Jerrell Gibbs Brings Baltimore Family Stories to the BMA

Jerrell Gibbs sits in his studio surrounded by paintings.

Jerrell Gibbs is bringing the people and places that shaped him into the Baltimore Museum of Art. “Come home with me,” which opens September 16, gathers approximately 35 new paintings by the Baltimore artist, with family and belonging at the center of the exhibition.

The museum’s current exhibition page identifies the home of Gibbs’s Aunt Ella as a central gathering place behind the work. Curated by BMA Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art Antoinette Roberts, the show is installed in the Special Exhibition Galleries. The exhibition page lists a run through May 2, 2027.

For Baltimore viewers, the appeal begins with recognition: a family home can hold generations of conversations, traditions and memories. A museum exhibition built around that setting offers a way to consider the everyday spaces that shape a city’s cultural life. Visitors can approach the paintings through their own memories of the places where people gathered and felt they belonged.

The opening also brings an opportunity to hear directly from the artist. The BMA lists a conversation between Gibbs and art historian Dr. Adrienne L. Childs for Thursday, September 17, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. The free program’s online registration is sold out; the museum says walk-up seating may become available on a first-come, first-served basis. A seat is not guaranteed.

The museum says the discussion will address home, community, European painting’s influence on Gibbs’s practice and Black figurative painting. ASL interpretation and live captioning are planned, with an accessible theater and assistive listening devices available.

The BMA’s visit guide lists gallery hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, extended to 9 p.m. Thursday, at 10 Art Museum Drive. General admission is free with a reservation; special exhibitions use separate tickets, so check the museum’s booking options before traveling. For another local cultural outing this week, see PowerPage’s Baltimore Book Festival guide.