Baltimore prepares to be lit up during festival

By Julie Podczaski
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

In 1816, Baltimore became the first city to use gas lanterns to illuminate its dark streets. Now, nearly 200 years later, Baltimore will be the first city to host a large-scale international light festival.

The Light City festival will feature a 1.5-mile BGE waterfront art walk, 29 large-scale light art works, 50 concerts and 100 performances over the course of a week beginning March 28 – and that’s just at night.

For light shows and music performances, the festival is free and will be open from 7 to 11 p.m. March 28 to March 31, 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. on April 1 and April 2, and 7 to 11 p.m. on April 3.

During the day, attendees will also be able to hear from speakers at Light City’s innovation series of conferences ranging from social, health, creative and sustainability topics.

Although the nightlife is free, an all-access pass to the conferences costs $650 and an individual conference ticket costs $200.

The price for an individual conference ticket is $180 when purchased in a group of 10 or more. In addition, Light City U is offering 20 percent of its tickets free of charge.

The idea for the festival came from Brooke Hall and Justin Allen of What Works Studio, a creative marketing agency in Baltimore. The couple wanted to create an event that would showcase the unique businesses, artists and general creative scene the city has to offer.

In collaboration with the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts and several sponsors, the event came to fruition.

One of Baltimore’s local artists performing on March 31 is Anthony Parker, 36, better known by his stage name “Wordsmith.”

“It’s going to be a great introduction to people that look at Baltimore in one way,” Parker said. “Whether that’s through the lens of ‘The Wire’ or driving through here for five minutes in the bad parts of the city… I relish in the opportunity to show people something different because I love Baltimore. It’s my city.”

In addition to Wordsmith, some other familiar musicians include Johns Hopkins professor Thomas Dolby, headliner Robert DeLong and Philadelphia’s DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Some of the light artists whose work will be exhibited include Scott Pennington’s “Plaza,” a collection of gates and LED lit objects that form a high energy playground; Jen Lewin’s “The Pool,” an area of giant, concentric circles created from interactive circular pads; and Eric Corriel’s “What Will Be Here,” an interactive project that examines the timely issues of rising sea levels.

“The piece will be shown at the Maryland Science Center, which is on the harbor, which itself is connected to Chesapeake Bay,” Corriel said. “Cities along the Eastern Seaboard are particularly at risk regarding rising sea levels, and Baltimore, with its very close proximity to the water, is no exception. I hope that the particular location of the piece, with the harbor just steps away, will resonate strongly with the citizens of Baltimore.”

Speakers range from former Ravens player Ray Lewis, who is the vice president of Power52 Inc.;  Dr. Leana Wen, the commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department; and Chris Jeffery, co-founder and CEO of OrderUp.

Several city neighborhoods will also project contemporary art designed by local artists in Montebello, Greater Mondawmin, Hampden, Little Italy and the Station North Arts and Entertainment District.