Two major art museums in the area will be holding various activities in the celebration of Black History Month. The Baltimore Museum of Art, located around the corner at the intersection of Charles and 31st, and the Walters Art Museum, located a bit farther but easily accessible at 600 N. Charles St., have planned events for all ages.
The BMA will start its celebrations on Feb. 1 with Family Day, complete with hands-on art activities such as African mask painting and storytelling from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Music of African-American composers will be performed and a current exhibition, The Beaded Prayers Project, will be still be on show. On both that day and on Feb. 12, a guided tour of African-American artists in the museum's collection will be given at 2 p.m.
On Sunday, Feb. 8, there will also be a performance by the Chamber Jazz Society of the Louis Armstrong Centennial Band. The show starts at 5 p.m., and will require an admission fee. Normal admission for the museum is $5 for college students, with the exception of on the Family Day mentioned above, when admission is free. Other tours and events are free with museum admission.
The Walters will also be offering family events. On Feb. 5, everyone will have the chance to learn the technique of scratchboard in the Family Art Center. Additionally, on Feb. 14, they are offering "Family Flick Days" in order to "honor the forgotten cowboys who helped settle the Wild West." Both programs are free.
In addition, a series of films will commemorate the month and African-American music legends, beginning on Feb. 6 with "Strange Fruit" by Joel Katz. This film explores the history and legacy of the song Strange Fruit, sung by Baltimore's own Billie Holiday.
Last in the series will be "Bird" by Clint Eastwood. On Feb. 20, viewers will be able to celebrate with Eastwood his love of jazz in this biography on Charlie Parker, starring Forest Whitaker.
All three films begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Graham Auditorium at the Walters. Admission for members and seniors is $8 and is $10 for non-members. For more information about programs at the Walters, check http://www.thewalters.org or call 410-547-9000. For the BMA, check http://artbma.org/home.html or call 410-396-6314.
