Traditions: The Maryland Department at the Enoch Pratt Library
Tucked away in the Enoch Pratt Library Central Branch in Baltimore is a treasure trove of history. Whether it's genealogical records, vice commission reports, or Christmas cards from John Waters, The Maryland Department at The Pratt central branch takes great care in preserving Marylander's shared stories and history.
To learn more, we spoke with department manager Caprice Di Liello about what unexpected kernels of history are preserved in their expansive collection.
This episode of Traditions was filmed by Matt Kelley and Kevin Considine and Edited by Matt Kelley
Traditions: The Baltimore Salt Box
The Salt Box: an unusual thing in an unusual city. What are they, who makes them, and why do some of them have artwork?
We decided to find out by talking to Robert "Saltbox Bob" Atkinson, writer of the Saltbox Concern Volume 1, Carpenter Godfrey Brown and Carpenter II Charles "Pete" Peterson of the Baltimore Department of Transportation, and Juliet Ames, a local artist who decided to make the Salt Box on her street a little more unusual.
This episode of Traditions was filmed by Greg Bowen and Julia Golonka, and edited by Julia Golonka.
Traditions: Baltimore Graffiti
Mike Sachse started photographing graffiti as a way to capture the creativity and variety of a changing art form. This practice led to a book, Baltimore Graffiti: The Definitive Charm City Style Collection, and a broad perspective on what makes Baltimore's graffiti unique. This episode follows the author around the city to see some of the hidden spaces where artists work
Learn more about the book here:
https://www.schifferbooks.com/baltimore-graffiti-the-definitive-charm-city-style-collection-6063.html
Traditions: The Great Halloween Lantern Parade
Baltimore's Great Halloween Lantern Parade celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2019. Presented by the Creative Alliance, this festival started as a simple way to bring light into Patterson Park, and has grown into a city-wide convergence of artists, families, marching bands, step teams, and much more.
This latest episode of Traditions was filmed by Julia Golonka, Matt Kelley, and Kevin Considine, and edited by Greg Bowen.
Traditions: Rawlings Conservatory
The Rawlings Conservatory & Botanical Gardens of Baltimore was completed in 1888 and is a monument to exploration and preservation. Visiting a conservatory can quite literally be like a trip around the world, and for Director Ann Green, there is no greater joy than providing city residents an opportunity to get close to nature and inspire others to preserve natural spaces.
This latest episode of Traditions was directed and edited by Julia Golonka.
Traditions: Fluid Movement
"There's magic in public performance art. It helps us to share this one ephemeral moment, this little snippet in time where we're all together in the same place, seeing something magic that will never be repeated."
For this episode of Traditions we talked to Valarie Perez-Schere, President and Artistic Director of Fluid Movement, a wonderfully weird performance group that uses a swimming pool as their stage and upholds "Communitas, Choreographitas, Glitterus Maximus."
We helped Joey Zeledón create this super fun video to promote his Coat Check Chair, which officially launched on Kickstarter this week – (coat) check it out!
Traditions: American Visionary Art Museum
"Most museums, urban museums, are like fortresses. They say 'stay out, we have valuable things inside.' We wanted to be an extension of Federal Hill Park, right behind us, and be more like a wonderland."
In 1984 Rebecca Alban Hoffberger had the idea for a new museum and education center that would emphasize intuitive creative invention, and five years later the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) was born.
For this episode of Traditions we spoke with Rebecca Hoffberger, Founder and Director of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
Traditions: National Great Blacks in Wax Museum
"We moved into this community in 1988, and we moved here deliberately so. Conventional wisdom all over this nation is that you hide your poverty areas. And once you succeed in hiding them you succeed in neglecting them. But we were going to create a museum, right in a challenged community, that would show that cultural tourism can be a catalyst for jobs and opportunity and for legacy."
For this episode of Traditions we spoke with Dr. Joanne Martin, Founder and President of The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
Learn more about the Museum: www.greatblacksinwax.org
More about Traditions: www.humanbeingproductions.com/traditions
Traditions: Curtis Creek Ship Graveyard
Right around the corner from the Baltimore Inner Harbor is a graveyard – but it's not on land. Unused and unwanted vessels from World War I and beyond were left to quietly decompose in the brackish waters of Curtis Creek. We walked with Dr. Susan Langley of the Maryland Historical Trust as she documented the ships and discussed their future.
Traditions: Moveable Feast
On this month's episode of Traditions we visited with the dedicated staff and volunteers of Moveable Feast, a incredibly impactful non profit located in East Baltimore.
"The mission of Moveable Feast is to foster a community that cares for men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses by preparing and delivering nutritious meals and groceries and providing nutritional counseling and other services."
For more information on Moveable Feast visit www.mfeast.org
For those of you paying attention – this is an old episode that recently got a new edit, so enjoy!
Human Being Productions is a video production and photography company based in Baltimore, Maryland.
