Creative Alliance

In need of getting into the holiday spirit? Baltimore singer-songwriters Victoria Vox and ellen cherry will play the Creative Alliance on Friday on a bill dubbed the "Not All Holiday Holiday Show!" The title may read more confusingly than it actually is: Vox and cherry will perform renditions of traditional holiday songs while also working in original material. It's not entirely clear whether the two will do separate sets, collaborate on stage or both, but the Creative Alliance's website alludes to special guests joining the fun, so things will get interesting either way. Last week, there were too many shows to squeeze in, and now, seven days later, the weekend's options are much more niche/nostalgia-based.

It's a daunting feat to try and cover Bob Dylan, but when Creative Alliance rocks their fourth Night of 1000 Dylans on Friday, Brian Simms will be handling the keyboard and accordion responsibilities. "I began picking out songs from the radio on a Schroeder piano at age 5," Simms said. "My parents [later] thought it a sound investment to purchase a life-size one. " Glenelg native and Catonsville resident Simms has recorded and toured with hometown heroes Disappear Fear in the '90s and currently plays in eight bands, including Junkyard Saints.

Since taking over the century-old Patterson Theater a few years ago, the Creative Alliance has refashioned and remodeled it into an exciting creative space for artists across mediums. So it follows that when the Creative Alliance set about remaking the street-front space below the Patterson's old projection room into a lounge, the result would be as eye-catching. Open since May, Marquee Lounge is supposed to be an after-hours spot for the theater's patrons. But since the lounge is beautifully decorated, well-staffed and has a satisfying beer and wine menu, it would succeed as a destination on its own — even if the Creative Alliance wasn't there.

Who knew that Baltimore had such happy feet? Three icons of tap dance who were famous nationwide — known colloquially as Baby Laurence, Buster Brown and Hawk — were born in Charm City and first perfected the "shim sham" and "cramp roll" and performed for spare change on local street corners. The late hoofers will be honored Saturday during Buster, Baby and Hawk: Masters of Maryland Tap, a concert produced jointly by Coppin State University and the Creative Alliance at the Patterson that will mix local talent and national stars.

When music journalist and singer/songwriter Geoffrey Himes put together the inaugural Night of 1,000 Dylans last year, he had high expectations for the showcase of Bob Dylan's music. But Himes was surprised at just how great the response was: Baltimore music lovers came out in droves, packing the Creative Alliance at the Patterson and selling out the show. This year, Himes organized the second Night of 1,000 Dylans, which takes place Saturday at the Creative Alliance. While there won't exactly be 1,000 Dylans, there will be seven local acts, each playing about three songs from Dylan's catalog.

KJ Mohr has programmed film festivals around the country for years. But it at started, she said, "for very selfish reasons. " "I devoured all the foreign videos from my public library, but I knew there was a lot of independently produced film out there that I did not have access to, " said Mohr, 38. "And the only way to get my hands on it was to organize public screenings. For years, Mohr, who was born in Ripon, Wisc., and now lives in Highlandtown, has worked with various LGBT film festivals.

Mission: To present and promote the arts and humanities. As a membership organization of artists, writers, scholars and businesses, the Creative Alliance cultivates community through collaboration. Founded in 1995, the organization originally served as an artists' guild, offering support services for artists and sponsoring exhibitions, lectures and performances. Since then, the group has also established itself as a vital community organization in Southeast Baltimore.Latest accomplishments: During the summer, the Creative Alliance sponsored "Open Minds," a program for children in Southeast Baltimore that included lessons in reading and art skills.

How do you follow the sight of a bearded, tattooed Cupid flitting around a row of bikini-clad mothers-to-be doing the twist at the side of the Patterson Park pool? You throw a luau with a French circus theme, and call it "Tiki Torches at Twilight," especially if you're the local arts organization known as the Creative Alliance. Naturally, it's a big hit -- with a standing room only audience for the pre-party synchronized swimming extravaganza, entitled "Cirque De L'Amour," and 400 folks partying afterward under nearby tents.

The eerie sounds of a theremin filled the air. As you made your way through a crowd of creatures, you came across sexy space maidens in metallic bikinis, strange space creatures in sports jackets and bobbing antennae, and several beings who were clearly not from this Earth. Were we on some sort of forbidden planet? As a matter of fact, yes. For this was Creative Alliance's annual Marquee Ball. This year's theme was the 1956 science fiction cult film, Forbidden Planet. The "planet" in this case was, in fact, Creative Alliance's headquarters in the old Patterson Theatre.

Viva el Cine Latino!, a celebration of Latin-American filmmaking, brings a pair of Mexican films to the Creative Alliance. Tonight, Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) chronicles young med students Che Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Alberto Granado (Rodrigo De la Serna) as they ride through South America and develop a distaste for social injustice and a taste for socialism. Showtime is 8 p.m., and tickets are $8, $6 for alliance members. Tomorrow, short comedies starring comics Cantinflas (Mario Moreno)

KJ Mohr has programmed film festivals around the country for years. But it at started, she said, "for very selfish reasons. " "I devoured all the foreign videos from my public library, but I knew there was a lot of independently produced film out there that I did not have access to, " said Mohr, 38. "And the only way to get my hands on it was to organize public screenings. For years, Mohr, who was born in Ripon, Wisc., and now lives in Highlandtown, has worked with various LGBT film festivals.

In need of getting into the holiday spirit? Baltimore singer-songwriters Victoria Vox and ellen cherry will play the Creative Alliance on Friday on a bill dubbed the "Not All Holiday Holiday Show!" The title may read more confusingly than it actually is: Vox and cherry will perform renditions of traditional holiday songs while also working in original material. It's not entirely clear whether the two will do separate sets, collaborate on stage or both, but the Creative Alliance's website alludes to special guests joining the fun, so things will get interesting either way. Last week, there were too many shows to squeeze in, and now, seven days later, the weekend's options are much more niche/nostalgia-based.

Back story: The Creative Alliance remodeled the historic Patterson Theater in 2003 to include two art galleries, a 180-seat theater, a classroom, a media lab and living-and-work studios for eight resident artists. The Marquee, open since May, is the latest addition. Parking: Better than in Canton; parking is usually available near the theater. Patterson Park is also within distance and has more parking options. Signature drink: The bar doesn't have a cocktail menu, but it lists 10 spirits, including Ciroc, a French liquor made from grapes, for $8. Where: 3134 Eastern Ave., inside the Patterson.

Since taking over the century-old Patterson Theater a few years ago, the Creative Alliance has refashioned and remodeled it into an exciting creative space for artists across mediums. So it follows that when the Creative Alliance set about remaking the street-front space below the Patterson's old projection room into a lounge, the result would be as eye-catching. Open since May, Marquee Lounge is supposed to be an after-hours spot for the theater's patrons. But since the lounge is beautifully decorated, well-staffed and has a satisfying beer and wine menu, it would succeed as a destination on its own — even if the Creative Alliance wasn't there.

If the directors get their hands on some magic editing scissors, Keith Chester's "The Skeptics: In A World of Their Own" and Jeff Krulik's "Heavy Metal Picnic," new movies about mid-'80s Maryland rock, will some day be a tight, hard-driving double-bill. Right now they're a couple of indelible curiosities playing Friday at different places: "Heavy Metal Picnic" at 9:30 p.m. at the AFI Silver and "The Skeptics: In a World of Their Own" at 7 p.m. at Creative Alliance 's Patterson Theater.

Vagabond Opera will wander into Baltimore on Friday night, bringing with it a reputation for delivering genre-bending, sometimes madcap entertainment. Based in Portland, Ore., the sextet takes its name seriously. "We sing real opera in our shows," says saxophonist Robin Jackson, "and fuse it with other things." In addition to arias, the group puts into the blender such elements as cabaret songs, klezmer tunes, Arabian and Balkan folk music, swing, belly-dancing and a cupful or two of camp.

The Fells Point Creative Alliance, a nonprofit arts and humanities organization, recently received a $10,000 challenge grant from the Baltimore Community Foundation's Developing Arts Fund. The grant, geared to helping young art organizations broaden their audiences, must now be matched through individual and business donations.Founded in 1994 as a membership organization, the Creative Alliance offers services for artists, publishes a quarterly cultural calendar, and promotes exhibitions, readings and lectures.

Cinematic Adaptations At Creative Alliance Certain pop movies can lodge in your brain like an energizing jingle, and for many of us, one of them is "Stripes," a good-natured, deliriously funny military comedy. This Bill Murray vehicle about post-counterculture slackers joining the Army and getting into fighting trim has been dismissed by the likes of Leonard Maltin as "predictable" and "eminently forgettable." But the movie enlisted millions of Murray fans (including me), who still laugh uncontrollably when they hear the phrase, "That's the fact, Jack!"

Characterizing the Highlandtown Arts District as a "failure" ("Do arts districts live up to their hype?," May 14) is an insult not only to the hundreds of cultural workers who have poured their resources into turning East Baltimore into a set of thriving, expanding neighborhoods, but it's an insult to Baltimore as a whole. Baltimore's arts districts continue to grow and expand, and while most of the artists who work to bolster Baltimore's spirit and reputation are doing it more for love than money, the arts in Baltimore certainly seem to be thriving.