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May 27, 2010
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Photo by Brooke Hall
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Innovate Baltimore Love Project
Can you imagine having too much love in your life? I have yet to hear someone say, “Gee, I just wish people didn’t like me so much” or “my birthday party was amazing except for all of the people who kept being nice to me” or how about, “there’s just way too much love in this world and we’re not going to take it anymore!”
Love is the universal constant as far as sentient beings are concerned and this is why the Baltimore Love Project resonates.
The Baltimore Love Project hooked up with Innovate Baltimore. The offspring: Innovate Love, a themed art auction benefiting two creative organizations who are headed in a similar direction down entirely different paths. Over forty nationally renowned artists were represented at the event.
In the passed weeks, we’ve seen the buzz scroll across social network feeds and we clicked on the pictures to see the clever campaign that has much of Baltimore talking. The Baltimore Love Project is an ambitious undertaking by artist Michael Owen to give the gift of twenty murals depicting the word ‘love’ spelled out with hands and fingers. Since becoming aware of the project, those involved have been on our short list of people to meet. When we heard they were throwing a party with the fine folks at Innovate Baltimore at the site of one of the most interesting architectural endeavors in recent history, we reckoned it might be a good idea to go.
Innovate Baltimore is an organization that aims to foster the growth of a technology-based creative economy in the Baltimore area. Groups like Innovate Baltimore play a critical role in the development of new opportunities and trends in the city by providing an occasion for forward thinking individuals to come together and create the connections necessary to grow a larger movement.
On a personal note, it is our belief that technology holds the promise of a more transparent society that will give each individual the freedom to make choices based upon knowledge that comes from many sources as opposed to the mere handful that control the media today.
This isn’t the testimony of the snitch who sold your daydreams to the thought police, people. This is What Weekly.
The Big Picture
In the big picture above, Dominic Cerquetti imagines what it might be like take his bath three hundred and forty feet above the city. Beer tastes better up here.
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The Good Word.
The Baltimore Love Project is a city wide mural project initiated by the Baltimore muralist Michael Owen. Our mission is to express love by connecting people and communities across Baltimore city with love themed murals.
BLP will be painting the same image of four silhouetted hands spelling out the word love on 20 walls across Baltimore. To date we have completed three murals (Carroll Park, Mount Washington, and Highlandtown). We will be doing our 4th mural live during the SOWEBO arts festival Sunday May 30th noon to 9 pm in the Hollins Market Neighborhood.
Please visit us in person or on-line at www.baltimoreloveproject.com. Let us know what our project says to YOU!
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Photo by Brooke Hall
Scooter Holt, Jordan Faye Block, Piero Macgowan, Gabriel Pendleton and Dominic Cerquetti.
We all know that Jordan Faye Block has charisma, but this is unreal. Madonna much? You might be wondering how Jordan ended up in a large bathtub full of strapping young men in suits. We’re not at leisure to disclose the details, but if you swing by her gallery I’m sure you can get the story. It’s worth the trip: 1401 light street [federal hill] baltimore, md 21230.
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Photo by Brooke Hall
The setting for Innovate Love was a venue that is an awe-inspiring work of art itself. What was once the fastest grain elevator in the world has been repurposed into a living space completely unique to our city. Instead of completely razing the massive complex and starting from scratch, the developers chose to use much of the original structure to revitalize a once decaying remnant from the industrial fallout of the twentieth century. The story of Silo Point is a perfect illustration of what’s happening inside the Baltimore Renaissance.
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www.lot201.com
Original apparel designs by Julie Bent.
Meet Julie and shop the signature collection at Ultimate Happiness, an alternative craft show and concert. Saturday, June 12th 1p – 6p. 32nd and Chesnut in Hampden.
Mention What Weekly and save 15% on your total Ultimate Happiness purchase.
Or call Julie for an appointment: 410.929.1183.
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Photo by Brooke Hall
Michael Owen is the artist behind the Baltimore Love Project. Michael graduated from MICA with a BFA in 2004. Since then, he’s shown his work extensively across the country inside galleries and other notable air conditioned spaces; his work also adorns the grittier exterior provided by cities walls, bridges and other brick and mortar canvases.
Here’s Michael with his piece on the lower left titled ‘Technology Creation.’
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The Baltimore Love Project is a city wide mural project initiated by the Baltimore muralist Michael Owen. Our mission is to express love by connecting people and communities across Baltimore city with love themed murals. BLP will be painting the same image of four silhouetted hands spelling out the word love on 20 walls across Baltimore.
www.baltimoreloveproject.com
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Photo by Brooke Hall
Nick Borkowicz and Jamie Noguchi represent ‘Super Art Fight,’ a band of wandering artists with superpowers and anger management issues. The combination of these traits has proved menacing to artists without superpowers who prefer not to fight. After a long history of extreme creative mayhem, these ‘Super Art Fighters’ surprised the world when they decided to turn over a new leaf. In lieu of destroying mere mortal artists, the members of Super Art Fight have opted for group therapy and live painting performances to help mitigate the urge to engage in conflict.
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Since 1995, The Creative Alliance has promoted Baltimore as a dynamic center of art in all genres. With members ranging from artists and educators to neighbors and supports, the Creative Alliance cultivates community through collaboration.
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Photo by Brooke Hall
In all seriousness, the members of Super Art Fight seem rather well adjusted and not at all angry as you can plainly see by the example of Super Art Fight co-host Ross Nover. And in case there was any question, we counted at least three of the crew who appeared to have noteworthy superpowers. Contrary to the adjective, we cannot actually note the specific superpowers at this time.
Super Art Fight is actually more of a ‘Pictionary’ meets ‘Professional Wrestling’ kind of phenomenon except the bouts aren’t fixed. Think ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome’ if Max was played by Bob Ross and Deborah Harry played the part of Tina Tuner with Blondie doing the soundtrack. It’s the product of the ongoing effort of mankind to raise the stakes of entertainment by combining all of your favorite spectacles into a hybrid performance in a sincere effort to blow your mind once and for all.
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Photo by Brooke Hall
Audrey Noguchi with Marty Day, the other co-host of Super Art Fight. Marty is the winner of this week’s prestigious and highly coveted “You Made a Ridiculous Face For This Picture and When We Showed It To You and Asked Permission To Publish It You Said “Sure why not?” Which Only Proves That You’re Capable of Not Taking Yourself Too Seriously and That My Friend Bodes To Your Awesomeness More Than Any Fake Award Ever Could’ award.
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Photo by Brooke Hall
Matthew Saindon with his photograph aptly titled ‘Love.’ What’s particularly interesting about this work is that Matthew uses found objects as lenses for his camera. This particular piece was taken using a Nikon D70 and a binocular barrel fashioned as a lens. This approach leaves the automated features of a digital SLR useless and as a result Matthew is forced to resort to more creative ways to capture his images and bring them into focus. If you can believe it, the image shown here is of a watercolor painting.
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And just to prove that there is actually a market for art in Baltimore, we found these two patrons, Stephanie Bryl and Howard Carolan, who were happily bidding away on selections among the extensive assemblage of pieces from which to choose. It just so happens that it was the anniversary of Stephanie’s birth on this night so if you know her and forgot to wish her happy birthday, now is your chance to pretend that you remembered. Drop her a line.
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Come join us at the Opening Reception of Patterns Intersections Connections this Thursday, May 27th at 6pm.
Enjoy the beautiful and intimate works from Beth Hoeckel, Melissa Matsuki Lillie, Randi Reiss-McCormack, Jessica M. Pegorsch, Kelly Walker, & Jordan Faye Block, and stay for a glass of wine and good company.
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Photo by Brooke Hall
Charlie Rubenstein with executive director of the Baltimore Love Project Scott Burkholder. We met Charlie for the first time earlier that morning at the museum yard sale at the Baltimore Museum of Industry where he was proud to have hauled in several over-sized baseball cards (we showed up late and still managed to find a few great deals among the remnants).
If you see any pictures of the Love Project murals being painted you might recognize Scott up on a ladder helping Michael Owen. You don’t often equate the title ‘executive director’ with manual labor but, in this case, Steven is prepared to do what it takes to spread the love.
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Photo by Brooke Hall
The Penthouse at Silo Point.
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Books, Live Music, Art Gallery and more!
Same block as Windup Space, across from Joe Squared. Plenty of room inside for your bike; FREE street parking for your car (we’ll plug your meter before 6, after that it’s free anyway) – come on over…
30 West North Ave.
Baltimore, MD, 21201
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Photo by Brooke Hall
The view from the tip top of Silo Point. Wide angle state of mind.
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Located in the heart of Baltimore, this was the first area in the city to receive the state designation as an arts and entertainment district.
Spanning the communities of Charles North, Greenmount West and Barclay, Station North is a diverse collection of artist live-work spaces, galleries, rowhomes and businesses – all just steps away from Penn Station and Mount Vernon.
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Photo by Brooke Hall
This building is reminiscent of works by the architect Louis Kahn in the way that much of the original building materials are left bare, leaving the cracks and boreholes to tell the story of its history. It’s also reminiscent of Kahn’s work for its shear enormity.
The monumental scope of the lobby has the hallowed feel of a cathedral set in a science fiction movie from the seventies. In this space one can get a glimpse of the past and the future simultaneously.
Earlier at Minas Gallery in Hampden….
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Photo by Brooke Hall
We recently visited Minas Gallery on the Avenue in Hampden for the opening reception of ‘Object Relations’ a collection of paintings by Hal Boyd. If I were to say one thing about the exhibition it’s that somewhere hiding within the collection is a theme composed of an array of colors that’s certain to shake loose a smile. His style of impressionism reveals a wit and playfulness that is endearing to say the least. If you find yourself with the blues and need a quick pick me up this exhibition might do the trick. Here is Hal with his daughter, Baltimore-based writer Betsy Boyd.
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Photo by Brooke Hall
Deep inside the core of the Minás Gallery compound we were led past two separate security checkpoints, down several flights of stairs and through a number of secret passageways that seemed to take us in circles until we were thoroughly disoriented. And just when thought we might walk forever, we came to a place that few people alive can say they’ve set eyes upon. We had finally come to the studio of artist Minás Konsolas.
After negotiating with his organization for several months, we were finally granted entrance into the secret studio and allowed to capture this rare image of the genius with his work. Here Minás is pictured with what will be part of the backdrop for the annual Hot August Blues Festival that, oddly enough, occurs in August.
Axis Alley Project…
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Photo by Brooke Hall
The Axis Ally project is an ambitious undertaking by MICA sculpture professor Sarah Doherty to transform an alley behind a stretch of vacant row homes on N. Calvert Street into a platform for creative works in the hopes of revitalizing the neighborhood.
The works found in the alley are a selection of unique installations, sculptures and paintings that wouldn’t exist if not for this framework.
Follow this link for more photos of the Axix Alley project.
Meanwhile…..
Meditation Circle at Evolver’s Dream Spore…
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It’s morning on the farm and Michael Tew leads a session of meditation and yoga. Clockwise from left: Singer/songwriter Gail Silverman, Singer/songwriter Adi Love, my assistant James Hodges, artist/alpaca farmer Mckenzie Ditter, Alpaca farmer/musician Jamie Goetz and Michael Tew.
Evolver is a national social networking group that host events, or spores, devoted to the expansion or evolution of consciousness. This Dream spore was conducted on Three Streams Farm in Freeland, a farm owned by local poet and spoken word event organizer, Julie Fisher. It’s fitting that Fisher would grant the use of her land for the event, as she herself was granted the sixty acre farm by Otis Spicer, a White Mountain Apache and pipe carrier.
The Dream Spore was a two day, overnight camping event that celebrated dreams with round table discussions, readings, a bonfire, fire spinning, a sculpture burn, drum circles, yoga and meditation.
Caption and photo by Philip Laubner.
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As the sun sets on the Dream Spore, Evolver event organizer Michael Morstein summons the spirits from the woods.
Caption and photo by Philip Laubner.
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Robin Gunkel reads a poem about dreams from Technicians of the Sacred before she and her Evolver companions set fire to Fred Merrill’s latest wooden sculpture. Robin is a graduate of The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in Boulder, CO where she received her low-residency MFA in Creative Writing while living abroad in Japan. Robin is the founding member of the Baltimore Evolver group.
Caption and photo by Philip Laubner.
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Ongoing
Hal Boyd: Object Relations Opening Reception at Minas Gallery
Hal Boyd studied drawing and painting at the University of Nebraska and the University of Mississippi. He earned a baccalaureate degree from Ole Miss, where his teachers included major American sculptor David Smith and painter Jack Tworkov. In the 1980s, Boyd taught marketing for artists at the San Antonio Art Institute. He is a member and past-president of the Asheville Gallery of Art, Ltd.
Ends June 30.
Ain’t Goin’ Home: Chris Stain and Leon Reid IV at The Creative Alliance
Built from found materials by Leon Reid IV, a statue of John Henry towers over this installation amidst Hoovertown shacks made of wooden pallets and railroad ties made of cardboard. Giant stenciled murals by Chris Stain form a backdrop melding WPA-era social realism and urban graffiti, expanding on the themes of struggle and pride, race and dislocation in the face of technological and economic change. Part of the Urban/Appalachia series From the Mountains to Baltimore and Back: Music, Film and Art. Through May 29.
You and Me Living Today (anatomically modern explorers) at Gallery Four
Gallery Four presents part one of a two part series. Volume One features new sculpture, installation, photography, and video works by four artists from Idaho, New York, and Baltimore. You & Me Living Today (anatomically modern explorers) examines our ever-baffling material culture as an adaption to ironic biological confines. Through June 19.
Atmospheres & Islands by Soledad Salamé and new works by David Brown at Goya Contemporary
Through July 17.
Natural Remedies Featuring work by Caitlin Cunningham & Alex Ebstein at John Fonda Gallery
Natural Remedies is a two person exhibition of new works by Caitlin Cunningham and Alex Ebstein. Both artists reflect on their consciousness of health, medicine, and alternative remedies through meticulous, psychedelic imagery. Ends May 30.
Baker Artist Awards 2010 at The Baltimore Museum of Art
The BMA celebrates the Baker Artist Awards with an exhibition of sculpture, film, photography, drawings, music, and performance videos. Ends June 27.
For more details, directions and events click here.
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