Artist Shane Hargest has been involved with Athletes Serving Athletes (ASA) for quite awhile now, and has participated in multiple races. (Make Studio staffer Terri and board member Abbie coincidentally have also run with ASA!)
This past year these included two 5Ks and the strenuous Charles Street 12-Miler, only his second race, which started at the Shops at Kenilworth up town and concluded downtown at Ravens Stadium. Shane completed the race in 1 hours and 49 minutes with multiple assistant athletes by his side, and said that it was “like nothing else I have ever been a part of.”
One of Shane’s lifelong goals has been to run a marathon, and this October it finally happened when he completed the Baltimore Running Festival marathon! He finished the marathon with a really quick team, and a final time of 4 hours and 34 minutes.
“I enjoy being out of my element and running with ASA makes me feel like a ‘real runner’. I like the social aspects and the camaraderie in the chatting on the runs. And although I am not a morning person, and for ASA I have to be there really early in the morning, I do enjoy seeing the beautiful sunrises on those early a.m. runs. We use train out of White Marsh, MD. I would like to do the Bay Bridge Run, but my mom won’t let me!”
We are excited to see where Shane goes next on his running journey, and are always ready to cheer him on!
Artist Louis Middleton, who participates in the “teaching” track within our professional tracks program, has had a very busy year! You may have heard about his sold out Paint-A-Long workshop at the American Visionary Art Museum, but haven’t yet heard that he will be giving an artist presentation at an upcoming meeting of the Baltimore City of Accessible Arts initiative. A highlight from this fall was his collaborative guest teaching gig, described here…
Art program participants at the Baltimore Rec and Parks’ Farring-Baybrook Center make art weekly with facilitation from Make Studio (annually coordinated by staffer Rosie Eck). Louis recently applied his creative skills to collaborating on a group project and exhibition design. Inspired by the large hands from a 2024 Farring-Baybrook project, Louis guest taught and guided participants in creating stars, diamonds, and BIG FACES. Groups of 3-8 people worked together to create one big face per table, collaborating and making decisions to create a unique face.
The resulting artwork, as well as other projects by Farring-Baybrook participants, was installed by Louis and staff as a showcase, called “Face to Face”, of playful artistic collaboration between dozens of creative minds. (Still viewable in our gallery, as of December 16, 2025, amidst holiday sales cheer!)
In addition to the BIG FACES, other artwork included in the “Face to Face” installation are:
All of Us (fabric garland)
Cord, fabric, canvas, pipe cleaners and beads
Participants in the Art Class at Farring-Baybrook Therapeutic Rec Center in south Baltimore make art each week; in a given week, there are three sessions, each with a different group of individuals participating. This collaborative art piece includes fabric strips ripped and decorated by all art class participants along with an additional ornament unique to each session. The Monday session made the beaded baubles along the red cord. The early session on Wednesday painted and stamped the pennants, while the session later that morning embellished and chained together recycled canvas pieces to attach to the garland. The complete piece brings together art that represents not only the individuals who contribute to the Farring-Baybrook experience, but also how the groups create unique and dynamic projects.
Coral Reef Sculptures
Cardboard, acrylic paint, assorted doo-dads
These pieces were on display at Farring-Baybrook before appearing in our gallery. In Fall 2023, participants in the art class painted and decoupaged (glued on tissue paper) to wooden blocks. The next week, they painted paper tubes and other surfaces using bubble wrap as a stamp to create a bubbly, underwater texture. The following week, participants combined the pieces they had painted with other elements like beads, tubes and oyster shells to create colorful and lively coral reef habitats. Coral reefs are an underwater environment teeming with life, full of creatures existing closely together like might in a classroom or a city. Coral reefs are also in grave danger from pollution and climate change, so our artwork is a tribute to them and their richness.
Participating Farring-Baybrook artists are:
(Names marked with a star (*) were present the week we made the big faces, stars and diamonds.)
Kenneth A., Rickel G.*, Teresa J.*, Richard K.*, Christopher L., Erin M.*, Joseph M., Sharon N.*, Pence P., Marie S.*, Heather S.*, Joshua S.*, Jamie S.*, John S.*, William T., Brandon T.*, Eric W.*, Clifton W., Corey D.*, Rosey G., Tammy G.*, Sharon J.*, John J. Jr.*, Tanya K., Ann M.*, Josephine P.*, Shamera R.*, Stephen R.*, Byron S.*, Brian V., Masadey B., Jushlynn C.*, Quba C.*, Daniel D.*, Emmly F., Maegan J., Tahesha J., John J. Sr.*, Maureen J., Diane N., Krista P., Deirde R. , Antastaisa S.-E.*, Antoine T., Jessica B., Cara C.*, Josh C.*, Yusef D.*, Desmond L.*, Lauren M., Andrew M., Joseph R., Connor R.*, Corvette R., Kara R.*, Victoria S.*, Zachary S., Dominique S.*, Kurwin S.*, Aniyah T.*, Marcia W.*, Joel W., Mike Z.*, Lakira A.-M.*, Suliamon A.*, Marshall B., Alyssa B., Carol B., Deneen B., Roxanne B.*, Veronica B.*, Ashley C., Denise C.*, Andrea M., Deborah O.*, Della P.*, Cortez S.
Graphic version of exhibition title: “FACE to FACE”
Artist Jules Hinton had a successful experience in a stop-motion animation course this semester, and is looking forward to drawing greater attention to his beloved cartoon culture next spring in a animation mini-festival he’s organizing to coincide with a show in our gallery (stay tuned!). Relatedly, here he shares a key influence on his artwork.
Looking for inspiration in the world of exciting cartooning? The work of animator and director Tex Avery is a top influence for me and my artwork. Starting in the golden age of animation, from 1930-1980 Mr. Avery worked on some of the most daring and risqué cartoons ever made.
“Avery had developed a distinct, signature style at Warner Bros. Studio, which had breakneck pacing, outlandish, over-the-top acting from his characters, and seemingly nonstop jokes and gags. Avery’s style of directing encouraged animators to stretch the boundaries of the medium to do things in a cartoon that could not be done in the world of a live-action film. An often-quoted line about Avery’s cartoons was, ‘In a cartoon, you can do anything.’ He also performed a great deal of voice work in his cartoons, usually throwaway bits.” (Source: Wikipedia)
“Ms. Ma’am”
My “Ms. Ma’am” series, for example, is directly related to the Tex Avery characters of Red and the Wolf. What Mr. Avery did better than most are his depictions of wild over-the-top violence, the exaggerated style of his characters, and frantic action of the series as a whole.
For example, in my work when my character Hound Dork flirts with Ms. Ma’am and she rejects him using cartoonishly violent actions and items. The Wolf would use cartoon violence such as a giant wooden mallet to give the wolf a smash on the top of the head leading to a cartoon sound effect “BRRRRNNNKKK!” Ms. Ma’am is a celebration my love for cartoons. By extension the spin-offs of Ms. Ma’am, One random Rabbit and Ink the Cat, are also inspired by Tex Avery.
Two other favorite series I make that are also inspired by Avery are:
“Crush”, a cartoon I created this year. It is a series of two stories about an African American woman who is discovering what she wants out of life. By a strange twist of fate she becomes a giant, then becomes a lawyer.
“Gazebo Time” is a story about an African American man, an alien, and a witch and her talking cat, who struggle to agree on things. They all share the one space, the gazebo, where each character has their own story within the larger story of them sharing the gazebo.
Young artist Dontae spent some time with us in the studio this summer as part of our Work of Art program. Currently specializing in drawing sandworts and sharks, he wanted to spend time in the studio to get to know the space and further explore exactly what and how he can create. We were lucky to get to know a lot about him and his art practice in a few short weeks.
For over a month this summer, Jennifer was way from our studio traveling in Northern California with her sister, Maureen. The primary purpose of her trip was to visit Jennifer’s artwork on display in the juried exhibition “A Progressive Ensemble” at fellow progressive art studio Art Explorers (Fort Bragg, CA).
At Mendicino Art Center, local news stopped by to check out the show. I was interviewed, and even though I don’t love to talk a lot, it felt okay. I also got the chance to visit Art Explorers in Fort Bragg, another Progressive Art Studio similar to Make Studio. There I met the local artists, including Amanda, who I bought a pair of earrings from. I remember her being very nice and got to see her working on creating some more earrings.
Travel and adventures of all kinds are favorite topics for reflection and sharing amongst Make Studio artists. Tony LaBate and Louis Middleton hope you enjoy learning about their recent spring trips!
Tony shared: “I traveled to Yosemite for my brother’s wedding this spring and stayed at a place that was cozy if you were the seven dwarves. I explored the park with my family and had a dark chocolate candy bar. The last place I went, Cooperstown, twenty-one years ago for my brother’s baseball tourney, was comfortable if you were the Sanderson Sisters from the movie Hocus Pocus!”
(Wow! It’s certainly been a long time since this blog has been updated. The pace of posts is going to pick up again later this summer, though, as the blog gets a much needed update. Stay tuned! And for now…)
As you might recall from last spring, Make Studio was excited to receive a grant from Civitan Club of Baltimore, allowing us to undertake our “Make Studio Road Warriors” series. This funding has enabled our artists to get out of the studio, and even outside of Baltimore, to have unique art experiences in the company of fellow artists from other progressive art studios. It also enabled us to host multiple studios for a gallery visit at Make Studio and group field trip to AVAM in the fall.
Make Studio was excited and humbled to receive a generous grant from Civitan Club of Baltimore, allowing us to undertake our “Make Studio Road Warriors” series. This funding is enabling our artists to get out of the studio, and even out of Baltimore, specifically to have unique art experiences in the company of fellow artists from other progressive art studios.
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