gallery alley transforms a MICA-owned segment of the neglected West Trenton Street (located between two MICA-owned buildings along North Avenue and Falls Road) into an open air art and greenspace celebrating cultural and ecological heritage. Envisioned by MICA alumni, faculty, staff, and students together with neighborhood partners, gallery alley is a first of a kind open air venue for featuring public art (in all of its diverse forms, media, and disciplines) drawing inspiration from the cultural and ecological heritage of the surrounding Jones Falls Watershed and Station North Arts District.

The transformation of the alley began with a 2024 collaboration between MICA and Midtown Baltimore to install the vibrant “Color Rays” mural by MICA alum Jaz Erenberg. This inspired a broader vision including closing the alley to vehicular traffic in 2026, and installing additional permanent and temporary artworks created by the MICA community; creative and architectural lighting; an outdoor sound system for open air performances and events; and a complete resurfacing and reengineering of the alley with pedestrian pathways, landscaping with native plants, and a stormwater management system to demonstrate best practices in ecological stewardship. gallery alley will officially open to the public in May 2026.

galleryalley.org