Media Advisory
Sixth annual Courting Art Baltimore contest awards $21,250 in scholarships to city students

The District Court in Baltimore City will unveil the artwork of 26 student finalists at the sixth annual Courting Art Baltimore awards reception on Wednesday, May 19. The awards celebration will be virtual this year due to COVID-19. Baltimore high school students were invited to submit paintings, drawings, or other two-dimensional works of art based on the theme “Baltimore Rising.”

Courting Art Baltimore showcases the creative work of high school students from participating Baltimore City Public Schools in order to promote the city’s youth and their artwork, connect the legal community with local Baltimore communities, and strive to reduce stress and anxiety for litigants and visitors by beautifying the motif of local courthouses.

The top seven contestants will be awarded $21,250 in scholarships toward art programs or post-high school degrees, including a first-place scholarship of $7,500. Each of the 26 finalists will receive a $50 gift card and two will receive a placement in the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Young People’s Studio, which provides weekend art classes for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The finalists will celebrate virtually with their families, friends, and art teachers, and their artwork will be professionally reproduced for long-term display at the Baltimore City District Court, Eastside, 1400 E. North Avenue.

 
WHAT:           Courting Art Baltimore virtual awards reception

WHEN:           Wednesday, May 19, at 6 p.m.

WHERE:         Facebook Live: Courting Art 2021 Virtual Exhibition Reception (facebook.com), https://www.facebook.com/events/480835923249495

WHO:             Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera
                       District Court of Maryland Chief Judge John P. Morrissey
                       Administrative Judge Halee F. Weinstein, District Court in Baltimore City,
                       Presiding Judge, Courting Art Baltimore contest
                       Brian D. Katzenberg and Carrie Williams, co-chairs, Bar Association of     
                       Baltimore City, Courting Art Baltimore, and the Baltimore Bar Foundation
                       Chan'nel Howard, Fine Arts Coordinator, Baltimore City Public Schools
                       Julia Di Bussolo, Executive Director, Arts Every Day

                       Students from three Baltimore City Public Schools:

                       Baltimore City College
                       Baltimore Design School
                       Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School

NOTE: Please contact the Maryland Judiciary’s Government Relations and Public Affairs Division by email at [email protected] or 410-260-1488, if you have any questions.