Scroll.

Scroll is an annual publication, published by The Contemporary, and produced entirely by our intern staff. Each issue of Scroll will explore a different cultural topic related to the mission and efforts of the museum and will be available, for free, in print and online.

  • Edition #4: 2017

  • A Tender Thing

  • Produced by Iris Lee, Jenna Porter, and Shan Wallace, Scroll 4: A Tender Thing explores what drives artists to create work and community—sometimes against all odds. A Tender Thing examines the necessity of tenderness towards the self and others to survival and resistance through images, essays, conversations, and quotes; featuring the words of: The Very Black Project (André D Singleton, Justin Fulton, and Trae Harris), Robyn Lynne Marquis, Najee Haynes-Follins, evictees of The Bell Foundry (Elon, Person Abide, and Qué Pequeño), Elissa Blount-Moorhead, Joyce J. Scott, Morgan Monceaux, and Rebecca Nagle. An online version can be found on Issuu.

  • Edition #3: 2016

  • On Site

  • Space and vacancy and ownership are complicated. Who has access to certain spaces? Who decides which projects warrant having it? And, maybe most importantly, how can spaces be responsibly cultivated for arts endeavors? On Site, produced by Brandon Buckson, May Kim, and Allie Linn, explores Baltimore's past and present cultural landscapes using buildings to tell its history. The case studies investigated in this edition highlight a diverse array of arts projects including ones that were newly inaugurated, long active, and defunct. Download a PDF version.

  • Edition #2: 2015

  • Bound2

  • Writing is not on the periphery of the art world but rather complementary; its contributions to the arts should not be understated. Bound 2, produced by Jazmin Smith, Joseph Shaikewitz, and Lily Clark, explores various facets of art writing through nuanced examination. This investigation takes the form of interviews, group discussions, free advertisements, compiled resources, as well as their own essays regarding art criticism. Scroll: Bound 2 doesn’t provide any tangible solutions, but rather explores art writing, criticism, and publishing at the present moment. An online version can be found here.

  • Edition #1: 2014

  • I Don't Care I Love It

  • Who decides what is ‘contemporary’? The inaugural issue of Scroll, titled I Don’t Care I Love It, produced by Max Anderson, Kimi Hanauer, and Lee Heinemann, investigates tastemaking and highlights significant local cultures that exist independent of socially-constructed hierarchies. The Contemporary’s departure from a permanent, physical space theoretically expands the museum’s presence to the entirety of Baltimore. Scroll: I Don’t Care I Love It responds to this potential by creating a space which is inclusive of people, places, and things that are seldom represented in traditional institutions and histories. An online version can be found here.