Ghost Rivers Updates

Latest news, press, announcements, and upcoming Ghost Rivers events below — join the email list or follow on Instagram for more.

Media inquiries & interview requests email hi@brucewillen.com

 
 
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Ghost Rivers in the news

I’m thrilled to see so many folks responding to Ghost Rivers and discussing buried waterways in Baltimore and beyond. Check out these features and interviews to learn more about the origins of the project and the bigger issues that Ghost Rivers explores:

 
 
 
 

thank you!

Huge thanks to everyone who came out to the Ghost Rivers ribbon cutting and community celebration on October 19. It was wonderful to see so many folks who contributed to the project in ways large and small and to feel the support from the neighborhood. An amazing reminder of how public art can bring people together.

 
 

Special gratitude to the Underground Water Goddess and her attendants for animating the event with music and puppetry, and for leading us all along the path of Sumwalt Run.

And thanks again to supporters Maryland State Arts Council, Gutierrez Memorial Fund, Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Spiniello, and BCT Design Group; to partners Greater Remington Improvement Association, Blue Water Baltimore, Baltimore National Heritage Area, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Baltimore City Department of Public Works, Baltimore City Office of Sustainability, and Friends of Wyman Park Dell; and everyone else who played a role in bringing Ghost Rivers to life.

Guided Walking Tours

More guided tours are planned for Spring 2024. Follow @publicmechanics on Instagram and join our email list to get early notifications.

The artist and Blue Water Baltimore are hosting two guided walking tours. These tours are also free, but space is limited — register at the links below to reserve a spot:

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Ribbon Cutting Event!

Thurs. October 19, 2023 at B. Willow

Join us to celebrate the first phase of this neighborhood-spanning public art installation

  • 5–7 PM : Reception w/ light refreshments courtesy Peabody Heights Brewery

  • 5:45 PM : Ribbon-cutting & puppet procession featuring the Undergound Water Goddess

Rain date : Sunday, October 22 (event 3–5PM)

B. Willow is located 220 W 27th Street, Baltimore, MD 21211

 

collaborative drawing at Remfest, Sept. 24, 2022

Blue Water Baltimore and I teamed up for a fun collaborative drawing of the lost stream Sumwalt Run at Remfest 2022. With the help of many creative folks of all ages, we covered the 7-11 parking lot in a giant chalk-art mural!

Folks drew fish, frogs, bugs, plants, tiny surfers, a crocodile, and much much more on our big mural above the site of the lost stream Sumwalt Run.

We also chatted with hundreds of visitors about Ghost Rivers, buried urban streams, and ways to protect Baltimore’s watershed.

Thanks to everyone who helped bring our river to life!


 
Chalk drawing in a parking lot that says 'Help Bring our River to Life!'
An artist and kids drawing with chalk in a parking lot
Chalk drawings in the parking lot mural
Three artists draw a collaborative waterway mural in a parking lot
A young boy holds up his chalk-covered hands for the camera
A young artist draws with chalk in the parking lot for the Ghost Rivers mural
 
 

Ghost Rivers on WYPR Public Radio, Oct. 5, 2021

I spoke about Baltimore’s lost rivers and Sumwalt Run on a recent episode of WYPR’s Maryland Curiousity Bureau. Also interviewed are artist Ashley Milburn and Alice Volpitta of Blue Water Baltimore.