Oct 02 Thursday
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.
For thousands of years, East Asia’s cultures have viewed human life as part of a much larger system that encompasses the natural world. Drawn from the BMA’s collection, this exhibition boasts more than 40 objects—from magnificent ink drawings to beautifully crafted stoneware and poignant contemporary photographs and prints. They bring into the galleries the mountains and seas, wild and supernatural animals, and plant life that are extensive across East Asian imagery and often carry symbolic meaning.
Works on view include robust 13th-century ceramic vessels, delicate porcelain, carved jade, intricately sewn textiles, and large-scale photography; collectively, these artworks represent the impulse to fully understand the natural world as foundational to our existence, as shaped by human life, and as an enduring metaphor of survival.
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.
Mindfulness Meditation + Sports & Positive Psychology + Neuroscience + Group Coaching = mPEAK
mPEAK (Mindfulness, Performance Enhancement, Awareness & Knowledge) is a mindfulness training program for anyone seeking to achieve personal and professional goals, as well as attain new levels of performance and success. This cutting-edge training program is built around the latest brain research related to peak performance, resilience, focus, and “flow”.
The mPEAK program enhances the human capacity of mindfulness through established and empirically supported practices and exercises. Mindfulness is effective precisely because it is a way of being and relating to all aspects of life, rather than a specific technique or tool for a particular goal. As with physical training, this brain training program is based upon the understanding that optimal outcomes occur most often when participants continue to engage in the practices and exercises on a daily basis as a part of their training regimen.
This program was specially designed for athletes, first responders, leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, musicians, dancers, and busy professionals or parents who set big goals, face consistent challenges and stretch themselves towards excellence. mPEAK is appropriate for beginner and seasoned mindfulness practitioners alike. Previous meditation experience is not necessary to participate, but can facilitate a deeper learning experience.
Over the course of her career, Ami Taf Ra has graced stages worldwide, captivating audiences in Denmark, Turkey, Morocco, Belgium, Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan. She has performed at esteemed festivals like the South East Jazz Festival and the Haarlem Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, as well as with the Dutch Royal Metropole Orchestra at the Royal Concert Hall (Concertgebouw) and the Dutch Blazers Ensemble. Ami has toured extensively with Kamasi Washington, performing together at notable venues and festivals across the United States including City Winery in Boston, the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, and the Just Jazz Concert Series at Mr Musichead Gallery in Los Angeles. She has also performed with a diverse array of musicians, including trombonist Ryan Porter, saxophonist Rickey Washington, percussionist Kahlil Cummings, bassist Ben Williams, drummer Jonathan Pinson, and pianist Jamael Dean. This fall, Ami Taf Ra will embark on a North American headline tour kicking off September 22 at the renowned Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.
THE SHARK IS BROKEN
BY IAN SHAW and JOSEPH NIXONDIRECTED BY Gené Fouché
SEPTEMBER 12 – OCTOBER 5
Preview September 11ASL Interpreted performance September 19
It’s 1974 and the hit movie JAWS is being filmed. Well, it would be, if the prop shark wasn’t a mechanical mess. In this laugh-out-loud comedy, testy, feuding costars Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider take center stage as booze flows, egos clash, and tempers flare. The actors pray for an end to the shoot, not knowing it will change their lives forever.
Oct 03 Friday