Call Description

Life in Baltimore is a juried exhibition that invites artists to reflect on contemporary life in Baltimore—its people, neighborhoods, rhythms, struggles, joys, contradictions, and everyday realities.

Reviving a historic Peale Museum exhibition series from the 1950s and 1960s, Life in Baltimore asks artists to document, interpret, and respond to the city as it is being lived today. Rather than focusing on monuments or architecture alone, this exhibition centers lived experience: community, identity, labor, memory, culture, resilience, and change.

Artists are encouraged to explore Baltimore from the inside out—from intimate personal moments to broader social narratives, from street-level observation to interior emotional landscapes. The exhibition seeks work that captures the complexity of life in the city as experienced by those who live, work, and create here.

Selected works will be exhibited at The Peale, Baltimore’s community museum, and featured in a digital exhibition catalog. Works may be available for purchase during the run of the exhibition, supporting both participating artists and The Peale’s public programs.

Life in Baltimore is part of a broader Peale Museum initiative that includes exhibitions, oral histories, and public storytelling projects focused on contemporary Baltimore life.

Thematic Scope

Artists may explore, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Daily life in Baltimore neighborhoods
• Community, family, and social bonds
• Labor, care, and survival
• Identity, race, and cultural expression
• Memory, history, and the present moment
• Celebration, grief, humor, and contradiction
• Public space, private life, and the spaces in between

Architecture and landmarks may appear, but only insofar as they support a broader narrative about lived experience rather than serving as the primary subject.

This call is open to 2D and 3D works, including but not limited to:

Installation-based objects must be self-supported and require no wall or ceiling modification. Digital works must be presented as finished physical outputs (e.g., prints, sculptural forms, or fabricated objects). Time-based, interactive, or screen-based media will not be considered.

All submitted works must be suitable for gallery installation and freestanding display within The Peale.

Application Requirements

Artists may submit up to three (3) artworks. Each submission must include:

• Artwork title, medium, dimensions, and year
• One high-quality JPEG per artwork (minimum 1200 px on the longest side; maximum 5MB)
• A short artist statement (100–200 words) describing how the work reflects life in Baltimore
• A brief bio or résumé (PDF)
• Works should be of a scale appropriate for gallery display within a historic museum setting.

Artists submitting 3D work must clearly indicate dimensions and installation requirements.

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to artists age 18+ residing in Baltimore City and surrounding counties
• Work must be original and created within the past three (3) years
• Work must not have been previously exhibited at The Peale

Selected artists may be invited to participate in public programs, conversations, or related storytelling activities during the exhibition period.