Dr. Crotty
Effective Writing 101
19 November 2014
Art in Baltimore
I meet Ms. Kim Banister on a rainy Monday afternoon. My black rain boots
squeaked on the white linoleum tiled floor as I made my way towards her office. She
firmly shook my hand as I introduced myself. Her warm smile and firm handshake
invites me into her boxy office; it mimics the box-like exhibition room. Her perpetually
open door shows a desk covered in flyers and pictures of artwork. She later explained
how she thoroughly reviews an artists work before signing them on. The design of the
room allows for a microcosm of what an exhibit might look like. She gestured towards
an artists stool and asked me to sit. As I fumbled around for some paper, I crossed my
legs and pushed back my damp hair and I began my questions.
Kim Banister, director of Loyolas Julio Fine Arts Gallery, is one of Loyolas
most promising directors. Banisters focused method makes each exhibition sophisticated
and complex. There is a general rule of thumb where I am looking for art that is A) high
quality, and I determine if it is high quality by my, you know, thirty plus years of
experience as an artist and teaching art; knowing the rules for the formal aesthetics of art,
and B) if it has some kind of spark, if it seems to be vibrant and alive in some sort of
way, said Banister. Her vision entails an open and thought provoking environment for
students and faculty, all the while paying homage to the artists themes. The Julio Fine
Arts Gallery is exclusive to Baltimore based, local artists. With every new exhibition you
can expect an introduction on a Thursday evening from five to seven pm and a short
lecture about the art accompanied by light refreshments. When Banister first signed on to
this role, her dream was to establish a trusting relationship with the artist. With this trust,
she can aid the translation of the artists ideas to Loyola. The Julio Fine Arts Gallery,
like many other university art galleries, goes beyond art; it connects students and faculty
to greater themes.
All over the country, universities are celebrating and sharing art with their
surrounding community. This means more and more college students and faculty
members are given the chance to submerge themselves in local art culture. For example,
American University, located in the heart of D.C., has partnered with the National
Gallery of Art to exhibit international cinema on their campus (PR Web). This
relationship shows the growing credibility and significance of art galleries on campus.
Campus art galleries are expanding, and with this, are welcoming many more students to
come and explore their sophisticated pieces. Baltimore is just one example of a city that
is expanding art culture.
Baltimore is home to many artists. Artists like Marley Dawson are on display
now at Loyolas Julio Fine Arts Gallery. Each Baltimorean artist brings a certain flare to
the gallery. From shooting clay pidgins and displaying their ruins, to creating photos that
incorporate little mementos from a journey, the Julio Fine Arts Gallery presents unique
art. Banister elaborates on the necessity of being critical when selecting art. There is an
objective way to selecting art and there is also a subjective way. I want to think about the
big picture and variety, variety of artists, of mediums, of ethnic backgrounds. All of
these things are brought into consideration when selecting art. She then goes on to say,
We want to show a diverse program throughout the year, and we also want to bring in
new people. With this in mind, she joins other universities in the hunt to find the
diamond in the rough and discover an artist who can meet and go beyond all
requirements to be exhibited.
Baltimore as a whole celebrates art. There are tons of art museums like the BMA
(Baltimore Museum of Art) or the Walters Art Museum. These important art houses
provide a nurturing setting for developing artists in the college demographic. The New
York Times has said, with Baltimores increasingly arts-friendly community offering
graduates a wider range of entertainment and lifestyle choices, the number of students in
the area expecting to stay after graduation is up to 38 percent in 2012 from 19 percent in
2003, according Baltimore Collegetown Network, a consortium of 14 nearby colleges.
(NY Times) With this increase will come more galleries and more exhibits. The increase
in artists will also help the art community grow.
The increasing amount of artists is partially due to the new integration of art
with other areas of the progressive world. Even in Baltimore there have been
artworks highlighted not in museums, but during conferences or receptions For
example, Baltimore based artist Clair Girodie was selected to create a piece of art for
the November 2014 International Inaugural Women in Cyber Security reception,
hosted by Cyber Point. "We're excited to have been able to create a connection of our
own, by bringing together the arts and business communities," said Amy Cavanaugh
Royce, Executive Director of MAP. "Claire's incredible work recently made a great
impact through MAP's annual 'Recent Masters of Fine Art' graduate exhibition this past
summer. We are delighted to have been able to bring additional visibility to her art
through this opportunity, while simultaneously benefiting an important women's event
hosted by CyberPoint." (PR Newswire US) The integration has created another level of
revenue for local artists. Similarly, they are projecting their ideas to people who arent
always exposed to these themes, like a university art gallery.
With a growing arts community, it puts pressure on local museums to up their
game. In response, the BMA has begun to intergrade local artists in their exhibitions as
well as adding to their famous collections. Doreen Bolger, the BMAs director has said,
In an urban context like Baltimore, where were all densely packed together shoulder-toshoulder, each persons success supports another, whether the organizations are large or
small, or whether were talking about institutions or artists (PR Web Newswire) She
welcomes local artists and wants to add their organic and grass roots style to the museum.
Colleges have been doing this from the beginning. University art galleries have
been welcoming local artists and highlighting their work. These unique art galleries will
only grow. With an increase of artists, university art galleries are projected to grow;
having more than four exhibitions per year or increasing the size of the gallery so
multiple exhibitions can be going on at once. With this growth comes more exposure for
students and faculty. This is the hope of Kim Banister. It is her dream to continue to
expand the art world at Loyola, especially to showcase some of Baltimores finest.
Works Cited