Columbia Lakefront Features 'Off the Wall' Art

The Columbia lakefront has a new addition, thanks to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore a grant from Howard County.

The lakefront, Robinson Nature Center, Roger Carter Community Center, Centennial Park, North Laurel Community Center and Howard County Arts Council recently received replicas of famous paintings from the Walters as part of an outdoor art exhibit called “Off the Wall.”

The Walters began the “Off the Wall” exhibition in Baltimore City in 2012 as a way to bring art from the walls of the museum outside to residents who may have been intimidated by the imposing museum building off Charles Street, according to Julia Marciari-Alexander, executive director of the Walters Art Museum.

“One of the most exciting things is to see how people are taken by surprise,” Marciari-Alexander said. “When we see people in front of these great works of art, they stop, they look and they take a selfie.”

Now, the exhibition has come to Howard County, in an effort to enrich various venues and drive citizens to the museum.

• “A Fishmonger’s Shop” is now on display at the Columbia lakefront (10221 Wincopin Circle) in Columbia.
• ”Mud Pies” is in the Robinson Nature Center (6692 Cedar Lane) in Columbia.
• “The Approach of a Storm” is at Centennial Park (1000 Route 108) in Ellicott City.
• “The Painter and His Model” is at Howard County Arts Council (8510 High Ridge Road) in Ellicott City.
  
• “Tiger at Rest” at the Roger Carter Community Center (3000 Milltowne Drive) in Ellicott City.
  
• “Wildflowers with a View of Dublin” is at North Laurel Community Center (9411 Whiskey Bottom Road) in Laurel.

All paintings are replicas whose originals are at the Walters. “As the community experiences reproductions of these famous paintings, we invite residents of the county to visit us and see the real works of art in person,” Marciari-Alexander said. The Walters Art Museum is located at 600 North Charles Street in Baltimore.

In addition to getting people to the public museum in the city, arts advocates hope the pieces make citizens enjoy their surroundings in Howard County even more.

“By taking artwork ’off’ the Walters’ walls and bringing it outside of the Beltway, we hope it will inspire people to explore the wonderful parks, galleries and community centers in Howard County and remind them that the great collections of the Walters are truly public,” Executive Director of the Howard County Arts Council Coleen West said.

The Howard County ”Off the Wall” exhibition is funded by a $6,000 grant from Howard County government, administered through the Howard County Arts Council’s Outreach Howard program.

“I hope all visitors to the lakefront will visit this exhibit along with our existing art,” Milton Matthews, Columbia Association president and CEO, mentioning the People Tree. “Redevelopment has begun to make downtown Columbia even more of a destination.”

Photo Credit: Screenshot from Howard County Government/YouTube video. Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, Howard County Arts Council Executive Director Coleen West, Walters Art Museum Executive Director Julia Marciari-Alexander and Columbia Association President Milton Matthews unveil the new artwork at the Columbia lakefront.