Maryland Traditions Showcase on June 11!

Charm City Confidential is back in action!


I am back in Baltimore after four months in Copenhagen and what a great place it is. From an urban studies perspective, Copenhagen is a really well-planned place with reliable and extensive public transportation, cutting-edge architecture, and incredible designers. I would really recommend it for those interested in learning about the history of a Northern European city-- there are many great museums, and most everything is in English as well as Danish. Here are a few shots of my last day there:





However, the reason for this post is that there is yet another exciting Baltimore event coming up! I trust summer 2009 will be just as fruitful as last summer in terms of quirky events in Charm City. I happen to be interning at the Maryland State Arts Council's Maryland Traditions program and thus am working hard on this event. Below you will find a bit about it:

Maryland Traditions, a program of the Maryland State Arts Council and the Maryland Historical Trust, will present a traditional and folk arts showcase on Thursday, June 11 at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore. The afternoon session— from 4:00 to 7:00 pm— includes a roundtable discussion with Maryland instrument makers, insights from esteemed local cooks, and demonstrations of material arts (such as screen painting and Smith Island cake baking) followed by a dinner of traditional Maryland foodways. The evening portion features performances by boogie-woogie piano master Daryl Davis, ngoni (pre-banjo) player Cheick Hamala Diabate, South Indian Karnatic musicians P.K. and Lalitha Swaminathan and urban hip-hop dance master Junious “House” Brickhouse. The program also includes the Maryland Traditions 2009 ALTA (Achievement in Living Traditions and the Arts) Awards ceremony and recognition of the 2010 recipients of the program’s Master and Apprentice and Project Grants. Tickets are $6 and available at creativealliance.org, by calling 410-276-1651 or at the door.

This weekend, however, don't miss the Frederick Festival of the Arts, the Charles Village Festival (check out their website-- it is really visually interesting!), and the Texas Two-Step dance at the Creative Alliance! More events to come, of course...