Open Walls Is Back!
Open Walls is back, and I am super excited! For those who don’t know, this project began in 2012. Some of the finest and most widely recognized street artists from around the world are bringing their talent to the Station North community once more. I can’t wait to see these new murals.
"Station North Arts & Entertainment, Inc. is pleased to announce Open Walls Baltimore 2, an international festival of site-specific street art, performance and installations in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. Building on the success of 2012's inaugural Open Walls, more than 15 outstanding artists from Baltimore, New York, Europe and South America, selected by curator Gaia, will create large-scale painted murals and installations throughout Station North between March and June 2014. These sites have been selected to draw visitors across the District, to produce artistic gateways to Station North, and to challenge artists to tell the story of legacy and revitalization in this central Baltimore neighborhood, which is experiencing renewed vibrancy through the arts. In addition to murals, OWB2 will include Play the Plaza, a residency by the Urban Playground Group, a British Performance-Parkour team, who will animate Penn Station plaza with free performances and workshops. Play the Plaza is part of TRANSIT, an initiative of the Washington, DC cluster of the European Union National Institutes for Culture and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, supported by a grant from the EU delegation in the US." – OWB2
Art in the center of the real world… How wonderful is that? How joyful?! How exciting it is to walk down a congested street, in the ruins of a despondent neighborhood, only to find hope in a painted treasure of expression waiting for, it seems like, only you. Such enthusiasm and imagination staring you in the face, demanding you see the obvious and, after careful consideration, the vibrant explosion of color, the many shapes and the enormity of all penetrates your soul, opening a window into your own interpretation, bleeding happiness into the world. I sound a bit melodramatic, I know, but that’s how I feel when I see these gigantic colorful masterpieces. I’m simply in awe!
I have a special love for artists because they help me tap into my own creativity. More importantly, they motivate communities, inspiring others to improve. I’ve always liked the quote from George Bernard Shaw – "Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable." How true! Thank you, artists of the world, and even to the wannabes like me.
Not all of the photos in this post are from Open Walls, but they represent much of the art I see when I’m hiking through the city. Baltimore has strong representation of art and artists, in every neighborhood and I feel fortunate to live in a city that recognizes such extraordinary talent. Cheers! – paerki
Additional Photos: Street Art
"Station North Arts & Entertainment, Inc. is pleased to announce Open Walls Baltimore 2, an international festival of site-specific street art, performance and installations in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. Building on the success of 2012's inaugural Open Walls, more than 15 outstanding artists from Baltimore, New York, Europe and South America, selected by curator Gaia, will create large-scale painted murals and installations throughout Station North between March and June 2014. These sites have been selected to draw visitors across the District, to produce artistic gateways to Station North, and to challenge artists to tell the story of legacy and revitalization in this central Baltimore neighborhood, which is experiencing renewed vibrancy through the arts. In addition to murals, OWB2 will include Play the Plaza, a residency by the Urban Playground Group, a British Performance-Parkour team, who will animate Penn Station plaza with free performances and workshops. Play the Plaza is part of TRANSIT, an initiative of the Washington, DC cluster of the European Union National Institutes for Culture and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, supported by a grant from the EU delegation in the US." – OWB2
Art in the center of the real world… How wonderful is that? How joyful?! How exciting it is to walk down a congested street, in the ruins of a despondent neighborhood, only to find hope in a painted treasure of expression waiting for, it seems like, only you. Such enthusiasm and imagination staring you in the face, demanding you see the obvious and, after careful consideration, the vibrant explosion of color, the many shapes and the enormity of all penetrates your soul, opening a window into your own interpretation, bleeding happiness into the world. I sound a bit melodramatic, I know, but that’s how I feel when I see these gigantic colorful masterpieces. I’m simply in awe!
I have a special love for artists because they help me tap into my own creativity. More importantly, they motivate communities, inspiring others to improve. I’ve always liked the quote from George Bernard Shaw – "Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable." How true! Thank you, artists of the world, and even to the wannabes like me.
Not all of the photos in this post are from Open Walls, but they represent much of the art I see when I’m hiking through the city. Baltimore has strong representation of art and artists, in every neighborhood and I feel fortunate to live in a city that recognizes such extraordinary talent. Cheers! – paerki
Additional Photos: Street Art
