BJA Sponsors Jazz at Two Bromo Arts District “Art Walks”
BJA SPONSORS JAZZ AT TWO BROMO ARTS DISTRICT “ART WALKS”
On June 24, the new Bromo Arts & Entertainment District, located downtown Baltimore, held its first “Art Walk” event, ably organized by its director, Emily Breiter, and the Baltimore Jazz Alliance was pleased to sponsor a jazz concert by Clarence Ward III and his band, Dat Feel Good, at the Eubie Blake Center.
A second Art Walk event took place Thursday, Sept. 23rd, from 5 to 9 pm, with over 20 participating organizations. Again, the Baltimore Jazz Alliance sponsored an exciting jazz performance, by the Terry Koger Quintet, at Current Space, 421 N. Howard Street, from 6 pm to 9 pm.
The entire Art Walk events are free, and over 900 people participated in the September event, following a map to stroll from one venue to another in the district, visiting theaters, galleries, studios, and more that were open to the public for an art-filled evening of performances and exhibitions by numerous participating artistic groups.
As per its website, “The Bromo Tower Arts & Entertainment District was established in 2012 to realize the area’s potential as a thriving downtown arts neighborhood.” The District is a 117-acre area on the west side of downtown from Baltimore Street up Park Avenue, Howard Street and Eutaw Street to the junction of Read Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. It encompasses a number of visual and performing arts venues. The Bromo A&E District seeks to support artists and arts organizations that are located within the district, aiming to help them attain economic viability. They also partner with other organizations in and around Baltimore who can bring resources to their arts and entertainment mission.
Participating organizations besides the Baltimore Jazz Alliance include Arena Players, Black Artist Research Space, The Black Genius Art Show, Blackwater House, Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, Cotyledon Arts, Current Space, E. Brady Robinson Photography, Eubie Blake Cultural Center Everyman Theatre, Fluid Movement, Gallery at Four Ten Lofts, , Hippodrome Theatre, Hot Sauce Artists Collective, Joel Santiago. Kelly Walker Fine Art, Keur Khaleyi African Dance, Le Mondo, Maryland Art Place, Maryland Center for History & Culture, The Menial Collection, NoMu NoMu, Sense of Press, Westminster Hall, and Burying Ground.
The Baltimore Jazz Alliance expects to continue partnering with the Bromo Arts District for future events, and hopes that participant arts organizations will reach out to us for jazz at their own individual events. It’s an exciting prospect – for the BJA, and for art- and music-loving Baltimoreans. Learn more at https://www.bromodistrict.org/
–by Liz Fixsen. Liz is a dedicated fan of jazz in Baltimore, for many years a familiar presence at the clubs and jam sessions, a member of the BJA board, and a writer and editor for the BJA newsletter A jazz vocalist and pianist, she occasionally performs at Baltimore-area venues and for private events.