Credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
The Office of the Provost Arts Initiative hosted a festive event for the Johns Hopkins community at the Baltimore Museum of Art on April 30, when more than 650 students, faculty, and staff from across the university gathered at the renowned museum right next door to the Homewood campus.
Among the gathering were Arts Initiative leaders Provost Ray Jayawardhana and art historian Daniel Weiss, a humanities professor in the Krieger School who is senior adviser to the provost for the arts.
"The evening was a compelling reminder of the power of the arts to convene and connect," Jayawardhana said. "Seeing such broad representation from the Hopkins community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, and their guests—gathered to engage with the BMA's extraordinary collections and with each other was truly meaningful. It reinforced how much our partnership with the BMA enriches the cultural life of our university and our city."
"This event represents a significant milestone in our efforts to elevate the arts through the Provost's Office Arts Initiative," Weiss said. "Our hope is to continue to provide our Hopkins colleagues and neighboring communities with opportunities for connection, reflection, inspiration, and creation through the arts."
Affiliates and their guests spent the evening admiring the BMA's extensive collection while enjoying refreshments and live music by Peabody performers: solo guitarist Julien Xuereb and a quartet of string musicians from Canterbury Strings.
The Arts Initiative was launched in spring of 2024 under the guidance of Jayawardhana to elevate and enhance arts offerings across the university, embracing the potential of the arts to invigorate community, enrich student learning, enhance wellness and human flourishing, and inspire the exchange of ideas across disciplines and divisions.
For the past year, the direction of the Arts Initiative has been deliberated by a Taskforce on the Arts, led by Weiss and made up of faculty, staff, administrators, and students from across seven divisions at Hopkins. This spring, the taskforce will deliver its final recommendations, which will include opportunities for programming, facilities and cultural offerings, collaborations, and sustaining the project. As JHU celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026, the team will start to implement its plan.
"As a proud Johns Hopkins alumna and as director of the Baltimore Museum of Art, it was meaningful to see JHU students, faculty, and staff in joyful dialogue with BMA curators, conservators, and educators," said Asma Naeem, A&S '91. "To all Blue Jays, please know that this is your museum. This partnership exemplifies what's possible when two great institutions come together with shared purpose—and I can't wait to see where it takes us next."
