Baltimore artists create works inspired by Fort McHenry, city history

Baltimore-area artists spent April 22 aboard Pride of Baltimore II and at Fort McHenry, starting a city-history project that will put new work on display at the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House in July, just as Baltimore leans into the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The artists, Larry “Poncho” Brown, Lenett Partlow-Myrick, Adrianna Hwang, Jessica Devilbliss, Jasmine Hall, Ray Baylor, Louis Marshall and Helen Yuen, were invited to absorb the fort, the harbor and the city’s historic waterfront as creative fuel. Pride of Baltimore says the collaboration with the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House is meant to help create a special exhibit exploring Maryland’s role in the American story, with Dr. Schroeder Cherry and Gina Pierleoni serving as jurors.

That setting gives the project a clear civic and tourism value. Fort McHenry is one of Baltimore’s most recognizable landmarks, tied to the Battle of Baltimore on Sept. 13 and 14, 1814, when the fort’s defense inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that became the national anthem. The National Park Service says the site’s history also stretches through the Civil War and World War II, making it more than a single-occasion monument. The Flag House adds another layer of meaning: its educational materials say the Star-Spangled Banner was raised over Fort McHenry on the morning of Sept. 14, 1814, after the 25-hour Battle of Baltimore.

For Baltimore, that matters because the work is not being developed in isolation. It is being shaped inside places already built into the city’s identity, with the finished pieces headed to a historic site that draws visitors looking for the story behind the flag, the anthem and the harbor. The project turns those familiar landmarks into a living studio, giving contemporary artists a chance to reframe a story many visitors think they already know.

Pride of Baltimore II brings its own local weight to the project. Pride says the ship’s mission is to promote historical maritime education, foster economic development and tourism, and represent Maryland in every port she visits. The vessel was launched on April 30, 1988 and commissioned on Oct. 23, 1988, and it has long served as a floating symbol of the city’s maritime heritage. As Baltimore prepares for America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, this collaboration links waterfront history, local artists and museum visitors in a way that could help keep the city’s past visible to new audiences beyond the usual crowd.