BALTIMORE — We're all too familiar with Artscape rain in the 2020s. But as Lee Tawney described, it rained in 1982, the first year of Artscape, forcing a move into the Fifth Regiment Armory.
"The neighborhood has always embraced Artscape," Tawney, the president of the Bolton Hill Neighborhood Association, told WMAR-2 News. "There have been issues, challenges with that many people coming into this small area. But it makes sense that it would be here because the Maryland Institute [College of Art] is here."
Tawney has called Bolton Hill home for 45 years, and recalled taking his children to Artscape, which has also stretched to Station North and Mount Vernon.
Baltimore's beloved arts festival is in for big changes in 2025; Artscape will not be strewn across Mount Royal Avenue. Instead, it will be downtown, the mayor announced last Friday.
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"Artscape 2025 represents a bold reimagining of this beloved arts festival," Mayor Brandon Scott told reporters.
At the February 14 announcement, Scott shared his intention for Artscape to 'uplift downtown,' like it did for Mount Vernon. The mayor also pointed to other events happening in the festival's former area, and said they discussed the move with MICA and the University of Baltimore.
"Because we've seen, BOPA have seen, when trying to have Artscape at a different time when it's hotter than hell outside the issues that happen," Scott elaborated. "Because UB has graduations, right? MICA has graduations, the Lyric has concerts and shows. The [Baltimore Symphony Orchestra], all the things that now happen in Mount Vernon which is why we made a decision to move, but also understanding now that we have to think about rising the downtown core."
The main stage will be in front of City Hall, with attractions and markets spread through the surrounding area.
The mayor also pointed to more cover in the setup, after stormy weather canceled portions of recent Artscapes.
In Focus look at the last five years of Artscape
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"The beautiful thing about Artscape, it brought everybody together. Everybody in the community," Tawney added.
Another big change coming to Artscape: it will be on the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend: May 24 and 25. As many online have pointed out, the metal music festival Maryland Deathfest is also happening that weekend, not far from the new Artscape location.
“I’m sure it’s a little bittersweet for folks," Tawney said of the festival's move. "It’s cold now, so I haven’t been able to find out where people's heads are and how they’re feeling about it. But it’s been associated with the neighborhood for that long, that’s a long time.”
Artscape is moving to a new location
