Category: Community

In Memory of Romaine Somerville

A woman with gray hair, round glasses, and a purple top stands in front of an orange-colored background.

Remembering Peale Board Member Romaine Somerville

“Helping to restore the Peale Museum left neglected for years by Baltimore City was just the ticket for Romaine Somerville. Diminutive in stature, but filled to the brim with enthusiasm, good nature, and interest in preserving Baltimore’s historic buildings and neighborhoods, she joined the Peale Board and served as its secretary. At the time, the Peale Board was small and met in private homes to plan strategies to raise the millions of dollars necessary to repair and reopen the failing building. Romaine arrived at meetings impeccably dressed and ready to get to work.  She had years of experience in the museum world and the contacts to match.  She was always willing to make phone calls and write letters to help the board achieve its goals.

Romaine often lingered after board meetings over a cup of tea and loved to talk about her grandchildren. She was proud of their accomplishments and glad they lived nearby in Washington, DC.  She was very skeptical when her daughter bought a place near the beach but came to love spending long relaxing weekends there with Frank and her family.

Romaine’s love of art and art history melded well with the history of the Peale Family and their contributions to the young America’s art world. Her beloved home in Bolton Hill and its adjoining neighbor was built of stone left over from the 1890 construction of Corpus Christi Catholic Church, located right across Lafayette Street. Her library of art history books and a grand piano shared the sun filled front room on the second floor of her house. She looked forward to her annual trip to the Winter Show in New York City where she met former colleagues, was surrounded by beautiful art and antiques and added to her library at home.

The Peale, a National Historic Landmark and America’s first purpose-built museum, is now restored to tell its story and share the stories of Baltimore’s citizens. Romaine Somerville appreciated its historic and architectural significance as well as its role in America’s art history and contributed to its successful preservation.”

—Sally Johnston, former Treasurer of the Peale

Photo of Romaine Somerville by Julia Ulstrup

2022 Grit Fund Recipients Announced!

Congratulations to all the Grit Fund Grant Recipients!

  • Baltimore Indians, $10,000- Ashley Minner, Tiffany Chavis, Stanton Lewis, Katie Lively, Dare Turner and Sean Scheidt 
  • Invisible Folx, $8,000- Ephraim Nehemiah, Kairo Miles, Kenneth Something, and Jabari Lyles 
  • Puppets, Masks, and Crankies: Shifting the Story, $7,000- Sheila Gaskins, Tara Cariaso, and Maura Dwyer 
  • PalatePALETTE, $7,000- Krystal C. Mack, Matt Freire, Sharea Harris, Émile Joseph Weeks, and Erin Nutsugah 
  • Community Weaving Studio, $7,000- Ọmọlará Williams McCallister and Najee Haynes Follins 
  • Funktopia Nation, $6,000- Petula Caesar, Jonathan Gilmore, Stevanie Williams, Jermeka Warren, Ben Pierce, Myles Gilmore, Phil Thomas, Mary Ellen Mink, Stephanie Edwards aka “Safiyatou.” Tamika Peters, and Chris Ashworth
  • What The Water Gave Me/Things My Mother Taught Me, $5,000- Alexis Araminta Renee, Kirby Griffin, Nia Hampton, and Alexis Renee 
  • Latin(X)equis | Baltimore, $5,000- Hoesy Corona and Stephanie Mercedes 
  • TERRA: LAND + BODY COLLECTIVE, $5,000- Jonna McKone, Se Jong Cho, and Elena DeBold 
  • HellBond: Dancing with the Spirits, $5,000- Jia Le Ling and Michael Young 

Stay tuned for in depth descriptions of the projects and how you can engage with all that they have to offer over the next year.

New! Your Face, Your Place in History

A room in an old house that features a green, wooden chair rail and small portraits along that rail, midway up on the way.

Do you have a heart for Baltimore? Offer your face too!

Baltimore artist and participatory-history specialist Lauren Muney is hand-creating and installing custom silhouette (profile portraits) friezes of Baltimore City, Maryland, residents’ silhouettes for long-term, free public installation at the Peale. These faces will encircle several rooms of the historical Peale walls, giving visitors, residents and guests the opportunity to feel the Baltimore ‘family’ all around them.

All of the faces will be profiles, all in the same color—classic black. The portraits showcase the beauty and dignity of each individual. Each face will be equally represented and equally valued because they are seen for their essence—not their skin color nor social class, nor any weight of society’s judgements.

All #PealeFaces participants receive their own gorgeous, historical-style handmade portrait.

> Sign up to be part of this historic project! 

We are especially looking for change-makers and community-enhancers. Forward this to your friends who are making Baltimore a better place!

Read about the project and sign up at the bottom of the webpage: https://old.thepealecenter.org/peale-faces/

Follow #PealeFaces in social media

Call for Grit Fund Jurors

Grit Fund supports projects that add to the vibrancy and development of Baltimore’s arts and culture. We focus on funding projects that bring artists and community members together to explore a sense of place and shared space. We are searching for jurors to be part of our team that reviews the grant applications and decides who will be our Grit Fund 2022 Project Grant Recipients.
The deadline for applying to be a juror is February 14th, 2022, 11:59 pm EST.

> Follow this link to apply to be a juror.

Jurors Role and Responsibility

  • Review applications within 3 weeks
  • Attend meetings
    • On boarding meeting: Thursday February 24th- 1 hr– time TBD
    • Meeting to discuss applications: Thursday, March 31st- 3 hrs–time TBD
    • Be available for a possible third meeting to discuss applications, if needed.
  • Each juror will receive a stipend of $400 when the review process is finished.

Eligibility Requirements

  • You must live in Baltimore City or Baltimore County to be a juror.
  • You can’t apply for the Grit Fund Project Grants or be part of any grit fund projects if you are selected as a juror.

Follow this link to apply to be a juror.

Please reach out with any questions at gritfund@old.thepealecenter.org

New Grant for the Peale!

Peale Awarded Grant to Help Gather Stories about Vaccination and Increase Vaccine Awareness

Two teal-colored bandaids in the shape of a heart.

Last week, a coalition of national museum and library associations announced the recipients of the second round of funding for Communities for Immunity, and the Peale was among the awardees.

Supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Communities for Immunity provides funding awards and support to museums and libraries engaging their communities to boost COVID-19 vaccine confidence. As trusted community partners, museums and libraries play a critical role in building vaccine confidence and fighting the pandemic.

“Through this unprecedented partnership, Communities for Immunity is providing nearly 100 museums, libraries, and tribal organizations across the country with over $1.6 million over two rounds of funding to help their community members make well-informed decisions about COVID-19 and vaccinations,” said Laura Lott, President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums. “These organizations are linchpins in helping bring an end to the pandemic and leading their communities into a brighter, healthier future.”

We will be working with a host of community partners to do our part! Stay tuned!

Collaborate with us!

A man stands in front of a crowd of onlookers in a gallery space at a museum.

Calling Baltimore’s Communities!

We are all about community, and we want to host your events and showcase YOUR work! The Peale can:
  • Present your performances, talks, exhibitions, and more
  • Rent our historic galleries for your special event
  • Sell your items in our shop
  • Display your artwork
  • Collaborate. Collaborate. Collaborate.

Want to join our Community Advisory Team? RSVP for our September 20th planning meeting!

Email: Events@ThePeale.org
Call: +1 667-222-1814

> Fill out a quick survey to let us know what you’re interested in collaborating on!

Emergency Grant Funds to be Distributed!

The words, Grit Fund, in white type on a hot pink background.

The deadline for applications is October 12, 2021, at midnight EDT.

The Peale is thrilled to announce that it will release Emergency Recovery Grants (ERG) for Baltimore City and Baltimore County-based artists, through Grit Fund. With the support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and as a part of the Regional Regranting Program, Grit Fund-ERG will provide $500 mini-grants to Baltimore City and Baltimore County-based artists whose income and opportunities have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The ERG Fund totals $60,000 and will provide 120 grants to artists. 

Since 2015, Baltimore’s artists have found support for their projects through Grit Fund. Ranging from out-of-school time programs that connect our youth to STEAM opportunities, and art-meets-journalism projects that communicate hidden stories of Black Baltimore, to community festivals that recapture and remind us of the strength of our city’s diversity, Grit Fund has been a dynamic, accessible, and much needed funding source in Baltimore City. Ever responsive to the community it serves, Grit Fund pivoted in 2020 to offering need-based support to artists.

Emergency Recover Grants will be available starting September 14, 2021. We anticipate a large number of applications will be submitted. Grit Fund-ERG will close when all funds are exhausted.

The deadline for applications is October 12, 2021, at midnight EDT.

Key Facts and Dates

  • Grit Fund will disperse $60,000 in emergency funding
  • Applications are open September 14 – October 12, 2021
  • Application deadline is October 12, 2021, at midnight EDT
  • Applications will be reviewed as a batch
  • These unrestricted $500 mini – grants may be used for Baltimore City and Baltimore County based artists’ immediate needs such as housing, utilities, food, childcare, healthcare, etc.

About the Andy Warhol Foundation

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program aims to support vibrant, under-the-radar artistic activity by partnering with leading cultural institutions in communities across the country. The program allows the Foundation to support informal, non-incorporated artist collectives and to support their alternative gathering spaces, publications, websites, events and other projects. For more information about the Andy Warhol Foundation visit its website.

About the Peale

The Peale is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit corporation established to restore the historic Peale Museum building as a center to celebrate the unique history of Baltimore, its people, and places. By creating a more inclusive cultural record of the city, the Peale aims to help people everywhere see Baltimore in a new light. For more about the Peale, visit its website.

The Peale participates in the Smithsonian’s “Vaccines & US” initiative

Smithsonian launches the “Vaccines & US” initiative, a national collaboration of cultural organizations supporting vaccine education

>NOW LISTENING FOR VACCINATION STORIES! Contribute yours today.

A woman with a yellow mask gets a COVID shot.

The Peale has partnered with the Smithsonian and other museums from across the U.S. to help launch a new nationwide initiative, “Vaccines & US: Cultural Organizations for Community Health.” This Smithsonian-led initiative will bring together museums, libraries and cultural institutions across the country to support the national effort to provide Americans with accessible, trustworthy information about vaccines. The initiative shares free resources that local cultural organization can use to help their communities make informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccination.

“Vaccines & US” curates an online hub of resources about COVID-19: the safety, efficacy and value of COVID-19 vaccines, practical advice for having conversations about vaccination, American communities’ and cultures’ response to the pandemic and the history of pandemics and vaccination in the U.S. The initiative invites local museums, libraries, cultural organizations and civic centers to use these free resources to support vaccine education in their communities. From videos and infographics to activities and educational curricula, the scientific content is vetted by an advisory group of medical professionals from collaborating organizations. As part of these online offerings, the Smithsonian sponsored artists and designers to create posters that cultural organizations can download and share with their audiences.

Mama Linda Goss, the Peale’s Storyteller in Residence

The Peale’s Storyteller in Residence, Mama Linda Goss, hosted online conversations with local storytellers about their experiences and concerns about the COVID vaccine. Listen to a selection here!

Learn more about vaccines and how cultural organizations like the Peale are supporting the vaccine effort.

Take a quick survey about programming at the Peale

A group of three musicians perform a concert in the bricked garden of the Peale.

A great deal has changed since March 2020! As such, we wanted to know what you are thinking when it comes to your preferences for online and virtual programs.

When are YOU most available to attend online programs and what types of virtual events are YOU most interested in? Please take a moment to complete a 3-question survey! We thank you in advance.

> Please take this 3-question survey!