The Sidney Harman Hall is in the final stages of construction. Crews are working round the clock to finish the structure and furnishings of this new theatre in time for the lavish Gala opening celebration on October 1. Recently Rhea was given a personal preview of the building by Artistic Director Michael Kahn. So, hard hat firmly planted on our heads, and accompanied by the banging of hammers and the the screech of the drills, we get a peek behind the scenes at this great new cultural destination for the performing arts!

NOTE: Rhea and the MPT cameras will be there on October 1 to cover the Gala Opening too!! "No hard hats required!"

Shakespeare Theatre Company

Featuring the collections of over 550 international dealers from the United States, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, France, South America and Asia, the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show is the largest summer indoor antiques event in the nation. The annual show, celebrating its 27th year, returns to the Baltimore Convention Center Labor Day Weekend, August 30-September 2. Each year thousands of knowledgeable collectors, dealers, decorators, and shoppers from the Mid-Atlantic and beyond attend the show which is a cultural experience featuring: fine art, jewelry, silver, porcelain, decorative accessories, furniture, glass, textiles and more ranging from the antiquities to the 20th century. Additionally, the show includes a 60-dealer Antiquarian Book Fair offering rare books, first editions, fine manuscripts, autographs, and unusual bibliographical material. The incredible diversity combined with the solid quality of items makes the Baltimore show a significant event.

Joining us in the studio is the Founder and president of TK Asian Antiquities, Michael C. Teller IV. Mr. Teller is one of the world’s leading authorities on Chinese antiquities.

Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

Two-time Grammy award winning Hootie & the Blowfish will gear up and hit the road again this summer, but it’s not all about music. Every year many schools are forced to receive budget cuts that ultimately in one way or another affects the quality of education each child receives. In conjunction with the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation, the band's nationwide Homegrown Concert Series is spearheading an effort to collect school supplies for economically disadvantaged schools in each community it visits. To date, the band and their loyal fans have helped fill 21 busloads, totalling around $100,000 worth of much needed school supplies for children. The night of the concert, ticket holders are asked to bring school supplies of any kind to the concert.

Hootie and the Blowfish are visiting the D.C. area twice: September 5, at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Arts in Vienna, VA and September 16, at the Volunteer Fire Station in St. Leonard, MD.

Hootie and the Blowfish
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

This week's Salon Art is by fine art photographer, Betty Rosen. She states that her work is distinguished by her ability to capture the magic of the moment, with a focused preference on endangered cultures and tribal people in many of the the most remote corners of the world. From young, virile, tribal chieftains to septuagenarian opium addicts to seductive landscapes and otherworldly panoramas, Betty Rosen's compositions are spontaneous and larger than life.

Rosen's solo exhibition, Wishes, is on display at C. Grimaldis Gallery, 523 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD. It runs September 5 - September 29. Hours are Tues. - Sat., 10am - 5:30pm.

C. Grimaldis Gallery
Betty Rosen's Photography (on artnet.com)

On ArtChat This Week, Nate and Rhea discuss the kick off of Freefall Baltimore, the month long art event promoting free admission to the region's leading performing and visual arts institutions. And there are two events kicking off the month of September, the "Wedding Singer" is at the Hippodrome and Ft. McHenry celebrates "Defenders Day" with a Star Spangled Banner weekend.

Free Fall Baltimore
Fort McHenry