Art Reigns

First it sweltered, then it poured, but the weather seemed hardly to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds that descended on Artscape, Baltimore's 25th annual outdoor festival of the arts.

From funnel cakes to evening concerts there was much that was familiar along the Mount Royal Avenue corridor and elsewhere around the city - but there also were new touches including the 100-foot-tall Ferris wheel in front of the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and the fireworks on Friday's opening night.

We sent a team of arts writers - pop music critic Rashod Ollison, theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck, classical music critic Tim Smith, restaurant critic Elizabeth Large and art critic Glenn McNatt - to survey the scene. Here's what they thought.

July 24, 2006

Art

Sondheim finalists highlight of exhibits

The visual arts at Artscape seemed somewhat less prominent than in years past because of the absence of Maryland Institute College of Art's Station Building as a venue at the lower end of Mount Royal Avenue.

July 24, 2006

Pop Music

All the right notes, despite the weather

About 15 minutes before funk-pop legend Teena Marie hit Artscape's main stage Friday night, a tall, husky guy climbed into a short tree, obstructing the view of some in the crowd. Several barked out orders for him to come down, but he waved them off and reclined on one of the tree's thick branches. The complaints and teases were all done in fun, for Artscape feels like one big family affair. And at such a gathering, you have eccentric characters and, of course, good music.

July 24, 2006

Classical Music

Impressive glimpse of BSO's range

Artscapers seeking classy sounds, air conditioning or, when the storm hit late Saturday afternoon, a place to dry off could find refuge in Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Hundreds took advantage of those opportunities as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, for the first time in nine years, offered free Artscape concerts.

July 24, 2006

Food

An arm and a leg for street food

At first, the food court at Artscape seemed like a cornucopia of great international street food. Booth after booth offered such seductive delights as lamb shawarma, curried goat, funnel cake, shrimp on a stick, teriyaki chicken, hand-dipped frozen cheesecake and jumbo turkey legs.

July 24, 2006

Theater

Inspiring the budding performers in audience

A glove leapt jauntily around a small stage; a pair of banana peels danced; a pile of crumpled newspaper became a barking, galumphing dog. These unlikely puppets sprang to life from the refuse in Black Cherry Puppet Theatre's clever and imaginative Requiem for a Landfill.

10:29 PM EDT, July 16, 2011

Down the rabbit hole at Artscape

It's 3:37 p.m., and 2-year-old Hattie's right leg is covered in melted SpongeBob SquarePants. She came by the cartoon-shaped ice cream less than 10 minutes before at a roving stand near the intersection of Mount Royal and Lafayette avenues.

2:26 PM EDT, July 9, 2011

A city tradition now, but Artscape wasn't always a sure thing

Kathy Hornig's "to do" list for the week includes closing down 12 of the busiest streets in Baltimore — Mount Royal Avenue, Charles Street, Cathedral Street and others — for most of a week.