Community Calendar

Baltimore, MD – Make Studio is excited to announce the highlight of our fall programming season, the 8th installment of Cordially Invited! Cordially Invited is our annual invitational exhibition featuring artworks created in innovative U.S. and international studios serving disabled artists.

On view from October 10 – November 15, Make Studio’s CordialIy Invited VIII highlights the phenomenal and thought-provoking art produced in progressive art studios internationally as a way to better understand and appreciate our neurodiverse world. Each year it is our honor to put together this showcase to celebrate how these studios foster and promote exceptional art, advance full inclusion, and ensure the advancement of disabled artists so that their distinctive work can be experienced by all. This year's installment features 28 participating groups, hailing from as near as Rockville, MD and Washington, DC, and as far as Spain and Japan. Over 100 selected artworks will be featured in our gallery and even more will appear in the digital exhibition online. Visitors are encouraged to drop into the gallery during our weekly hours, or visit during special extended hours that will be announced on social media.

A reception will be held on November 7 from 5:00-8:00 PM during Art Around Hampden and First Fridays in Hampden. Details about exhibiting artists and studios, as well as special programming including a virtual artist talk with participating studios, will be shared on Make Studio’s website and social media. A companion display of Make Studio artists’ work will also be on view at University of Maryland, Baltimore’s Campus Center for Disability Employment Awareness Month throughout October.

About Make Studio
Make Studio is a 501(c)3 community-based arts organization located in Baltimore, MD. Founded in 2010 with the aim to put art and abilities to work, Make Studio’s mission is to empower artists with disabilities to grow as professionals with visibility and voice in their communities. We create opportunities for everyone to connect through art.

On View: September 12 - December 6 (closed Oct. 17 & Nov. 25 - 29)
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

The work in this exhibition compresses and expands expectations of depth as moderated by a post-image visual culture. The artists adhere to neither medium nor dimensional restrictions, but manipulate the viewer’s relationship to the image as a temporal document, compressed and fractured, through the singular eye of the lens. This expectation, no longer warranted in the age of computer generated images, becomes a fallacy of both the eye and of the language used to comprehend it. The image is untethered from representation and logical spatial association. Spatial continuity and discontinuity run amok in playful fracture--the work pushes and prods the amorphous opening left in the wake of this rupture; what was flat is unmoored of grounding, what was solid is now compressed.

Reception September 11 following the 6:30 p.m. lecture.
For parking information visit towson.edu/parking/visitors

September 10 - December 6 (closed October 17 & November 26 -29)
Gallery Hours: Monday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Opening reception Wednesday, September 10, 7:30 p.m.

How have recent upheavals—from the pandemic to global conflicts, amplified by media—reshaped our private lives? How do personal memories become collective history? In a world forever changed, how do we find our way forward? Elaine Qiu’s awe-inspiring installation of painting, video, and sound invites visitors into a multi-sensory exploration of communal consciousness, connection, and healing in a fragmented, post-pandemic world.
For parking information visit towson.edu/parking/visitors

On View: October 24 - December 6 (closed November 25 - 29)
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Reception October 23 following 6:30 p.m. lecture.
Artist talk October 29 at 12 noon in the Holtzman MFA Gallery

Enjoy the works of Alexis Ibry and Zachary Diaz.
Alexis Irby collects physical evidence of places and moments, bringing them together into a constellation of disparate memories. Her sculptures encourage a sense of absurdity by documenting aspects of reality in ambiguous combinations. She highlights the interconnectedness of the physical world and the encompassing layers we cannot fully perceive in her exhibit Manifesting the Unheard Layers of Reality.
Zachary Diaz presents MOTUS an interplay of color, movement, and texture through large-scale oil paintings, drawings, and monotypes by blending intuition and intention. The artworks emerge as intuitive puzzles, balancing spontaneous marks with deliberate layering to evoke emotional responses. With a classical training foundation and heavy influence of abstract expressionist techniques, Diaz’s work uncovers hidden narratives with seemingly simple marks.

2nd Annual Rotunda Rocks Returns to Hampden Neighborhood this Spring
Family-friendly Night of Rockin’ Fun Begins May 3 and Runs Every Friday Until End of September

Whether you like to jam to rock, folk, blues, Indie, Latin or reggae, there is something for everyone as the second annual Rotunda Rocks concert series returns to Hampden this spring/summer (711 W 40th Street). This family-friendly FREE concert series, presented by MCB Real Estate, features live music on the plaza and a street festival atmosphere with delicious local food and drinks, fun games and local vendors on Fridays, 6-9 p.m. beginning May 3 and running until September 27. Rotunda Rocks is open to the public and welcomes families and pets. A portion of proceeds from beverage sales benefits the Maryland SPCA. For more information, log onto Rotunda Rocks | The Rotunda (rotundabaltimore.com) or call 410-662-0104.

SCHEDULE OF BANDS:
May 3 Mambo Combo (Latin and tropical rhythms)
May 10 Strykers Posse (reggae)
May 17 Go Dog Go with special guest Garage Sale (garage rock and hot rockin’ Surf)
May 24 Harlan County Kings (original rock)
May 31 Patrick Alban & Noche Latina (Latin and acoustic rock with a touch of salsa and South Beach feel)
June 7 Barry Prosser and the Vaguely Absurd (classic rock)
June 14 Monkton Road Band (rootsy folks laced with deep country)
June 21 The Natty Brohs (classic rock and blues)
June 28 The Soularites (SoulFULL reggae and Ska)
July 5 Kyf Brewer & Friends (hues of 60’s pop radio, British invasion, early Nashville, rhythm and blues and ancient Celtic melodies)
July 12 Justin Trawick and the Common Good (Americana-bluegrass, country and folk)
July 19 The Players Band (infectious rhythms and horn-heavy ska sounds)
July 26 Gaelic Mishap (Celtic rock)
August 2 Tumblehome (rock, soul, rhythm & blues)
August 9 Kurt Deemer Band (guitar driven rock & roll)
August 16 Barleyjuice (Celtic rock)
August 23 Red Sammy (honest, slow-burn Americana folks rock)
August 30 La Unica (Irish Latin)
September 6 ZOCKO! (surf garage)
September 13 Western Run (funked-up country rock)
September 20 Guys In Thin Ties (Alternative 80s band)
September 27 The Rock-A-Sonics (rockabilly, vintage country and atomic age rock n’ roll)

Cindy Blackman Santana [drums]
Aurelien Budynek [guitar]
Felix Pastorius [bass]
Emilio Modeste [saxophone]
Zaccai Curtis [keyboard]

Cindy Blackman Santana is a virtuoso drummer whose artistry spans the realms of jazz and rock. As a bandleader, musician, and the new face of NFL Monday Night Football, Cindy is a sound innovator with a passion for pushing creative boundaries and exploring movement and change. She is as known for the nuances and colors she brings to her beats and fills as she is for the sheer power of her soulful playing. “Some drummers act, some react. Some keep time, others create it. Cindy Blackman Santana is among the few who can,” writes Mike Zwerin of the International Herald Tribune.

Cindy has been creating magnificent musical time and space since the beginning of her career as a busking street performer in New York City in the ’80s through the present day, touring the globe and making albums at the top of her game—including the critically acclaimed Another Lifetime (2010). In addition to collaborating onstage and in-studio with her own group—also known as Another Lifetime—she has toured and recorded with artists including Pharoah Sanders, Cassandra Wilson, Bill Laswell, Joss Stone, Joe Henderson, Buckethead, Don Pullen, Hugh Masakela, and Angela Bofill. From 1992 to 2007 and again in 2014 & 2015 she was the drummer in Lenny Kravitz’s band, performing through multiple world tours and hit albums. In 2010, she was part of the all-star line-up performing “Bitches Brew,” a tribute to Miles Davis’ seminal album staged at the San Francisco Jazz Festival and NYC Winter JazzFest.

Keystone Kards accepted for this show!

Join Us for an Evening of Hope, Healing & Elegance

On October 24, 2025, we invite you to a night that celebrates the voices of survivors and raises awareness for sexual violence. The Courage Couture Gala is a night of inspiration, empowerment, and compassion, where purpose meets elegance.

This event isn’t just about dressing up; it’s about standing in solidarity with survivors, sharing their stories, and raising awareness for the cause. We’re making an impact, and we want YOU to be part of it.

The Rotunda Welcomes Back Popular Family-Friendly Concert Series this May
3rd Annual Rotunda Rocks Begins Friday, May 2 and Runs Every Friday through Friday, October 3

Grab a blanket or dust off your favorite portable chair and head on over to Hampden this spring for the return of the popular family-friendly concert series, the 3rd Annual Rotunda Rocks. This FREE weekly concert series, presented by MCB Real Estate, features live music on the Plaza and a street festival atmosphere with delicious local food and drinks, fun games and local vendors and will take place Fridays, 6-9 p.m. beginning May 2 and running until October 3. (711 West 40th Street). Whether you like rock n ’roll, folk, bluegrass, Indie, Latin, Celtic or reggae music, there is something for everyone and the event is open to the public. Pets are welcome and a portion of proceeds from beverage sales benefits the Maryland SPCA. For more information, log onto Rotunda Rocks | The Rotunda (rotundabaltimore.com) or call 410-662-0104.

Our first day of Tiny Grindhouse with Crypt Video Rentals celebrates a landmark of queer horror— A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)—famous for its queer-coded themes, camp flourishes, and lasting LGBTQ+ fandom. Checkerspot transforms into an ’80s haunted hangout with immersive décor, preshow atmosphere, retro Halloween commercial breaks and a Pop up Video store and Vendor Market. GA & VIP available.

The Nevermore Haunt features unique creatures, characters and scenes inspired by late 19th century Baltimore.

Come face-to-face with mangled, undead factory workers, the ghosts of drowned sailors, unlicensed medical practitioners and strange, terrifying monsters inside this historic 140 year-old property in Baltimore’s Old Town.

One of Maryland’s scariest haunted houses and a Baltimore Halloween tradition since 2016, The Nevermore Haunt also features spectacular sideshow performance and an outdoor bar featuring local beers and custom cocktails.