WHAT'S ON
ON DISPLAY NOW THROUGH MAY1
WINDOW EXHIBIT: CAN WE END OUR PLASTIC ADDICTION?​
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Since their mass production began after World War II, plastics have proven immensely useful, cheap, and versatile. They touch every part of our lives and have profoundly changed how we live on a global scale. But today, the resulting tsunami of plastic pollution is choking our planet, polluting rivers and oceans and infiltrating and slowly poisoning virtually all organisms, including humans. Artist Taina Litwak's visually striking window installation at the Crow's Nest challenges the viewer to consider how to reduce our dependence on plastics, to accept the multiple failures of recycling programs, and to imagine how plastics may be managed sustainably and perhaps eventually replaced with better alternatives. ​
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Visible 24-7 from Mulberry Street; interior side can be seen by appointment
OPENS APRIL 6
RECEPTION 3 - 5:30PM
ECOCIDE: NATURE IN THE SHADOW OF WAR
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Ecocide comes from the Greek word for “house” (oikos) and the Latin word “to kill” (caedere) – killing our home, the Earth. A team of legal scholars recently came up with a more formal definition: "Unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts.” Ecocide can take place in peacetime, as with the mass burning of fossil fuels, or in war, where it is often used as a weapon. This show will engage the public on the issue of ecocide– including but not limited to the tragedies unfolding in Ukraine and Gaza.
OPENS MAY 24
THE SPEED OF FASHION​
Our second group show of the year will be themed around The Speed of Fashion. Fast fashion dominates our landscape and landfills. Slow Fashion brands often are lambasted with criticism for their expense, and assumed to be ‘boring, earth toned, shapeless linens.’ We will show work that investigates the environmental and ethical issues around the current state of fashion--from textile production to labor issues to consumer waste in the fashion industry. The work imagines and explores solutions to the world of fashion, whether speculative or already in action.
COMING SEPTEMBER 2025
EXTREME HEAT FELLOWSHIP SHOW​
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Extreme heat is a rapidly-growing threat to public health in urban areas around the world. In Baltimore, the summer of 2024 was the second-warmest in three decades. Two dozen people died of heat-related causes in Maryland, including sanitation worker Ronald Silver. Nationally, at least 2,300 deaths were related to extreme heat, the highest number in 45 years of records. Given the trends in climate change, this threat will only continue to grow. The need to confront this threat will become ever-more important. This show will feature original art from our three fellowship winners, who will collaborate with academics from the Johns Hopkins University and with local public health professionals. The exhibit will deepen our understanding of the challenge and how to confront it.
Our Extreme Heat Fellows are Kei Ito, Rowan Bathurst, and Rachel Stein.