Category: Education

Our education programs include technical assistance to property owners, heritage education around the Civil War Sequicentennial and the Bi-Centennial of the War of 1812, and our ongoing Race and Place in Baltimore Neighborhoods project.

My morning nose-to-nose with plaster up in the scaffolding at the Baltimore Basilica

IMG_9165Yesterday morning, Tyler Tate from Lewis Contractors gave my colleague Eli and me a real treat: a visit up into the scaffolding that has been standing in the main sanctuary of the Baltimore Basilica to repair damage from the summer’s earthquake. The scaffolding, almost miraculously, spans the pews below and reaches to the top of the dome. The earthquake cracked plaster, compromised arches, and caused damage throughout the building, and the scaffolding essentially allowed the work crews to reach every inch of the interior. Weekend services (and even weddings) have bravely continued throughout the restoration thanks to the draperies that have hidden much of the scaffolding. The project is now winding down and the scaffolding is being removed, but we wanted to share some photos of our visit and what the ceiling of the Basilica looks like from up-close. I think that after our nose-to-nose look at the plaster, paint and stabilization work, the Basilica will be more stunning following this restoration than it was even after the major restoration work a few years ago.

In addition to Lewis Contractors and the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the project team includes architects Cho Benn Holback, plaster repair experts Hayles and Howe, and paint specialist Thomas Moore Studios. Fandango Productions provided the drapes over the scaffolding – a first for their business.

Restoration in process at the Basilica of the Assumption, January 10, 2013

Help document Baltimore public art with Wiki ♥ Monuments

Join Baltimore Heritage and the Walters Art Museum for Wiki ♥ Monuments – a local photo scavenger hunt where we ask you to take photos of outdoor public artworks across the city and share them on Wikipedia. From historic landmarks like the Washington Monument to the more modest civic sculpture of the 1970s, public artwork is an important part of our Baltimore’s cultural heritage. Unfortunately, many artworks often seem invisible to people driving or walking by. Many artworks are overlooked both in the world at large and on Wikipedia. Taking and sharing photographs is a great first step to documenting public artworks in Baltimore and raising awareness about their importance for our city. In addition, by adding these photos to Wikipedia, Baltimore’s sculptures and monuments can be more visible and accessible to people across the world.

Pulaski Monument, 2007. Courtesy Chuck Szmurlo/Wikipedia.

How can you participate in Wiki ♥ Monuments?

All you need is a digital camera and the list of public artworks – available (along with a map) from the Walters Art Museum. The full list includes over 250 artworks from across the city identified in the Save Outdoor Sculpture! Database maintained by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts. Here are a few helpful guidelines.

  • While most of these artworks should be easy to find, a few may have been moved or destroyed so a little searching may be required.
  • You can take as few (or as many) photos as you like but taking photos of each artwork from different angles and vantage points is a good idea.
  • You may want to take a reference photo, including a index card with the name and date of the piece. This will help you to later provide complete and accurate information when uploading the image.
  • You can then upload them yourself on the Walters Art Museum website or join us on August 11 for an “Upload Party” at the museum.

We’ll be adding a bit of competition by awarding points for each photograph and extra points for photos taken outside of the neighborhoods around the Walters Art Museum in Mt. Vernon. Questions? Get in touch with Eli Pousson at pousson@baltimoreheritage.org.

Save the date for Bmore Historic 2012!

Bmore Historic — Baltimore’s preservation, public history and cultural heritage unconference — is back for 2012! Save the date on your calendar today:

Bmore Historic 2012

Friday, October 12, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm
Maryland Historical Society
201 West Monument Street

More than 100 local historians, humanities scholars, preservation advocates, museum professionals and archivists joined us at the inaugural Bmore Historic unconference in December 2011. Thanks to the continued generosity of the Maryland Historical Society and the hard work of our small organizing committee, we’re coming back on October 12, 2012 for more discussions on public history, historic preservation and community development in the Baltimore region and across the state of Maryland. We’re also pleased to announce our partnership with the Baltimore Cultural Education Roundtable to engage educators from local museums and cultural organizations.

Stay tuned for an update on registration in the next few months or take a look at our about page for more information. Don’t forget to join the Bmore Historic Facebook Group or connect with Bmore Historic on Twitter @bmorehistoric. We look forward to seeing you in the fall!

Join us next week for our Awards Celebration in historic Bolton Hill!

Join in our annual celebration as Baltimore Heritage celebrates the year’s best in preservation, adaptive reuse, and community leadership from neighborhoods across the city! This year we are in historic Bolton Hill with five unique open houses followed by good food, wine, beer, and an awards presentation at the Maryland Institute College of Art Meyerhoff House. Our open houses this year are a few of the neighborhood’s best — can’t miss landmarks from a 1848 country cottage on Lanvale Street to the former home of the Bolton Street Synagogue which was converted to a private residence in 2005.

Find more details or purchase a ticket today!

Tickets are $65 for members and $75 for non-members. Special thanks to our lead sponsor PNC Bank and all of our generous sponsors and supporters who make this celebration possible!

Photo: Mencken House at the West Baltimore Squares Photo Walk

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Will Cocks Photography

Thanks to everyone who joined us last month for our West Baltimore Squares Photowalk & Tour organized in partnership with the  Baltimore Sun’s DarkRoom. Photographers, locals and first-time visitors to Sowebo all had the chance to photograph local landmarks from Hollins Market to Franklin Square with a stop at the H.L. Mencken House on Union Square – where Will Cocks caught this nice shot of Mencken’s cigar box. Find more featured images from the photowalk at the Baltimore Sun DarkRoom blog.