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Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA)

Funding Received: 2013
Baltimore, MD
$200,000
Funding Period: 1 year and 5 months
http://europeinbaltimore.org/
Design & Architecture, Film & Media, Visual Arts | Economic Development, Transportation | Urban
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March 28, 2014

This month in Station North, buckets and cans of paint are being bought and lifts are being ordered, because Station North is getting ready for its mural project Open Walls Baltimore 2. Over fifteen nationally and internationally recognized artists from Baltimore and around the world have been hand selected to participate in the program that will bring bold, colorful and provocative large-scale painted murals to private and publicly owned buildings in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. The goals of this inventive project are to provide an outlet for creative expression where artists are able to paint their vision of urban legacy and revitalization in that area and to draw tourists and locals alike to a neighborhood experiencing growth and renewed vibrancy.

To launch “Open Walls Baltimore 2,” there will be a special VIP reception on March 24 from 6-8 pm at the Metro Gallery located on 1700 North Charles Street in the heart of Station North Arts & Entertainment District. Various political dignitaries, community leaders and business partners will be in attendance at the event in addition to several of the participating artists.

“We are building on the success of the original Open Walls Baltimore project that literally transformed an area of our great city and allowed important conversations to take place about integrating art and the arts into a community to provide vitality, renewed strength and pride to the people who live and work there,” said Ben Stone, Executive Director for Station North Arts & Entertainment, Inc. He added, “Our hope is that this project will serve as a catalyst for change, connectivity and urban vibrancy.

2Mar_BOPA

Meanwhile in Highlandtown, the new High Grounds Coffee shop at 3201 Eastern Avenue had a new awning installed. In addition to the bright red gooseneck lights on High Grounds Coffee the business now has a fresh, cherry red awning. In the next month a new door, coffee-style bike rack, and outdoor seating area will be completed to enhance the corner of East & Eastern Avenue.

Lighting at Conkling Plaza is steadily moving forward, as the administrators at Highlandtown obtain site maps in preparation for completing the final drawings for the project. Designs for both the mural at East Avenue and the large-scale painted screen on the Creative Alliance at The Patterson are in the final revision stages. All these projects will be put into action in the next few months!