West Baltimore Lives

West Baltimore Lives is a public, community based, art project that chronicles the people and oral histories of West Baltimore. This project was created by Bayeté Ross Smith and Raquel DeAnda for ROOTS Fest 2011. Music for the original 15 oral histories and "Got The Power: Baltimore" by Reggie Ruckus of Baltimore, MD.

West Baltimore Lives is an ongoing project which is updated by members of the West Baltimore community.
It also includes an installation of "Got The Power: Boom Boxes and Community Soundtracks", which creates portraits of diverse communities through audio recordings that are broadcast from a tower of boom boxes installed in an urban center.

Bay Bay Williams Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Bay Bay Williams

Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Posted June 22, 2011 at 3:26 am 2 notes

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Bay Bay Williams

For Bay Bay Williams vision of West Baltimore click the play icon above

Posted June 22, 2011 at 3:25 am

Waymon LeFall Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Waymon LeFall

Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Posted June 22, 2011 at 3:24 am

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Waymon Lefall

For Waymon LeFall’s vision of West Baltimore click the play icon above

Posted June 22, 2011 at 3:23 am

Zelda Robinson Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Zelda Robinson

Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Posted June 22, 2011 at 3:20 am

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Zelda Robinson

For Zelda Robinson’s vision of West Baltimore click the play icon above

Posted June 22, 2011 at 3:19 am

John Carrington Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

John Carrington

Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Posted June 22, 2011 at 3:18 am

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] John Carrington

For John Carrington’s vision of West Baltimore click the play icon above 

Posted June 22, 2011 at 3:15 am

Maxine Smith Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Maxine Smith

Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Posted June 22, 2011 at 2:58 am

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Maxine

For Maxine Smith’s vision of West Baltimore click the play icon above

Posted June 22, 2011 at 2:57 am

Sh’Nya McCray and Jade Johnson Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Sh’Nya McCray and Jade Johnson

Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Posted June 22, 2011 at 2:45 am 4 notes

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Sh'Nya & Jade

For Sh’Nya and Jade’s vision of West Baltimore click the play icon above

Posted June 22, 2011 at 2:32 am

Melvin Horton Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Melvin Horton

Photograph by Bayeté Ross Smith

Posted June 22, 2011 at 2:02 am

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Melvin Horton

For Melvin Horton’s vision of West Baltimore click the play icon above

Posted June 22, 2011 at 2:00 am