Objects Made Holy
Curated by Gina Pierleoni
On View February 12, 2026 – March 29, 2026 | 2nd Floor
Objects Made Holy gathers deeply personal objects and stories from 42 Baltimore residents, each invited to reflect on an item that carries meaning beyond its physical form. Chosen for their emotional, cultural, ancestral, or healing significance, these objects reveal how ordinary things – a spoon, a keepsake, a fragment – can become sacred through lived experience. Together, the stories challenge assumptions about shared understanding and invite viewers to slow down, listen, and recognize how meaning is shaped by memory, identity, and belief. Once we know someone’s story, we are changed – and become part of it.
Curated by Gina Pierleoni, the storytellers – not the objects – form the heart of the exhibition. Spanning six decades and reflecting Baltimore’s racial, religious, social, and ideological diversity, participants bring with them lives shaped both within and beyond the city. Though many objects did not originate in Baltimore, the love and meaning they carry reside here.
Curator’s Statement
Baltimore is woven together by stories that arrived in her ports, through migration, or originated here. We assume we know people’s stories. We don’t.
For this exhibit, I invited 42 Baltimore residents to consider an object that held meaning for them. The participants chose based on personal significance and the accompanying story. These objects are links to culture, ancestry, history, and identity. Despite their physical appearance, they are revered, provide an emotional tether, or possess healing powers even if those powers are invisible.
People often expect each other to experience and understand life’s complexities the same way; these objects and stories subvert that belief. A spoon is never just a spoon. Objects Made Holy invites slowing down, allowing items to transport us and transform how we see, understand, and connect with one another. Once we know someone’s story, we’re changed. And we become part of it.
It’s important to remember that I curated the storytellers, not the objects. The participants form a cross section of Baltimore, span 6 decades, and are racially, religiously, socially, and ideologically diverse. Some people were born in the US, others not. Their backgrounds and careers are as varied as the objects they chose. Many have never heard of The Peale. The connective thread? Since moving to Baltimore in 1983, I have shared some sweetness with each of them, some over the course of decades, some years, others, months.
Though these objects may not all have originated in Baltimore, the love that is felt for them lives here. Gathering the objects and stories all in one place is powerful and palpable. Displaying items in vitrines, glass cases or on pedestals amplifies their importance. In experiencing this exhibit, I believe participants and viewers will feel more connected to their own stories, notice overlaps with others, and perhaps feel transformed.
Objects Made Holy is installed at The Peale specifically because its history and mission are built around Baltimore stories and community. It is the oldest purposefully built museum building in the country. Bringing together sacred objects and stories from different parts of Baltimore can be healing for the city. In every community, stories are part of our connective tissue. Thank you for experiencing these.
Gina Pierleoni
Curator
Exhibition Programming
In-Person Events:
Opening Reception | February 15, 2026 1pm-3pm | RSVP
Objects and Meaning Discussion Panel | March 1, 2026 1pm-3pm | RSVP
Objects and Storytelling Open Mic | March 7, 2026 1pm-3pm | RSVP
Just Make It Up Storytelling | March 21, 2026 1pm-3pm | RSVP
Closing Reception | March 29, 2026 1pm-3pm | RSVP
Virtual Events:
Objects Made Holy Film Screening | February 23, 2026 6pm-7:30pm | RSVP
Objects Made Holy Online Q&A| March 23, 2026 6pm-7:30pm | RSVP
Daily Activities:
Community Wall | Share a drawing or piece of writing about a special object you have. Materials provided.
Scavenger Hunt | Can you find all the objects on your scavenger hunt?
Notes to Storytellers | Leave a personalized note for the storytellers. How did your assumptions about a particular object change once you heard or read the story?
Objects Made Holy was made possible in part by grants from Maryland State Arts Council and The Peale Community Creators Fund. Thank you to Kim Domanski who said yes in 2024.
Explore the other exhibitions on view at The Peale here.
