A new indigenous art gallery in Baltimore is highlighting some of the best Native American artists in our area. Baltimore Center Stage opened the gallery earlier this month in partnership with the Baltimore American Indian Center.Judy Tallwing McCarthey is an Apache Elder and a lifelong artist. She considers her art a form of storytelling.”Anytime I put a bead on my work, that’s a prayer,” McCarthey said.Her work has hung in galleries all over the country, but seeing her piece in the gallery at Baltimore Center Stage is one of her proudest moments.”This gallery, very specifically, is for indigenous artists,” McCarthey said. “It’s recognizing that we are still here. We are still viable. We still have our culture. We still have our history that we know.”McCarthey’s piece is one of several that hang in the new Indigenous Art Gallery at Baltimore Center Stage. The goal is to give Native American artists a place to share their work and their stories. “To our knowledge there is nothing quite like this in the city in terms of another gallery that’s devoted specifically to indigenous art in particular, but also, it’s very rare in the country as a whole to be able to have displays and opportunities like this within a working, living theater in this way that has so much other art happening in this space,” Ken-Matt Martin, the interim artistic director at Baltimore Center Stage, said. Martin said the theater has always done a land acknowledgment to recognize indigenous people who originally lived on the land, but they wanted to take it a step further at the start of this season. “We said sure, we can read a statement before the top of every show, but we would actually like to do something a little bit more in terms of inviting indigenous artists into our space,” Martin said.Joshua Webster, who is part of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, is one of the artists whose work is displayed in the gallery. It’s his first time ever showing in a gallery. “It’s pretty big for my culture, for the Native American people, and then also for the Lumbee people down in North Carolina to be representing all the way here in Maryland,” Webster said. “It just shows that we have a lot of vibrant love and color in us that we are still here to basically spread.”The gallery is open and free to the public during regular box office hours, Tuesday through Friday, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The art is also for sale. Both McCarthey and Webster have already sold their pieces, but it’s not just about getting people to look at the art and like it. It’s also about pushing people to learn. “I don’t want them to just come in and say, ‘That’s a beautiful painting. That’s a beautiful photograph’,” McCarthey said. “I want them to want to know more about the people who did that because by learning that story, you learn a greater story.”Baltimore Center Stage said they want to expand the gallery and showcase more work by indigenous artists. For more information on how you can get involved, visit the following website or email artisticpartnerships@centerstage.org.
A new indigenous art gallery in Baltimore is highlighting some of the best Native American artists in our area. Baltimore Center Stage opened the gallery earlier this month in partnership with the Baltimore American Indian Center.
Judy Tallwing McCarthey is an Apache Elder and a lifelong artist. She considers her art a form of storytelling.
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“Anytime I put a bead on my work, that’s a prayer,” McCarthey said.
Her work has hung in galleries all over the country, but seeing her piece in the gallery at Baltimore Center Stage is one of her proudest moments.
“This gallery, very specifically, is for indigenous artists,” McCarthey said. “It’s recognizing that we are still here. We are still viable. We still have our culture. We still have our history that we know.”
McCarthey’s piece is one of several that hang in the new Indigenous Art Gallery at Baltimore Center Stage. The goal is to give Native American artists a place to share their work and their stories.
“To our knowledge there is nothing quite like this in the city in terms of another gallery that’s devoted specifically to indigenous art in particular, but also, it’s very rare in the country as a whole to be able to have displays and opportunities like this within a working, living theater in this way that has so much other art happening in this space,” Ken-Matt Martin, the interim artistic director at Baltimore Center Stage, said.
Martin said the theater has always done a land acknowledgment to recognize indigenous people who originally lived on the land, but they wanted to take it a step further at the start of this season.
“We said sure, we can read a statement before the top of every show, but we would actually like to do something a little bit more in terms of inviting indigenous artists into our space,” Martin said.
Joshua Webster, who is part of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, is one of the artists whose work is displayed in the gallery. It’s his first time ever showing in a gallery.
“It’s pretty big for my culture, for the Native American people, and then also for the Lumbee people down in North Carolina to be representing all the way here in Maryland,” Webster said. “It just shows that we have a lot of vibrant love and color in us that we are still here to basically spread.”
The gallery is open and free to the public during regular box office hours, Tuesday through Friday, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The art is also for sale. Both McCarthey and Webster have already sold their pieces, but it’s not just about getting people to look at the art and like it. It’s also about pushing people to learn.
“I don’t want them to just come in and say, ‘That’s a beautiful painting. That’s a beautiful photograph’,” McCarthey said. “I want them to want to know more about the people who did that because by learning that story, you learn a greater story.”
Baltimore Center Stage said they want to expand the gallery and showcase more work by indigenous artists. For more information on how you can get involved, visit the following website or email artisticpartnerships@centerstage.org.
