Best of Baltimore: AVAM


A few months ago, Travel + Leisure Magazine published an article that named Baltimore one of the country's quirkiest cities.  As a native Marylander I'd have to say I agree with that statement.  Baltimore is chock full of all sorts of  weird and wonderful - restaurants, sites, museums, and events, all rolled into one fairly lovely city.

One of the quirkiest museums in town - probably THE quirkiest - is the American Visionary Arts Museum (AVAM.)  In a sea of stuffy, buttoned-up museums, AVAM stands out as one of the only in the country dedicated to self-taught art.  Each piece the museum exhibits is lovingly created by intuitive artists who have taught themselves their craft.

The art is never boring or stale.  These artists dabble in all different mediums - from glass to textiles; from natural pieces to metal.  They realize that art comes in many forms and AVAM celebrates all of them in every exhibit they plan.

As an admirer of AVAM, you would think I've been there quite often, but I haven't.  I'm embarrassed to say I've never been inside the museum.  However, this will definitely change after my wander around their beautiful building this weekend.  The people behind AVAM realize that great art shouldn't be relegated to the inside of buildings.  The outside of great spaces need love too, so they've created a space that's open for anyone to wander through before heading inside. 

Most parts of this huge building are covered in beautiful glass work laid out in intricate patterns.  There are animals made from old junk and musical instruments.  There's a golden hand that's waiting to surprise you around the back of the building.  They even managed to cover some of the street with a mural celebrating diversity.  They left no stone un-turned - or more precisely, no piece un-beautified.

Without even entering the museum, you can see the love of creativity and desire to create that these artists are sharing with the world.  However, I'm sure you and I could delve into a great deal more of this quirky artist's paradise by entering the building.  And I don't know about you, but I definitely plan to do that very soon!
Who can resist a trippy selfie?

 American Visionary Arts Museum
800 Key Highway
Baltimore MD, 21230

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