There is more to do around Hopkins than mindlessly going to class, studying for hours upon hours in MSE and partying once the weekend finally hits. One nearby option for a dose of culture and an afternoon of entertainment is the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). The mix of permanent collections and special exhibits is not only a great resource for art history majors, but a great alternative activity that is not taken to its full advantage by Hopkins students, since admission is free with a J-card.
Located on the south end of campus, the BMA houses an impressive permanent collection, which includes the prominent Cone Collection, consisting of many pieces by Matisse and Picasso, as well as various paintings by C???zanne, Gauguin, van Gogh and Renoir. Also in the permanent collection are exhibits on American Painting and Decorative Arts and European Painting and Sculpture, spanning five centuries of European Art from the 15th to the 19th century. Other permanent collections include arts of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania, and an exhibit of Modern and Contemporary Art, which includes famous names such as Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock among others.
The BMA has a sculpture garden with plenty of seating areas to stop and enjoy the scenery, instead of just breezing past it as you rush to class. On a sunny spring day, this is a nice place to relax and read a book.
The BMA also hosts many temporary exhibits annually. A current show on exhibit includes "Richard Cleaver: Gathering at the Latrobe House," which is a show of Baltimore-based artist Cleaver's ceramic figures and is part of Tour de Clay, a six-week festival celebrating ceramic arts throughout the greater Baltimore area. Another temporary offering is "SlideShow," the first major exhibit to explore the evolution of slides from the 1960s to the present.
Upcoming exhibits include "A Legacy of Lace: Selections from the Cone Collection," "Filigree Spaces: Textile Installations by Piper Shepard," "The Essence of Line: French Drawings from Ingres to Degas" and "Monet's London: Artists' Reflections on the Thames, 1859-1914."
In addition to the actual artwork, the BMA also houses the locally renowned restaurant, Gertrude's and the E. Kirkbride Miller Art Library. This extensive library has over 50,000 items available involving art, art history, photography and other related subjects. Though it is only open on Thursdays by appointment from 1-5 p.m., it is a great place to find information for a research paper or other project, since it probably has a lot of material that would be difficult to acquire elsewhere. The museum also hosts many lectures and talks given by various curators, art historians and even Hopkins graduate students.
One unique aspect of cultural life in Baltimore is the first Thursday of the month. Many area museums, including the BMA, feature a special night every first Thursday of the month, where admission is free, and the museum features special entertainment which includes different performances and music, as well as various tours and talks on the current exhibitions in the museum.
In March, the BMA is hosting a performance by the Phoenix Dance Company which will combine projected images with modern dance. There will also be an artist-led tour of the Richard Cleaver exhibit, along with a curator-led gallery talk, tours and a family hands-on workshop. For more information on events, exhibits, and other visitor information, visit the BMA Web site at http://www.artbma.org.
