Now that the tumblr has developed, I would like to bring attention to the Baltimore Open City Exhibition and blog which I am writing for. As a sort of extension of the parallels series I have been continuing on Vandalog, the BOC site will be regularly updated with projects from the Exhibition along with pertinent essays and past shows that serve as precedence.
A brief explanation of BOC: An open city is a place where everyone feels welcome, regardless of such things as wealth, race, age, or religion. In every neighborhood of an open city, one feels like he or she belongs. In Baltimore, however, issues like housing discrimination, inadequate public transportation, and the privatization of public space have resulted in an exclusionary environment for many people. The restriction of access to the basic things anyone would want, such as a good education, a decent job, stable property values, and cheap, healthy food, are conditions of a closed city.
For the exhibition Baltimore: Open City, students of Maryland Institute College of Art’s Exhibition Development Seminar have invited scholars, activists, community-based organizations, local artists, and visiting artist Damon Rich to investigate the ways in which Baltimore is and is not an open city. Through a series of installations, workshops, and other public programs, we explore the impact of Baltimore’s history on the current politics of the city’s built environment. We welcome our neighbors to join us in exploring what a more open city might look and feel like.
