Jazz, Dance, and Community Wellness: A Cultural Wednesday in Baltimore

Arts and Oral Histories at Eubie Blake

Start your evening with a deep dive into Baltimore’s creative soul at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center. On Wednesday, February 11, the center hosts Terry Thompson, the BHCLA Artist-in-Residence, for the fourth Helena Hicks Speaker Series event of the season. From 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., attendees can engage in a live oral history interview and Q&A session with Thompson, a self-taught artist and veteran club producer. The evening kicks off with a live performance by the Peabody Graduate Jazz Fellowship, offering a perfect blend of local history and contemporary rhythm. This event is free and open to the public, with a community coworking session for black culture builders starting concurrently in the same space.

Celebrating the Legacy of Black Dance

For those interested in the performing arts, the Gordon Center for Performing Arts presents "Celebration: Uplifting & Honoring the Culture & History of Black Dance" at 7:30 p.m. This dynamic showcase, held in partnership with the Baltimore Black Dance Collective, honors the rich diversity of the African Diaspora through movement and storytelling. The event features a powerful lineup of local professional dance companies and student ensembles from Baltimore County Public Schools, providing a vibrant look at the past, present, and future of dance traditions.

Wellness and Community Meetups

Mid-week is a great time for self-improvement and safety. Today, several community-focused sessions are available across the city:

• CPR & Narcan Training: From 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the CareFirst Engagement Center on S. Clinton Street is hosting a "Be a Life Saver" event. Participants can watch CPR demonstrations and receive critical training on how to respond to opioid overdoses.
• Community Pilates: Head to the Creative Alliance Creativity Center at 5:15 p.m. for a beginner-friendly Pilates class led by Shayla Thomas. This session is open to anyone 16 and older looking to ground themselves through movement.
• Homebuyer Workshop: For those looking to settle in the city, Live Baltimore is holding a virtual workshop from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. designed to help prospective residents find the perfect neighborhood and navigate the buying process.

Public Exhibitions and Gallery Tours

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) is open today from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visitors can join the "Hearts for Art" program, which invites families to explore the galleries in a unique, interactive way. While there, don’t miss the major exhibition "Amy Sherald: American Sublime," which features 38 iconic portraits of Black Americans in everyday moments. Over at the Walters Art Museum, the "Hours" exhibition is also on display, showcasing rare medieval manuscripts that explore visual prayer and historical artistry.