Creativity is thriving in Baltimore! This afternoon, the Baker Artist Awards named 31 uniquely talented local artists as finalists for the 2017 awards. The picks were based on their respective specialties, such as literature, music, film, visual arts, interdisciplinary arts or performance. Chosen for their exemplary vision and skills, the artists were picked from over 900 portfolios by an anonymous jury.
Supported by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund and created by the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, the Baker Artist Awards exist to support the creativity and diverse artistry of our Baltimore community. In the nine years that the Baker Artist Awards have existed, nearly 100 artists from Baltimore City and its five surrounding counties have been awarded with over $700,000 for their artistic talents.
In each discipline, one artist will be chosen to win a $10,000 Mary Sawyers Baker (MSB) Prize, as well as an exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Out of the six category winners, one will receive the Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize which includes an additional $30,000.
Congratulations to these brilliant Baltimore finalists!
Literary: Maria Adelmann, Elizabeth Dickinson, Michael Doane, Kathy Flann
Music: Susan Alcorn, Lafayette Gilchrist, Lura Johnson, Meng Su
Film/Video: Theo Anthony, Matthew Porterfield, Lynn Tomlinson
Visual: David Brown, Ryan Hoover, Nancy Linden, David Marion, Christine Neill, David Page, Bill Schmidt, Leslie Shellow, Sylvie van Helden, Susan Waters-Eller, Marcia Wolfson Ray
Interdisciplinary: Sara Dittrich, Gigi McKendric, Bashi Rose, Jann Rosen-Queralt, Al Zaruba
Performance: Anna Fitzgerald, Ryan Johnson, Naoko Maeshiba, Lisi Stoessel
Tune into Maryland Public Television’s Artworks program on Thursday, May 25th to hear the final winners announced.
Image courtesy of Leslie Shellow’s Baker Artist Portfolio.
