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MPT to reveal 2018 Baker Artist Award winners on May 18
Airing on a special episode of Artworks, awards show offers viewers an insider's view of the region's dynamic arts community
Maryland Public Television (MPT) will broadcast the 2018 Baker Artist Awards: An Artworks Special, hosted by Rhea Feikin, on Friday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. on MPT-HD.
The Baker Artist Awards are among the mid-Atlantic region’s top recognitions for outstanding artistic achievement. The May 18 broadcast marks the tenth year MPT has produced and aired this special, which this year also serves to help kick off a series of special Baker Artist Awards events and exhibitions throughout Baltimore titled "10 Years of Celebrating Excellence."
Artists who create an online Baker Artist Portfolio and reside in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County or Howard County automatically become eligible for the annual awards. This year, more than 700 artists posted their work on the Baker Artist Portfolio website. Tens of thousands of gallery owners, museum curators, artists and art collectors from around the world visit the virtual gallery.
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An anonymous jury of national and international multidisciplinary experts select the awardees. Thirty-two finalists were announced in February, chosen for mastery of craft, artistic excellence, and a unique and compelling vision. The list of finalists is available at https://bakerartist.org/.
A total of $90,000 in prizes will announced. A $10,000 Mary Sawyers Baker Prize goes to one artist in each of six creative disciplines: literary arts, performing arts, visual arts, interdisciplinary arts, music, and film/video. From among these six awardees, one is chosen to receive the Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize, an additional $30,000 award intended to be transformational to the life and career of one exemplary artist.
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During the May 18 MPT broadcast, viewers get the inside scoop on these artists through artful profiles of their creative process and work, which also illuminates the creative diversity and vitality of the region.
The Baker Artist Portfolio website and associated awards were established by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund and are a program of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.
The 2018 Baker Artist Awards: An Artworks Special airs Friday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. on MPT-HD, and repeats Sunday, May 20 at 6:30 a.m. on MPT-HD, and Saturday, May 19 at 8 p.m. on MPT2/Create. The show will also be available for streaming online at mpt.org/artworks.
