Baker Artist Portfolios

Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn are a Baltimore based artist team striving to transform public spaces into colorful and vibrant experiences. They have been collaborating on large-scale murals, installations, sculpture and fibers work since 2001. They have participated in several street art showcases, including Baltimore’s Open Walls, Atlanta’s Living Walls Conference, Rochester’s Wall Therapy, Richmond’s RVA Street Art Festival, and most recently, POW! WOW! Hawaii. Upon invitation, they took part in The Sheboygan Project, a community arts residency at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI. Their work has been exhibited as part of Art Basel Miami’s Wynwood Walls Show, Women on the Walls as well as at The American Alliance of Museums Conference in Baltimore, MD. Their dynamic paintings often incorporate recycled materials and break traditional mural format, spilling onto the ground. With consideration for the structural surfaces of the environment, each piece is specifically designed for it location. Recently they have been making large scale textiles pieces, experimenting with traditional dying techniques and appliqué. Patterns in nature, woven textiles, and bold color combinations inspire their aesthetic.? 
The city of Baltimore has profoundly influenced their work and desire to bring art to the public sphere since they first attended MICA in 2001. The interactive and socially engaging nature of creating art in a public space is a central aspect of their art making. The connections they make with people through these collaborations are invaluable. Since receiving the PNC Transformative Art Grant in 2012 and 2014, they have continued to work with different Baltimore communities.