Photo by Philip Laubner.
Last Sunday’s Instant Gratification was much like I expected it to be. I saw many friends, encountered tons of great art, and left feeling completely exhausted!
Resident What Weekly Photographer, Philip Laubner, has been producing these events since 2009. What started at Gallery 788 in Pigtown, felt right at home at Eduardo Rodriguez’ new gallery located in the MAP building on Saratoga Street. Philip is in a unique position to produce these shows, as he calls on many of the subjects of his iconic photographs to come together once every so often to produce a full-fledged multi-media experience.
Gallery 788 at MAP’s Portrait Show served as an ideal backdrop for what could most easily be described as a social experience. Except in this case, you are socializing with many of Baltimore’s well known artists, who then also present their work.
Photo by Larry Cohen.
This incarnation of Instant Gratification was a benefit for the Baltimore Artists Adrian Bond and Ian Hesford. Both of them suffered Heart Attacks this year and both their lives were saved by CPR. Most know of Ian from the band Telesma, but Adrian also has a Telesma connection, being the husband of lead singer, Joanne Berman Juskus. What a year it has been for the Telesma Family.
Instant Gratification was collecting donation for the two artists, who are both doing fine, but don’t have health insurance. Additionally, the event featured a crash course in CPR by certified CPR trainer and owner of “Real Survival” workshops Michelle Bartattucci and nurse Sarah Saccoccio. They both remained on site for several hours , to answer questions and to sign people up for full CPR training.
The members of Telesma also presented what they called “The Telesma Experiment.” This was an amazing opportunity to hear the band jam out, and before long, they welcomes us all in on the fun. The afternoon event also featured performances by The Baltimore Rhythm Section, Katherine Baseman, The Funky Bass and Beat Group Known as “F”, Savannah Valentino, and The Memory.
Jennifer Stephens made bubbles, Jeramie Bellmay whirled and painted faces, and Bagoas danced with his belly. There were also several spoken word artists on the bill, including Robin Gunkel, Rafael Alvarez, Tom Swiss, Gavin Heck, and Ruben Brown. To keep us all going, vegetarian food from “We Call it Love Cafe” was available to all.
If you missed the event, but would like to contribute to Ian and Adrian’s trusts, you can also donate at:
Click here to donate to Ian Hesford
Click here to donate to Adrian Bond
CPR Training:
Michelle Bartattucci from Real Survival. Photo by Philip Laubner.
Tom Swiss plays dead. Photo by Philip Laubner.
Michelle Bartattucci, Tom Swiss and Sarah Saccoccio. Photo by Theresa Keil.
The Music:
Telesma goes wild! Photo by Theresa Keil.
Joanne Juskus of Telesma. Photo by Philip Laubner.
The Telesma Experiment. Photo by Larry Cohen.
Participating in The Telesma Experiment. Photo by Theresa Keil.
The Funky Bass and Beat Group Known as “F”. Photo by Philip Laubner.
The Funky Bass and Beat Group Known as “F”. Photo by Larry Cohen.
Photo by Philip Laubner.
Photo by Philip Laubner.
The Dancers:
Jeramie Bellmay whirls. Photo by Philip Laubner.
Bagoas. Photo by Philip Laubner.
Bagoas in action. Photo by Philip Laubner.
The People:
Photo by Theresa Keil.
Photo by Theresa Keil.
Bubble Fairy Jennifer Stephens. Photo by Theresa Keil.
Photo by Theresa Keil.
Jennifer Stephens and Eric Muskat. Photo by Theresa Keil.
Landis Expandis. Photo by Theresa Keil.
Jeramie Bellmay paints a head. Photo by Philip Laubner.
Chris Mandra tunes while Leyla Fahada daydreams. Photo by Larry Cohen.
Photo by Larry Cohen.
Photo by Larry Cohen.
Feel the love. Photo by Larry Cohen.
The end of the night…
Photo by Larry Cohen.
Done. Photo by Philip Laubner.
