exhibitions 2026
deadline November 14
posted by VisArts

VisArts invites artists working in all media to apply for 2026 solo exhibitions in the Gibbs Street Gallery, Common Ground Gallery, and Concourse Gallery. Exhibitions in each of the galleries explore the breadth of contemporary art and feature emerging to mid-career artists. Exhibits reflect a wide range of media and experimental approaches that offer the viewer unexpected interactions with art.

• The Gibbs Street Gallery is approximately 1,100 square feet with 16-foot ceilings. It’s at street level with floor-to-ceiling windows along one wall. International, national, and local artists are welcome to apply.
• The Common Ground Gallery is located on Floor 2 and is approximately 300 square feet. International, national, and local artists are welcome to apply.
• The Concourse Gallery is located on Floor 2 and is approximately 500 square feet. It has curved windows along one wall. International, national, and local artists are welcome to apply.

Applicants who’ve participated in a solo exhibition at VisArts within the past three years aren’t eligible to apply.