Artscape, Baltimore's annual outdoor festival of the arts, returns this weekend to draw crowds from across the Mid-Atlantic region for a giddy three days of live music, theater, dance and visual art exhibitions.
This will be the festival's 26th year, and organizers are hoping that it will be the biggest and best yet. More than a million people are expected to attend the weekend's events.
There are several new additions to the festival this year, including a new vocal competition for men named after Baltimore entertainment legend Cab Calloway, a new dance troupe and workshops in the Lyric Opera House and a theater troupe that plans to write, rehearse and produce an original play -- all in 24 hours.
There'll also be hands-on art projects for kids, demonstrations by artists and fashion shows by some of the 120 arts and craftspeople whose wares will be on display.
Of course, Artscape wouldn't be complete without the scores of food vendors selling items ranging from spicy sausages and tasty kebabs to cold beer and hand-dipped frozen cheesecake. Artscape is famous for its food, so go early, eat heartily and enjoy this year's dazzling array of art, music and entertainment.
Here are some of the highlights of this year's event:
Visual Arts --The seven finalists for Artscape's Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize, named after the longtime Baltimore civic leader and his wife, will be on view this year in a stunning exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art. All of them are so good you almost pity the judges responsible for picking the winner.
In addition to the finalists' entries at the BMA, works by all 30 semifinalists in the competition will be on display in the Maryland Institute College of Art's Fox building on the Mount Royal Avenue corridor. Together with the finalists, they represent the creme de la creme of the more than 300 applications for the prize this year.
And don't forget to check out some of the Artscape-related exhibitions around town on display in area schools and galleries, such as Villa Julie College, the Creative Alliance and Maryland Art Place.
Theater --Single Carrot Theatre, a lively experimental troupe that relocated to Baltimore last winter from Boulder, Colo., will write, rehearse and perform an original play -- plus make the costumes, build the set and design the lighting -- all in the 24 hours between 6:30 p.m. Friday and showtime Saturday.
The piece will be performed at Baltimore's Theatre Project at 6:30 p.m. Visitors are welcome to watch it take shape, make suggestions and help with the sets and costumes. It's a fine way to witness art in the making.
There'll also be a tribute to musical theater with the Arena Players Youththeatre, poetry by two of Baltimore's best spoken-word ensembles and the Mobtown Players' production of David Mamet's Boston Marriage.
Dance --The Ron Brown Evidence Dance Company is giving performances at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday at the Lyric Opera House of its ensemble piece, Grace.
Brown honed his chops as a choreographer with Alvin Ailey in New York, where he proved himself a master of the terpsichorean arts. The company will also conduct a series of dance master classes at the Lyric.
On Sunday check out the African Dance Gala with the Sankofa Dance Theater, the Kulu Mele African Dance Company and others.
For the kids --Visit the Target Family Art Park, where kids can work on hands-on art projects and watch the antics of jugglers, magicians, puppets and other imaginative actors.
The Ferris wheel returns to the site for the second consecutive year, and, like all the other Art Park attractions, it's free.
glenn.mcnatt@baltsun.com
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
MUSIC
Main Stage
1400 Cathedral St. at Mount Royal Avenue
Tomorrow
4 p.m. -- The Players, ska
5:30 p.m. -- Gordon Chambers, soul
7 p.m. -- Nuttin' But Stringz, eclectic hip-hop
8:30 p.m. -- The Isley Brothers, classic rhythm and blues
Saturday
1:30 p.m. -- Love Craft, jazz
3 p.m. -- Marcel & the Truth, rhythm and blues
4:45 p.m. -- Emily King, soul
6:30 p.m. -- Lupe Fiasco, hip-hop
8:30 p.m. -- Keyshia Cole, rhythm and blues
Sunday
1 p.m. -- Baltimore Islanders, steel band
2:45 p.m. -- Clarence "Bluesman" Turner, blues
4:30 p.m. -- Ryan Shaw, soul
6:30 p.m. -- Burning Spear, roots reggae
Festival Stage
Mount Royal Avenue near Lafayette Street
Tomorrow
5:30 p.m. -- The Bridge, funk/jam
7 p.m. -- Martin Sexton, rock/soul
8:30 p.m. -- Los Lonely Boys, blues/rock
Saturday
12:30 p.m. -- Matt Wigler, blues
2 p.m. -- The Crawdaddies, zydeco
3:30 p.m. -- Far From Earth, rock/experimental
5 p.m. -- J-Roddy Walston and the Business, rock 'n' roll
6:30 p.m. -- The Avett Brothers, indie acoustic rock
8 p.m. -- Old 97's, alternative country
Sunday
Noon -- Winner of the 2006 Billie Holiday Vocal Competition, Georgene Fountain
1:30 p.m. -- Archie Edwards Barbershop Players, blues
3 p.m. -- Bobby Radcliff and Bruce Ewan: Blues Hermanos, Latin blues
4:30 p.m. -- The Greencards, Americana/folk
6:30 p.m. -- Sam Bush, bluegrass
University of Baltimore Stage
