When you think of Baltimore Harbor, several things come to mind: crabs, docks, restaurants, and museums. Now, Harborplace, located on the second level of the Light Street Pavilion at 301 Light St on the Inner Harbor in Downtown Baltimore, is home to the single largest exhibition of Black art in the nation. With 12,000 square feet of space, it housed Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum before closing a few years ago. Last September, Creatively Black Baltimore, a temporary art exhibition, moved into the former  Ripley compound, including its “Odditorium” and multiple galleries. The exhibit features over 400 works of art by 80 artists, the youngest being just 17, and the eldest being 80. It took five months of recruitment for each artist and work displayed. The exhibit was organized by Baltimore Times publishers Paris Brown and Joy Bramble; Larry “Poncho” Brown lent his talents as the curator. 

Interested attendees don’t have to pay an admissions fee. All of the work on display is for sale, with guests able to see pricing information via an individual QR code for each piece. Prices range from $200 to $17,000, with the entire collection valued at close to $1 million. The only requirement for participation was that artists reside in or have worked in Baltimore. There are works on display by full-time artists, muralists, graffiti artists, painters, those who curate art as a hobby or expression, and even students. 

One such artist highlighted is Derrick Smith. He refers to himself as a “depressed painter,” using his art to emote his mental health journey. One of his works pays tribute to growing up in Baltimore with ongoing anxiety of death by gun violence. His art is curated from collected items; he purchases nothing himself, not even paint. 

Tamara Payne of Tamara Payne Creations and Dear Black Girl, occupies a huge space in the exhibit. Dear Black Girl is a collaboration of Black women that she started while grappling with the loss of her mother and trying to find her sense of home. She told BET.com: “It starts with myself. As an artist, we're always telling stories and we tell our own narratives so that other people can witness our testament.” Her exhibit is a collage of textiles, quotes, magazine clippings, embroidered furniture, paintings, and beyond to symbolize what home means for her, all with colorful tiles inspired by all things from the African diaspora. 

Another featured artist is graffiti artist Tone Butta, aka Butta Customs. New York-born but a Baltimore transplant, his display page pays homage to hip hop and connects it to the struggle of the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

Visit Harborplace in Baltimore, Maryland, to experience the exhibit in person.