Meet the Artist & Panelists

Ainsley Burrows (b. 1974 in Kingston, Jamaica; based in Baltimore, MD) is a full-time multidisciplinary artist who explores untold stories and unspoken emotions. Raised in Brooklyn, NY, Burrows' creative pursuits as a poet, musician, performer, and painter deeply influence one another. Emerging as a prolific abstract artist, Burrows has developed three unique methodologies: NeoChaos, Raktism, and String Theory. In 2024, Burrows was awarded the JJC Residency, a collaborative program between the Joshua Johnson Council (JJC), Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), and Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

Cara Ober is an artist, arts writer, curator, and the Executive Director and Publisher at BmoreArt. In 2022, Ober was awarded the Sue Hess Legacy Arts Advocate of the Year Award in MD. In 2019, she was awarded a Rabkin Art Writers Grant and was commissioned by the Warhol Foundation to write "Artspeak and Audience" for Common Field's Field Perspectives Series. Ober has also published articles in New York Magazine, Hyperallergic, Burnaway, Art Papers, ARTnews, and currently writes a monthly art column at The Baltimore Banner. She holds an MFA in painting from MICA and a degree in fine arts from American University.

Jeffrey Kent is a Baltimore-based artist, curator, and culture producer based in Baltimore. Kent and Ober work together to run BmoreArt’s Connect+Collect program, an initiative designed to build relationships between artists and collectors that includes speaker series, studio tours, and a gallery. Kent is the creative director at the Peale Museum, and former former director of the SubBasement Artist Studios, a gallery and studio space.

Kirk Shannon-Butts is BOPA's Public Art & Curation Manager, and is also a filmmaker, writer, and director. He holds a BA in Marketing & Arts Management and an MFA in Film/TV Production from Chapman University.