The Baltimore Rock Opera Society (BROS) is hiring! Baltimore's community-powered, collaborative, rock n roll production company is looking for great people who can work part-time to further BROS mission of providing unforgettable experiences to audiences in Baltimore and beyond.

The BROS Sponsorships will help connect us to local businesses for sponsorships and donations. Low committment but a great resume builder for an ambitous nonprofit type early in their career, or somebody who just likes talking to businesses and figuring out how to match their desires with BROS needs.

The Baltimore Rock Opera Society (BROS) is hiring! Baltimore's community-powered, collaborative, rock n roll production company is looking for great people who can work part-time to further BROS mission of providing unforgettable experiences to audiences in Baltimore and beyond.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supported Summer Research Program in Baltimore at the Interface between Science and Art (Baltimore SCIART)

SCIART 2019 announcement

Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Baltimore SCIART Consortium offers a 10-week long Summer Research Experience for Undergraduate Students at the Interface between Science and Art in the research laboratories of leading scientists, engineers and art conservators, at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Johns Hopkins University, and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. The program is meant primarily for high performing science and engineering undergraduate students from Baltimore area academic institutions with a diverse background and strong interest in art conservation science and engineering.  Applications from students who are pursuing undergraduate degrees in Arts, with strong science and/or engineering background will be considered as well.

Applications to the program should be submitted online. Building on UMBC tradition and strength in providing high quality education to students from underrepresented groups in STEM, this summer research program will offer research and education training opportunities to highly qualified students, including students from underrepresented groups and disadvantaged populations. This years program runs from June 3rd through August 8th, 2019.  The selected students will be involved in highly multidisciplinary and collaborative research projects aiming to understand the degradation of art works, to develop new non-destructive analytical techniques to study art works, and to develop new treatment and environmental monitoring methods to restore and preserve art works.  Research activities will be augmented by an extensive professional development program, which will include workshops, guest lectures, and visits to conservation science laboratories in neighboring institutions like the National Gallery of Art and the US Library of Congress in Washington DC, and the Smithsonian Laboratories in Suitland, MD.  The selected students will receive a stipend of $5,000, housing at the UMBC dorms, and transportation allowance. A small number of Baltimore-SCIART students will be offered additional fellowships to continue their research past the summer program. All selected students will become fellows of the Baltimore-SCIART consortium and participate in year round outreach activities to the general public in the Baltimore region.

The deadline for applications is March 15th, 2019, but applicants are advised to apply and complete their applications early due to expected high demand for this unique program. Applications from female students and students from traditionally underrepresented groups in science and engineering are strongly encouraged.  Applications should be submitted electronically using the following link: http://apply.interfolio.com/58592.

For more information on the program and to see the projects past students have worked on, visit sciart.umbc.edu. 

MARC Train appreciates your continued patience with the first days of operation of the new Penn Line schedule. While morning service is operating very well, we recognize that there are challenges in the afternoon and are working to address them. MARC Train and Amtrak management are actively engaged and have managers at key stations to monitor service.  

As stated yesterday, we recognize that Train 634 (4:57pm departure from Union Station) is a very crowded train. An additional railcar is now operating on this train, however we cannot add any more cars beyond this extra car. Passengers have asked why this train cannot depart earlier.  The fact is that due to the trackwork, no MARC Penn Line trains can depart Union Station between 4:25pm and 4:57pm.  This is because there is no way for Amtrak Acela Express and Regional trains to pass MARC trains between Washington and Odenton. The gap between Train 440 (5:28pm) and 642 (5:57pm) is for the same reason.

--Passengers on Train 634 traveling from Union Station to Odenton are strongly encouraged and requested to wait 15 minutes for Train 536 (5:12pm departure).  Train 536 arrives at Odenton just 9 minutes after Train 634, operates non-stop from Washington to Odenton, and has ample available seating.  By switching to Train 536, Odenton passengers will provide adequate space on Train 634 for passengers who do not have other options and would have to wait between 45 minutes and an hour for the next train to their station.

--Passengers traveling on Train 634 to BWI, Halethorpe, Penn Station, and Martin Airport are requested to ride in the first four cars at the front of the train (the cars directly behind the locomotive) in order to provide adequate space for passengers traveling to Seabrook and Bowie State University, who must ride in the last three cars of the train (the three cars closest to the station in Washington) due to short platforms.

--Bowie State University passengers should note that Train 438 (the 5:25pm departure) now operates non-stop from Union Station to Bowie. Passengers for BWI and Halethorpe are requested to ride in the first four cars at the front of the train (the cars directly behind the locomotive) in order to accommodate Bowie State University passengers, who must ride in the last three cars of the train due to the short platform.  We understand that there was confusion yesterday on Train 438 and have verified with Amtrak that Bowie State passengers should be in rear of the train.

Again, MARC Train and Amtrak management are actively engaged and will consider further adjustments as needed. We appreciate your patience and understanding and thank you for riding MARC Train.

The word “sculpture” typically brings to mind finely chiseled Greek marble figures or large abstract metal shapes. Chances are that sculpture on the human form does not come to mind. What exactly is sculpture on the human form? Contrary to what some people may think, it is not fashion.

Sculpture on the human form mixes makeup, hairstyling, costumes made out of non-traditional materials and performing in order to convey the ideas of the artist.  From afar, sculptures on the human form can look like displays of wild Halloween costumes when in fact they are much more than just a conglomeration of crazy knick-knacks.

“I think that [sculpture on the human form] gives a completely different message than just a painting,” Lilou Altman, the executive director of ManneqART, explains. “When you put one of these pieces on you kind of become the character, you become for the most part what the artist is trying to convey.” These sculptures are characters of the imagination used to give the everyday person a glimpse into the mind of the artist.

For example, one of the creations featured in the ManneqART gallery, located in Historic Savage Mill, is titled “Undersea Angler Fish.” The sculpture, made by an art class at Southern High School, is made with hot glue, LED lights, papier-mâché and wire. The entire front of the sculpture is the head of an Angler fish with massive teeth protruding from the monstrous fish’s jaws.

While an entire art class created the piece “Undersea Angler Fish,” sculptures on the human form can also be extremely intimate and personal. One example of this is Katie Grammes’ sculpture “Reborn Through Flames.” The sculpture consists of black, orange and yellow feathers giving off the appearance of fire. The description of the piece explains that the idea behind the sculpture is to represent how people persist through hardships and become stronger as a result.

Sculpture on the human form is important because it gets more people involved with art. It is easy to fall into the trap of believing art can only be two-dimensional, like paintings or drawings. However, this traditionalist view of art excludes many other creative minds. Altman says, “Not every artist is a painter or a drawer. Some people, their strengths are actually taking objects and making what they want to say.” Sculpture on the human form serves as an outlet for artists who think in three-dimensional terms, and the result is a totally new and fresh art form that inspires other non-traditional artists to create.

ManneqART, a non-profit organization that promotes sculpture on the human form, provides a great way to get involved in this type of art. Creators of all levels, beginner and experienced, are welcome to join their themed sculpture competitions. More information can be found on their website: https://www.manneqart.org/.

The most important takeaway from the emerging art style of sculpture on the human form is to remember to keep an open mind to less traditional ways of creating. The beauty of art is the experimentation with different combinations of materials and processes. After all, being a mad scientist is just part of being an artist.