Photo: Martha Cooper with John Ahearn At Open Walls Baltimore

Martha Cooper has been down in her hometown of Baltimore documenting the Open Walls Baltimore project. As part of the finale John Ahearn, brother of Charlie Ahearn the director of Wild Style, came through to do some of his iconic plaster sculptures. Here’s what Martha Cooper had to say;

“Baltimore got a dose of vintage street art over Memorial Day as John Ahearn cast two people as part of OWB’s finale. John and I have been friends since the 80’s when he lived, worked and installed pieces on walls in the South Bronx so it was a special treat for me to see him in action in my home town. He and his wife Juanita and little son Carlos drove down from NYC in a van filled with supplies to make sculpture on the street. He also brought five finished casts to hang on the wall so that people could get an idea of what the finished works would look like.

As you can see from the photos below, making a plaster cast of a living person is no easy feat—for the artist or the subject. John chose to cast Bill Maughlin and Kevin Brown who own and operate SNAC, the Station North Arts Cafe, on Charles Street. The cafe is at the epicenter of the designated Station North Arts and Entertainment District and the casts will be hung on its walls when finished so be sure to stop by for a look and a bite when you’re in the area.” - Martha Cooper