Transforming steel into art

By Carol Berkower
Posted on December 17, 2018

It has been 12 years since the metal sculptor David Aaron Friedheim returned to Baltimore from San Francisco with his wife, ceramic artist Trisha Kyner, and on this day he is in a reflective mood. “I wake up not knowing whether I’ve been an incredible success or an abject failure,” said the 59-year-old New York native and alumnus of Maryland Institute College of Art. “How could I ... READ MORE

On the question of disciplining grandkids

By Beacon
Posted on December 14, 2018

Family reunions in crowded restaurants are usually happy affairs. Cousins catch up with each other. New spouses get to know one another. Memories and jokes fly. Smiles abound. Except when a 5-year-old boy decides that he’s not having fun. The issue: Who should discipline that child if he misbehaves? The parents only? Or can grandparents leap in? The boy was sitting near... READ MORE

Cicely Tyson wins first (honorary) Oscar

By Lindsey Bahr
Posted on December 12, 2018

Cicely Tyson received her first and only Oscar nomination in 1972. It was for best actress for her work in Sounder, which she thinks of as her first major role. She wasn’t called to the stage that year — Liza Minnelli was for Cabaret — but now 45 years later, Tyson is finally getting her Oscar. “It is an emotionally wrenching matter to me,” Tyson said. Tyson, 93, is no... READ MORE

Entertainer says it all started with Santa

By Martha Steger
Posted on December 10, 2018

Were you in Richmond for Christmas between 1971 and 1991? If so, Donna Strother Deekens is probably part of your holiday memories, whether you know it or not. If you were a child, parent or perhaps very young grandparent who made the trek to see Santa in downtown Richmond, or read about Santaland in the local newspapers, then you probably saw Deekens as the Snow Queen — Santa’s... READ MORE

Colorful books to give this holiday season

By Dinah Rokach
Posted on December 06, 2018

The Bibliophile Thoughtfulness in selecting gifts is a sign of a sensitive and attentive friend. Consider the recipient’s interests when choosing a book. You’ll be thanked profusely for matching your gift with the proper reader. Mona Lisa in Camelot: How Jacqueline Kennedy & Da Vinci’s Masterpiece Charmed & Captivated a Nation, by Margaret Leslie Davis, 274 pages, three... READ MORE

A de-lovely production of “Anything Goes”

By Robert Friedman
Posted on December 04, 2018

The plot is ridiculous, the jokes are mostly cornball, the acting and staging are very good, the songs are often great, and the singing and dancing are wonderful — which more or less sums up the production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes now at Arena Stage. The revival of the original 1930s musical features several songs from the Great American Songbook, including “I Get a Kick Out... READ MORE

All in the family: Comic books and autism

By Mike Cidoni Lennox
Posted on November 29, 2018

Even at age 89, actor Ed Asner still hangs out at the comic-book store with his kid. In early October, the Asners could be spotted at Hollywood’s legendary Golden Apple Comics. But they weren’t shopping. Instead, the two were promoting an Internet comic-art auction to raise funds for the Ed Asner Family Center. Founded earlier this year by the actor’s son, Matthew, and... READ MORE

Clayworks molds new vision for the future

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on November 28, 2018

Marsha Smelkinson had recently moved back to Baltimore from San Diego when a friend asked her to help out at a kids’ pottery class she was teaching at Baltimore Clayworks. “I had the opportunity to put my fingers in clay and found it to be fun,” said Smelkinson. Since then, though she had never thought of herself as artistic, the 69-year-old Randallstown resident has become an... READ MORE

Why save a segregated school?

By Robert Friedman
Posted on November 26, 2018

Jessup native Bessie Bordenave attended the last segregated school in the Howard County Public School System — all the students, teachers and staff were African-American. She graduated in 1962, three years before the school was shut down. Today, the 74-year-old Bordenave still carries “beautiful memories” in her head — and in her heart — of Columbia’s Harriet Tubman High... READ MORE

Baltimore’s streets are lit for the holidays

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on November 23, 2018

Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa or the Winter Solstice. Whatever— and how much — you celebrate, this is the most festive time of the year! Here are a few of Baltimore’s holiday traditions to add to your own. Baltimore Farmers’ Market & Bazaar Underneath the Jones Falls Expressway at Holliday & Saratoga Streets The Market & Bazaar features local crafters, artists and ... READ MORE