SPARK: Window 26

In celebration of the grand re-opening of The Peale, and as part of the closing festivities for SPARK: New Light, artist Kelley Bell presents Window 26, an illumination of The Peale’s second floor galleries from the inside.

In 1816, artist and innovator Rembrandt Peale, who had opened what we now call The Peale as the nation’s first public museum in 1814, created a breathtaking spectacle. Using gas and a “Magic Ring of Fire,” Peale created a glow inside the building that was strikingly visible from the street outside. It has been said that people would stand on Holliday Street in front of the Peale Museum marveling at the brightness of the light coming from its windows — an unprecedented sight in a world of candles and oil lamps.

Now, artist Kelley Bell’s Window 26 mirrors that event with new illuminations, projecting video works by UMBC and Towson University artists. Beginning in 2020, Bell created similar projections through the windows of her own Baltimore home, creating a sense of community and way for people to safely gather outside during a long, lonely and pandemic-influenced summer. For this event, additional curation will be contributed by Phil Davis.

Featured artists: Tawa Abiwa, Elizaveta Aleinikova, Kelley Bell, Cathy Cook, Danielle Damico, Eric Dyer, Jenee Mateer, Corrie Francis Parks, Timothy Nohe, Jules Rosskam, Alexi Scheiber, Evan Tedlock, and Beth Yashnyk.

Window 26 will be presented both evenings at 8 p.m., and the 15-minute presentation will repeat all night long until dawn.

SPARK: New Light, presented by Towson University, UMBC, and PNC Bank, continues through September 25 at The Peale.

Plan your visit

Admission to Window 26 and to SPARK: New Light is free.

Please Note: On Saturday, September 24, a large outdoor festival at the War Memorial Plaza, located near The Peale, will require the closing of a number of area streets. Please check traffic conditions before visiting.

The Peale is located at 225 Holliday Street, in downtown Baltimore between Zion Church and the Real News Network, and across the street from the Abel Wolman Municipal Building.

The Peale is well served by public transportation and is near stops for City Hall, the War Memorial, and Farmers’ Market on the Purple, Orange, Red, Blue, Yellow CityLink lines and the free Green Charm City Circulator Route, as well as LocalLink routes 54, 56, 154, 67, 78, 80 and Express BusLink routes 105, 115, 160, 154, 164. The Peale is a short walk from the Charles Center and Shot Tower Stations. Ample on-street and lot parking is also available.