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Maryland Art Place and Area 405 Present Beyond Beautiful: One Thousand Love Letters in partnership with Bruun Studios

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Peter Bruun (DBA Bruun Studios)

PRESS RELEASE


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Peter Bruun / [email protected] / 410.916-3752

Maryland Art Place and Area 405 Present Beyond Beautiful: One Thousand Love Letters in partnership with Bruun Studios

December 22th, 2018 – Maryland Art Place (MAP) and Area 405 are pleased to present Beyond Beautiful: One Thousand Love Letters in partnership with Bruun Studios. The exhibition will open January 17th, 2019, at 5:30 in the evening at 218 West Saratoga Street, located in downtown Baltimore. Beyond Beautiful will be on display through March 10, 2019.

A project of artist and curator Peter Bruun, Beyond Beautiful: One Thousand Love Letters marvels at love in all its poignant mystery, surprise, and messiness. Anchored by hundreds of drawings by Bruun inspired by actual love letters, the two-site exhibition is organized around eight themes and features events for each, offering heart-opening performances, inspirational stories, communal sharing, and artistic uplift. The exhibition includes art by Atsuko Chirikjian, Loring Cornish, Pat Dennis, Phylicia Ghee, Ken Royster, Ernest Shaw, Piper Shepard, and Exsul Van Helden.

MAP's main gallery lends itself to the display of hundreds of drawings organized around four of Beyond Beautiful: One Thousand Love Letter's eight themes: "Forever Family," "Cupid's Arrow," "Wild Horses," and "Love Thy Self." Four exhibition programs will take place at Maryland Art Place featuring performances such as poetry, music, and storytelling. Featured performers at these events include George Spicka, Abu the Flutemaker, Navasha Daya, Betsey Hobelmann, David Fukunle, Simone Speed, Ken Royster, QueenEarth, Kirk Wulf, ellen cherry, Phylicia Ghee, and more.

Ernest Shaw’s piece, “Got Your Back”, is created specially for the exhibition and shown in the Forever Family section at Maryland Art Place. Shaw explains the symbolism in his painting as “to have your brothers back to the extent that you become one.”

Ken Royster, a Baltimore-based photographer and retired art professor from Morgan State University, has a knack for catching us in our most human moments. His photograph, entitled “Mary A.”, conveys in both body language and facial expression the euphoric exuberance accompanying romantic love, the subject of the Cupid’s Arrow section of the exhibition at Maryland Art Place.

Pat Dennis’ “Strength and Love” is included in the Wild Horses section of the—a section about love and addiction, as bumpy a ride as that upon a wild horse.

The exhibition will feature a video of the performance filmed by David Welch overlaid with a sound piece by Phylicia Ghee—created, especially for the Love Thy Self section of the exhibition. Much of Ghee’s work has a ceremonial quality, centering on a sense of oneness (and serenity) with the world, and the importance of healing attitudes and compassion toward one’s self.

Area 405 features works on the themes of "The Thousand Things," "Honeysuckle Words," "Such Sweet Sorrow," and "Drive All Night," with works of art by Atsuko Chirikjian, Piper Shepard, Loring Cornish, and Exsul Van Helden, and hundreds of love letter drawings by Peter Bruun. Four exhibition programs will take place at Area 405 featuring performances such as poetry, music, and storytelling. Featured performers at these events include Tom Goldstein, Maria Lambros, Marian Hahn, Kondwani Fidel, Fire Angelou, Rich Espey, Maria Broom, Simone Speed, Clarinda Harriss, and more.

For more information about Beyond Beautiful, visit http://www.onethousandloveletters.com.

About the Curator: Peter Bruun is an artist, educator, curator, and community activist in the arts. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1963 and raised in New York City, he moved to the Baltimore area in 1987 to attend graduate school. He has remained in the region ever since, currently dividing his time between Southwest Harbor, Maine, and Baltimore, Maryland. Bruun received a BA in Art History from Williams College in 1985 and went on to receive an MFA in 1989 from the Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA) Mount Royal School of Art. For more information, visit http://bruunstudios.com/.

Maryland Art Place (MAP) inspires, supports, and encourages artistic expression through innovative programming, exhibitions, and educational opportunities while recognizing the powerful impact art can have on our community. MAP creates a dynamic environment for artists of our time to engage the public by nurturing and promoting new ideas. MAP has served as a critical resource for contemporary art in the Mid-Atlantic since 1981.

Area 405 is located in a 170 year-old artist-owned warehouse within Baltimore's Station North Arts and Entertainment District, AREA 405 is committed to showcasing and strengthening the vitality of the arts community throughout Baltimore and beyond. Visit www.area405. com for more information.

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