Art/Museums
After opening in 1914 with just one painting, today the Baltimore Museum of Art showcases some 90,000 works of 15th- to 19th-century contemporary and modern art. Take one of the many varieties of tours offered, including guided, self-guided, audio, cell phone, and podcast tours. Don't miss Henri Matisse's "Purple Robe and Anemones" (1937), one of the artist's 500 paintings displayed in the museum—the largest Matisse collection in the world. In summer, walk about the Wurtzburger and Levi Sculpture Gardens. The museum is free for all ages and closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, once Baltimore's tallest building, hosts a state-of-the-art studio space for literary and visual artists. The area is open once a month for guests to visit the studios or purchase artwork (check the website for schedule). The tower itself is unique. Constructed in 1911, it was built by Isaac Emerson and modeled after the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. (Emerson was also the inventor of the headache remedy Bromo Seltzer, hence the tower's name.) While the 51-foot revolving blue Bromo Seltzer bottle perched on the top of the tower was removed in 1936, the original clock still displays 12 letters—BROMO SELTZER—instead of numbers.
Near the Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) is the National Electronics Museum, exhibiting telegraph, radar, radio, and satellite equipment. In the Communications Gallery, learn about Morse code and the Bell Telephone. The amateur radio station (K3NEM/W3GR) is fully equipped with both modern and vintage communications systems. See how radar technology from the Cold War was eventually used to develop household microwaves and to map the ground regardless of weather conditions. Learn about SONAR in the interactive Under Seas gallery. The museum is open every day but Sunday and is free to the public.
Learn all the verses of the "Star-Spangled Banner." Francis Scott Key's original manuscript is displayed in the Maryland Historical Society Museum. Also on exhibit are musical scores by ragtime composer Eubie Blake, anti- and pro-slavery propaganda from the Civil War era, and some one million pieces of printed ephemera, including obsolete currency, political material, and tobacco trading cards. Admission to the museum is free on the first Thursday of every month.
Visit one of the many free art exhibits at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Its exhibition halls—including the Pinkard, Decker, and Meyerhoff Galleries, as well as others—showcase a variety of student work throughout the year.
Explore art from pre-dynastic Egypt to 20th-century Europe at the Walters Art Museum in the city's Mount Vernon Cultural District. The permanent collection, which is free to view, includes Art Deco jewelry, medieval ivories, and Greek sculptures. Highlights include six sarcophagi from ancient Rome, Monet's "Springtime," and Manet's "At the Café." The museum hosts several family-oriented activities as well, including Art Tots (for children ages 2-3) and Manuscript Mania! for kids ages 7-10. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
