Strong, Bright, Useful & True: Recent Acquisitions and Contemporary Art from Baltimore
On view April 15 – Sept. 6, 2025
Featuring contemporary Baltimore artists shaping the national and global arts landscape, the exhibition illustrates the vibrancy of Baltimore’s contemporary art scene and showcases a broad spectrum of media, including painting, sculpture, time-based media, and photography.
View Exhibition Catalog
Explore the artists and works featured in the current exhibition.
Artist interviews
Video
The Baltimore-based artist talks about the making of Basketball Bloom (Spectrum), which transforms found, discarded, and traded objects into works of art that foster connections among communities.
Watch the interview
Q&A
Lu shares more about her work, Circle Dance, and her unique approach to color field painting.
Read the interview
Video
The Baltimore-based artist shares the inspiration behind his work, Can’t let ’em see me cry, which considers the societal expectations of Black men and boys.
Watch the interview
Explore Virtually
Discover expert insights, context, and more curated content on Strong, Bright, Useful & True: Recent Acquisitions and Contemporary Art from Baltimore on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
In the News
Exhibition in the press
The art world loves Baltimore artists. This free D.C. exhibit shows why.
“Strong, Bright, Useful & True,” on display for free through Sept. 6, is a treasure trove of works created by some of Baltimore’s finest artists, from Joyce J. Scott and Derrick Adams to Soledad Salamé and René Treviño.
Read the Review
The Baltimore Banner
Bloomberg Center’s Frary Gallery in DC features work of Baltimore artists
The Irene and Richard Frary Gallery—located in the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC—is featuring an exhibit that draws heavily on the shining talents of its neighbor to the north. WYPR talks about it with the gallery’s inaugural director, Caitlin Berry, and with Jerrell Gibbs, one of the featured artists.
Johns Hopkins exhibit elevates the artists of its city
“Strong, Bright, Useful & True: Recent Acquisitions and Contemporary Art From Baltimore” is on display at Johns Hopkins’s D.C. campus through Sept. 6.
Read the Review
The Washington Post
Strong, Bright, Useful & True: Recent Acquisitions and Contemporary Art from Baltimore
This spring, Derrick Adams, Jerrell Gibbs, Joyce J. Scott, and other contemporary Baltimore artists shaping the national and global arts landscape will be featured in Strong, Bright, Useful & True: Recent Acquisitions and Contemporary Art from Baltimore at the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.
Museum and gallery exhibits in the D.C. area this week
“Strong, Bright, Useful & True: Recent Acquisitions and Contemporary Art From Baltimore” lands in The Washington Post roundup of art galleries in and around the city.
Read the Roundup
The Washington Post