BMA Presents Heavy with History: Devin Allen and the Baltimore Uprising

The exhibition of 35 rarely shown photographs commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of Freddie Gray and the Baltimore Uprising

BALTIMORE, MD (April 9, 2025)—On April 16, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will present a focus exhibition of 35 rarely shown photographs by Baltimore-based artist Devin Allen. Heavy with History: Devin Allen and the Baltimore Uprising documents a defining moment in the city’s history by capturing the raw emotion of the protests that followed Freddie Gray’s untimely death in 2015. Organized by Lisa Snowden-McCray, Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Baltimore Beat, this exhibition of powerful black-and-white images shows impassioned protestors, joyful children, wary police officers, and a collective righteous anger, pain, and advocacy for a different future. The exhibition also includes a soundscape featuring voices of the Baltimore Uprising for visitors to listen to while they are in the gallery. The exhibition is on view through June 22, 2025.

“Devin Allen’s photographs are evocative, poignant, and magnetic. They draw you into a critical moment in time, reflecting a raw and shared humanity,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “We are honored to collaborate with Lisa Snowden-McCray to present these significant works as we remember Freddie Gray and the Baltimore Uprising and to capture the resilience and beauty of our city in the face of incredible sadness and trauma. Heavy with History is part of our institutional commitment to platform the voices of our community, and we look forward to inviting people into the museum to experience the exhibition.”

Additional Freddie Gray/Baltimore Uprising commemorations include a special issue of Baltimore Beat on April 9; Freddie Gray & The Baltimore Uprising:10 Years Later Reflecting, Reckoning, and Rebuilding at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture on April 10-11; In the Wake of: Resilience and Revolution, an exhibition of photography by Paul Abowd, Devin Allen, and Joseph (J.M.) Giordano on view at the Creative Alliance through April 19; and the world premiere of the Baltimore Legacy Project documentary Baltimore Still Rising at the Senator Theater on April 24.

 Freddie Gray died on April 19, 2015, at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma. Baltimore City Police officers had arrested Gray a week before, claiming he ran after making eye contact with them while he was walking with two friends. West Baltimore resident Kevin Moore captured video of a screaming Gray being dragged to a police van, where he was soon found unconscious with his spinal cord nearly severed. Four other Black men in this country had recently suffered public deaths in police custody, and Gray’s death was a tipping point, setting off weeks of protests across Baltimore City. Journalists from around the world came to Baltimore to document these events, but no one saw this moment quite like Devin Allen, a 26-year-old born and raised in West Baltimore.

Allen had begun attending some of the protests organized in Baltimore in solidarity with Ferguson, Missouri, after police shot and killed Mike Brown. After Gray died, he decided to document this moment of human reckoning by photographing every protest held in Gray’s honor. Allen was driven to offer a new narrative of Baltimore as place of passion, activism, and deep commitment to community. He has said, “I just remember Gordon Parks talking about using a camera as a weapon.” He captured more than 4,000 images over the course of several weeks. Each image is a powerful testament to this historic period. Allen’s black-and-white photographs convey the essence of this rust belt town and allow us to witness this defining chapter for Baltimore and the country.

Heavy with History: Devin Allen and the Baltimore Uprising is organized by Lisa Snowden-McCray and Tracey Beale, BMA Director of Public Programs.

Devin Allen

About the Baltimore Museum of Art

Founded in 1914, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) inspires people of all ages and backgrounds through exhibitions, programs, and collections that tell an expansive story of art—challenging long-held narratives and embracing new voices. Our outstanding collection of more than 97,000 objects spans many eras and cultures and includes the world’s largest public holding of works by Henri Matisse; one of the nation’s finest collections of prints, drawings, and photographs; and a rapidly growing number of works by contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds. The museum is also distinguished by a neoclassical building designed by American architect John Russell Pope and two beautifully landscaped gardens featuring an array of modern and contemporary sculpture. The BMA is located three miles north of the Inner Harbor, adjacent to the main campus of Johns Hopkins University, and has a community branch at Lexington Market. General admission is free so that everyone can enjoy the power of art.