Life in Baltimore

Life in Baltimore is a juried exhibition that invites artists to reflect on contemporary life in Baltimore—its people, neighborhoods, rhythms, struggles, joys, contradictions, and everyday realities. Reviving a historic Peale Museum exhibition series from the 1950s and 1960s, the exhibition asks artists to document, interpret, and respond to the city as it is being lived today. Rather than focusing on monuments or architecture alone, this exhibition centers lived experience: community, identity, labor, memory, culture, resilience, and change.

Artists are encouraged to explore Baltimore from the inside out—from intimate personal moments to broader social narratives, from street-level observation to interior emotional landscapes. The exhibition seeks work that captures the complexity of life in the city as experienced by those who live, work, and create here. Thematic areas include daily life in Baltimore neighborhoods, community and social bonds, labor and survival, identity and cultural expression, memory and history, celebration and grief, and public and private space.

This call is open to 2D and 3D works including painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, collage, illustration, mixed media, sculpture, assemblage, relief, and installations. Installation-based objects must be self-supported and require no wall or ceiling modification. Digital works must be presented as finished physical outputs. Time-based, interactive, or screen-based media will not be considered. All submitted works must be suitable for gallery installation and freestanding display within The Peale.

Artists may submit up to three artworks. Each submission must include artwork title, medium, dimensions, and year; one high-quality JPEG per artwork (minimum 1200 px on the longest side; maximum 5MB); a short artist statement (100–200 words) describing how the work reflects life in Baltimore; and a brief bio or résumé (PDF). Artists submitting 3D work must clearly indicate dimensions and installation requirements. Works should be of a scale appropriate for gallery display within a historic museum setting.

Eligibility: Open to artists age 18+ residing in Baltimore City and surrounding counties. Work must be original and created within the past three years and must not have been previously exhibited at The Peale. Entry fee is $25.00 with an additional $10.00 media fee. Selected works will be exhibited at The Peale and featured in a digital exhibition catalog. Exhibition dates: October 8, 2027 – November 5, 2027.