“Lights to the Lamp: An Exhibition of Alchemy” Curated by Ernest Shaw, Motor House, 120 W. North Avenue, June 1 to August 19, hours vary.
Baltimore native, educator, and Motor House artist-in-residence Ernest Shaw considers teaching to be an artistic medium all its own. As a product of Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore School for the Arts, Morgan State University, and Howard University, Shaw employs an expansive practice that makes it clear that he has been deeply influenced by his local community along the way. Most recently, Shaw has curated an exhibition of visual artwork at Motor House that “centers the artist-educator as both creator and cultivator,” featuring work by 15 arts educators and instructors in Baltimore City and County.
The “Lights to the Lamp” exhibition focuses on artist-educators whose work, both personal and professional, is centered around resilience, identity, and community. Among this diverse group of creative practitioners are textile and ceramic artist Marnee Keith, community artist Rikiesha Metzger, and Archie Veale, who serves as head of the Visual Arts Department at Baltimore School for the Arts alongside his drawing and painting.
Self-guided tours of the exhibition are available any time the gallery is open, and there will also be a guided tour on August 1.
The Afrofuturist Summer Book Series: Tahira Chloe Mahdi and Lawrence Brown, The Ivy Bookshop, 5928 Falls Road, July 8, 6 p.m.
Lawrence T. Brown, the author of the wildly influential “The Black Butterfly: The Harmful Politics of Race and Space in America,” is bringing his passion for urban Afrofuturism to this new Summer Book Series, hosted in The Ivy Bookshop’s idyllic back patio space. Each month, Brown will talk to independently published authors about their novels, screenplays, and comic books that “imaginatively explore Black futures and alter destinies.”
July’s event focuses on the work of Tahira Chloe Mahdi, author of the novel “This Is Not How It Was Supposed to Go” and the screenplay “Caught Out There: A Black Platonic Comedy Screenplay.” Both books present a take on universal themes through a uniquely speculative and Black lens — in Madhi’s 2023 novel, she explores Black family and community with a “sexy, explosive” plot and a surreal twist. And in her 2024 screenplay, co-authored with Christopher A. Brown, Madhi tackles Black platonic and romantic relationships in an otherworldly setting, positing what would happen if Black-presenting extraterrestrials entered the Earthly dating scene. “Caught Out There” was also adapted to a feature-length film in 2025.
Safica Tropical (21+), Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard Street, July 3, 10 p.m.
Dyke Nite Baltimore will collaborate with DJ Alucarda to close out Pride Month with this dance party, which doubles as an ode to Latinx sapphic joy. Featuring DJs ILUSM and Tropigal in addition to a special performance by Santana Sankofa, this edition of Dyke Nite will focus on reggaeton, salsa, bachata, cumbia, dembow, merengue, and more. Local vendors will also be on site selling their wares.
“When planning Safica Tropical, we kept coming back to the same feeling: summer heat, bright colors, loud music, packed dance floors, and pure joy,” said co-organizer Ilhan Alyanak, who founded Baltimore’s Dyke Nite in collaboration with Lyla Shlon. “We’ve heard so much excitement from our community around wanting more nights in Baltimore centered on Latin music, dancing, and spaces where queer people can really let loose, and that energy became a driving force behind this event. Working with DJ Alucarda, Sayra Ponce Magaña, whose connection to Baltimore’s Latinx community helped shape the vision, allowed us to build something intentional while keeping fun and celebration at the heart of it all.”