The Guardians of Baltimore: Preserving Our Legacy Exhibition
The Guardians is a photo documentary and storytelling project created by Whitney Frazier and Kirby Griffin that celebrates the unrecognized community work of Black female leaders from Baltimore City neighborhoods. By uplifting their stories and experiences through recorded interviews and large-scale photographs, we demonstrate how art and activism can make real, lasting change.
The Guardians is a platform honoring women who spend their lives fighting for better, healthier communities.
The Guardians is more than the exhibit of photos and stories—it is a movement, an organizing effort, and a piece of history founded on the work of women who spend their lives fighting for a better Baltimore. It is also the ongoing exploration of how art can make real, lasting change that can help us see realities and (re)shape culture. It can shift the narrative, bringing people together across generations and boundaries. It helps us heal.
The process of The Guardians project begins with interviewing the community leaders involved in the project about their experiences as Baltimoreans, the work they have done for the city, and changes they would like to see. The Guardians are then photographed by Baltimore-based, self-taught photographer, Kirby Griffin, in their communities at locations they have selected. The 2023 cohort of Guardians include:
- Cheryl Bryant, Patterson Park
- Danelle Pinder, Park Heights
- Denise D. Reid, Druid Heights
- JaqueLine Joi, Canton
- Jo Anne Stanton, Belair-Edison
- Kin “Termite” Lane-Brown, Cherry Hill
- Lois Randall, Darley Park
- Markia Beckwith, Edmonson Village
- Navashava Daya, Cherry Hill
- Naimah Sharif, Belair-Edison
- Towanda Carter, South Clifton
- Wanda R. Wallace, Allendale
The Guardians are engaged in all aspects of the planning of this project through monthly meetings where they can share resources with each other and decide what questions should be asked of future Guardians in their interviews.
An annual event showcases their portraits and stories; in 2021, they received Mayoral citations at a culminating event presented by the Peale at nearby Carroll Mansion. In addition to an exhibition, The Guardians’ portraits hung on the front of City Hall, and were displayed along with their recorded stories on digital kiosks around the city. By repeating this process, The Guardians cohort becomes larger, stronger, and more visible every year.
Details
Date: August 12, 2023-October 1, 2023
When: Open during regular hours, plus after-hours special events
Location: The Peale, 225 Holliday Street, Baltimore
Collaborators
Curators: Whitney Frazier, Kirby Griffin
Featured Artists: Whitney Frazier, Kirby Griffin
Donations
Cost: Free | Donations Welcome
Your support of The Guardians project will assist in the production of banners, exhibition expenses, community programs and other project-related costs. Donations are being processed through the Peale Center, a 501c3 non-profit organization but all proceeds go directly to the Guardians and lead artist, Whitney Frazier (WGF Studio)
Exhibition Events
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