Hi everyone! Thomas James here – Visual Arts Curator at Creative Alliance. I know we’re all itching to get back out there and begin viewing art again, but since that won’t happen for the next few weeks I’ve compiled a small list for you all to enjoy art virtually!
Although Baltimore’s museums are closed, you can view over 6,000 works of art in The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture’s permanent collection. Also, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) has a YouTube page with a number of videos showcasing local Baltimore artists such as Ernest Shaw (who was in Creative Alliance’s December exhibition “We Are One”) as well as interviews with world-renown artists such Jack Whitten.
If you want to see some local talent, Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis currently has their Street Scenes exhibition up online on their Curve Gallery platform. This exhibition was juried by Creative Alliance’s Resident Artist Alumn, Adam Davies! Any original 2D or 3D work that depicts what resonates with the artist in towns and cities, large and small, was considered for this exhibition. In his statement, Adam said, “I was drawn to works that had a strong sense of color and design as well as to works that seemed to create a narrative. It was important that they had an inner cohesion, that all elements in the image or object made sense or supported the story. The selected works provide a diversity of imagery and points of view.” Take a look at mdfrdart.com.
Have you always wanted to take an art class? Well, Creative Alliance and many other institutions have online workshops in the works! In the meantime, check out Skillshare! – they offer online classes that run the gamut, including how to talk about art, how to make an art poster, how to discover your art style, how to design quirky characters, and more. To discover more of these great opportunities visit skillshare.com.
The Barnes Collection has begun a video series featuring Barnes curators, scholars, and educators sharing off-the-cuff musings about some of their favorite works in the collection. They are calling it “Barnes Takeout: Your Daily Serving of Art!” and it is indeed as great as it sounds! From Van Gogh to Renoir, they are taking views through the INCREDIBLE Barnes Collection. Watch on YouTube
Speaking of YouTube, a few more platforms have compiled a number of links to videos that art lovers of all kinds can enjoy. Here are a few of my favorite art-focused documentaries and panel talks on the Urban Walls Brazil platform. Artnet just published a great article with 14 videos focusing on the ins and outs of museum art, and for our convenience, each of them are under 20 minutes. Head over to the Artnet page to watch.
Although it’s unfortunate we cannot head to the museum in person, HyperAllergic just published a great article listing over 2,500 museums worldwide that you can visit virtually! Who knew you could visit a museum AND practice social distancing! Check it out!
Hope you’re feeling creative!
Thomas James,
Visual Arts Curator
Creative Alliance
