Celebrating the Award Winners
The Peale is proud to announce the award-winning artists selected for Built to Last, an exhibition exploring the architecture, memory, and evolving identity of Baltimore through the eyes of local artists.
The exhibition brought together painters, photographers, mixed-media artists, and storytellers whose work reflects the places, landmarks, and neighborhoods that have shaped Baltimore’s past and continue to inspire its future. After careful review by an independent jury and enthusiastic participation from visitors who cast votes for their favorite works, we are pleased to recognize the following artists and artworks.
Learn more about Built to Last and the Life in Baltimore exhibition series.
Jury Selection
First Place
Sarah Daniels
Sarah Daniels is a Baltimore-based writer and photographer. Much of her visual work is focused on contrast and contradiction. Her work encompasses street photography, abstracts, and landscapes. The weirder the content, the better. Sarah prefers to work with tactile, analog materials. She usually shoots on film (with a strong preference for black and white) using simple, manual cameras. She hand-develops her own negatives and prefers to print the photos in her own darkroom. On the rare occasions when she leaves the house without a film camera, she will shoot on her iPhone if she sees something irresistible.
Open
Silver Gelatin, 10x8"
·SOLD·
Second Place
Elise Petersen-Deitrick
Elise Petersen-Deitrick is a Baltimore-based museum professional and artist. She currently works as Cultural Heritage Manager at Sandy Spring Museum in Montgomery County and is active in numerous local and regional museum organizations. Her creative work explores the intersection of craftsmanship, heritage, architecture, and community identity.
Cosmic Tryptic
Textile (Quilt), 50x108"
Third Place
Aynex Mercado
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aynex Mercado is an award-winning fiber artist whose work combines quilting, textile traditions, and architectural storytelling. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including at QuiltCon, the International Quilt Festival, Maryland Hall, and the Delaplaine Arts Center. She was the recipient of the Maryland Governor's Disability Culture and Achievement Award in 2023.
Old Paul's Church
Fiber (Quilt), 17x21"
Fourth Place
Christian Lynch
Christian Lynch is a Baltimore-area photographer and visual storyteller whose work focuses on preserving meaningful moments through photography, videography, and cinematic imagery. Professionally, he brings experience in photography, digital marketing, brand strategy, and content creation, combining technical skill with a passion for narrative-driven visual work.
B&O Company Headquarters
Photograph, 19x13"
Fifth Place
M. Travis Cahill
A technology product manager by day, artist by night working with oil paints and a palette knife, water color, pastels, and acrylic. Most often I paint landscapes. Sometimes you can find me drawing gay things like shirtless men. I paint the things I like, I paint what captures my attention and I don’t have a grand design behind what I’m doing. I often paint what you might find in your grandmother’s kitchen or bathroom or I suppose your guncle’s guest bedroom.
Trial and Lunch
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 18" x .5"
·SOLD·
Jurors
- Catherine Arthur, Chief Curator, Maryland Center for History and Culture
- Jo Briggs, Jennie Walters Delano Curator, 18th- & 19th-Century Art, Walters Art Museum
- Schroeder Cherry, Museum Curator at Morgan State University James E. Lewis Museum of Art
- Imani Haynes, Curator, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture
- Joe Tropea, Curator, City of Baltimore (Mayor’s Office)
People's Choice Awards
Sadia Aaminah
City Mirage
M. Travis Cahill
Trial and Lunch
·SOLD·
Sadia Aaminah
The Road Ahead
Exhibit Catalog
The project is inspired by the original Built To Last: Ten Enduring Landmarks of Baltimore’s Central Business District initiative, launched in 2002 by the U.S. National Park Service in collaboration with the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the Maryland Historical Trust, the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP), and Preservation Maryland.
Supported by
Community Partners