Health & Fitness
In Defense of Artscape
Apparently not everyone loves the country's largest free arts festival. I'll do what it takes to make them believers.
"So what's the big deal with Artscape anyway? They don't even have great music."
These words from a well-meaning friend sent pain shooting through my arts-loving, crowd-seeking, Baltimore-breathing heart. I must have assumed that all people naturally appreciate this annual festival as much as I do, but every once in a while I am reminded that not everyone shares my affection.
Every year, I have high expectations for the weekend in question, but this time I was blown away. Using the Artscape website, I planned a few events I wanted to experience. However, Artscape is filled with hidden gems in addition to its advertised lineup.
Friday's festivities ended in fireworks set to the soundtrack of 1982 chart toppers. (Who doesn't love fireworks and pop music?) After that, the Baltimore Free School's anniversary party, operating out of a converted parking garage on North Charles Street, began with a Balkan horn and percussion band. Veveritse, an incredible group of performers from Brooklyn, put the crowd in a trance with their music and led us all back into the garage, pied piper style. A lively dance party ensued. It was the best I've attended in a long time, and it was a complete surprise. It felt like a gift from the city I love and the people who make it the community it is.
And this was just Friday!
My serendipitous experiences continued through the weekend, including listening to both experimental music and some big-name performers, viewing the talent of dancers and visual artists, witnessing the bloody and energetic spectacle that is the Baltimore Rock Opera Society, joining a parade with Nana Projects, and getting a chakra healing inside a booth labeled 'Human Resources' on North Charles. (I still don't know if the duo running that booth was being sincere or ironic, but I enjoyed it all the same.)
Every person's experience is different of course, and you could have had a phenomenal time without doing a single thing that I did. Here are the general principles about Artscape:
1. It makes the arts accessible to people who might not otherwise engage in them.
I went to an incredible acrobatic dance performance at The Meyerhoff. I was awed by the dancers' abilities and enthralled with their comedic performance. Behind me, a little boy kept shouting things to his mother. Based on his behavior, I can safely say he was not a Meyerhoff season ticket holder. But he was there, and maybe it was the first time he had ever seen a dance performance on a stage, because hey, it was free! After all, it's the country's largest FREE arts festival. That's impressive, considering the amount of money it takes to make it happen. That's something to brag about.
2. It brings people together and creates community.
I ran into many people I knew, multiple times, which is of course no surprise in our beloved Smalltimore. I also bonded with strangers over things such as an enjoyable performance, the delicious taste of Taharka Bros. ice cream, and how absurd it is to watch people scantily clad in leather doing karaoke with people dressed as wolves in workout clothes, just to name a few things.
3. It has something for everyone.
If classical music is your thing, then attend a performance of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. If you like magic shows, walk up Mount Royal in front of the stone steps at MICA. If you like anything that's just plain weird...don't worry; you'll find it. Artscape is above all a celebration of the human capacity for creativity. Anything goes and is on display so the general public can say, "Wow, that is crazy. I had never thought of that before." Maybe they will realize they like something new, or maybe they will go buy a snowball. Win win.
If you didn't make it this year or if you didn't find anything you liked, I encourage you to get out there next year. Check the website, make a list of things that sound interesting, and then allow yourself to ditch the plans and get swept away by whatever fun, obscene, ridiculous, or beautiful things you find once you hit the streets.