American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM)
AVAM to Host Free MLK “Dare to Dream” Day Event
Monday, January 15, 2024 from 10 AM – 5 PM
FREE Live performances, art workshops, museum tours, and more!
Baltimore’s internationally-acclaimed museum for self-taught, intuitive artists will host an all-day event celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—MLK Dare to Dream Day—on Monday, January 15, 2024 from 10 AM–5 PM, featuring an engaging and imaginative schedule of events and activities for visitors of all ages. MLK Dare to Dream Day marks the one day each year AVAM is open on a Monday, returning with live music and dance performances, an open mic and poetry slam, docent-led museum tours, art workshops, and more. All festivities and museum admission are FREE on the day of the event.
There will be several interactive, family-friendly activities to take part in throughout the day’s events including the Open Mic and Poetry Slam, an opportunity for artists of all ages to showcase their talents possibly earn a cash prize for their performance! Participants may register on the day of the event, prior to 1:00PM. Another special event will feature award-winning children’s book author Carole Boston Weatherford, who will share her journey and present poems inspired by AVAM’s current MEGA-Exhibition, If You Build It, They Will Come. She will also present a choral reading of her book, Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream and You, which encourages young people to build on King’s legacy of service.
In addition, visitors can donate new, unused toiletries, and self care items for House of Ruth: one of the nation’s leading intimate partner violence centers, providing care to thousands of battered women and their children in need.
Click here for full schedule of activities: https://www.avam.org/event-details/mlk-dare-to-dream-day-2
B&O Railroad Museum
MLK Tribute Concert: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at The B&O Railroad Museum
Monday, January 15, at 7:00 PM
Special Performance to Feature World Premiere of New Song by Baltimore artist Wordsmith
The B&O Railroad Museum proudly presents an extraordinary tribute concert in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Freedom Seekers of the Underground Railroad performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in the beautiful 1884 B&O Roundhouse. Scheduled for MLK Day on Monday, January 15, at 7:00 PM, the event promises an unprecedented fusion of history and music as part of the B&O Railroad Museum’s Underground Railroad programming and the BSO’s Symphony in the City Series.
This special performance will mark the world premiere of a new, original song, “Network to Freedom,” written by Wordsmith and commissioned by the BSO. Wordsmith’s tribute song is a homage to the Freedom Seekers and directly inspired by the compelling narratives featured in the B&O Railroad Museum’s Underground Railroad exhibit. Designated as a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site since 2021, the museum unveiled its permanent “The Underground Railroad: Freedom Seekers on the B&O Railroad” exhibit in 2022.
Don’t miss this uplifting performance, symbolizing Dr. King’s unwavering message of equality and unity. Tickets for this event are available for free at Eventbrite.
For more information and updates, please visit B&O Railroad Museum Events and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Events.