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The Contemporary Museum explores
the art and culture of our time by presenting new art,
new ideas and new creative processes. Since its founding
in 1989, the Contemporary Museum has been committed to
presenting thought-provoking exhibitions, innovative programming,
and unique collaborations with artists, curators, and
members of the Baltimore community.
History
The Contemporary Museum was founded on the occasion
of the first Day Without Art as a grass-roots agency
with the express purpose of offering site-specific art
with social and political intent in changing venues
throughout Baltimore City. In its first decade, the
Museum presented exhibitions and events in refurbished
and temporary spaces, and in the homes of such partner
institutions as the Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland
Historical Society, Peabody Conservatory and Walters
Art Museum. Though the Contemporary has maintained its
regional focus, it has consistently endeavored to distinguish
itself from most community-based arts initiatives by
working with artists and other arts professionals who
are vital contributors to cultural production and critical
dialogues of international import.
In September 1999, the Contemporary Museum secured and refurbished a permanent facility in the historic Mount Vernon district of downtown Baltimore adjacent to the Walters Art Museum. The facility was acquired to enable the Museum to consolidate a core audience for its programming in a neighborhood long recognized as the city’s cultural hub. It also provides the Museum with a home base as it continues its history of presenting collaborative and community-based exhibitions and providing educational outreach to under-served communities throughout the city. Mount Vernon is Baltimore’s de facto cultural district, and the Museum exists alongside ten other cultural organizations—museums, theaters, libraries and schools—all located within three blocks of the Washington Monument. A National Register Historic District, Mount Vernon is home to a diverse group of residents and businesses. Annually, more than 1.2 million visitors attend some 1,000 events there.
The Contemporary Museum's 2007-2008 season is supported in part by the Board of Trustees, Contemporary Museum Members, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Maryland State Arts Council, the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation, the Baltimore Community Foundation, the T. Rowe Price Foundation, and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts.
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