Maryland Art Place is moving its office and gallery from Power Plant Live to Baltimore's west side as the nonprofit hopes to be an arts anchor for the neighborhood.
MAP has owned the 20,000-square-foot building at 218 W. Saratoga St. since 1988, but it has been renting out the space to other nonprofit tenants. Some of those will remain when MAP moves in January to the five-story building.
Eventually, leaders at the nonprofit would like to use the entire space for community arts projects, MAP Executive Director Cathy Byrd says. This could include artist studios, a dance studio and a small movie theater. To do that would take several years and require a thorough renovation of the building costing in the neighborhood of around $1.5 million, Byrd says.
The nonprofit is now applying for grants and planning a series of fundraisers to raise money for that effort. MAP plans to hold its fall fundraiser, Pop-Up Gala, Nov. 12 in the Saratoga St. building.
Byrd says the organization wanted to take part in what it sees as a burgeoning arts district on the west side. The area is home to the Hippodrome theater, the artist warehouse known as the H&H building, and Current Space art gallery, which recently moved to Howard St.
Next year, it will be home to Everyman Theatre once it moves from its Charles Street spot in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District.
The basement of the MAP building on Saratoga St. currently houses underground performance art series 14Karat Cabaret.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Cathy Byrd, Maryland Art Place