BALTIMORE, MD – The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) today announced the opening of a larger branch location within the new Lexington Market building will take place in June 2023. Designed by Baltimore-based architect Jerryn J. McCray, the new BMA Lexington Market builds on the success of the previous space in the East Market by providing free art experiences and opportunities for connection through regular open hours, programs, and the presentation of time-based media from the museum’s collection—a first for this branch location. Within the 350-square-foot space, visitors are welcome to make art, participate in public programming, read from the non-circulating library, find community with others, or simply just be. Additionally, one class of students in Baltimore City Public Schools will visit each month guided by a local artist in conjunction with the Baltimore City Fine Arts Office.
“We are immensely excited to welcome everyone to the new BMA Lexington Market. Our goal is to leverage art and culture to create an atmosphere of radical hospitality to accept anyone as they are,” said Director of Public Engagement Dave Eassa. “Art has always been a powerful way for people to connect, to learn, and to grow individually and collectively. BMA Lexington Market is built on the ethos that we all need and benefit from art in our lives, and this can be effectively shared by creating experiences directly where people are moving about their daily lives.”
When the branch opens in June, BMA Lexington Market will be staffed from Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is always free and the new branch will debut with art experiences designed around the theme “holding space,” to encourage dialogue and co-creation that fosters deep connections and openness. In the fall of 2023, the BMA Lexington Market will debut its first installation as a new platform for time-based media works from the BMA’s collection during hours when the branch is unstaffed. Visitors will be able to view Mark Bradford’s Niagara (2005), a 3-minute color video without sound that was displayed as part of the artist’s exhibition for the U.S. Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale. Referencing a famous saunter by Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film noir Niagara, it shows Melvin, Bradford’s former neighbor, walking confidently and purposefully down a Los Angeles street. The artist reflects on his experience as a vulnerable Black, queer youth in this video, questioning how people’s identities allow them to hold space and move freely.
Prior to the opening, Manager of Public Engagement Malaika Clements and Public Engagement Coordinator Colby Ware are leading artmaking activities every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as programs every 4th Saturday of the month in the adjacent Baltimore Room. Future programs will be guided by patron-generated themes, allowing for a deeper exploration into topics and issues that are reflective of the current moment and relevant to Baltimore residents. Activities will adapt organically based on the feedback and the experiences from those who utilize the space.
More information: https://artbma.org
