Baltimore’s 40th Artscape festival, set to take place Aug. 2-4, will feature former RuPaul’s Drag Race competitor Naomi Smalls, fashion shows by emerging and professional designers, public art installations, and more.
Artscape has been held nearly every year since its start in 1982, with the exception of 2020, 2021, and 2022. Traditionally held in the middle of summer, the festival was moved to the first weekend of fall in 2023, after returning from its three-year hiatus.
Now in its 40th year, Artscape is returning to summer, with the three-day festival taking over Baltimore’s Mount Royal cultural district and Station North Arts District. This will be the first Artscape since Rachel Graham became CEO of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA), the festival’s organizer.
Among the events included in this year’s celebration will be the “Inviting Light” pop-up, which has been curated by artist Derrick Adams and was one of eight winners of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2023 Public Art Challenge.
“Inviting Light” will comprise public art installations that “engage with light — artificial or natural — in some way and will respond to the project’s investment in creating accessible public spaces for everyone, engaging groups that are typically overlooked in (or intentionally excluded from) the city’s public amenities,” read a news release from October 2023.
The pop-up will be located at the Historic North Avenue Market Building at 14 W. North Ave., next to The Club Car Baltimore.
The artist Nether is creating a mural inspired by the businesses and community members of Station North. The mural, titled “The Nest We’ve Woven,” will be go up at 1706 N. Charles St.
The artwork will depict Vander Pearson, owner of Pearson’s Florist, which has been a fixture at the corner of North Avenue and Charles Street for four decades.
Nether designed the mural in collaboration with the Central Baltimore Partnership; the Charles North community; and the property owner, Mike Shecter. It was made possible with support from BOPA.
At the Charles Street Garage, located 1714 N. Charles St., attendees will be able to enjoy a new Blinkatorium from Scott Pennington, roller skating performances from It’s My Skate Night, and a chill spot at Stephen Hendee’s The Grotto.
Musical performances and other entertainment will take place across two stages: the Station North Stage, located at Maryland Avenue and West Lafayette Avenue; and the North of North Stage presented by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, located at North Charles Street and West 20th Streets.
Headliners include Chaka Khan with special guest Maeta on Aug. 2; Sheila E. on Aug. 3; and The Original Wailers featuring Al Anderson on Aug. 4.
Drag queen Naomi Smalls, who has competed on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” will grace Mobtown Ballroom and Cafe along with local Baltimore and D.C. entertainers on Aug. 3.
The first-ever Artscape Ball will take place at Motor House on Aug. 2, featuring Baltimore’s best voguers and performers competing across various categories.
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Twelve designers will showcase their fashions on the runway at The Garage during the Project Artscape Fashion Weekend. The Baltimore Jazz Alliance will perform original compositions to accompany each designer’s show.
The SNF Parkway Theatre will present “Openings,” a series of original shorts, animations, documentaries, Baltimore-based youth-made films, and conversations with filmmakers as part of the Maryland Film Festival. The Parkway will also host a dance party on the night of Aug. 2.
Adults are welcome at improv and stand-up comedy performances on the mornings of Aug. 3 and 4, hosted by the Baltimore Improv Group as part of the LOL@Artscape event. There will be free improv workshops, followed by performances by local improv teams in 25-minute blocks. The Baltimore Improv Group will also hold late-night comedy shows for adults from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saba Hamidi is the lead artist on a new mural on the Maryland Avenue Bridge, which connects Charles North and Mount Vernon over I-83. Other artists who worked on the mural are Lynn Cipollone, Justin Duvall, Blue Robin and Mowgli.
Find more events and information on Artscape’s website.