Today was the first day of a road trip heading south. Baltimore is a city with many charms. But for me the place I must visit every trip here is the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM).
The museum exhibits the work of largely unknown, untrained artists. This is the art I collect, so to have gallery after gallery of whimsical, thought-provoking art is near nirvana.
Much of the work is made from found materials. There are paintings, weaving, embroidery, sculpture and more. One artist creates exclusively from matchsticks. A very moving exhibit was the work of a holocaust survivor who told her story in a series of detailed embroideries.
And there is a shop—an extravaganza of crazy items laid out in a way that draws you in and then makes your head spin.