Windows Screen Art
BALTIMORE - Screen painting in East Baltimore won't die, not on Elaine Eff's watch. The folklorist has been on a crusade for three decades to preserve the kitschy art - landscapes painted on rowhouse window screens. The screens are for decoration, and privacy, too: The paintings allow residents to see out and prevent passersby from seeing in.
"It was a way of saying, 'Come a little closer, ' " Eff says. " 'Not too close.' "
Next weekend, the American Visionary Art Museum will host "Rowhouse Rembrandts, " a celebration of the art with workshops, demonstrations and a party for the old masters. An exhibition at the museum includes rowhouse facades decked out with painted screens and Eff's 1988 documentary "The Screen Painters, " playing on a loop.
Painted screens are native to Baltimore and exist in the same family of city-specific quirks as the word "hon" and John Waters. The screens used to adorn nearly every rowhouse in East Baltimore, says Eff, the president of the Painted Screen Society of Baltimore. Today, roughly one out of every 30 homes in the Canton neighborhood carries on the tradition.
Eff, who is in her 50s, started knocking on doors and asking about painted screens in the mid-'70s as a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. She wrote a 412-page dissertation in folklore studies on screen painting. She's still the tradition's cheerleader, keeping tabs on surviving screen painters and helping inspire a new generation with events such as the show at the Visionary Museum, which she helped organize.
Baltimore screen painting got its start in 1913 when Czech immigrant and grocer William Oktavec decorated his screen door with an image of the produce and meats sold inside his store. A neighbor asked Oktavec to create one for her home (to deter peeping Toms), and the art spread by word of mouth. The heyday of screens was in the 1920s and '30s, when every neighborhood had its own screen painter, Eff says. Oktavec died in 1956; his grandson John carries on the family trade.
How to preform for tips as an acrobat sims 3 How big is the magic tricks industry Teaching your betta fish how to do tricks book Why did tips go down today what does pluralistic mean what does ama mean in medical terms what temp does meatloaf need to be What kind of gl account would tips be under for a chart of accounts? How to freeze kale How much to rent a private jet This old house how to reuse old caulking tips What does the rover do when the base station tips over What is playing from the tips in golf what does mahalo mean in hawaiian what does secondary school mean How to tell if pork is bad? Four safety tips that are importamt to follow when using electricity How to get insurance on a car? How to calculate variable cost Tips of how to use pennington squirrel resistance feeder How to tie your hair in a ponytail tricks How to save an email as a pdf What tricks are skateboarders hurting their shins? what does fluid around the heart mean what does fahrenheit mean Quick tricks tune how long How to invest in stocks? Tips on how to not sweat alot How to connect ps5 controller to ps4? what does reincarnation mean what does astro mean How to get a gmail account? How to restart your iphone How to test eggs for freshness How to do basic tricks on a skateboard How to make money for 13 year olds what does yellow card mean in soccer How to use oculus quest 2 with steam? what time does ufc start tonight what does dissolve mean what does pink and purple make what does nap mean what does siesta mean Tips on how to give great head what are bile salts what age does menopause start what does pre cum look like what does boa mean Tips for how to take good photos of your wife what does amp provide on the flexa network what does sodomising a man mean How to make myself throw up How to rack 8 ball How to read guitar sheet music? what does rico mean in spanish How to calculate gross profit margin? How to keep cut apples from turning brown? How to calculate pi? what does a low oxygen level mean what are brownie points How to avoid kidney stones? How to find the surface area of a rectangular prism? what does it mean to audit a class What the best bmx bike for beginners who wanna learn tricks what does itadakimasu mean what does bloody diarrhea look like How to write a successful blog top ten tips How to break down ear wax with q tips How to watch ufc 264 How long does it take to become a teacher How to wash pillows in washing machine? what level does snorunt evolve Google tricks how to change logo what does malnourished mean what does sms mean in text How to get tips as a comedian what does seeing 111 mean what does dox someone mean what does selling your soul mean How to fill a zippo How to view private instagram profiles 2021 How to support someone with depression what episode does gus die what does peg mean How did the treaty of versailles lead to ww2? How to be straight? How to cross country ski Tricks on how to pass the math dat section How to care for opals tips what does felicia mean Tricks when changing brakes what does giselle mean Why do ear tips fall out How to use airpod pros What is it called when officer tricks someone into admitting something they didnt do? How can up tips becoming person what does obs chevy mean How to transpose data in excel what are pickles good for How to change a fraction to a decimal? what dose ig mean in text What are some tips to help litter boxes smell less what does grace mean in the bible what does va stand for How to make ratatouille Why don't cats like to learn tricks How to make campfire in minecraft How to clear cookies on safari How to treat lower back pain? How to open terminal on mac? When trying to recruit student volunteers from high school, what are so good tips on a flyer What are the best tricks for being a good real estate stager How to change tips on airpods How do you start key tips in excel? excel test How to find area of a trapezoid? what does integrate mean what does lee mean How to tie a noose
