BmoreArt’s Picks: February 17-23 This Week: Claire Bishop lectures at MICA, GBCA Arts Happy Hour Panel at The Peale, Tom Miller Day virtual gathering, Brandon Woody at Keystone Korner, Inviting Light Behind the Build at Neighborhood Design Center, Bria Edwards opening reception at Julio Fi ne Arts, Black Printmakers of Washington DC film screening at Creative Alliance, American Craft Marketplace all weekend, Area 405 gallery naming ceremony, The Stoop’s 2-day 20th Anniversary Celebration, Wilderness Suite at The Voxel, Lunar New Year Celebration at The Walters, Art of the Collectors XI soft opening at Galerie Myrtis, MICA Bicentennial Celebration Fete of Lights, closing reception and karaoke for Julia Kim at Waller Gallery, and a Black History Month performance at Eubie Blake — PLUS Artist Grants available through MD State Arts Council and more featured opportunities! BmoreArt’s Picks presents the best weekly art openings, events, and performances happening in Baltimore and surrounding areas. For a more comprehensive perspective, check the BmoreArt Calendar page, which includes ongoing exhibits and performances, and is updated on a daily basis. To submit your calendar event, email us at [email protected]! Events (Image Credit: Sarah Blesener) Claire Bishop: Ancestral Avant-Gardes Tuesday, February 17 :: 4:30-6pm@ MICA Lazarus Auditorium Lecture by guest speaker Claire Bishop on Feb. 17, 2026, at Lazarus Auditorium in the MICA Fred Lazarus IV Center. This event is a part of MICA’s Graduate Studies Interdisciplinary Speaker Series and Bicentennial Celebration. Reception to follow. Claire Bishop is an art critic and historian based in New York at CUNY Graduate Center. Her books include Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship (Verso, 2012, winner of the Frank Jewett Mather Award for Art Criticism), a book of conversations with the Cuban artist Tania Bruguera (Cisneros, 2020), and Disordered Attention: How We Look at Art and Performance Today (Verso, 2024, shortlisted for the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award). She is a a Contributing Editor of Artforum, a Guggenheim Fellow (2024), and her essays and books have been translated into twenty languages. New at the Helm 2026 Tuesday, February 17 :: 6-8pm@ The Peale New at the Helm 2026 is a GBCA Arts Happy Hour Panel celebrating the new leaders shaping Baltimore’s arts organizations and the paths they’re charting forward.Join us for a conversation moderated by GBCA Executive Director, Jeannie Howe, to hear directly from leaders about their visions, insights, and plans for the future  The panel will be followed by a relaxed happy hour with music, drinks, and light refreshments, creating space to connect, reflect, and gather as a creative community.We’re excited to celebrate and welcome: Tom Bailey, Chief Executive Officer General Manager, Lyric Baltimore Ken‑Matt Martin, Producing Director, Baltimore Center Stage Robyn Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Create Baltimore Ellen Owens, Director, American Visionary Art Museum Nancy Proctor, Executive Director, SNF Parkway Theatre John Suau, Executive Director, The Peale Whether you’re an artist, administrator, supporter, or engaged community member, New at the Helm 2026 offers an opportunity to hear directly from arts leaders, exchange ideas, and spend an evening in conversation with colleagues and peers from across the field. Restore the Source: A Community Call to Preserve Tom Miller’s Murals Wednesday, February 18 :: 6-7pm(Virtual) hosted by Blackives, LLC, Friends of Tom Miller, Black Art Today Foundation Join Friends of Tom Miller for a special Tom Miller Day virtual gathering announcing the launch of a phased restoration effort for However Far the Stream Flows, It Never Forgets Its Source (1991)—the first public mural created in Baltimore by artist Tom Miller. After more than 30 years of exposure to weather, pollution, and structural stress, this iconic three-story mural at North Avenue and Harford Road is now in critical condition. Paint loss, exposed brick, cracking, and moisture damage threaten the future of this important work of public art. During the event we will share: How the public can support the effort by signing the petition and making a donation The history and significance of Tom Miller’s first mural in Baltimore The current condition of the mural and why restoration is urgent The phased restoration plan led by Project Manager Chris Brooks and Friends of Tom Miller Hear from the Miller’s Family, Collectors, Community Members, and Local Leaders Read more of this week’s picks at BmoreArt. ...read more read less