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Executive Director’s Letter July 31, 2018

Mark your calendars for a September 13 opening exhibition, performances, and party. The Baltimore Museum of Art celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Baker Artist Awards with an exhibition of visual artworks by 2017 and 2018 awardees. Baker Artist Awards 2017 & 2018 will be on view from September 12 – October 14, 2018, featuring Abraham Burickson (interdisciplinary, 2018), Sara Dittrich (interdisciplinary, 2017), David Marion (visual art, 2017), and Amy Sherald (visual art, 2018). This exhibition will present a small selection of sculpture, painting, video art, and mixed media works by these four recent award recipients, showcasing the breadth and exceptional talent of these artists.

The Baker Artist Portfolios and associated awards were established and are funded by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund and are a program of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. The online portfolio website (available at BakerArtist.org) was created to promote and recognize the rich community of artists in the Baltimore region. Since its inception in 2008, the Baker Artist Awards have awarded over $800,000 in prizes to more than 100 artists from the Baltimore region. Awardees are selected annually by an anonymous jury from more than 700 Baltimore-region artists who created a free, online portfolio at www.bakerartist.org. Selected artists exemplify a mastery of craft, depth of artistic exploration, and a unique and compelling vision.

A free public opening will be held on Thursday, September 13, from 6 p.m.–9 p.m., featuring performances, a literary reading, and a film screening from the 2018 awardees in the four other disciplines: Lafayette Gilchrist (music), Dora Malech (literary), Margaret Rorison (film/video), and Lisi Steossel (performance).

Also, currently showing at the BMA is a special exhibition of works by the six finalists for the $25,000 Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize: Erick Antonio Benitez (Rubys Artist grantee), Nakeya Brown, Sutton Demlong, Nate Larson (Rubys Artist Grantee), Eunice Park, and Stephen Towns (Rubys Artist Grantee). The winner, finalists, and semi-finalists were chosen by an independent panel of jurors. This prestigious award is named after the late Baltimore civic leader Walter Sondheim and his late wife, Janet, presented in conjunction with Artscape, and administered by the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts.

Congratulations to all these amazing artists!

Best,

Jeannie

P.S. Today is the very last day to submit your Rubys Artist Grant application, so don’t delay. You can find all the details here.

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