The Neighborhood Design Center is thrilled to be part of the collaborative team behind Inviting Light, an innovative public art project taking place in Baltimore City’s Station North Arts District throughout 2025.
Baltimore was one of eight cities to receive $1 million from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge in support of Inviting Light.
The project is curated by Baltimore’s very own Derrick Adams with additional curatorial support from Jose Ruiz, and is facilitated by Central Baltimore Partnership in partnership with the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office and NDC.
Inviting Light will bring five site-specific temporary public art installations to Station North in Central Baltimore as well as five site activations by artists. This will be followed by a year of scheduled events and curated arts programming for the community to engage with.
Open Call for Public Programs
To extend more opportunities for local creatives to participate in this public art initiative, Inviting Light announced an open call for artists and creatives of all kinds to submit proposals for public program ideas.
All activities will be staged outdoors from March–June and September–December 2025. Selected participants will receive a stipend to cover their participation and production expenses. Submission Due Date is March 31, 2025.
Signal Station North
Inviting Light builds upon the extensive research and insights gathered from Signal Station North — NDC’s district lighting plan and public space initiative for Central Baltimore.
Fueled by community input gathered through publications, workshops, and events, the project centered community engagement, research, and urban analysis to inform:
We are thrilled to continue this work to foster a vibrant and equitable public space in Central Baltimore that resonates with the community’s values and aspirations.
Why Public Space Lighting?
Light supports our experience in public spaces in obvious ways, like lighting our way, but also some less obvious ways — it helps us keep time, it serves as a guidepost, it creates a sense of place. And, just as light can welcome us in, it can also keep us out. Light can make us feel alert, focused, wary. Or it make us assured, calm, and invited.
“We believe that every community deserves equitable access to well-lit spaces. With Inviting Light, we will be demonstrating how artist-led and community-informed light can be a catalyst for safety, inclusivity, and vibrancy.”
— Merrell Hambleton, NDC's Program Manager of Arts Planning and Cultural Programming
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Contact Sara Warfield, on behalf of NDC
Sara@ SaraWarfieldCommunications.com
410-952-1271
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