The Trump administration’s interference with DC-area arts institutions is working out pretty well for Baltimore. Here are three big cultural events that have relocated to our neighboring metropolis.
Amy Sherald
The Baltimore Museum of Art landed her highly anticipated exhibition, “Amy Sherald: American Sublime,” after the painter pulled her show from the National Portrait Gallery due to concerns over censorship. It’s a big loss for the Smithsonian. The exhibit–which features her Michelle Obama portrait and 37 other works–has been a significant hit at the BMA: It was completely sold out by late February. (The exhibit closes in April.)
Washington National Opera
The WNO ended 15 years of affiliation with the beleaguered Kennedy Center this past January amid declining donations and attendance. The opera’s new production of West Side Story will now move to the Lyric in Baltimore (as well as Strathmore in North Bethesda). It will be the first WNO performance at the Lyric since 2009.
Philip Glass
In the wake of Trump’s Kennedy Center meddling, the minimalist composer–who was born in Baltimore–nixed the big-deal premiere of his Symphony No. 15, “Lincoln,” and instead will debut it with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in July. Local fans will have to wait: The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will perform the work in June 2027.
This article appears in the April 2026 issue of Washingtonian.
Dara T. Mathis is a journalist and nonfiction writer who joined Washingtonian in Fall 2025 as an Editorial Fellow. A 2024 recipient of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize, she resides in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
