THAT THE MORE PEOPLE WE BRING THROUGH THE MORE MAGIC WE’RE ABLE TO GENERATE IN THE SPACE OUR GOAL. THAT’S DID CHRISTOPHER BEDFORD SIX YEARS AT THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART CREATING A SPACE FOR BALTIMORE FILLED WHIT WORKS OF ART BY BALTIMOREANS, BUT IT BRINGS SUCCESS BACK TO BALTIMORE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT BRINGS EYES BACK TO BALTIMORE. SO I WORKEDT A THIS FOR SO LONG AND NOW I’M SEEING THE FRUITS OF MY LABOR THIS MORNING. WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AND LOOK AHEAD AS CHRISTOPHER BEDFORD PREPARES TO TAKE ON AEW N ROLE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THE BMA SEARESCH FOR ITS NEXT LEADER. MORNING EVERYONE. I’M JASON NEWTON FOR1 1 TV HILL AUSEU MM THAT REFLECTS THE COMMUNITY THAT IT SERVES THAT’S BEEN CHRISTOPHER BEDFORD’S MISSION AS DIRECTOR OF THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART NOW AFTER SIX YRSEA LEAD IN THE MUSEUM. HE’S TAKING ON A NEW ROLE IN SAN FRANCISCO THIS MORNING. WE SIT DOWN WITH BEDFORD TO DISCUSS WHAT’S NEXT FOR HIMSELF THE MUSEUM AND A LOOK AT BLACK ARDEN BALTIMORE. WE BEGIN WITH A AT THE ART ITSELF. YOU'R’ DOING THIS NOW IS CHRIS BEDFORD DIRECTOR HERE BMA. GOOD TO SEE ME. VERY NICE TOEE S YOU. TELL ME ABOUT CURATING FOR BALTIMORE. I’M SURE THAT EVERY CYIT IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT LITTLE DIFFERENT A LITTLE DIFFERENT, BUT I CAME HERE WITH A VERY PA RTICULAR VISION, WHICH I THINK VERY FORTUNATELY UNFDOL POSITIVELY I HAD THIS CONCEPT THAT YOU KNOW, WE’RE LIVGIN IN THE MIDST OF A GENERATION WHAT I CALL A GOLDEN GENERATION OF BLACK AMERINCA ARTTSIS WHO ARE REDEFINING ABSTRACT PAIINGNT ABSTRACT SCULPTURE INCREASINGLY FIGUTIRAON AND EVEN FINDING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN ARTIST. OKAY. SOHE T EXPERIMENT WHICH HAD NO PROOF OF CONCEPT AT THE BEGINNING WAS WHAT IFOU Y MADE THEM THE LEADING EDGE OF A PROGRAM IN THE CICIV MUSEUM AND USE THEIR INTELLIGENCE, THEIR UNIQUE INTELLIGENCE IS VERY MUCH INTELLIGENCE OF THE MOMENT. YEAHID D DIFFERENTLY CONNECT AN INSTITUTIONS TO A CITY THAT IS MAJORITY BLACK WHAT WLD HOUAPPEN SO WE’VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR SIX YEARS AND I THINK YOU KNOW, WE’RE SURROUNDED BY SOME OF THE RESULTS. I THINK IT WORKS. YEAH, HOWO D BALTIMOREANS CONSUME? I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK AT MOVIES YOU’LL SEE YORK THAT’S SITTING ON THE BENCH AND THE GUY COULD SIT THEREOR F TWO HOURS AND RIGHT. WELL YOU SEE PEOPLE FROM BALTIMORE COME INND A LOOK WHAT WHAT’S THEIR EXPERIENCE LIKE WELL, I MEAN, I THINK THAT THEIR ENERGIZED BY SEEING REPRESENTATIONS OF LIFE AND PEOPLE THAT RELATE TO THEIR OWN LIVED EXPERIENCE,ND A WE’RE A FREE MUSEUM WHICH IS FABULOUS. SO IN THE WEEKEND IN PARTICULAR IF YOU COMEN I HERE, IT LOOKS LIKE BALTIMORE IT HAS THE ENERGY OF BALTIMORE IF USA DOWNTOWN IN THE INNER HARBOR IF YOU’ IREN HAMDEN, IT FEELS LIKE THAT INSIDE THE MUSEUM. YEAH, WHICH IS WTHA I THINK WE WERE AFTER WHEN WE WERE CONCEPTUALIZING FUTURE OF THE INSTITUTION DID ALL SIX YEARS TO FIGURE THIS OUT. YEAH, I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EVEN MENTION TSEHO TWO SPLIT OSETH TWO AREAS EARLY ON WE’RE WALKING IN A GOODNE. O REALLY GDOO BECAUSE IT BRINGS OUT A LOT OF EMOTION WHEN YOU THINK AUTBO 9/11 AND WHAT PYRAMID MAY SYMBOLIZE. YEAH, TELL ME ABOUT THIS ONE BECAUSE IT’S THE FIRST THING YOU SEE WHEN YOU WALK INTO THE DOOR. YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS INTERESTING IN SO MANY WAYS AND I COULD TALK AUTBO IT UNINTERRUPTED FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES. YEAH, I WON’T DO BUT WE WENT THROUGH A PREYTT HISTORIC GEAR SESSIONING WHICH IS JUST A FANCY WORD FOR SELLING ARTS. YEAH IN 2018. THE FIRST PAINTING THAT WE BOUGHT WITH THAT ROUGHLY 20 MILLION DOLLAR HAULAS W THIS WORK BY JACK WHITTEN AT THE TIME. I TNKHI WE PURCHASED IT FOR $600,000 AND I CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE. IT’S A VIRTUALLY PRICELESS WORK OF ART AT THIS POINT. UNFORTUNATELY. JACK IS DECEASED. THERE ARE VERY FEW PAINTIN OGSN THE SCALAR OF THIS QUALITY THAT EXIST ANYMORE. SO I TNKHI THE BMA IS UNBELIEVABLY FORTUNATE TO HAVE IT. I’VE SAID MANY MANY TIMES. I THINK THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PAINTING I’LL EVER BUY FOR A MUSEUM REALLY TO ME YOU CAN TELL AN ENRETI THREE OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE 20TH CENTURY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY USING THIS OBJECT. THE SURFACE IS EMBEDDDE WITH OBJECTS THAT HE GATHERED FROM GROUND ZER THEO PYRAMID OBVIOUSLY, I THINK IT EVOKES THE SHEAR STATURE THE SHEER SCA OLEF ONE OF THE TOWERS. OKAY, IT HAS A KIND OF SUBLIME DIMENSION TO IT AND THE REASON TO EMBED THE SURFACE WITH MATERIALS GATHERED AT THE11 9 SITE IS TO CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF THOSE WHO PASSED IN THAT MOMENT AND THAT’S A REFERENCE TO HIS INVESTMENT IN THE WORK OF CONTINENTAL. YEAH, THE INVEST OBJECTS WITH THE SPIRIT OF OUR ANCESTORS. SO THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF IT BECAEUS WE COULD SIT HERE AND COME UP WITH 13 DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE ALSO DIFFERENTLY BUT WITH YOU ARREIV AT THE SAME THE SAME POINT THERE. YEAH, AND I THINKOR F ME THE WORK RADIATES YOUR HS UMON THE WALL. I THINK IT’S QUITE DIFFERENT FROM ANY OERTH OBJECT AND OUR MUSEUM, AND I I REALLY DO WHOLEHEARTEDLY BELIEVE IN 150 YEARS. THIS WILL BE AS IMPORTANT TO THIS MUSEUM AS MATISSE’S BLUE DENU. YEAH FOR THE MUSEUM RIGHT NOW. YEAH, BUT YOU’VE MENTIONED TWICE TRYING MAKE SURE THAT YOU GOT BL ACK ARTISTS AND FEMALE ARTISTS IN ORDER TO DO THAT YOU HAD TO FIND THE CAPITAL TO DO IT IT BECAME AN UPHILL BATTLE. DID YOU DID YOU ANTICIPATE THE BATTLE THAT WILL COME BEFORE YOU AS YOU WANT TO MAKE THAT CHANGE, YOU KNOW,UT B IT WASN’T ANTICIPATED FOR ME BY SOME OF MY MOST ART AND EARLY SUPPORTERS WHO SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS MAY BE GOING SWIMMINGLY AT THE BEGINNING BUT WHEN YOU KPEE GOING AND THERE’S A DERMTEINATION TO MOVE IN THIS COURSE EVENTUALLY PEOEPL ARE GOING TO SEE FAULT IN THE MANEUVER AND WANT YOU TO REVERT BACK TO A SORT OF WHITE FOCUSED INSTIT. AND THERE WERE AS YOU ALL KNOW TH OSE MOMENTS IN OUR RECENT TRAJECTORY WORTH IT IN THE END. HOW MUCH IS THATHE T CATEGORICALLY? YES. NO, I WOULDN'’ CHANGE ONE THING. YEAH. WELL, I REMEMBER COMING HERE ROLLER PKAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I WAS PRIVATE IN THE SECOND GRADE AND THERE WAS A MAGIC TO IT. IHI TNK IT WAS TWO REASONS. I THINK ONE IT WAS DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW TO A MUSEUM EVERY DAY, BUT ALSO IT WAS A MUSEUM RIGHT AND IT SOAKED IN. I’M CURIOUSHE WN YOU’RE THE PERSON WHO LEADS THE PLACE AND YOU SEE TOUR GROUPS COME IN OR YOU SEE YOUR FIRST TIME I COME IN YOU WATCH THEM. FEEL THAT SAME MAGICOR F YOU. OH MY GH,OS ABSOLUTELY. AND I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ANY MUSEUM DIRECTOR TO ROUTILYNE WALK THE GALLERIES. YEAH, SO THAT YOU REMIND YOURSELF WHAT YOU’RE DNGOI AND WHY AND THAT’SFT OEN SEEN IN THE WAY THAT KIDS IN PARTICULAR PUBLIC SCHOOLIDS K FROM BALTIMORE INTERACT WITH OBJECTS, AND I THINK I HAVE THIS FANSYTA THAT THE MEOR PEOPLE WE BRING THROUGH THE MORE MAGIC WE’RE ABLE TO GENERATE IN THE SPACE THE MORE LIKYEL IT IS THAT SOMEBODY WHO’S CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THAT SCHOOL IS EVENTUALLY ME IN 20 YESAR SURE. THAT WOULD BE EXTRAORDINARY.