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The Peale is Baltimore’s Community Museum.

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 (2025) by Sarah Daniels

Open
Silver Gelatin, 10x8"

·SOLD·

When I spotted the Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church reflected in a store window on Charles Street, it stopped me in my tracks. The resulting photograph, "Open," (taken on black and white 35mm film) is an exploration of the ephemeral nature of history at the intersection of commerce and faith. Now dwarfed by its taller neighbors, the grand aging church reflected in modern plate glass speaks to the dichotomies often encountered in the modern urban landscape, most notably the tension between preservation and innovation. The hand-developed photograph is a study in high-contrast values, both visual and metaphorical.

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 (2025) by Elise Petersen-Deitrick

Cosmic Tryptic
Textile (Quilt), 50x108"

The starry ceiling at Old St. Paul's references a Gothic motif found in sacred spaces around the world. Historically, this feature served to elevate the spiritual experience of parishioners by invoking a sense of awe and reflection on the beauty and vastness of the cosmos. My quilt reimagines this feature of Old St. Paul's in textile form. Quilts, like buildings, are the products of a sophisticated tradition of craftsmanship that demands both structural understanding and artistic vision. Both provide shelter and warmth and contribute to our sense of environmental and communal identity. In reimagining this rich visual tradition in quilted form, the artist pays homage to Old St. Paul's, to the broader architectural traditions from which it descends, and to the timeless human impulse to connect the earthly and the celestial through tactile craftsmanship and material culture.
QR code to scan and bid for Cosmic Triptych.

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 (2025) by Aynex Mercado

Old Paul's Church
Fiber (Quilt), 17x21"

This quilt reimagines Old St. Paul's Church as a luminous sanctuary, honoring its enduring presence in Baltimore's history. Intricate piecing and bold colors evoke the church's grand architecture and the light that has guided generations within its walls. Overhead, the "Star-Spangled Banner" is quilted into the sky, symbolizing resilience and American identity-a nod to Baltimore's role in our national story. Through fabric, the quilt celebrates both the church's spiritual legacy and the community's ongoing acts of preservation.
QR code to bid for Old Paul’s Church; scan to bid

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 (2025) by Christian Lynch

B&O Company Headquarters
Photograph, 19x13"

I aim to illustrate a compelling story with every photo and video. Visual storytelling is very important to me, and I want to help others share their stories and bring them to life through creative photography, videography, and cinematography. Whether it's celebrating accomplishments, documenting events, or just freezing a moment in time, I want to ensure those moments are forever preserved.
QR code labeled 'Scan to Bid' for bidding, related to B&O Railroad Company Headquarters.

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 (2025) by Matthew Cahill

Trial and Lunch
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 18" x .5"

·SOLD·

More than a decade ago, I worked at a law firm with offices at One South Street. We were steps away from the Vickers Building and often went to Werners for lunch, and yet I never really looked at the building. When I saw the call for submissions, I thumbed through the list of buildings and was surprised to see one I half recognized. I thought it would be rewarding to have breakfast at Werners so I could snag a few reference photos and take a trip down memory lane. One colleague has passed, another has dementia and remembers me, but can no longer remember the work we did. One day I may no longer remember those friends, the building, or weekly lunches. The Vickers and Werners will likely outlast me, but as I painted I had the joy of remembering time spent with friends and their legacy will stick with me.

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 street with tall glass skyscrapers reflecting neighboring buildings beside a brick and stone historic facade.

City Mirage

QR code to bid for City Mirage — scan to participate in bidding.

M. Travis Cahill

Trial and Lunch

·SOLD·

Sadia Aaminah

Black-and-white urban street scene with a tall brick building, streetlight, and a 'Road Work Ahead' sign near construction cones on the sidewalk.

The Road Ahead

QR code for bidding, with a rounded 'Scan to Bid' button and the heading '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

Preservation Maryland logo
The red brick facade of the Peale building. The front steps are colored like the rainbow flag.
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