5 x 5 Baltimore
June 20, 2026 – August 22, 2026
On June 20th, the historic Eubie Blake Cultural Center held the opening reception for the groundbreaking exhibition “5 x 5 Baltimore: The Art of Black Men.” Co-curator Barbara Bullard, EBCC Executive Director Derek Price, and Project Advisor/Artist Alma Roberts welcomed a large crowd of artists, enthusiasts and Black cultural cognoscenti to the show, which features 10 renowned Black male visual artists, five from Baltimore and five from Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. The works span painting, collage, mixed media and photography and center themes of memory, identity and resilience. The Eubie Blake Center is named for the iconic, seminal Baltimore-born composer of jazz and ragtime and founder of African American musical theater. The show is on view through August 22nd.
5 X 5 BALTIMORE: The Art of Black Men's Dialogue on Black Art and Identity
Saturday, August 1 • 4 PM - 6 PM
Join us for a groundbreaking cross‑regional exhibition and conversation. Ten Black male artists from Baltimore and the Pennsylvania Lehigh Valley explore identity, belonging, and resilience through painting, mixed media, photography, and abstraction. Their work forms an unprecedented conversation, one that brings together perspectives, histories, and artistic practices in a way that has never been presented before.We invite you to be part of this moment. Come witness, connect, and celebrate a dialogue that amplifies Black voices and reshapes how our stories are seen and heard.
Curated by Barbara Bullard and Derek Price, the exhibition explores themes of memory, identity, resilience, cultural sovereignty, and creative excellence through painting, mixed media, abstraction, and figurative practice.
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5 × 5 BALTIMORE: THE ART OF BLACK MEN
Cross-Regional Exhibition Bringing Together Ten Black Male Artists Opening at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center
Baltimore, MD — The Eubie Blake Cultural Center is proud to present 5 × 5 Baltimore: The Art of Black Men, a groundbreaking cross-regional exhibition opening June 20, 2026, and on view through August 22, 2026, at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center.
Opening on the eve of Father’s Day, the exhibition brings together ten Black male visual artists from Baltimore and Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley whose work explores themes of memory, identity, resilience, cultural sovereignty, and self-determination through painting, mixed media, abstraction, photography, and figurative practice.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Ainsley Burrows
Al Johnson
Anthony Smith Jr.
Charles Stonewall
Ernest Shaw
Femi J. Johnson
Jeffrey Kent
Jerry Prettyman
Larry Poncho Brown
Rigo Peralta.
Five participating artists are deeply rooted in Baltimore’s Black artistic ecosystem, joined by five artists from the Lehigh Valley, a region whose collaborative creative culture mirrors Baltimore’s long legacy of artistic innovation and cultural resilience. Together, the artists form a cross-regional dialogue reflecting intertwined histories of migration, labor, memory, and Black creative leadership.
“5 × 5 Baltimore is arriving at exactly the right moment, in exactly the right city,” said Alma Roberts, Project Advisor and artist. “The ten internationally renowned Black male artists from two of the nation’s artistic epicenters will resonate throughout Baltimore, and the messages embedded in forty remarkable works will be amplified far beyond the gallery walls.”
Co-Curator Barbara Bullard describes the exhibition as both locally grounded and globally resonant. “Baltimore and the Lehigh Valley are two regions shaped by resilience and cultural invention,” Bullard said. “By bringing artists from both communities into one exhibition, 5 × 5 Baltimore affirms Black men as architects of meaning whose practices carry memory, imagination, and creative sovereignty across borders.”
“The Eubie Blake Cultural Center is honored to present 5 × 5 Baltimore: The Art of Black Men,” said Derek Price, Executive Director. “At a time when Black male identity is too often narrowed or misrepresented, this exhibition creates space for complexity, vulnerability, joy, and creative expression while continuing the Center’s commitment to artistic excellence, community dialogue, and Black cultural leadership.”
WHEN
Collectors, Sponsors & Press Vernissage
Saturday, June 20, 2026
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
By Invitation Only
Public Opening Reception
Saturday, June 20, 2026
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Exhibition Dates
June 20 – August 22, 2026
WHERE
Eubie Blake Cultural Center
847 N. Howard Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Gallery Hours
Wednesday–Friday: 1 PM – 6 PM
Saturday: 11 AM – 3 PM
ABOUT THE EUBIE BLAKE CULTURAL CENTER
For more than fifty years, the Eubie Blake Cultural Center has served as a vital cultural institution dedicated to preserving and celebrating African American art, history, and culture through exhibitions, performances, and educational programming. Located in downtown Baltimore, EBCC provides a platform for artists, scholars, and community leaders while fostering dialogue, reflection, and creative exchange throughout the city and beyond.
SOCIAL MEDIA
@eubieblakecenter
@producestories
SUPPORT
The Eubie Blake Cultural Center gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following partners and sponsors whose contributions helped make 5 × 5 Baltimore: The Art of Black Men possible:
• Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art
• Roberts Family Foundation
MEDIA CONTACT
Christian Harris
press@eubieblake.org
410-225-3130
Photo Gallery
Exhibition Opening Reception June 20, 2026
