Arts & Entertainment
Artscape anticipation
Annual Baltimore event slated for this weekend
Last year’s Artscape festival. (Photo by Edwin Remsberg; courtesy Artscape)
If the only things you know about Baltimore are what you’ve seen on HBO’s “The Wire” or driving by on I-95, then you probably don’t make a close association between Baltimore and the visual, literary and performing arts. The city’s longtime support and celebration of the arts surprises those who only know Baltimore by its reputation as a gritty, working class town with steel mills, shipyards, railroads and Formstone-clad rowhouses.
Come visit us this weekend as Baltimore presents Artscape 2011, the 30th annual outdoor arts festival that has become the largest such event in the United States.
Artscape attracts about 350,000 people over three days and features more than 150 fine artists, fashion designers, craftspeople and performers. Beginning today at noon and ending on Sunday at 8 p.m., Artscape will spread out over 12 city blocks and offer 4 million square feet of exhibition and performance space, both outside in tents and open-air stages, and inside some of the city’s premiere galleries and performance venues. There’s also a large food court with vendors selling any kind of delicacy you can imagine, with tents and picnic tables available, and where hunger simply doesn’t survive.
Artscape is centered in Baltimore’s Mount Royal district, home to Maryland Institute College of Art, the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the Lyric Opera House and the University of Baltimore, and directly adjacent to the Station North Arts District. Four outdoor stages will have constant performances scheduled through the three-day event while neighborhood churches and art galleries will also be sponsoring associated events around the Mount Royal district. Admission to the concerts, galleries, displays and tents is free. Some concerts do have limited seating, and you’ll want to go to the event website, artscape.org, and reserve your free tickets, get full schedule information, directions, maps and everything you’ll need for a fantastic Artscape experience.
Baltimore’s love affair with the arts isn’t limited to just one weekend a year. The Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) organizes numerous events each year. If the written word is more your style, then you might want to put the Baltimore Book Festival on your calendar for Sept. 23-25. The mid-Atlantic’s premier celebration of literary arts features about 200 celebrity and local authors, readings, discussions, demonstrations, more than 100 exhibitors and booksellers, music, food and more, all in the picturesque Mt. Vernon Square surrounding the nation’s first Washington Monument (completed in 1829). Admission is free.
BOPA administers funds that encourages local arts and cultural organizations to provide residents and visitors with hundreds of diverse free activities, including dance and musical concerts, lectures, tours, exhibitions and more, as part of Free Fall Baltimore during Arts and Humanities Month (October). Visual arts are also a part of October’s schedule, with the Baltimore Open Studio Tour, on the weekend of Oct. 22-23. This free, self-guided two-day tour allows you to enter each artist’s private studio and experience the best of the city’s diverse art culture, literally in the making. Information for these events and many more that BOPA sponsors can be found on its website, promotionandarts.com.
While special events and festivals are great fun, Baltimore has fantastic institutions that promote the best in visual and performing arts every day. Whether it’s the music of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (bsomusic.org) and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, (baltimorechoralarts.org) the professional performing artists at Center Stage, (centerstage.org) or the exquisite collections of the Baltimore Museum of Art, (artbma.org) the American Visionary Art Museum, (avam.org) or the Walters Art Museum, (thewalters.org), art lovers of all stripes will find something to embrace in Charm City.
Wayne Curtis, ABR, is a Realtor® with RE/MAX Advantage Realty. Visit his website at charmcityrealestate.com. He can be reached at 410-467-8950.
Out & About
Plan your wedding the LGBTQ way
Washington D.C. LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo scheduled for Sunday
Rainbow Wedding Network will host “Washington D.C. LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo” on Sunday, March 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Guests can meet and mingle with a curated selection of LGBTQ-welcoming wedding professionals from across the region, each ready to help bring your vision to life, and spend a beautiful afternoon exploring everything they need to create a celebration that reflects them.
There will be a relaxed, self-guided look at the Watergate’s spaces and amenities, savor signature cocktails and delicious tasting samples, and connect with other couples who are on the same journey.
Visit Eventbrite to reserve a spot.
Friday, February 27
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga and Drag Bingo will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour Meetup” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].
Saturday, February 28
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black lesbian. You do not need to be a member of the Beta Kappa Chapter or the Beta Phi Omega Sorority in order to join, but they do ask that you either identify as a lesbian or are questioning that aspect of your identity.Send an email to [email protected] to receive the zoom link.
Sunday, March 1
LGBTQ+ Community Coffee and Conversation will be at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for people looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ community. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, March 2
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
Tuesday, March 3
Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more details, email [email protected].
Wednesday, March 4
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.
Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. There will be discussion, activities, and a chance for guests to share what they want future events to include. For more information, email [email protected].
Thursday, March 5
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
a&e features
Transmission DC breathes new life into a storied sound space
A fresh home for boundary-pushing culture on H Street
Late last year, phoenix-style, a fresh home for boundary-pushing culture arose on the H Street corridor. Transmission DC – a queer, trans, and POC-owned, operated, and centered community-focused venue – powered on in the former home to the Rock & Roll Hotel (famously, not a hotel, but very much rock & roll). Transmission (1353 H St., N.E.) arrives secure in its mandate – or even birthright – to provide a place to celebrate creativity and music through a lens of inclusivity and respect.
Transmission’s team brings experience, but also representation. Owners/partners Kabir Khanna (who is also programming director), Katii B, Ellie McDyre, and Kelli Kerrigan together previously managed 618 productions, a venue in Chinatown, crafting “some of D.C.’s freakiest parties, raves, and mosh pits” they note.
They packed up operations last fall to a space curated specifically for D.C.’s underground music and culture scene, building their efforts in Chinatown to bring in more fans in queer and POC circles.
Transmission, Khanna points out, is built on DIY values. In the music scene, DIY means that promoters and organizers – often disconnected from the mainstream and part of marginalized communities – build shows and programs collaboratively, but independently from institutions, supporting each other as smaller, independent venues close. Here, Transmission aims to ensure that those putting together these underground inclusive shows have a more permanent and stable home, can have access to resources, and can provide more sustainable income to artists. “We’re trying to get more people to support and enjoy the music, and also give artists and organizers within the DIY community more structure and a larger cut,” says Khanna.
Khanna also notes that Transmission operates “under the principles of safety, inclusivity, and respect.” McDyre added that even at venues that claim inclusivity, that statement might not take place in practice. We’re “not just pitting up a rainbow flag,” says McDyre, but as some of the owners are trans and POC, audiences can see themselves reflected at the top.
Much like the DIY nature of the music community, the Transmission owners brought a DIY ethos to turning around their space.
In March 2020 – the height of COVID lockdowns – Rock & Roll Hotel suddenly shuttered, though not due to the pandemic; instead, the venue claimed that decreasing sales and increasing competition led to the closure. For 14 years, it was the central spot for cheap beer and lesser-known and celebrated acts. The space stood vacant for more than five years, until Transmission turned the power back on.
“When we got into the space, it was effectively abandoned for years,” says Khanna. “There was a ton of mold, and paint primer covering all surfaces. It was nearly falling apart.” Khanna noted that many music venues like this one, regardless of how well it was maintained, “get the shit kicked out of it,” given the nature of shows. The team called in mold removal contractors, ripped up most of the floorboards, and started fresh.
Transmission’s first floor is styled as a stripped-down black box: the better to take in the music. “It’s minimal on purpose to act as a canvas for set design and music,” without a specific aesthetic, says Khanna. Moving upstairs, the second floor has been opened up, removing some walls, and now has a larger dance area than the first floor. Beyond the first two performance levels, and a holdover from Rock & Roll Hotel, is the rooftop. Though without a stage, the rooftop space is filled with murals splashed across the walls, with a full bar. Transmission’s current capacity is 496, but the team is looking to grow that number. Transmission will also leverage the full kitchen that Rock & Roll Hotel operated, bringing in Third Hand Kitchen to offer a variety of food, including vegan and vegetarian options.
Khanna pointed out an upcoming show reflective of Transmission’s inclusive ethos: Black Techo Matters on Feb. 27. The event is set to be “a dynamic, collaborative night of underground electronic music celebrating Black History Month.” Khanna says that techno came from Black music origins, and this event will celebrate this genesis with a host of artists, including DJ Stingray 313, Carlos Souffront, and Femanyst.
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