PRESS RELEASES

Not only has Baltimore been named one of the best cities for women in tech, its fierce females continue to drive the city's renaissance and creative culture. In the art scene, especially, curators and artists are making a concerted effort to level the playing field. As Walters Art Gallery director Julia Marciari-Alexander says in the Baltimore Sun, “The problem isn't that there haven't been great female artists throughout the centuries. The problem is that female artists have been systematically erased.”  Hence, here are must-see exhibitions that celebrate talented female artists in honor of the centennial of the 19th Amendment.

The Baltimore Museum of Art has also announced “2020 Vision”, a year of exhibitions and programs specifically dedicated to the presentation of the achievements of female-identifying artists.

• The initiative encompasses 13 solo exhibitions and seven thematic shows, which began in fall 2019 and will continue throughout 2020. 2020 Vision builds on the BMA's efforts over the last several years to expand its presentations of women artists and artists of color, and to more accurately reflect the overall Baltimore community.
• One of the highlights this year is Mickalene Thomas' “A Moment's Pleasure” exhibit, which has transformed the facade of the BMA's Visitors Entrance to resemble three Baltimore rowhouses fronted by marble stoops.

The Walters Art Gallery: “Betty Cooke: The Circle and the Line”

• The first major museum retrospective of the much-admired Baltimore jewelry maker Betty Cooke will include her earliest designs from the 1940s and '50s and culminate with more recent pieces. The exhibit will feature about 160 objects, many inspired by birds and animals and that incorporate materials as different as metal tubing, enamel, wood and gemstones.

American Visionary Arts Museum: “Esther and the Dream of One Loving Family”

• Thirty-six haunting, yet remarkable, embroidered tapestries by Esther Nisenthal Krinitz depict how the 14-year-old girl and her younger sister escaped from the Nazis in 1949. The oversized fabric panels (stitched with brightly colored yarns and depicting flowers alongside guns) follow the teens' lives as they persevered through immense adversity.

Lastly, Baltimore's famous Enoch Pratt Library just hosted its first-ever grand opening celebration — though it's already over 85 years old. When the library originally opened in 1933 during the Great Depression there wasn't enough money to throw a celebration. So, Baltimore's library system took it upon themselves to celebrate this year, following a massive three-year, $115 million renovation. Enoch Pratt is also providing ongoing programming in collaboration with the 2020 Women's Vote Centennial Initiative.  In particular, the library's The Brown Lecture Series is featuring a number of legendary women, including Astronaut, engineer, entrepreneur, physician and educator, Dr. Mae Jemison, as a keynote speaker this spring.