Minas may look like a vintage boutique from the sidewalk, but the space is also a literary salon and an art gallery. Owned by painter Minas Konsolas,the space has been a gathering place for creative-minded individuals since 1992. The boutique is very well organized and includes toys, records and home decor items as well as clothing.
Minas hosts events every week, so be sure to check the Web site or call for the weekly schedule.
The Painting Workshop is all about arts, crafts and kids. Classes in comics, international art, digital photography, knitting and wearable art, among other fun subjects, are offered here. Art and yoga classes are held in a yurt behind the building. View the class schedules on the workshop's website.
Located in the converted Meadow Mill factory, the Potters Guild is a cooperative organization focused on increasing the profile and appreciation of ceramic arts. The guild offers juried exhibits of member's work, sales of both art pieces and functional sculptures, such as ceramic tableware, vases, and tea pots, as well as workshops, and shared studio spaces for working or teaching. Membership is juried, and requires an application that can be downloaded from the website
Homewood House Museum is located on the Johns Hopkins University campus just off of North Charles Street. The museum houses a variety of historical artifacts from 19th century Baltimore, including ceramics, silver, furniture and more. Tours begin every half hour, with the last tour beginning at 3:30pm. Call the museum or visit its website for more information.
Purnell Gallery is located within a 100-year-old converted manufacturing plant known as the Mill Centre, in Hampden. The gallery specializes in art dealing and appraisal; visits are permitted by appointment only.
Baltimore Shakespeare Festival is a professional theatre company located inside a building that used to be an Episcopal church. During the summer months, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival has performances at an outdoor venue and encourages picnicking.
Baltimore Shakespeare Festival also has an educational outreach program. It brings theater to schools in Baltimore City, encouraging student participation. It also sponsors a program that brings school children into the theatre for special free performances, and sends teaching artists and performers to the schools afterwards to follow up with the students.
An institution in Baltimore perched in the woods above the Jones Falls, the New Arts Foundry does its magic in bronze to produce sculpture castings. The foundry has been serving artists, architects, sculptors and institutional customers for more than 30 years.
The artists also work with materials such as stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum, cast stone and plaster. A description and pictures of its casting process is available on the foundry's website.
Paul Daniel specializes in large- and small-scale kinetic sculptures. His studio is located in The Foundry Building of the historic Clipper Mill. Videos of his sculptures in motion can be found on his website/blog.
Located just north of Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University campus, The Rotunda Cinematheque has two screens and a limited show-list at any given time, but makes up for numbers with quality, showing some of the best of contemporary films and the occasional classic. The theater has discounted tickets available to students, seniors and children, and a free parking in the lot is an obvious convenience in a neighborhood where finding a spot is not always easy.
