Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 25, 2025
April 25, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

arts



PUBLIC DOMAIN
MICA hosted the second of their three Grad Shows this past Saturday .

MICA students assemble an impressive showcase

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Grad Show 2018 II held its opening reception on Saturday, March 24, at the MICA campus. The show is the second of three for the Spring/Summer season of 2018, which will feature the work of a total of more than 150 graduate students. 


 GENEVIEVE/CC BY 2.0 
The film’s director Greg Berlanti is known for his work on Dawson’s Creek.

Love, Simon is a fun take on the rom-com genre

I have to admit, I was a little nervous going into Love, Simon. I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of the rom-com genre, but my sense of cautious optimism was further amplified by my worry that the protagonist’s coming out story would be oversimplified or even reduced to the extent that the story might as well have not even been about queer-identifying characters.


SWIMFINFAN/CC BY-SA 2.0
St. Louis rapper Smino collaborated with producer Sango on “Khlorine” and rapper Tobi Lou on “Troop.”

Six new songs to get you through the late winter drudgery

While there haven’t been too many great albums released recently, there have been a lot of great singles. So, here are some of my favorite songs that haven’t gotten enough exposure. The first song is “Life,” by Saba, the rapper who was once featured on Chance the Rapper’s song “Everybody’s Something,” from the latter’s Acid Rap mixtape. 


CHRIS/CC BY-SA 2.0
Musician George Ezra is well known in the UK for his debut album Wanted on Voyage.

George Ezra continues success with his second studio album

After releasing two EPs, Did You Hear the Rain? and Cassy O’ in November of 2013 and April of 2014 respectively, English singer-songwriter George Ezra rose to fame with his hit single, “Budapest.” The song reached the top 10 in several countries around the world and reached number one in another five. 


TYRESEHASABRAIN/CC BY-SA 4.0
Earl Sweatshirt is one of the featured acts at this year’s Spring Fair. 

The brief history of Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt is the most underrated rapper in the game. In my opinion, he is the best contemporary rapper. Luckily for us, the Spring Fair team somehow got one of the most reclusive and quiet rappers to come and bless us with a performance. In expectation of his upcoming concert, here is a short introduction to the most talented man you’ve never listened to.


THE COME UP SHOW/ CC BY 2.5
Miguel brought his tour promoting the album War & Leisure to Baltimore . 

R&B singer Miguel puts on an energetic show

Over our spring break, Baltimore had the opportunity to host the R&B singer Miguel at the Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric as part of his War & Leisure tour. The concert had the snowstorm that saw the shutdown of most of the City, from stores to schools, as its backdrop. 


Isle of Dogs is worth a watch, despite its flaws

The ever-adored Wes Anderson premiered his new film, Isle of Dogs, last month at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival, taking home the prize for Best Director. The buzz surrounding the film was that he had hit another home-run in the form of a stop motion picture focused on the love found in our relationships with dogs. 


 UT CONNEWITZ PHOTO CREW/CC BY-ND 2.0
For his Mount Eerie project, artist Phil Elverum works with a variety of guest musicians. 

Mount Eerie’s latest emotional album hits hard

Dying is a bit like going to the dentist: You don’t particularly want to do it, and you spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about it. Ultimately though, you go — everyone does. As much as you floss and brush in hopes of delaying the appointment a bit longer, one day you’ll find yourself stuck reclining in a green vinyl chair. 


RON COGSWELL/CC BY 2.0
Mark Bradford, who spoke with Stephen Towns at the BMA, often works in paint and collage. 

Two artists discuss identity and art at the BMA

On Wednesday March 7, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) hosted a discussion between Stephen Towns and Mark Bradford. Audience members from Hopkins, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and the Baltimore community gathered in the museum’s newly renovated auditorium for the opportunity to hear from these two artists. 


Women conquer Paris Fashion Week

During Paris Fashion Week, the world’s fashion capital witnessed an unprecedented, strong community of female creative directors coming together to showcase their work. Whether it was Natacha Ramsay-Levi at Chloé, Clare Waight Keller at Givenchy or Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior, there are more women leading prestigious fashion houses than ever before. 


COURTESY OF THROAT CULTURE
Sketches for the 24 Hour Show can’t be written more than a day before.

Throat Culture’s 24 Hour Show impresses again

On Saturday, March 10, Throat Culture hosted their semesterly 24-hour show in Arellano Theater. Each of the 10 sketches that they performed — poking fun at everything from vegans to defending one’s thesis to Throat Culture itself — were written, memorized and performed within the span of 24 hours.


COURTESY OF JESSE WU
Thread Coffee stationed inside the soothingly aesthetic B. Willow space.

Thread Coffee hosts pop-up at local botanical shop

The work Thread does tries to economically support coffee growing communities abroad in a way that acknowledges the mistakes that companies like Toms shoes have made when interacting with economically deprived communities in the past. Thread attempts to counteract the postcolonial effects of economic imperialism.


melissa hiller/cc by 2.0
Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time features an ensmeble cast, inlcuding Oprah Winfrey and Mindy Kaling.

A Wrinkle in Time celebrates self-acceptance

As someone who has never read A Wrinkle in Time, I cannot attest to how faithful of an adaptation the new Disney film is. That said, I did thoroughly enjoy it. It’s not as action-heavy or unpredictable as many of the other young adult movies I’ve seen, and its message of female empowerment and self-love are much stronger. 


GABBOT/CC BY-SA 2.0
Anton Yelchin, who passed away in 2016, plays Tim in Thoroughbreds.

Thoroughbreds mocks the lives of the wealthy

Post-Oscar season has arrived and with that, more and more new movies are being released that are worth the time and price. This weekend saw the release of both Thoroughbreds and A Wrinkle In Time. The former features one of the last performances from Anton Yelchin, who tragically passed away two years ago, which is why I opted to see this film first. 



Courtesy of Jesse Wu
The restaurant foraged. opened its doors in Hampden this past December.

foraged. offers a unique take on locally-sourced cuisine

“What is jowl?” You know when you and your friend have just been growing apart lately? Maybe there have been too many hours spent studying, partying or just hanging out with different crowds? There’s just a sense of a rift that starts to divide you two, and it makes both of you sad.


COURTESY OF THE JOHNS HOPKINS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Hopkins Symphony Orchestra performed with the beatboxer Shodekeh this past weekend.

Hopkins Symphony Orchestra incorporates beatboxing in concert

On Saturday, March 5, The Hopkins Symphony Orchestra took a leap in a new, more modern direction by introducing a new element to the classical concerts they are known for: beatboxing. The Hopkins Symphony Orchestra is a group composed of students, alumni, faculty and musicians from the community. 


Artivism Day displays the power of art

A floormate, much to my chagrin, recently declared that the humanities and the arts were unimportant. He argued that being able to communicate well is great, but only science, technology, engineering and math are critical to civilization’s survival and success. 


Planet Runway combines fashion and sustainability

Do you buy clothes that you know you’ll throw away after a year or so? How many clothes in your closet do you actually wear? If you are like me and many other college students, through contemplating these questions you’ll quickly realize that you are participating in fast fashion, a habit that hurts both your wallet and the environment. 


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