Acoustic music takes over front porches in the Germantown-Homewood neighborhood on June 14th. Photo by Kaitlyn McQuaid.
If you’re in search of authentic creativity, Annapolis Arts Week has the ticket—and tickets aren’t even required. From June 9th to 15th, the city will join with area communities to celebrate Anne Arundel Arts Month, co-sponsored by the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County and Visit Annapolis. Free live performances, gallery exhibits, public art, and hands-on workshops will light up the county in every direction, demonstrating the power of the arts to inspire and connect.
Arts Month, now in its second year, will serve up 30 days of lively experiences and joyful vibes. New events for this year include a slate of musical acts playing live in the concourse at BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport (take note, Nashville and New Orleans), a community-created ceramic project in South County, and Bounce!, a medley of activities centered in and around the Annapolis Arts District.
In the capital, Bounce! events for Saturday, June 14th will include the debut of Annapolis Porchfest. It’s a day of free musical performances on front stoops, driveways, and, of course, porches in the Germantown-Homewood neighborhood. Attendees can stroll from one location to the next to take in the acts and socialize with neighbors, friends, and fellow community members. “Getting to know each other with music as the connector is our goal,” organizer Kaitlyn McQuaid says.
McQuaid, a photographer, singer, and instrumentalist, attended one of the first Porchfests in 2008 in Ithaca, New York. “I loved the informality, just hanging out and listening to music,” she recalls. “And then they started happening all over the country.” Last summer, after catching a Porchfest in New Jersey, it occurred to her that her Germantown-Homewood neighborhood had the perfect elements for an Annapolis edition. “This neighborhood has a lot of great porches, and lots of musicians who often play guitars or mandolins outside. I thought, ‘Hey, our neighborhood would be really good for this.’”
McQuaid expects at least 10 porches to participate on the 14th (rain date June 15th), with a staggered schedule so listeners can sample several performances. Most will be acoustic or lightly amplified, in keeping with the setting. “People will have an opportunity to experience a lot of different artists in a short amount of time,” McQuaid says. “We’re encouraging everyone to come outside, be part of the community, bring blankets or snacks, and enjoy the music.”
Later that afternoon, Bounce! visitors can move to the first block of West Street for a special Saturday night edition of the always-popular Dinner Under the Stars. As the sun sets and the street closes to traffic, Bayside Big Band will entertain while local artists capture the scene on canvas. Dancers from Ballet Theatre of Maryland will also perform.
The official Arts Week schedule kicks off two days earlier with an evening Gallery Walk in historic downtown Annapolis on Thursday, June 12th. More than 20 galleries will open their doors, each offering a unique perspective on contemporary and traditional genres. In addition to a tour led by the Annapolis Gallery Association, there will be live painting demonstrations and busker-style musical performances. On Friday, the marquee event is an open Arts Party at Lightbox, the official Bounce! hub at 209 West Street. Artists and non-artists will gather for dancing, music, live painting, and mingling. On Sunday, visitors can join a Barn Dance at ArtFarm and catch a gallery opening at AND Creative.
To help visitors explore Annapolis’s outdoor murals, a new app called the Mural Walking Tour will assist users in locating and learning about five downtown sites, providing details on artists and subjects. Elsewhere, the Tides & Tunes Summer Concert Series at the Annapolis Maritime Museum launches its weekly Thursday evening programs on June 12th, and the Paint Annapolis Exhibition continues downtown through June 21st.
A special Arts Week edition of Dinner Under the Stars on West Street will feature live music and dance.
More regional cultural adventures are on tap during the county-wide Anne Arundel Arts Month, with celebrations ranging from an art festival at the renovated Glen Burnie Town Center, (June 6-7), gallery openings at Chesapeake Arts Center (June 26), and a poetry and art collaboration at the Arts Lab of South County (June 28). On June 18th, art aficionados can join a ticketed, behind-the-scenes tour of The Cordish Arts Collection at Live! Casino in Hanover.
New events are being added daily, so check the schedules at annapolisartsweek.com and annearundelarts.com and dive in. With dozens of activities that reflect our community’s abundant creativity, you’re sure to find one that lights you up.
