Though they may not realize it, chances are that most Baltimore residents are already familiar with Jaz Erenberg’s work. From the exterior of Lexington Market Plaza to the inner halls of Hazelwood Elementary/Middle School, her mural work stands out on the sides of businesses and privately owned homes.
While she started out studying printmaking and sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Erenberg created her first mural in 2017 after joining another local artist’s residency program. Since then, she’s gone on to co-found the Brush Mural Fest, which she describes as a hyper-local festival that brings Baltimore-based painters and artists together to create public art with a local flair.
Erenberg is not a lifelong Baltimore resident, though. She grew up in Washington, and came to Baltimore after spending eight years living in Israel. Drawing had always been a passion of hers, and something she was eager to pursue professionally.
“I had a sketchbook that I was glued to before I could read,” she recalls. “Drawing was the way I experienced the world, and how I would process what was happening around me for my whole life.”
While she still practices printmaking and sculpture during the off-season, her specialty is something she did not study at MICA. Shortly after she graduated, Erenberg was asked by fellow local artist Michael Owen to join HOME Artist Residency, his program for budding local artists. While the residency ended earlier this year after 10 years of supporting new artists, locals might know Owen best for his Baltimore Love Project series of murals.
“The goal [of the residency] was to paint a mural. I was a little bit nervous about it, but I was more excited that I was being given a professional opportunity to be paid to make art,” Erenberg says.
Erenberg’s work is more community-oriented than a traditional artist’s might be — since murals become a part of the area that they’re painted in, local residents and community members usually have a say in where a mural is and what its subject might be. She invites people living nearby a mural site to contribute their own ideas and feedback, in both the concept stages and when she’s painting it.
Many of her murals depict flowers and other plant-related motifs, in part because she likes to garden, but also because flowers lend themselves well to symbolism and help to brighten up public spaces.
“There’s a lot of symbology in plant life that I’m drawn to. It helps me break down more complex ideas with community members, like positivity, love, growth and joy,” she explains. “Creating a community collaboratively is challenging, and you can’t please everyone. There’s always going to be naysayers, so there are more interpersonal challenges to creating [art in a public space].”
Another thing a muralist like Erenberg has to consider when creating their art is the weather. Typically, she works outdoors from early March to October, usually scheduling projects for those months. But during the winter, painting outside for long stretches of time becomes untenable.
So Erenberg mainly devotes her time to personal, smaller-scale work during the winter, and experimenting with different painting techniques and materials.
In September, she held the second annual Brush Mural Fest, which she co-founded alongside fellow artist Saba Hamidi in 2022. The festival is open exclusively to artists who live in the Baltimore area.
“We want to debunk the idea that artists have to leave Baltimore to build up their reputation. I think we can create those opportunities for us here in this city,” Erenberg said.
The festival also includes a mentorship program in which experienced muralists will train emerging artists in the practice.
The theme of this year’s Brush Mural Fest was “Hidden Gems,” and some of the murals produced highlighted notable but often-forgotten aspects of the Baltimore area. These included the B&O Railroad Museum, local community gardens and the area’s waterways.
While this year’s mural season is coming to an end, Erenberg already has big plans for the spring. She’ll be painting a mural for ReBUILD Metro, an initiative to create new housing and green spaces in East Baltimore in previously abandoned areas. And she’s lined up to do a set of three murals for The 6th Branch, which distributes food to those in need from its urban farms.
“ I really love working with nonprofits that are community-centered,” Erenberg said. “[The 6th Branch]’s mission is really great, and I’m super-excited to be working with them.”
