Maryland Traditions showcases performers, chefs, craftsmen

A variety of accomplished folk-art performers and their apprentices entertained an overflow crowd at the Creative Alliance in East Baltimore, site of the former Patterson Theater, in the annual Maryland Masters Showcase: Down the Block and Around the Globe, June 19. (See photo gallery.)

The event is sponsored by Maryland Traditions, in partnership with the Maryland Historical Trust and the Maryland State Arts Council, along with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tatiana Sarbinska, a prominent Bulgarian folk singer, was the first performer. She was joined by her apprentice, Elin Zurbrigg, and a chorus of four other Bulgarian singers and an accordion player.

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The mother-son South Indian dance team of Shobha Subramanian and Ashwin Subramanian followed with a nattuvangam, a classical Indian dance recital. Members of the Subramanian family provided musical accompaniment for the next performers – two South Indian Kuchipudi dancers – Anuradha Neru (pictured) and her apprentice, Lavanuya Thamire. The two dancers ended their performance by hopping onto two brass plates that they rhythmically maneuvered around the stage.

Patrick Egan, an Irish ballad singer, performed with his apprentice, flutist Laura Byrne, to lead off the second half of the show. Then, jazz musician Carl Grubbs jammed with Lafayette Gilchrest. Grubbs was mentored by the late John Coltrane, a prominent jazz saxophonist and composer.

Prior to the on-stage performances, visitors viewed the work of documentary photographer Edwin Remsberg, while sampling traditional cakes and pies prepared by an assortment of cooks and bakers. Sarbinska, the Bulgarian folk singer, also offered a trademark salad from her native region.

Rockabilly musician Rodney “the Pie Man” Henry served up barbecue pork pies. Maria Nicolaides, from the family that runs Samos Restaurant in Baltimore’s Greektown, prepared spinach, feta and shrimp pies.

Freddy Furtado, a native of coastal South India and a cook at Mehek in Baltimore’s Fells Point, presented his samosas. Jesus Haydee and Mario Diaz, shared their El Salvadoran creations: papusas, triangular pancakes filled with cheese and topped with curtido, a cabbage-based garnish.

Smith Island cake

Janice Marshall, one of 12 women who run the Smith Island Co-op – where they prepare the crabs that their husbands catch in the Chesapeake Bay – served crab cakes. Also from the Eastern Shore, Dana Evans offered slices of Smith Island cake – the state’s newly designated official dessert. Evans is a native of Smith Island who runs a Salisbury bakery, Classic Cakes.

East Baltimore’s Latoya McKnight served sweet potato pie and bread pudding, made from the recipes that she and her mother, Carolyn McCoy, prepare at Carolyn’s Kitchen.

In between food samplings, visitors could admire the work of master silversmith Martha Hopkins and her apprentice, Kerry Stagmer. They could also see the martin houses crafted by Steve Sullivan and his apprentice, Jason Sckupakus. Martin houses are bird houses for purple martins, a North American species that helps to keep the Eastern Shore mosquito population in check.

Nearby, miller John Childers and his apprentice, Joe Wright, displayed their craftsmanship with wood and traditional technology, like dressing stone – an art practiced by few craftsmen today.

Meanwhile, sporadic watermelon calls echoed around the building from a corner spot where James Cooper and Leonard “Felix” Willis had parked their arabber (pronounced AY-rabber) wagon, filled with an assortment of fruits and produce. Only the horse that would pull the colorful wagon on the street was not there. Cooper restores and builds these wagons in his West Baltimore garage. The two men – among the few descendants of a one-time strong tradition of African-American street merchants – learned their trade as young boys from the city’s arrabers.

ALTA Awards

The Maryland Traditions evening also included announcements of this year’s recipients of the ALTA Awards. Named for the late Dr. Alta Schrock, a Western Maryland native and biologist who devoted her life to preserving local folk culture, the awards honor people, places and traditions that contribute to the state’s vibrant culture.

The United Methodist Women of Smith Island, the “Ladies Aid Society,” was honored with the ALTA’s people award for keeping the traditions, stories, songs and lifestyle of Smith Island alive. Known for their Smith Island cake, the women celebrate every occasion on the island with a dinner.

J. Patrick’s, a gathering place for Irish musicians and dancers in Baltimore’s Locust Point since 1987, received ALTA’s place award. The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, an annual celebration of sheep breeders, cooks, textile artists and the realm of sheep, received ALTA’s tradition award. This festival, considered the largest of its kind, is an annual event at the Howard County Fairgrounds.