BALTIMORE, Md. — Baltimore Spirits Company (BSC) and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) today announced the launch of a new $10,000 annual award to be granted to a graduating MICA MA or MFA student. The Baltimore Spirits Company Launch Artists in Baltimore (LAB) Award will be given to a student that displays exceptional promise in painting, sculpture, film, video, mixed media, or performing art.
As part of the program, BSC is releasing a new whiskey called The Artist Series that will be released each year the award is given with proceeds funding the $10,000 prize. The first edition of The Artist Series Whiskey is a single barrel, two-year cask-strength single malt rye. The spirit is 118 proof (59% ABV) and will be available for purchase from their tasting room, The Cocktail Gallery, in the Medfield Union Collective on March 17th for $64.99. Pre-orders are open now through www.baltimorespiritsco.com.
The MICA graduating class of 2022 will be the first eligible to apply for the award, which in addition to a financial prize also offers the opportunity to exhibit work or documentation of work in The Cocktail Gallery. Applicants will be required to submit a portfolio of their work as well as a personal statement about their future creative endeavors. The winner will be announced on June 1st, 2022.
BSC says that the aim of the award is to provide a launching platform for graduating students to enter and meaningfully contribute to Baltimore’s rich cultural landscape. Max Lents, BSC co-founder and CEO, says that as artists themselves they’re proud to be able to contribute to future Baltimore culture.
“We consider ourselves artists as much as anything else, and we’ve been lucky to find some success in following our creative passions,” said Lents. “It’s always been apparent to us that Baltimore’s soul and spirit are inextricable from its artistic youth. We feel there’s no better way to invest in our city’s future than to empower young artists within our community.”
Applications for the Baltimore Spirits Company LAB Award are open now through April 18th, 2022.
About Baltimore Spirits Company
Founded in 2015 by friends Ian Newton (CFO), Max Lents (CEO), and Eli Breitburg-Smith (Head Distiller), the Baltimore Spirits Co® distills premium, award-winning spirits that express the culture, chorus, and meaning of Baltimore, restoring an industry of rye whiskey and spirits manufacturing to Maryland. In their new, state-of-the-art distillery located in the Baltimore Union Collective building, they combine modern distillation techniques with Old World craftsmanship to create expressive spirits that can only come from bold, forward-thinking experimentation. Their portfolio includes Shot Tower® Gin (Gold Medal Winner at both the New York International Spirits Competition and San Francisco World Spirits Competition), Epoch Straight® Rye (Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition), Fumes Pumila® Smoked Apple Brandy, and Baltamaro®, a volume of flavored Amari consisting of Fernet, Coffee, and Szechuan Amaro. For additional information visit baltimorespiritsco.com.
For More Information:
https://www.mica.edu/student-resources/gradcommunity/2021-graduate-fellowships/baltimore-spirit-award-2022/