The BMA Lexington Market: From nomadic concept to permanent branch location
To maintain relevance, cultural institutions seek to engage new audiences, strengthen existing relationships, and deepen commitment to community beyond organizational walls. What if we bring the museum to the people?
The BMA Lexington Market, was initiated in 2014 as “BMA Outpost,” the Baltimore Museum of Art’s mobile museum. With Eassa at the helm in 2017, he provide arts programming for Baltimore City residents in different neighborhoods for 18 months.
It was evident that quarterly engagement was not enough for participants.
Dave led the evaluation and strategic planning to reimagine the people centered concept as a permanent community space housed in the historic Lexington Market. A Baltimore hub for people across communities, generating new audiences - 204% increase in visitation and new funding streams for the museum. Within 9 months of operation prior to the Covid-19 shutdown, the BMA Lexington Market served nearly 9,000 Baltimoreans through weekly open hours and 45 public programs.
Public engagement continued virtually, while Dave simultaneously led a qualitative evaluation of program effectiveness surveying participants and program collaborators with the firm Slover Linett. Planned renovations of Lexington Market provided Eassa with the opportunity to develop infrastructure and processes that respond to and center the BMA’s new audiences.
Notable Highlights:
Established relationships with community and corporate partners
Budget development and funding secured, including capital construction
Developed programmatic structure, increased staff, built on-boarding and continued education plan
Led and administered the architectural design process and $250,000 construction budget
BMA Lexington Market, is the museum’s first off-site curatorial platform with Mark Bradford’s Niagara on view Sept. 2023
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