Artscape

      Last month, the city of Baltimore put on quite a show, throwing a huge party in the form of the wildly successful annual Artscape Festival, a weekend filled with photography, sculpture, painting, and more from the area's most innovative and unique artists. Each vendor displayed his unique God-given talents for sculpting, beading, or painting, and many pieces offered insight into the artists' own lives and personal histories. Knowledgeable MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) students were out and about, more than happy to engage in conversation or share their experiences with various mediums and subject matters.

     Unique clothing items were also for sale, and entrepreneurs and large companies alike hoped to push their products. Kashi designated four whole tents to selling their "all-natural" line of products, leading visitors through each station, designed to raise his awareness for organic products, health concerns, and the environment. Others gave out free samples-- everything from Greyhound Bus water bottles to cranberry-pomegranate Ocean Spray, and my personal favorite- family trial packs of Kraft Homestyle macaroni and cheese. Who would have expected to find that at an arts festival?

     In the Station North district, located near the Charles Theatre and my previously reviewed Tapas Teatro, various movie screenings were available. One couple even cut out each Baltimore neighborhood out of stone and arranged them into a map, allowing visitors to mark important landmarks and meaningful places on the tiles with Sharpie. Nearby, a beautifully painted skate-ramp became a canvas for daring acts and a variety of tents offered activities for the young and young at heart.

     The whole weekend, anticipation builds as all events culminate in Sunday evening's concert. While Saturday, The Cold War Kids impressed crowds, Sunday certainly capped off a very positive weekend for the city, with pulsing performances from Rebelution and hip-hop sensation Wale. In fact, the latter had to be physically forced off stage- he simply did not want to leave his adoring Baltimore crowd anything short of satisfied. Later that evening, Wale tweeted that his Baltimore show was one of his Top 5 performances of all time, something all of us Baltimorons can be proud of. Whether a fan of Wale's music or not, any city resident should be proud that we  are increasingly becoming a favorite destination of nationally renowned artists.

     Wale's performance has sparked controversy among city officials, fans, and others. Many believe that his profanity-laced performance was distasteful and wildly inappropriate for an event sold as family-friendly and endorsed by the city. In fact, when a shout out was given to mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the politician refused stepping out on stage to bask in the crowd's appreciation. It is undeniable, however, that youthful Artscape attendees found the performance the perfect ending, an appropriate climax, for the weekend's festivities.

     I guess it only goes to prove that Artscape successfully provides something for every taste, whether it be classic oil paintings, progressive or contemporary art, or photography. Ethnic food or more traditional fair-fare, like fries, lemonades, and Bud Lights. Don't forget to try Taharka Bros. (previously Sylvan Beach) ice cream, in order to sample unique flavors like salted caramel. And from local bands to unedited rappers, the variety of music offered was no different, and I am sure that it ultimately added to the success of the festival.
     If I had to draw criticism, I would say that accessibility to the festival- or lack thereof- marked a spot for improvements. The degenerate and very unreliable lightrail system is not a good bet, and even that runs one linear route into the city, with no branches and thus little variety in terms of where one can get on and off. Combined with limited parking, this presented a roadblock, but I feel that for the most part, organizers and visitors alike were able to overcome it. One can only hope that as the years increase, so do the crowds for this up and coming Baltimore event.