Capturing Baltimore in the Best Light: A. Aubrey Bodine Baltimore raised A. Aubrey Bodine was a pioneer in the field of photojournalism and considered a leader in the 20th century Pictorialist movement. Over the course of his 50 year career at The Baltimore Sun, the self-taught photographer developed a style that captured the essence of Baltimore’s working class and Maryland’s embodiment of the Chesapeake aesthetic.

Bodine’s daughter, Jennifer, is devoted to exposing viewers to her father’s important and large (over 4,000 pieces) body of work and will be on hand at an upcoming retrospective exhibition in the University of Baltimore Student Center Gallery. (See bi-line for details). I attended a lecture by Jennifer at Bodine’s latest Baltimore Museum of Industry exhibition and learned as much about the history of Baltimore’s development as I did about the photographer. Bodine had a knack for humanizing industrial scenes – to view his work is to meet the faces behind the city’s tremendous growth and to gain furthur appreciation for the effort that created Baltimore as we know it today.

Press Release

Born in Baltimore in 1906, Bodine began his career as a messenger at the Sunday Sun at age 14. He submitted artful photographs to his editor and became a feature photographer at 21, a position he held for the next 43 years. In 1928, "Thomas Viaduct at Relay" ran with a credit line for Bodine.

"That probably was the first, or one of the first, credit lines he ever received," wrote Harold A. Williams, author of Bodine: A Legend in His Time. "… From then on his byline appeared regularly and became one of the best known staff names in Sunpaper history."

In 1946 the Sun’s Sunday Magazine, widely known as "the Brown Section" so named for its sepia print, debuted. Bodine and the Brown Section were inextricably linked. He traveled throughout Maryland documenting people at work and play: farming, oystering, hunting, fishing, blacksmithing, clock making, baking; nurses, the Amish, watermen, ships, airplanes, woodsheds, cathedrals, wagons, animals, trains, homes, bridges—in short, almost everything of interest in the 20th century. These pictures were of the highest quality, artistic in design and lighting effects far beyond the usual standard of newspaper work.

Bodine built his reputation among the serious photographers of his day. He entered and won numerous competitions worldwide, receiving numerous awards and honors for his remarkable images. From first to last, Bodine considered himself a newspaperman, an attitude evident in all of his work. He did not "take" pictures, he "made" pictures.

Bodine died in 1970, after 50 years with The Sun. His photo

Labels: A Aubrey Bodine, Maryland, pictorialist

  4:29 PM •  0 Comments •

Baltimore's Art Scene is On The Verge... ...The Only Thing Missing? Patrons.

With Baltimore City's art scene reaching a fevered
pitch, now's the time for curious art buyers to really
investigate the local talent. The overwhelming
majority of the artists involved in breathing new life
into the Baltimore art world are not yet represented
by galleries, are underpriced and most importantly,
are under-recognized. These are the 'diamonds in the
rough,'and I'm telling you where to look for them:

Frustrated by the lack of "real" galleries in which to
show their work, Baltimore-based artists have spent
the past couple of years establishing their own
venues. Most recently, Metro Gallery located on the
corner of Charles St.'s 1700 block opened with a show
of local artist, Seth Goodman's pieces.

Gutter Magazine (http://www.guttermagazine.com/)is a
prime example of what a group of talented
photographers and writers can create to showcase their
talents and help each other gain more visibility while
also adding to their professional portfolios.

Reporting on the grassroots (and more mainstream) arts
events happening in the area is Bmoreart
(http://bmoreart.blogspot.com/)- a blog created and
maintained by several of the repeat players in these
underground ventures.

With all of these arts venues converging, the
Baltimore City art scene should be thriving. A key
component is missing however, - the patron. Gutter
Magazine is being read by those already in the local
art fold or on the very periphery of it. Metro
Gallery's opening was packed...with artists and
artists friends. And the same people running the
galleries, taking the photos and organizing the
information are the the topics and readers of
Bmoreart's blogs.

Be the first patrons to begin inquiring about these
artists' work and you'll have a distinct advantage
over those who decide to jump on the bangwagon a year
from now. The highly saught-after artwork of
tomorrow, will be created by the talent developing the
Baltimore art scene today.

Labels: Art, Gutter Magazine, Maryland, Patrons

  3:10 PM •  0 Comments •

Maryland Lawyers for the Arts Rises Again "Left-Brain Help for Right-Brain People"

Marcia Semmes, the recently appointed Executive
Director of Maryland Lawyers for the Arts is on a
mission to "let people know we exist." Since 1985,
the nonprofit organization has undergone many changes, but it's sole mission remains the same:
to provide pro bono legal assistance to
income-eligible applicants in all creative
disciplines. In addition to providing pro bono
attorneys to clients who earn less than $30,000 per
year ($150,000 for organizations), MLA holds regular
walk-in free clinics for artists with legal issues.

The MLA's success is primarily dependent on its
volunteer attorneys. MLA's attorneys come mostly from
the Baltimore area, including nine of the top 10
largest firms in the area, and donate their time to
assist artists and arts organizations in legal matters
ranging from forming 501(c)(3) non-profits to complex
copyright infringement cases, to landlord tenant
disputes. Clients are served both on an individual
basis, through referrals handled at MLA's main office,
and at walk-in clinics conducted at the University of
Baltimore Law School, where two of MLA's board members are professors.

Educational programs including panel discussions,
arts-based business seminars, and workshops on legal
and business issues are an important aspect of the the
MLA's offerings.

As a member of the Maryland business community, the
citybizlist reader can use his/her entrepreneurial,
legal, and or managerial experience to guide artists
of all disciplines living in and around Baltimore
City. Professional legal and business advice can make
a crucial difference in the life of a working artist.
By removing the financial barrier that usually
prevents artists from seeking this advice, the MLA is
tilting the odds of success in the Baltimore artists'
favor.

www.mdartslaw.org

Labels: Arts, lawyers, Maryland

  2:51 PM •  0 Comments •