Dec 13 Saturday
This focus exhibition of 10 works explores the relationship between burning fossil fuels—namely, coal—and the emergence of European modernism. Drawing on research conducted by climate scientists and art historians, the exhibition presents a range of paintings and works on paper by Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, James McNeill Whistler, and others to explore the ways that their artistic practices and style emerged, in part, in response to widespread pollution in London and Paris.Presented as part of the Turn Again to the Earth environmental initiative.
More than 50 works on paper investigate how artists working in Europe and French-occupied northern Africa watched and participated as nature became a resource for people to hoard or share.
Drawn from the BMA’s George A. Lucas Collection, this exhibition of 19th-century art foregrounds the many ways that human relationships, including imperialism and capitalism, affect the environment. Deconstructing Nature is organized thematically, focusing on five environments and the ways artists explored them in their work: The Desert, The Forest, The Field, The City, and The Studio.
Born and raised in Baltimore, George A. Lucas (1824–1909) spent most of his adult life immersed in the Parisian art world and amassed a personal collection of nearly 20,000 works of art. In 1996, the BMA, with funds from the State of Maryland and the generosity of numerous individuals in the community, purchased the George A. Lucas Collection, which had been on extended loan to the Museum for more than 60 years.
In this focus exhibition of approximately 20 photographs, prints, drawings, and textiles, the natural environment is a source of creative inspiration worth celebrating and protecting.
Works by artists such as Winslow Homer, Richard Misrach, Charles Sheeler, and Kiki Smith, among many others, depict the elements of air, water, earth, and fire and address broader themes of ecological awareness and preservation. These themes range from how artists have used visual language to convey the act of locating oneself in nature; works that depict natural forms through the physical integration of environmental components; and artists’ commentary on sites of environmental disaster, the sociopolitical ramifications of human impact, and the potential of symbiotic healing for this planet and its occupants.
Celebrate the holiday season with the gift of art for your loved ones! Our annual utilitarian ceramics holiday invitational, Winterfest 2025, features 13 established and emerging ceramic artists. This exhibition is perfectly paired with our Annual Holiday Sale where resident and associated artists join together to fill the galleries and the Shop with hand-crafted gifts.
The items in Winterfest become available through our Online Shop on Friday, November 14, 2025 at 10:00 am.
All items are available for immediate purchase and can be taken home the same day.
Winterfest 2025 Invited ArtistsAndrew Boswell (NY), Katie Fee (IL), Casey Hanrahan (AZ), Margaret Kinkeade (MO), Colleen McCall (NY), Reiko Miyagi (NC), Sean O’Connell (NC), Shawn O’Connor (VA), Ian Petrie (PA), Justin Paik Reese (OH), Taylor Sijan (NJ), Olivia Tani (MN), Caleb Zouhary (OH)
The Baltimore County Arts Guild invites you to celebrate the magic of the season at a Catonsville landmark. Enjoy a festive day filled with pictures and story time with Santa, face painting, the free s’mores bar and free hot cocoa station, free outdoor train rides, holiday arts activities, a kids’ magic show, and the Adopt-A-Puppy station where families can meet and show some love to rescue pups.
Browse unique holiday gifts and treats from 28+ talented local vendors, and enjoy live music and dance performances throughout the day. Whether you’re shopping handmade treasures, spending time with family or soaking in the season, the Holiday Market has something for everyone!
In 2021, the Guild acquired the former home of the Catonsville Womens Club. The 5,000-square-foot venue now serves the region as a community-based arts and music center. In addition to featuring a wide range of the arts including listening-room style music concerts, art exhibits, visual arts classes and writing and poetry programs, it is available to rent for special events including weddings, repasts, bridal and baby showers, birthdays and corporate gatherings.
As the managing entity of the Baltimore County Arts & Entertainment Districts, the nonprofit Baltimore County Arts Guild shapes communities through the transformative power of art. In addition to community-based creative projects, the Guild provides arts experiences through concerts, exhibits and programs. In the truest sense of a guild, the organization continues its decade-long mission to support local artists by providing affordable studio space in a nurturing environment. For more information, visit www.bcartsguild.org or follow @bcartsguild on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Dec 14 Sunday
A Noëls Manuscript was recently added to the collection in honor of William Noel, former long-time Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Walters, who passed away suddenly in April 2024. This work documents 69 songs with musical notation and playful decoration that were sung by families during Advent and Christmas in Normandy, France, capturing an important oral tradition that would otherwise have been lost 400 years ago. Join Lynley Anne Herbert, Robert and Nancy Hall Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, in exploring this unique manuscript, which, in the most literal sense, has Will’s name written all over it, as nearly every page begins with “Noel.”