The Most Important Link

ARTSCAPE

I could not embed this video, but this is definitely worth checking out.

You start out one way, and end up another.

Though Baltimore might not be New York, or Boston it is still a city that appreciates and cares about the arts. Baltimore offers vibrant art museums: The Walters, The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Visionary Art Museum, and the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower. Each museum, and gallery offers a completely different experience from the next; much like the different experience Baltimore offers in comparison to New York, and Boston.

In the beginning of this Baltimore and the arts journey we've seen gala's, festivals, and heard criticism about what Baltimore is doing in connection with its artists. Maybe Baltimore missed the boat in terms of becoming a developed arts city, and maybe Baltimore is still on its way. Artscape has been the most effective and successful festival produced in this city, and is growing every year.

My next few posts will be some sites and sounds from this past Artscape, 2009.

Blog Reflection:

In the beginning of this assignment I thought I would have no trouble finding the information I needed to create a healthy looking and well planned blog on Artscape. I was wrong. This assignment definitely enlightened me about the work of a historian, and I really enjoyed the (at some points) struggle. I have a greater appreciation for the Baltimore Artscape, an event I have attended since 2004, and have witnessed the growth of in the past five years. If anything, I hope I have educated the reader with the struggle Baltimore had in producing an arts community, and a festival that would have lasting power. A few tips I would tell any student about to undertake this project:

• Never procrastinate!
• Use the Library! The Maryland Room of the Enoch Pratt Free Library is an amazing place!
• Outline the information you have and plan-plan-plan!

Thank you for checking out my blog,
Regina Isaksson

Who is in charge of Artscape today???

Well, WJZ 13 is still a large contributor to the Artscape but the committee in charge is the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts. This organization's goals are:

To make Baltimore a more vibrant and creative city by:

• Producing high-quality special events, festivals and arts programming that stimulate communities economically, artistically and culturally.
• Inspiring and promoting literary, performing and visual arts, and artists.
• Celebrating Baltimore's rich, diverse heritage while enhancing the quality of life and sense of community for all residents.
• Forging partnerships that make Baltimore a premiere visitor destination.
• Managing cultural and historic attractions.
• Generating positive local, national and international publicity about Baltimore.

(Information accessed from above link regarding the Baltimore Office of Promotions & The Arts)

O'Malleys Artscape Message, 2004

Skipping years?! Artscape 2004

As I said, the Maryland Room of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, while provided me with the bulk of Baltimore art festival beginnings doesn't show much information on its transfer to the present day festival that we enjoy. Here is the 23rd annual Artscape pamphlet; Mayor O'Malley writes the inside address. Year 2004.

The 10th year of Baltimore's Artscape!

Front view of pamphlet below.

The 1990 pamphlet address from Mayor Schmoke; Maryland Room of Enoch Pratt Free Library V.F. Artscape.

This is the inside of the Artscape 89' pamphlet that I saw at the Maryland Room Enoch Pratt Free Library, V.F. Artscape. Mayor Schmoke is giving his welcome to the Artscape, this is also a year when WJZ 13 became involved in Artscape festivities, as well as worked as a sponsor.

Another time jump, and missing facts...

Like we discussed in class, doing historical research is difficult. The years that are well documented in the history of Baltimore Arts Festivals, and the Baltimore Artscape are 1952, 1975, and 1982... after that Artscape seems to have taken off. There are pamphlets provided for the early to mid 90s that I will post but other than that I am doing a lot of "guess work," with the bits of information I can find online.

Think you might want your own caricature??? Go here!

Caricature Map of Central Baltimore

Here is a section of Tom Chalkley's "Caricature Map of Baltimore."

1982 "Artscape was great, but how about a broader base?"

Unfortuantely, in 1982 at the time of Artscape, Baltimore's relationship with the artist community it was seemingly trying to cultivate was strained. Artscape, despite some rain, was a success to most Baltimoreans that attended the event. But, there was a dark side. Mike Rowland, a writer for The Forum, and native Baltimorean living in the Mount Royal neighborhood discovered a few artists protesting the event. These artitst protesting the event said that local artitsts were "arm-twisted," into participation, and that grass-roots artistic expression was exculded; in this example caricatures.

(Information in this post from: Mike Rowland, "Artscape was great, but how about a broader base?" The Forum, June 18, 1982.)

The 1982 Artscape pamphlet! Inside Mayor Schaefer addresses the city talking about the future of Artscape, and Baltimore's destination as a city for creative arts. I'm sad that the picture turned out the way it did because I wanted it to be more legible. (Pamplet courtesy of Maryland Room Enoch Prat Free Library V.F. Artscape.)

Does Baltimore have a reaccuring issue of art snobbery???

In reflection of the past articles, and criticisms of Baltimore I'm noticing a slight pattern... or problem that Baltimore has when trying to place itself on the "artistic map" in compairison with cities like New York, and Boston. First, Baltimore... is not New York, or Boston. We are grittier, the people who settled, and migrated to Baltimore were not artists, dancers, muscians, or painters. They were working class people, fighting for their jobs, trying to get by. Baltimore was an industrial city, not an arts mecca.

MACAC, wasn't wrong with its intentions, but somewhat clouded. The city leaders wanted Baltimore to be immidiately recognized as a city of the arts far before it was maturing into one. There was also constant controversy on who was considered an artist as well... how amateur was too amateur?

Luckily for Baltimore, Artscape was the first arts festival that made it past 12 years... Artscape celebrated its 27th year in 2009 and has plans for its events in 2010.

ARTSCAPE: New dimension in city's revival!

Baltimore, as an arts district took somewhat of a hiatus between the Baltimore City Arts Festival of 1978, to the beginnings of Artscape in 1982. Though I researched what may have been the reason for such a hiatus when the last article of 1978 mentioning the Baltimore City Arts Festival sounded positive regarding it's growth I had little information to work with on why there was a gap in time.

The concept this time, would stick for the next 27 years (and counting). In the place of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, hundreds of multi-colored paper airplanes would be launched to symbolize the festivals change from "order" to "disorder." Mayor Schaefer, in his opening speech reminded Baltimorean's that the Artscape would be phase in Baltimore's renaissance. This new festival would be held on Mt. Royal Avenue. The Lyric theatre would house the artwork of the 21 local artists and sculptures that won prizes in a juried art show. The 1982 message of Artscape was to celebrate a cultural revival in the Mount Royal district similar to New York or Boston.

In criticism to the new Artscape, artists that came from other places in the country or world said it had a long way to go before it would be considered a sister in the art world to New York and Boston. Jan Zandhuis, a glassblower said "that while he supports the city's conscious effort to develop the arts, he believes the market in Baltimore is immature... this community has a long way to go before it becomes sophisticated."

(Information from this article: Jenny Abdo, "Artscape: New dimension in city's revival," Evening Sun, June 12, 1982.)

The last Baltimore Arts Festival...

In 1978, The Baltimore Arts Festival was seeing success. Richard Micherdzinski, the director of the festival involved in the 11 previous festivals stated "We've moved, we've expanded and in some respects we've made changes." Instead of having amateur performances like there had been in previous yeras, the 1978 festival had fewer performances by more well known artists, and was held on the Inner Harbor promenade in early July instead of June in the Hopkins Plaza. This festival did catch some criticism from local and amateur Baltimore artists that wanted to be included in the festivities, and felt that they were being excluded so that tourists would see what Mayor Schaefer and members of the MACAC wanted instead; "Not the true Baltimore," stated one amateur artist excluded from exhibits.

(Information on this post came from: "Arts Festival Expands Scope," News American, July 3, 1978.)

Hopkins Plaza Ribbon Ceremony 1975, and the Baltimore City Arts Festival

William Donald Schaefer led the ceremony that began the 1975 Baltimore City Arts Festival with the cutting of a ribbon in the Hopkins Plaza. More than 500 people attended the afternoon's activities and the bicentennial band provided music. Two 11 year-old girls assisted the Mayor in the ribbion cutting ceremony; Elizabeth Ozol, and Jessica Pitt.

Information from this post was provided by: William Hotz, "Baltimore City Arts Festival Begins with a Flourish!" Sun Newspaper, June 27, 1975.

"Little Help from Our Friends" mural, by Bob Hieronimus, Baltimore MD.

A segment from "The Lord's Prayer" mural commissioned by the graduate students for the Johns Hopkins University. Work by Bob Hieronimus, completed June, 1969.

A segment of the "Historic Views of Baltimore 1752-1857" mural by Bob Hieronimus, 1976. Located in the War Memorial Building Baltimore, Maryland.

News American: "Big Deal Downtown... Or, Flaunting The Festival?"

The Baltimore City Arts Festival of 1975 was planned to be the biggest arts event (again) in Baltimore History. The MACAC sent out flyers calling the grand opening of the event to be a "flaunt." Mayor Schaefer , decided that every aspect of art or arts in Baltimore must be shown in a "flaunt" parade prior to the grand opening, as suggested by Bob Hieronimus. "A Flaunt is a parade of a very special nature," said Bob Hieronimus a well known Baltimore artist, and the chairman of the Arts Tower committee.

(Information from this posting: R. P. Harriss, "Big Deal Downtown... Or, Flaunting The Festival," News American, June 22, 1975)

1975 Baltimore City Arts Exhibit Map

Here is another document I found in the Maryland Room of the Enoch Prat Free Library V.F. Baltimore City Arts Festival; you can see the layout and key of the festival better by clicking this picture for a larger view.

Baltimore City Arts Festival

Above are the pamphlets for the Baltimore City Arts Festival. The festival in 1975, mentioned below, used the Bromo Setlzer Tower as part of the marketing campaign. You can see part of the Bromo Seltzer building in the pamphlet to the far left. These are all courtesy the Maryland Room at the Baltimore Enoch Prat Free Library V.F. Baltimore City Arts Festival.

Bromo Seltzer Tower

You can find some interesting information here about the structure and design of the Bromo Seltzer Tower; this is also the website where I found this beautiful picture of the tower (I love seeing this tower at night, ever since I was little I have been captivated by it for some reason, and finding out it was originally a marketing gimick for a headache supplement has disappointed me.) For better information regarding the history of the tower as well as its use for creative arts purposes you may click here.

"Art should not exist in an ivory tower..."

The Baltimore Art Festival of 1952 may have fizzled, but the Baltimore leaders still wanted Baltimore to be "on the map," both artistically and culturally.

Although 1975, was the eighth year of the Baltimore City Arts festival, 1975 broght new hope. The Mayor's Advisory Committee on Art and Culture sponsored a newer festival, that would be marketed by the MACAC. This festival was to be held in the Charles Center and Hopkins Plaza, June 26-29th. The old Bromo-Seltzer Tower was turned into an Arts Center bu the MACAC, and utilized in the campaign for the new arts festival. The Hopkins Plaza was also used to showcase art work, music, dance, and drama during the festival.

Results of Baltimore Art Festival 1952: Art Snobbery!

June 7, 1952 Sun Paper "Local Art Work in Local Shop Windows"

This article discusses in more depth some of the planning behind the Baltimore Art Festival of 1952. Mrs. Lay Martin, in the hopes to stimulate local art sold the display idea to the Retail Merchants Association. The main goal was to get local artwork in the public arena's where people frequented that did not visit art musuems. This was also an effort to support art museums in Baltimore. The Retail Merchants Association had the indirect goal to dress the city up as a "gala cultural affair," a new concept in industrial centers at that time. As mentioned before, 38 retail stores displayed 313 paintings out of the 640 submitted works by locak artists. A difficulty with the exhibition was when the three judges; mentioned as art elites and city outsiders, decided that of the 640 entries only 168 met their artistic standards. The remaining 145 paintings were set to fill display windows of the retail merchants who had agreed to participate in the Baltimore Art Festival.

Already, it seems as though the relationship with Baltimore artists, and the festivals that would market the show-casing of their work would bump heads in the artistic arena of "taste," as well as execution. The Retail Association had elected outsiders to judge the artwork, and some artists left with a bad taste in their mouth because of the "elitest" attitudes this arts festival displayed.

This is a photograph of the Retail Merchants Association of Baltimore's Baltimore Art Festival, rules and requirements for art submission. Baltimore, 1952; Courtesy of MD. V.F Enoch Prat Free Library, Baltimore Arts Festival.

This June 1, 1952 article of the Sun includes a photograph of one of the windows in Baltimore's first Art Festival; Carol Wharton wrote this article.

Baltimore's First Arts Festival

In 1952, the Retail Merchants Association of Baltimore organized the Baltimore Art Festival to be held June 2-8th. The exhibition was designed by the Merchants Association to showcase the works of area artists in attractive window displays. The artists were first required to submit their paintings, and scuplture for examination by a Jury that would choose which pieces would be best for the stores participating. The artists picked to have their work displayed would also be taking part in a competition. The flyer for the event states that "The Baltimore Art Festival, will be the biggest exhibition of Maryland Art ever attempted."

The June 1, issue of the Sun discusses the art and it's distribution to 38 retail stores across Baltimore. Other groups involved in Maryland's first art festival were the Peale Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Maryland Institute, and local institutions and organizations "concerned with art."

A new direction for this blog...

Well. I have been reading, and re-reading the articles that are available in the vertical files in the Enoch Pratt Maryland Room and trying to think of a way to present my blog and findings. I feel like though Baltimore Artscape is successful as an arts festival for the city but failed in making Baltimore a place for the arts year round, or establishing a solid art community. Artscape does a wonderful job getting vendors into the city but less than 25% of the vendors by the looks of the programs (that I will post later this week) are from Baltimore. And of the few that are, many are students who move outside of Baltimore to Boston, New York, or out West after graduation from MICA. In my own experience attending Baltimore's Artscape the vendors I spoke with, or seemed more attracted to the tents of where all from out of state. I shall research this more and keep a better job on updates.

In other news... I have tried contacting a few people from the sponsorship committee and haven't had any luck. :(