George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic will headline the first day’s entertainment at this year’s Artscape. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake made the announcement Tuesday at the University of Baltimore Angelos Law Center.
Other acts on the main stage during the three day festival include The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band and Michael Franti and Spearhead. Jazz artist Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue will close out the festival Sunday evening.
This year’s theme is “Dive In.” Festival Director Kathy Hornig said the theme is inspired by the importance of water as a global resource and basic necessity and by Baltimore’s location in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
“Baltimore’s unique geographic location makes water an integral part of living, working and creating art in our city,” she said.
The mayor said the city’s creative community “must play a powerful role in our recovery” from the riots that erupted in April after the funeral of Freddie Gray, who died of injuries sustained while in police custody.
Rawlings-Blake said she wanted to “thank members of our arts community who are leading the way with collaborations, performances and programs that are helping us in our recovery.”
The event, in its 34th year, will take place July 17-19 around Mount Royal Avenue and North Charles Street. Billed as the largest free arts festival in the country, Artscape includes a full slate of music, dance, theater and opera performances and many art exhibits.
More information is available at artscape.org.