Category: Partners

Restoring the Perkins Square Gazebo

Photo by Diamyn Wilson

Baltimore Heritage is collaborating with the Heritage Crossing Residents Association to restore the Perkins Square gazebo!

The neighborhood of Heritage Crossing turned 25 years old last year, and in preparing for that milestone, the Residents Association developed a list of priorities that would help them improve their public spaces. Improving the landscaping in the central park and restoring the gazebo were at the top of the priority list. The Perkins Square gazebo is a vital public space for the predominantly Black West Baltimore community. The community was created to bring new vibrancy to this part of Baltimore as high rise public housing apartments that were here were demolished.

The gazebo, c. 1905

The gazebo has been at the heart of the Heritage Crossing community since it was erected in the 1850s to provide shade for people getting water from a natural spring, and today is in the center of the park. This year, the Residents Association is partnering with Baltimore Heritage to help secure qualified contractors who are experience with historic structures and help raise the funds needed to undertake the work.

Baltimore Heritage completed a new strategic plan in 2023 that calls for us to directly assist communities in preservation projects. Heritage Crossing is the first community partnership that Baltimore Heritage has entered into under its new strategic plan, a recognition of the importance of the historic gazebo and the impact that its restoration will have on the Heritage Crossing community.

 

 

The restored gazebo is a key component to the Heritage Crossing community’s ongoing effort to improve the park and build community. Baltimore Heritage is honored to be part of such an important project! Stay tuned for more details about a ribbon cutting ceremony when the restoration is complete.

–Enzi Evergreen

September 22: The Mount Vernon Place Plein Air Art Show

The best of Baltimore’s history and art come together on September 22 at one of Baltimore’s most spectacular historic places: the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion. This spring and summer, artists from the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association brought their easels to Mount Vernon Place to capture its magnificent history, landscapes and architecture. On Sunday, September 22, we’ll have nearly 100 original paintings of Mount Vernon Place on display and for sale.

We hope you will join us for a chance to see…and take home!…great art by local artists capturing our city in its finest light. Doors open at 1:00 pm and the event will end at 4:00 pm.

Online registration is encouraged and pre-purchased tickets are $15! Tickets will increase to $20 at the door.

The event is a partnership between Baltimore Heritage, the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion Endowment Fund, and the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy.

What’s Out There Weekend, September 21-22: Join Us and the Cultural Landscape Foundation!

Join us, the Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) and its other partners to explore Baltimore’s unique landscape legacy during What’s Out There Weekend Baltimore on September 21-22, 2024. This event features FREE, expert-led tours of dozens of sites, including gardens, campuses, plazas, public parks, and cultural institutions.

These tours allow participants to discover the background and design history of familiar places they often overlook. Knowledgeable guides will share rich stories, personal anecdotes, and keen observations, providing behind-the-scenes expertise and insights into landscape architecture and urban development.

TCLF will produce a printed guidebook for What’s Out There Weekend Baltimore, featuring most of the tour sites. The guidebook will be available for pre-order and as a free downloadable PDF soon. Additionally, you can explore the area’s landscape legacy with TCLF’s digital What’s Out There Cultural Landscapes Guide to Baltimore, available now.

By the Marble: Podcasting Baltimore’s Queer History

Baltimore Heritage is delighted to partner with UMBC’s Summer 2024 Interdisciplinary CoLab program and Dr. Kate Drabinski to showcase Baltimore’s undiscovered Queer history with a new podcast, By the Marble: Podcasting Baltimore’s Queer History. Often the first step in justifying violence against a group is to deny, distort, or erase their history. Researched, written and produced by UMBC students, By the Marble aims to preserve the histories of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and reveal the ways queer life has shaped Baltimore. By the Marble‘s pilot episode is “Black Theater and Queer Performance in Baltimore.” Stay tuned for future episodes–you can find this podcast on Spotify and and wherever you stream podcasts.

 

Created by:
 
Cayla Amouzou is a second-year Statistics and English major at UMBC. They are interested in researching statistical methods in social science research and applying culturally sustaining demographic methodologies to marginalized communities.
 
Sage Zoz (She/Her) is a third year Gender, Womens, and Sexuality Studies major at UMBC. She is immensely interested in the formation of community as it pertains to grassroots and mutual aid organizing.
 
Marlon Brown Jr. (He/They) is a Baltimore native, senior acting student at UMBC, and aspiring playwright/educator. Much of Marlon’s work pertains to telling stories of marginalized existence in various facets and hopes to utilize the skills he’s developed to create impactful art for the city.

Join Us in September: Mount Vernon Place Plein Air Art Show 2024

Registration is now open for Mount Vernon Place Plein Air Art Show 2024! Register here.

The best of Baltimore’s history and art come together on September 22 at one of Baltimore’s most spectacular historic places: the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion. This spring and summer, artists from the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association will bring their easels to Mount Vernon Place to capture its magnificent history, landscapes and architecture. On Sunday, September 22, we’ll have nearly 100 original paintings of Mount Vernon Place on display and for sale.

We hope you will join us for a chance to see…and take home!…great art by local artists capturing our city in its finest light. Doors open at 1:00 pm and the event will end at 4:00 pm.

Online registration encouraged! Tickets will increase to $20 when purchased at the door.

The event is a partnership between Baltimore Heritage, the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion Endowment Fund, and the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy.

For Sponsors: We’re looking for sponsors in the following categories

  • $200 (Pissaro Sponsor) – will fund an artist prize in a category of your choice.
  • $500 (Matisse Sponsor) – will provide lunch for the 30 participating artists.
  • $1000 (Monet Sponsor) – will fund reception costs for 50 of a goal of 100 guests.

Become a Sponsor Today!