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Supporters and friends of Platform Gallery-

Three years ago, we started Platform as determined 22 year-olds with hopes of creating an accessible and inclusive gallery for emerging and established artists alike to speak on their work and stories. We wanted to question the role of the gallery and to be conscious of the space we were occupying as well as the audience we were speaking to. We wanted to put artists in charge of their own exhibitions and filter our resources to the people we believed in. We wanted to provide an incubation space for programming and curatorial ideas that would be new and challenging. We wanted to bring artists from outside Baltimore and bring Baltimore artists to other cities in hopes of creating more connections to people and ideas in this city. We wanted to question hierarchy, and we wanted to put the power of selling art in the hands of the artists we worked with. We are proud to have existed in a space in Baltimore. We are grateful to the artists, curators, and creatives from Baltimore that we have worked alongside and in collaboration with us.

After 30+ exhibitions, countless programs, artists talks, parties, workshops, art sales, screenings and readings we have decided to close out this chapter of Platform and pass on our space to people who will carry on the same values that we hold. Platform as a duo, Abbey and Lydia, will just be on hiatus - you may see us team up in the future for curatorial projects again. We will continue to exist supporting the artists and projects we will believe in. We will both be pursuing our own creative projects in Baltimore. Abbey will continue to curate and work with artists and creatives in Baltimore while traveling and doing research. Lydia is focused on dedicating time to her own painting practice, seeking to pursue her MFA and residencies that will allow an environment to develop different ideas and methods to communicate her experience. She will still be running Platform Arts Center and offering studios to artists in the city.

Looking forward, we are excited to announce that we are passing the space to another group that we strongly support, and shares our values and mission. Baltimore Youth Arts, an artist-run, after school program that provides artistic and professional opportunities to youth, ages 14-22, will be moving into the gallery space and taking over operations as a youth-run art gallery in addition to their art studio in the basement. We could not be more thrilled to have this location and space occupied by a cause that is so crucial to the community, and we encourage everyone who supported us to continue to attend the events they hold at 116 W Mulberry St, Baltimore, MD. If you are interested in supporting this wonderful program and their future youth gallery space, please consider donating to their fundraising campaign.

With this, we invite you to our final exhibition: “Here!” curated by Malcolm Peacock and Markele Cullins, “Here!” is a multidisciplinary exhibition that displays work from a variety of sources: recent graduates from Baltimore School for the Arts, Carver School for Arts and Sciences, and other independent, emerging, and established artists in Baltimore. This grouping of artists from the Baltimore area is an attempt to engage artists and audiences beyond the barriers that exist within the arts community in regards to location and age. In conversation with one another, the pieces on display explore content that is essential to the identities, experiences, and lives of the artists. The show opens on the evening of July 22nd at Platform Gallery with performances from Lynn Hunter on August 4th, 5th, and 6th.

Thank you! Thank you again to artists and creatives that have worked with us. It was an honor and pleasure to learn and grow from every interaction with you. Thank you to friends and family who have supported us and cheered us on. Thank you to our mentors and to everyone that has invested in us. Thank you for coming to Platform events and exhibitions.

 

Photo by Diamond Dixon

Platform Gallery Baltimore

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