Artist David Plunkert takes us inside his job as a professional illustrator; outgoing director Megan Hamilton remembers her time with The Creative Alliance; and novelist Robert Stucky talks about A Complicated Legacy, the story of a Southern plantation owner’s effort to emancipate his slaves, who were also his family.
David Plunkert is a graphic designer, illustrator, and cartoonist. He’s one of the co-owners of the design and illustration studio, Spur Design, in Baltimore. His illustrations have appeared in major magazines and newspapers, and his posters have been collected by Library of Congress. Now, his talents are on display in a new series that pairs classic literary collections with world-class artists. Rockport Publishers is about to release Edgar Allan Poe, Stories & Poems – Illustrated by David Plunkert. David talks about his work with Aaron Henkin.
For 21 years, Megan Hamilton has been the program director of The Creative Alliance, Baltimore’s homegrown powerhouse of art and community engagement. Since its inception, she has been an integral part of a team of artists, educators, and organizers behind signature events, including the Great Halloween Lantern Parade, which have become part of the cultural fabric of Baltimore. Hamilton is stepping down from her post, and she joins producer Lisa Morgan in studio to share some highlights from her two decades with the Creative Alliance.
During the Civil War, Maryland was a Union state. It was also, incongruously, a state that permitted slavery. A hundred fifty years ago this month, the Maryland Legislature righted that wrong, adopting a new state constitution that emancipated all enslaved people in the state. In the years leading up to the war, ‘emancipation’ was a foggy legal issue from state to state, and it’s this legislative limbo that provides the backdrop for Robert Stucky’s historical novel, A Complicated Legacy. The book dramatizes the saga of an actual court case from the era: A South Carolina plantation owner sought to emancipate (and provide an inheritance for) his slaves, who also happened to be his family. Author Robert Stucky joins producer Aaron Henkin for a look inside the story.
