Community Calendar

When was the last time you unplugged?

Disconnect, slow down, and rediscover what it means to be present inside the BMA’s historic Spring House, where acclaimed American conceptual artist Rachel Lee Hovnanian presents the Nature Deficit Disorder immersion room this spring. The powerful installation challenges our digital dependence and rekindles our connection to the natural world.

Inspired by journalist Richard Louv’s term “nature deficit disorder,” described as a growing disconnection from nature, often linked to diminished focus and negative moods, Hovnanian transforms the Spring House into a simulated nighttime forest.

“My work has long explored how technology shapes attention, mental health, and human connection. This installation emerged from my observations of society’s growing digital dependence, alongside my own experience of it.” –Rachel Lee Hovnanian
Away from the constant ping of notifications and endless scrolling, surrender your phone, surround yourself with fir trees, and let lantern light guide you. Hear the crunch of leaves beneath your feet and watch the flicker of a campfire casting shadows across the room.

In a world where we check our phones every other minute, Hovnanian invites you to linger for at least five minutes in the immersion room and consider what is lost when we give our attention to apps and devices rather than real-life experiences.

“What do we lose when our lives are constantly mediated by screens? I hope to offer a pause—an invitation to rediscover how it feels to be fully present.” –Rachel Lee Hovnanian

Maryland Art Place, in partnership with Hotel Indigo Baltimore, is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Maryland-based artist, Roo Taylor. The exhibition is on view at Hotel Indigo, located at 24 West Franklin St. from April 17 - July 17.
A public reception will take place on Wednesday, April 22 from 5 PM to 7 PM.

About the Artist:
Roo Taylor (b. 2003) is a Baltimore-based artist originally from Denver, Colorado. She earned her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and is currently a resident artist at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore. Working primarily with high-flow acrylic paint and acrylic ink, Taylor uses transparency and layered color to create abstract landscapes. Her work explores the interplay between the natural world and human relationships, exploring the emotional and atmospheric depth through fluid, natural spaces. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries across Baltimore, Denver and New York, as well as internationally at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art in Japan.

Using light and color as metaphors for energy, Roo Taylor’s work traces the through lines between the natural world and human connection. Rooted in a deep reverence for transparency and hue, each piece is meant to reflect on the connection between feeling and form. Taylor invites viewers to experience emotional resonance as something inherently natural, alive, layered, and luminous.

Please join us on Wednesday, April 22 from 5 PM to 7 PM for a champagne reception at Hotel Indigo located at 24 West Franklin St.

From the 1960s to the 2020s, Baltimore philanthropists Sigmund and Mary Hyman assembled a major collection of American art, with a particular focus on modernists of the Ashcan School. In partnership with BMA curators, the Hymans gifted a carefully selected group of important works to the Museum—a gift completed in 2024 following the passing of Mary Hyman, a longtime Trustee.

Featuring paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and a textile, Seeing the Essential: The Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection of American Art explores defining themes of the Ashcan movement, including urban life, architecture, interiors, the figure, and portrayals of artists and performers. The exhibition also highlights an exceptional group of works by John Sloan, a leading figure of the movement.

The Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk is a free, self-guided walking tour of arts venues, exhibitions, performances, pop-up shops, and more! The neighborhood comes alive with incredible talent, vibrant vendors, and inspiring creations from local makers. Local businesses team up with DJs, musicians, and artists to turn the evening into a full-on celebration—come out, explore, get inspired, and be part of the fun!

Highlandtown hosts its Art Walk on the first Friday of every month, with the exception of January and July. Specific event details, such as participating venues and artists, are posted on our website: ihearthighlandtown.com and on our social media: @highlandtownarts on FB and IG.

-----------------------------------------------------------
📍 Digital map: https://tinyurl.com/HighlandtownArtWalkMap2026
-----------------------------------------------------------
Use the interactive Art Walk Map to find venue locations and details to plan your night! Some venues are open earlier than 5pm and some stay open past 9pm. Please check individual listings.

🚌 GETTING HERE 🚌
Free street-parking is available throughout the neighborhood. Metered parking is available on Eastern Ave and Conkling Street (and is free after 6pm). City buses #21, #22, Navy, Blue bring you to the district.

💡 HOW DO I PARTICIPATE (AS AN ARTIST/VENDOR)? 💡
Artists, performers and vendors can join our “Art Walk Vendor List” by completing the online form below. We share this with our venues and they’ll reach out if interested. You’re also welcome to attend an Art Walk, meet our venues and make a match directly! https://tinyurl.com/ArtWalkVendor

The Rotunda Welcomes Back Popular Family-Friendly Concert Series this May
3rd Annual Rotunda Rocks Begins Friday, May 2 and Runs Every Friday through Friday, October 3

Grab a blanket or dust off your favorite portable chair and head on over to Hampden this spring for the return of the popular family-friendly concert series, the 3rd Annual Rotunda Rocks. This FREE weekly concert series, presented by MCB Real Estate, features live music on the Plaza and a street festival atmosphere with delicious local food and drinks, fun games and local vendors and will take place Fridays, 6-9 p.m. beginning May 2 and running until October 3. (711 West 40th Street). Whether you like rock n ’roll, folk, bluegrass, Indie, Latin, Celtic or reggae music, there is something for everyone and the event is open to the public. Pets are welcome and a portion of proceeds from beverage sales benefits the Maryland SPCA. For more information, log onto Rotunda Rocks | The Rotunda (rotundabaltimore.com) or call 410-662-0104.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING

BY DUNCAN MACMILLAN and JONNY DONAHOE
DIRECTED BY TAD JANES

MAY 15 – JUNE 14

Preview May 14
ASL Interpreted Performance May 22

At once a transcendent coming-of-age tale and a call to reach out to each other, Every Brilliant Thing is a warm-hearted, hilarious, heart-wrenching play about how depression can affect a family, and the lengths we will go for those we love.

The View Upstairs is a fiercely original, soul-stirring tribute to queer history, community, and resilience. With a lush, genre-blending score by Max Vernon, this boundary-pushing work transports audiences to 1973 New Orleans and into the Upstairs Lounge—a vibrant gay bar and haven for queer joy, chosen family, and radical self-expression.

Inspired by the true story of the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ+ community in U.S. history prior to the Pulse Nightclub tragedy, The View Upstairs reclaims a moment in our collective history many tried to erase. It invites us to gather in solidarity with those we lost, and challenges us to confront what allowed the world to look away.

The View Upstairs presented at the Baltimore Theatre Project as part of our Season of Survival asks what it means to heal, to protect one another, and to endure in the face of violence and erasure.

Don’t miss this haunting, defiant, and life-affirming musical that reminds us survival is not just resistance—it’s remembering, loving, and choosing each other again and again.

The Potomac Playmakers is pleased to present its final show for the 2025-2026 season. Sylvia by A.R. Gurney, is a romantic comedy about a man in a mid-life crisis, his dog, his wife, and about the role of love in the modern world.
Directed by Susan Kleit with Lisa Hatch as Assistant Director, with kind permission of Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
Greg and Kate, recent empty nesters, have finally moved back into New York City from the suburbs to recharge their lives, including Kate’s previously paused but now resurging career. Greg, a middle-aged commodities trader with a growing disenchantment for his career, disrupts the couple’s relational dynamics by bringing home the stray dog Sylvia. Sylvia demonstrates her unconditional love for Greg. This affection is a welcome relief from both the cold business of his work as well as the new dynamic of a partner embarking on her new career.
Sylvia’s arrival is an unwelcome surprise for Kate and, despite her objections, remains with Greg. Sylvia fills an emotional void for Greg that no human has filled. It takes no time for the unique bond between Greg and Sylvia to wear thin on Kate. Kate, Greg, and Sylvia need to navigate their respective roles in this new pack.

Celebrating 55 years of E.U. and doing all your favorite Hits like, "Da’ Butt", “EU Freeze”, “Umm Bop Bop”, “Taste of Your Love”, “Shake Your Thang” and many more... Come ready to PARTY!

Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliott is a globally known recording artist, front man, lead vocalist, and bass player of the band E.U. (Experience Unlimited). Experience Unlimited is a Washington, D.C.-based go-go/funk band that has had 3 billboard hits including the “Da’ Butt” which peaked at #1 on the US Billboard Hot Black Singles in 1988 and was also a featured performance in Spike Lee’s film “School Daze”. With a heart for uplifting people in his life and through his music and a dedication to the music born in DC that he loves, Sugar Bear and E.U. continue to keep the dance floor packed. Sugar Bear & E.U. has played with Run DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson & many more.

Keystone Kards are not applicable for this show.