Baltimonster!
The Echo (14 W. North Ave.)
October 24th, 2008 at 9PM
http://www.myspace.com/fourthwall08
Baltimonster! was no ordinary monster mash. Local art, live music, a costume contest, and the spirit of Halloween were all effectively combined in order to produce this one of a kind event. Baltimonster! was one of the first events to be held in this newly renovated exhibition and performance space. The open layout was just the right size to allow room for the many works of art as well as the live band. The only instructions the contributing artists were given were to “make it monster.” There was definitely no shortage of monsters depicted in the art, everything from Frankenstein, Dracula, to the evil Sarah Palin was on display. As I walked around the show I was pleasantly horrified by some of the gruesome works of art with lots of blood and guts. The graphic artworks were also very impressive with their bold colors and sharp lines illustrating vampires and demons. Intermittingly placed on the walls were less shocking, darker, and shadowy pieces, which served as a nice contrast. Not all of the art was gory. There were some dark comedic pieces such as “Goodbye Kitty,” and one of Popeye the Sailorman cartoon being operated on. Besides hanging pictures, throughout the gallery were weird creepy looking hand-made stuffed animals, as well as deformed sculptures, and paintings done on the backs of skateboards. My favorite piece was the piece of art that was actually being created during the event. When we arrived I noticed a large blank piece of paper mounted to some wood, and rows of chairs placed in front of it. About an hour into the event some artistes grabbed black and red markers and just started drawing. They were actually making the art right before our eyes. I was amazed at their fluidity and creativeness, and not to mention the pretty rapid pace at which they were drawing. I had never before seen this new wave of graphic art, and was absolutely mesmerized by it. I must have sat in a chair and watched them for at least an hour applauding their talent.
The atmosphere was energetic with people dancing in their “monsterific” costumes, except for me of course who arrived as a happy pumpkin (not realizing the monster/horror theme). The music also provided the perfect backdrop for viewing the chilling works of art on display. The scary live music could be heard throughout the night from various groups such as, The Survivors of Camp Crystal Lake, We Are the Seahorses, and Mr. Moccasin. Featured artists of the evening included: Brian Ralph, Kevin Sherry/Squidfire, Alex Fine, Nolen Strals, Shaun Bingham, Sean of the Dead, Daniel Krall, Scott Archer, Kali Ciesemier, Jimmy Giegrich, Andrea Kalfas, Daniel Albrigo, Ghostfreehood, Rick Kercz, Brady Starr, Josh Sisk, Peter Goode, and many more.
Seeing all of the people dressed up was like candy for my eyes, which was appropriate since it time for Halloween. There were zombies, monsters, bloody princesses, old creepy ladies, and randomly Flavor Flave. I had a wonderfully terrifying night and hope they continue this event in future years.
