Help Keep Artscape Free!

That’s what the “donations” stand read, but honestly I think Artscape is already being subsidized with taxpayer money.  It recieves funding through BOPA but what the heck, I donated a few bucks and received a nice little Artscape keychain with a cute built-in light, the only surprise it says Artscape 2008. In this economy, when we are expected to restrain our selves, put a little more in the bank for tomorrow, why wouldn’t we expect the same thing at a Public Event? If Artscape has gotten too big for even it’s budget, why not take your foot off the accelerator, just a wee little bit…

I think I can live without Artscape being touted as the “Largest FREE Arts Festival”, I can do with maybe the “Funnest”, or “Funkiest” or “Oddest”, or maybe even “Best”, the “Largest” just doesn’t do anything for me.

Again this year, Robert McClintock was left out of the Artists’ Market!  This makes no sense to me, Robert McClintock is one of the most successful artists I know that lives in Baltimore and most, if not all of his works, is about Baltimore and it’s neighbohoods. Aren’t we trying to get out the message that this is a Baltimore thing and we have a pretty good stable of Baltimore Artists?  tsk tsk tsk…

But then again, the Artists’ Market isn’t what it used to be.  I feel for the Artist’s, they are not only in competition with other fellow artist’s but you’ve got commercial vendors everywhere!  Just a few years ago, you came to Artscape to see the Art and Artists, I don’t believe the average person now comes to Artscape to look at the “Art”, it’s the atmosphere they come for and the Art is just another part of that scene.  We have commercial Vendors offering freebies, blaring music, and a few DIYs plus their displays just overpowered parts of the Artists’ Market…

However, Midway, the area by between Penn Station and the Charles Theatre was my favorite. If anything takes Artscape back to “cutting edge art”, it is this area and it’s participanting Artists. Congrats all around here!!!

I hate to say it, but I think I saw  a ton of “jazz” themed art out there, I wish the Organizers would be a bit more subtle…

It maybe the the “Largest” but at a cost. I think they diluted the Festival for the sake of being able to call it the “Largest”, but I would settle for something smaller with double the character (real).

Saturday at Artscape… The plan was to bike in from the Studio, as we got ready, good friend Renee Tantillo wanted to know if we had a “tire pump”, why yes we do! Long story short, it was 45 minutes later, after some banging on the “out of round” rim, figuring out how to actually use the pump did we finally get going… all down hill though… Falls Road bike path to Charles St. What a crowd, too much even for me and I dig crowds.  When is it too much, when you can’t stop to even look at an exhibit!!!  Did get a ton of videos which will be up shortly…

Highlights of the day was getting to the “Bike Stand” by the Edgar Allen Poe statue to find a pretty nice setup to park your ride. I even got a “Bike to Artscape” button, met the organizers and now I am planning to Tour Dem Parks

More About Artscape 2009 Found Here