Weather was perfect for a night out supporting the local community and people watching but never ever ask an artist what they do for a living, some answers would be too complex without additional time. 🙂
My first year doing Out of Order at Maryland Art Place (Inner Harbor) was 2004, that generation of artist really made an effort to top one another in a very friendly but competitive way, no one ever wanted to be the low artist on the totem pole, no one wanted to be accused of exhibiting “junk” at a salon type show. At that time hanging a piece for Out of Order required an entry fee of $10, in return; free entrance to the event, catered food and always lots to drink. For those artists desiring to bring a friend, you could purchase a MAP membership and receive a free ticket to Out of Order! For a $30 membership plus a $10 hanging fee you could impress your non-artist date with great eats, unlimited drink and endless conversations with artists! I believe it changed to a “free” event starting 2011-ish with no entry fee. Sadly, I saw the art fall off a bit and when MAP moved to it’s current location on Saratoga St, the art work had been on a steady decline, IDK why. It might be time, and I see no reason why Maryland Art Place would not charge an entry fee of $10. I spoke to several artist during the evening and no one said an entry fee would stop them from participating in the future. It’s a benefit for an organization doing good things for the local community.
That said, the 2026 version of Out of Order was an improvement over recent years. To me, the art on walls seemed to be more evenly balanced. Also noticed, there were many more smaller “sculptures” than normal, pedestals were all over the place. A big surprise were pizza boxes from HomeSlyce Pizza! It was a free-for-all grab-a-slice swarm. They went quickly but I spotted another round of pizza delivered a bit later. As usual, the upstairs provided beer, wine, non alcoholic drinks as well as water. You could have a smoke outside, but MAP needs to put an ash bucket or something to catch all the butts. Crowds were very good throughout the evening. Haven’t heard yet about sales. For those that don’t know, it’s an online and live auction. I miss the old days when you could scratch down your bid with a pencil and keep an eye on it to see if you’ve been outbid but unfortunately collecting the funds after the auction became an issue, but it was fun while it lasted (20+ years). The Basement is where you want to relax and get away, seating, tables and a real bar. All in all a fun evening, will probably do it again. Enjoy the photos…
Feel free to message Rick Santiago at 443-390-6599
