BmoreArt News: Hamilton Gallery, CityLit Project, The Phillips Collection

This week’s news includes: Hamilton Gallery will close later this month, CityLit and The Phillips Collection receive major funding, Voyages returns to The National Aquarium led by Tim “Chyno” Chin, Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) Community Exhibition, Jodi Picoult will headline Carroll Book Festival, remembering Anita Novak Klein and Muriel Hasbun, Submersive Productions announces The Pansy Hour, the end of Camp John Waters, art and society in Hyperallergic, Dr. Steven Nelson appointed to Sam Gilliam Foundation Executive Director, Robert Blackson takes over at Kent Cultural Alliance, and Folger Shakespeare Library announces exhibition surveying Black women in Shakespeare. Become a Member at BmoreArt Receive Print Journals, Invitations, and Support BmoreArt! Learn More Hamilton Gallery to close its doors after more than 20 years of nurturing local artists by Aliza Worthington Published June 9 in Baltimore Fishbowl Hamilton Gallery, a nonprofit art and art education gallery in the Hamilton neighborhood of Baltimore, announced that it would be closing its doors for good on June 30, 2026. On Monday, their Facebook and Instagram pages posted the below notice with the message: To our wonderful neighbors and supporters, After 20+ years of hosting arts events in Hamilton, Baltimore, MD, Hamilton Gallery will cease operations and close on June 30, 2026. It has been a great run! Thank you for your patronage. We do not have plans to reopen at this time. If things change we will let everyone know. Sincerely, Hamilton Arts Collective Board of Directors and artist members. Read more CityLit Project Receives National Inaugural Literary Arts Fund Grant Press Release :: June 4 CityLit Project is proud to announce that it has been selected as one of 40 literary organizations and publishers nationwide to receive a general operating grant through the inaugural Literary Arts Fund. The Literary Arts Fund awarded a combined $7.7 million in unrestricted funding to organizations across 19 states and Washington, D.C. Recipients were selected through a competitive open call process, with applications reviewed by panels and writers representing diverse genres and backgrounds. Together, the 40 organizations supported more than 10,000 individual authors and reached over 9 million readers and audience members in the past year. The artist and woman-led CityLit Project has worked to redefine how the literary arts are represented in the local, regional, and national landscape for more than two decades. With a small staff of one full-time and two part-time artists, a working board of creatives, a Leadership Council, and a dynamic group of professional volunteers playfully known as Gladiators, they feature five annual signature events. The unrestricted nature of this grant will allow CityLit to invest resources where they are most needed, while continuing to expand access to programming. “For nearly a quarter of a century, CityLit Project has championed the literary arts by serving writers and readers across Baltimore and beyond,” said Founder and Interim Board Chair Gregg Wilhelm. “This support from the Literary Arts Fund is further proof that CityLit’s programs and partnerships are a vital part of the region’s cultural fabric and of the crucial conversations that energize us.” Read more The Phillips Collection Announces Landmark $15 Million Gift to Advance Its Future Press Release :: June 10 The Phillips Collection today announced a $15 million gift from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation—the largest in the museum’s history. This landmark investment provides critical leadership funding for advancing the museum’s 2025–29 Strategic Plan and its highest priorities: preserving and enhancing physical spaces for collections, exhibitions, staff, and guests; investing in staff, with a special emphasis on sustaining excellence in art conservation; modernizing digital infrastructure to strengthen workplace capabilities and operational efficiency; and deepening connections with DC communities through responsive and enriched programming. The gift affirms and reinforces the museum’s position as a dynamic, forward-looking cultural institution—one that continues to evolve its stewardship of art, engagement with audiences, and role in civic and cultural life. The donation marks a significant milestone in Vradenburg Director and CEO Jonathan P. Binstock’s tenure and builds on a comprehensive strategic planning process launched in 2023 to position the museum Links found in article: - https://bmoreart.com/shop-categories/memberships - https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/hamilton-gallery-to-close-its-doors-after-more-than-20-years-of-nurturing-local-artists/ - https://literaryartsfund.org/announcing-the-inaugural-grant-recipients-of-the-literary-arts-fund/ - https://www.phillipscollection.org/press/phillips-collection-announces-landmark-15-million-gift-advance-its-future - https://aqua.org/visit/community#voyages - https://bcyfund.org/learn/community-exhibition/ - https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/jodi-picoult-to-headline-inaugural-carroll-book-festival/ - https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/remembering-mica-fabric-artist-and-beloved-grouch-anita-novak-klein/ - https://www.rofaprojects.com/muriel-hasbun - https://www.submersive.org/the-pansy-hour/ - https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/will-life-go-on-after-camp-john-waters-ends-separate-gathering-for-filmmakers-superfans-provides-possible-answer/ - https://hyperallergic.com/societys-repair-begins-with-art/?ref=weekly-newsletter - https://samgilliamfoundation.org/news/dr-steven-nelson-appointed-inaugural-executive-director-of-sam-gilliam-foundation/ - https://kentculture.org/about/staff/ - https://www.folger.edu/whats-on/to-hear-her-speak-black-women-and-shakespeare/