Shutter On The Street » News

Spring has come and so have the buskers…

Shawn Grimes — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:04:19 +0000

Spring has come and so have the buskers. Performers who are protected from the weather, like in the subways of New York, go year round. But here in Baltimore, aside from a few determined performers who don’t let a little cold slow them down, there is a season to it.
For me, the season kicks off with the Harborplace Street Performer auditions. This event was held last weekend on a beautiful, albeit windy, April day. Prospective performers looking to be put on the 2009 schedule perform a 5-10 minute show before a panel of judges. The applicants this year ranged from clowns, jugglers, musicians, and a balancing act. The crowds were supportive and enjoyed the variety of acts. The festivities were MC’d by the great Jerry Rowan. As a seasoned performer, he did a great job of building up a crowd for the auditioning performers to work with.
One of the first acts I saw that day was a young auditioning female juggler, Laura Ernst. The high winds were tough on her juggling act but she did finish with a rather unique gimmick; she invited a person from the crowd to come and stand on her mid section while she did a back bend. It was a bit of out the ordinary but did a good job of helping me to remember her act.

Project Status

Shawn Grimes — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:04:21 +0000

Just wanted to put a note out there to all my visitors. The project is currently on hiatus during the cold winter months but will return in the near future as the ice on the trees begins to melt and the trees and flowers start to bloom and the tourists come out to be entertained by the buskers once again.

Off to Boston

Shawn Grimes — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:00:51 +0000

I’m off to Boston next week (8/1-??) for a few days and I’ll be looking for street performers to photograph and interview. If you know of someone, or an area where you’ve seen a really good performer, please send me an email at shawn [@] shutteronthestreet [dot] com.

St. Patrick’s Day Practice

Shawn Grimes — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:46:58 +0000

Taking advantage of the clear skys and warm sunshine we’ve been experiencing lately, I took a trip downtown to get some practice shooting for the project. Many people were visiting the local bars since it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend and where there are people gathered en masse, there are street performers waiting to entertain and pick up tips.

Taking advantage of the holiday, this lad delivered a wee bit o’ the Irish heritage to the pedestrian traffic by way of the bagpipes. His delivery was simple but effective; he stood on the sidewalk with his case opened before him and just played. As he played “Amazing Grace”, the dollars dripped into his case from passers by.

Across the street a sign spinner twirled his giant arrow above his head and behind his back. Sign spinners are a new form of performer that I discovered this year during a trip out to San Diego. I was thrilled to see them in Baltimore when I returned. They are usually young persons hired to energetically spin signs directing traffic to new store openings or real estate opportunities. Many of them are full of enthusiasm and dance and wave as they rock out to their iPods. I will be looking to discover more about this new urban medium over the coming months.

Over at the Inner Harbor Gallery Amphitheatre, a juggler by the name of “Bert The Nerd” had drawn a large crowd of on lookers with his juggling shenanigans (sorry, I couldn’t help it, the word fit well with the St. Patrick’s theme). Bert The Nerd ended his show by juggling three lit torches atop a 6 foot giraffe unicycle (a giraffe unicycle is one with a chain, or one where the crank arms are not attached directly to the axle). A unique item about Bert was that he had created his own comic book that he was giving away for donations of $10 or more. The comic book supposedly told the story of how he turned the anger he was feeling from having $1,000 worth of gear stolen from his car into creative energy and created the comic book. He encouraged the kids in the crowd to turn their anger and frustration into something creative and positive. I thought it was a great moral and $10 is not a bad price for a 20 minute show and a comic book.

On the way back to the car, I passed a soulful gentleman playing his busted guitar atop a milk crate. He sang in front of a rather large cardboard box to collect his tips. His lackluster guitar had no impact on the passionate hymns that he sung. As I approached him, he stopped mid song and said, “I’ve got the perfect song for you.” I liked that he personalized his performance and he liked that I dropped a few bucks in his box.

Until next time…

In The Beginning…

Shawn Grimes — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:32:08 +0000

Welcome to Shutter on the Street.

This site will feature photographs from Shawn Grimes of all types of street entertainers practicing their art before their captive audiences and give you, the reader, a chance to learn about their craft. The project will begin in the Spring of 2008 and wrap up the following Fall.

People go to the theatre with the purpose of being entertained. They are seated and corralled and forced to focus at the stage before them and there is a set price for viewing the show. In contast, Street performers must draw their crowd from unsuspecting passer-bys. People will interrupt their shopping, touring, or other plans to stop and watch a street performer. Many street performers lose the advantage of an elevated stage and are positioned at the same level as their audience. Patrons must be magnetically drawn in by the performers presence and convinced to donate a sum of money relative to the entertainment received.

The project will begin in the Spring of 2008 and wrap up the following Fall. I will try to post a new photograph each Friday along with a quick blurb about street performing. My focus will encompass a wide range of subjects; from the professional to the commoner and everything in between. Anyone who is providing entertainment to pedestrian traffic is a potential focus for my work. If you are a performer or know of an exceptional performer in the mid-atlantic area that you would like included, feel free to email me at shawn[at]shutteronthestreet[dot]com.

About Me

I am 28 years old and have been interested in photography for the past 6 years. Since I was a small child I have maintained an interest in non-traditional forms of art and entertainment such as side show acts, magic, fire handling, etc. I’ve even taken up a few as hobbies. I’m fascinated by their ability to attract people and draw them in to an impromptu performance.