Working in such a community space like The Compound, I have been able to build a diverse style of programming that allows collaboration and individuals to work together to curate and produce an event. Some events are solo curated by myself, while others include working with collectives, groups, or individuals with an idea. Almost every project is a labor of love, and requires a team. Above are flyers from collaborated events with local collectives like Mariposa, Wormhole, Searching For Something, Version, Crosscurrence, Break-A-Leg and more. 

Zap Outdoorz (formerly known as Zapateo) started in 2023 by Carlie Webbert and Jake Abell. I was hired to facilitate the community engagement and volunteer programming with my counterpart Carty Deane. We have grown quite the team over its last three years, and have managed a volunteer staffing program, educated attendees on harm reduction and safety, and created building blocks for this community to flourish. From our website: "ZAP Outdoorz is a festival that brings together top electronic and punk acts from the DMV plus out-of-region favorites for a weekend campout in Appalachia. Our mission is to bridge worlds and move bodies, embrace our raw edges as humans, and ignite our collective energy. Organic by nature and intimate by design, we are at once a reverie and a homecoming, an annual celebration of what has been, what is, and what ought to be. Weekend highlights include a pool party takeover, lakeside tunes, DJs until sunrise, daytime ambient deck, wellness activities, and killer bands smashed in the middle of it all. The ethos of ZAP is homegrown and handspun."
 

Photo by: Benji Stills

The intention of this event was to provide a certain exposure to the passage of time within a sonic experience through multi-medium music listening. Highlighting this process of music listening reminds us of ways music has been historically archived and preserved especially in this lucky and temporary office space. Attendees gathered to listen and somatically move to sounds provided by Awesome Tapes from Africa, who has over the years released re-issues of music of the African Diaspora. Starting from one of the earliest forms of tangible media: vinyl turntables, then into cassette tapes and decks, and ending with its current most well accustomed form of the digital age using CDJs. All on a vintage Hi-fi sound system built locally by Baltimore’s Pobal Sound with promotional support from local business E2-E4. The purpose behind showcasing these various forms of tangible and intangible media is to educate and acknowledge music of the past, and bring embodiment and awareness from movement into the present.

Fantasy Machine has been a staple in Baltimore for five seasons at Current Space. I have had the pleasure to be assistant manager of this event with curator and designer Meg Beck in facilitating this continuous fashion show. One of its kind, Fantasy Machine showcases local designers hand made collections, and represents the creative individuality of each collection, differing every year. 

Curator: Meg Beck

Assistant Manager: Laurel Levia

Host: Moses

Photo by: Emma Cheshire