"Documenting Cities Project, Baltimore Series"

I have been exploring an ongoing series of cityscapes, which celebrate the urban environment through layering light and color, distorting perspective, and drawing attention to the interplay of architecture and nature. Primarily, I have drawn my inspiration from the two cities where I have lived: Boston and New York. As I’ve gone deeper into this work, I’ve wanted to expand beyond these locales and push the boundaries of my artwork in the process.

In the spirit of Berenice Abbott’s 1930s WPA project “Changing New York,” I would like to create a new series that explores and documents the historic architecture and character of other significant urban neighborhoods to further the ideas I’ve developed in Boston and New York. The ultimate goal is to document a range of American industrial cities to capture their beauty and character before they’re transformed beyond recognition.

Baltimore is one of America’s oldest and most beautiful cities, and I’d like to start my series here, in this distinctive harbor city, rich with two centuries’ worth of buildings, neighborhoods, and public spaces. From the Shot Tower to Brewer’s Hill to its classic row houses, Baltimore’s architecture creates a distinctive sense of place that intrigues and inspires.

My process will involve first exploring neighborhoods to find striking images that will render well in glass. I’ll reach out to forge alliances with organizations in the city, such as the Baltimore Architecture Foundation and the Baltimore Preservation Society, to research the more significant areas and buildings.

The project will entail the creation of several panels over a period time, that will depict a variety of scenes, celebrating both the history and growth of Baltimore’s architecture. The work will be shown at the Creative Alliance in Highlandtown (date TBD).

For more information or to find out how you can get involved with this project, please contact me at nancy@nodisc.com.