Culture is an important make-up of Maryland's state heritage that is best illustrated in its vibrant visual arts scene. Throughout the state, a number of art galleries and museums exhibit the works of not only the state's native artisans, but great artists from all over the world.
Galleries and Museums
For works of fine art, Maryland is home to a number of art galleries and museums featuring collections from local, national, and international visual arts talents. The larger metropolitan cities boast the most art galleries and museums, but you can find them in smaller cities as well.
Baltimore by far features the most fine arts you'll find in Maryland, starting with the Baltimore Museum of Art. The BMA houses internationally renowned collections of 19th century, modern, and contemporary art. Founded in 1914, the museum started with one lone painting and now owns 90,000 art works. Pieces exhibited at the museum include works of European and American decorative art, 15th through 19th century prints and drawings, and works by new and emerging contemporary artists. In addition, the museum displays exotic objects from Africa, Asia, the Ancient Americas, and the Pacific Islands. Also in Baltimore is the Walters Art Museum, founded by Walter T. Walters and his son during the 19th century. The Baltimore natives collected a variety of artwork from around the world, eventually amassing over 22,000 works. Now the museum houses pieces that span 55 centuries of art. Baltimore's Peabody Gallery of Art features over 1,400 pieces, varying from paintings to miniatures. Works date from the 13th to 20th centuries, with a particular focus on 19th and early 20th century paintings and sculpture. Other visual arts museums in Baltimore include the American Visionary Art Museum, which contains the works of self-taught visionary artists, and the Contemporary Museum, presenting new, innovative art.
Annapolis has slightly fewer artistic offerings, but there's still plenty to see in Maryland's capital city. The only art gallery on the city dock, the Annapolis Marine Art Gallery fits right in. Situated among schooners and yawls, the gallery features the works of such maritime artists as John M. Barber, Paul Landry, Steven Jones, and many others. Established in 1963, the Maryland Federation of Art is the oldest operating artist gallery in the state. Throughout the year, the gallery features a variety of exhibits, giving artists the opportunity to showcase and sell their works. Other galleries in Annapolis include ARTFX, Aurora Gallery, La Petite Galerie, and McBride Gallery.
Some of Maryland's smaller cities that offer visual arts include Easton, home to the Academy of Art Museum; Hagerstown, where the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is located; Salisbury, where you'll find the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art; and College Park, which boasts the Art Gallery at the University of Maryland.
Maryland Artists
A long list of local talents have contributed to the collections of Maryland's art galleries and museums. Many of Maryland's artists refined their talents through art programs at educational institutions in the state, while others traveled the world to explore various art mediums. One thing that they all have in common is that they've contributed to the artistic heritage of the Old Line State.
A true Maryland native, Jane Frank was born in 1918 in Baltimore, where she died in 1986. Frank, born Jane Babette Schenthal, was a painter, sculptor, and mixed media artist. As a student of the German-American abstract expressionist painter Hans Hofmann, Frank's works can be described as abstract expressionist infused with elements from the natural world, especially landscapes. Frank described her art work as being landscape "as a metaphor" and "inscapes." The style and time frame of her works fall into the modern and contemporary periods. Those interested in viewing Jane Frank's works can visit the Baltimore Museum of Art where her work Winter's End is on display.
Born in Virginia, artist and sailboat designer Raymond Creekmore, known to friends as Creeky, moved to Baltimore, where he graduated from from the Maryland Institute of Mechanical Arts in 1930. The wandering artist traveled extensively and stayed in villages in Japan, India, Mongolia, and China. He kept illustrated journals of his travel experiences. Creekmore's works have appeared in publications like American Artist and Baltimore's Evening Sun. The Maryland Historical Society and Enoch Pratt Library house some publicity, photos, letters, and records of his life.
The Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore can be credited with the art educations of many of the state's renowned artists. William Henry Rinehart, a sculptor born in Maryland in 1825, studied sculpting at the institute. Shortly afterwards, he relocated to Italy. His sculptures were mostly of human figures created in the neoclassical style, a few of which are exhibited at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.
Also a student at MICA, Hans Schuler became a sculptor and monument maker. Best known for his publicly displayed monuments, his work includes a statue of U.S. President James Buchanan in Washington, D.C., the only public monument dedicated to the late president. Shuler also received acclaim for his sculptures, such as the life-like and life-sized marble nude now housed at Walters Museum. Visitors to Maryland can view more of Schuler's works at the Maryland Historical Society, St. John's College in Annapolis, and various parks in Baltimore.
Lee Gatch graduated from MICA in the early 1920s and is best known for his abstract works inspired by nature. His blended style consisted of Post-Impressionism, Cubism, and Symbolism influences. The Baltimore Museum of Art houses a number of his pieces. Elaine Hamilton-O'Neal, another MICA alum, was born in Catonsville, a city near Baltimore. During her career, Hamilton-O'Neal worked as a muralist. A prominent artist in the Baltimore contemporary art scene, she won the Popular Prize in the Baltimore Museum of Art's Maryland Artists Exhibition in 1952. She worked in various mediums, but leaned more towards painting abstracts.
With such an abundance of artistic talent and plenty of places showing off their works, the Old Line State is an excellent place for arts lovers. From cutting edge contemporary works to the Old Masters, travelers will find it easy to explore the variety of visual arts that Maryland has to offer.
