So many artists, so little time! I really want to highlight Baltimore-based or Baltimore-born artists, since when I am a high school art teacher, I will be able to use this community asset to inspire my students. Who knows maybe I can even invite them to my art class in the future!
The first artist actually has an exhibition that has an opening reception on Thurs. 9/26 at 4:30 – 7:30pm at the Scott Center at Carroll Community College. Ariston Jacks is a Baltimore based artist with a MA in Painting & Printmaking from University of Arkansas. I like the way his art reflects personal narratives and the spiritual through use of symbols. The work I have been also works with family and spiritual symbolism, so I appreciate looking at other contemporary artists working with similar themes.
“Guided by the spirit realm, research, and the oral tradition of my Father, I construct a modern mythology centered in truth and impending prophecy. The L.O.S.T. Gate (Legacy of Supreme Triumph) series documents my ancestral heritage through veiled images that are filled with secret messages and sacred geometry presented through a contemporary lens. These mythical narratives of family, archetype, and icon illuminate the spirit of man by chronicling discerning perspectives which illustrate the human condition outside of the edited scope of mainstream culture.” – Ariston Jacks
Next, Amy Sherald. She is a contemporary Baltimore-born painter who quickly rose to fame when she painted Michelle Obama’s portrait for the National Portrait Gallery in D.C., becoming the first African American woman commissioned to paint a first lady. She is having a solo exhibition entitled, “the heart of the matter” that deals with people, landscapes, and cityscapes as opportunities to paint version of herself and African Americans into the American art narrative. The title of the exhibition comes from bell hook’s book “Salvation” and builds on themes of silence and stillness felt in other great works like Elizabeth Alexander’s poem “Black Interior.” She is really dealing with the idea of blackness and black identity in both the public and private spaces.
The next artist I found as I was looking through Baltimore community-based, independent art publication called Bmore Art. They publish a quarterly magazine that is a great resource to find upcoming gallery openings and events, reviews of work, and artist interviews. Nora Sturges has an opening next week on Thurs. Sept 26 @ 6pm at the C. Grimaldis Gallery on N. Charles Street and I hope I can go! I also found out today that she is a professor at Towson University and teaches painting – Smaltimore strikes again! Inspired by the mystery and humanity of late medieval Italian frescoes, she works in oil paint, gouache, to explore abstracted landscapes of color and form.
Last but not least, we have Whitney Frazier. She is an interdisciplinary artist, teacher and activist living in Baltimore and is currently pursuing her MFA in Community Arts at MICA. Her work centers around the collaborative process of art believing it has the ability to create social justice and strengthen our communities. Check her website out here.
Shells on Shells series, collage. 
Shells on Shells series, collage.
“My mixed media works layer collaged images and gestural paint strokes. My abstractions express broad political and social commentaries about this moment and imagined futures.” – Whitney Frazier
MONICA HEISER 