Laura Greenback, The Examiner
2006-10-30 10:00:00.0
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BALTIMORE -

More than 1,400 visitors to Baltimore City’s American Visionary Art Museum on Sunday enjoyed free performances by Poetry for the People Baltimore, Womb Work Productions and The Baltimore Station as they sampled free food from Whole Foods Market.

“Today’s celebration is to drum up excitement for the arts in the community,” said Olu “Butterfly” Woods, founder of Poetry for the People Baltimore.

“Arts are vital to the soul and spirit of a city. It’s nice to bring in biotech, engineering and business, but what makes people feel good about living in the city is the arts,” Woods said.

Woods’ poetry group performed works inspired by art from the museum’s home and beast exhibit. The exhibit, focused on a theme of the ways people relate to their home and animals, includes art by Baltimore mixed-media artist Loring Cornish.

One of Cornish’s installations, a bed covered with clocks and watches, sparked David “Native Son” Ross and Femi “The Dri Fish” Lawal’s performance, which is called “A Matter of Time.”

“It inspired us. We wrote about how we waste time even though we don’t have enough of it,” Lawal said.

The fusion of performance with sculpture helped the museum teach guests about its art, said Katie Adams, development associate for the museum, who said more than 1,400 people attended the event.

“It’s an educational tool because the art isn’t just hanging in the gallery. They are seeing it come to life,” Adams said.

The event also encouraged community members to experiment with art.

“It inspired us to try out our own creativity,” said Karen Oseekey, of Bethesda.

lgreenback@baltimoreexaminer.com