Launched 12 years ago to support Downtown Baltimore’s gifted creators and cultural venues, the Bromo Arts District is widely known for its biannual Art Walk, allowing attendees to sample the district’s creative delights.
Its eighth iteration, scheduled to take place September 12 from 5-9 p.m., marks the debut of the district’s new, colorful branding in honor of more than a decade in Baltimore.
“It started with nine locations and 14 participating organizations, and for our next event, we have 25 locations and over 35 organizations that are participating,” said Emily Breiter, the Bromo Arts District’s executive director.
“We’ve also seen steady growth throughout the district in terms of new creative spaces that are popping up, the growth and expansion of existing spaces of our anchor organizations, new artists coming into the area, and, of course, new visitors who are constantly experiencing and exploring Bromo.”
This year, the free, self-guided walk includes more than 30 locations and concludes with an afterparty in the Current Space Garden Bar.
Ahead of this week’s walk, we spoke with Breiter about the lasting impact and new mission of the cultural community, along with its trademark event.
Baltimore Beat: Each pocket of Baltimore has a distinctive arts presence. What makes the Bromo Arts District stick out?
Emily Breiter: There’s so much that makes Bromo special and unique. It’s centrally located in the city, which is really incredible in terms of access for everyone. We have several theaters, gallery spaces, artists, studio hubs and collectives. And being downtown, the scale of things is very different from some of the other areas in Baltimore with a high arts density. We have incredible anchor organizations like the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, which is our namesake, the Hippodrome Theatre, Arena Players, and the Eubie Blake Cultural Center. We have a healthy mix of groups that have been in the district for a very long time and are very historic, along with many newer organizations that are coming in.
BB: What were the Bromo District’s goals in establishing its biannual Art Walk?
EB: The event was created to showcase all of our unique creative offerings in the district while also creating an opportunity for venues in the south of the district to have more connections with those in the north, and for theaters, galleries, and retailers to be able to work together. We also wanted to improve accessibility to our creative spaces. We know that sometimes, the public might feel intimidated walking into some of these spaces for the first time. We’re providing an opportunity where people can step inside of these spaces and feel comfortable doing so. We also provide funding opportunities for our creatives and participants.
BB: What would you say is the best part of seeing the Art Walk evolve?
It’s seeing the creative partnerships that come through an event like this, but also outside of the Art Walk. For example, Everyman Theatre has their own theater productions, but then they’re also bringing in local artists like the Black Genius Art Show to be able to exhibit within their space. It’s seeing some of these collaborations that aren’t always the most obvious — in terms of setting and even in terms of the type of artwork that is existing in these spaces — come to life. It happens all the time.
BB: Times are obviously different than they were when both the district and the walk began. In launching its new brand, why was it crucial to revise the ways we think about and talk about the Bromo Arts district?
EB: We’ve seen a lot of change, but it’s really helped us become intentional about what we are working on. Our focus is on the two Art Walks, but we also want to redirect attention to all of the incredible annual programming taking place in the district. People are always saying there’s not enough time in the evening to be able to experience everything, and that’s really the point of this event. We don’t want you to only come to Bromo twice a year. We want you to [come back to] get a taste of all the different spaces [that are part of] the event. You’re exploring new spaces, revisiting your favorite ones that you’ve been to every single Art Walk, and coming back outside of the Art Walk to be able to experience the rest of the district.
BB: Why are events like the Art Walk important in driving momentum to visit downtown?
EB: It’s so important to be able to provide these open opportunities for the public to be able to come out and engage. We’ve heard many times from our creative participants that not only are they meeting new audiences during the Art Walk, but that they’re also seeing these audiences come back for future events. They’re buying tickets to other shows. They’re coming for opening exhibits. They’re visiting an artist studio. We’ve also seen this show up through attendees who are meeting artists during the event and following them later.
BB: What excites you the most about Thursday’s event?
We have several first time participants that will be at the Art Walk this week. Making Art Matter has a glow-in-the-dark, interactive painting experience, which will be super fun. We have Brush Mural Fest doing one of their community murals during the Art Walk as well. We also have three different dance groups that will be performing at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center. And of course, we always end things with an after party, which will take place from 9 to 11 p.m. at Current Space in their Garden Bar. It’s always such a fun time to be able to gather with everyone at the final end point.
The post New branding but the same love for Baltimore’s craftsmanship: Biannual Bromo Arts District Walk returns this week appeared first on Baltimore Beat.