Make Studio in Spring 2020

Baltimore, MD – Heading into this April, Make Studio had planned to announce our spring season – chock full of exhibitions and events, including this year’s spin on our annual celebration of Autism Acceptance Month, artist-led workshops, two high-energy musical fundraisers, lots of art-making in our studio to prepare for summer festivals, and a guest artist exhibition in our gallery! Just over a week prior, our gallery had been packed to capacity and bursting with excitement for the “Making it Work” fashion show, the centerpiece of our 10th Anniversary celebration.

And, then… you know what happened.

Beginning March 17th, Make Studio had to cancel our events and close our studio and gallery for the foreseeable future. Life is a bit tougher than usual right now for small nonprofits like us and for our participating artists, but we are grateful that we have found ways to make things work while everyone stays at home.

First, our art sales and planned exhibitions activities have been moved online; these include:

• Make Studio artist Tyrone Weedon’s inclusion in the 31st National Drawing & Print Exhibition, hosted by Gormley Gallery at Notre Dame of Maryland University and juried by Doreen Bolger, Former Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art. (Gormley Gallery is sharing all selected artists online via their social media.)
• On view now, our online version of our Autism Acceptance Month exhibition, celebrating our artists on the spectrum and highlighting their interests in concerns in a series of blogs and special online features. (Accessible via our website.)
• Continuing our annual collaboration with Hereford Public Library, with the online version of our literature-inspired exhibition “One for the Books”, on view via our website beginning Monday, April 20, and accompanying virtual workshops led by our artists Erika Clark -- Painting and Playing with Ink – and Jules Hinmon -- Let’s Create Characters! Cardboard Cutouts with Jules.
• The debut of online giftcard sales and, soon, our “Going the Distance” affordable art series, readymade for contact-less delivery.
• On view in May via our website, the online version of our guest exhibition with esteemed self-taught artist Gloria Garrett, the “Mother of Make-Up Art”.

Second, but importantly, we’ve launched sustainable, remote social experiences and professional studio services for our artists (with provision of needed art materials) to keep everyone connected and creating. During “virtual studio”, held every day that our physical studio would normally be open, artists reconnect with their studiomates, together work on honing a formal artistic technique and/or flex their creative chops with an expressive directive, and then share their process and product with everyone. Participating artists also report in on their individual progress with at-home commissions and other artwork they’re preparing for sale.

We aren’t going to sugar coat it. Although Make Studio takes great care to be fiscally responsible, just like innumerable other small nonprofits and businesses we operate on very tight margins. Any unplanned closure, but particularly one as lengthy as we have entered, results in lost income and threatens our survival. We are inviting the wider community to follow us on social media and central COVID-19 response web portal for updates, and artist and exhibition features. As always, Make Studio will continue to make it work, as well as we can, for as long as we can!

About Make Studio

Make Studio is a nonprofit art center and inclusive gallery located in Hampden. Our mission is to empower artists with disabilities as professionals with vision and voice in their communities. We create opportunities for everyone to connect through art.