In a recent art show at Memorial Episcopal Church, Coming of the Light II, Sarah Ramirez Cross exhibited her latest block prints. One piece, North American Endangered Species, consists of a series of postcard-size prints on canvas depicting a Black Rail (a marsh bird) and a Gopher Frog. Printed in black ink on beige canvas, the animals are elegantly composed, with curved lines that form patterns suggesting feathers and skin. Multiples of the images are stitched together to create a vibrant homage.
Another print in the series depicts a chimpanzee’s paw print. Repeated block prints are sewn together on canvas and hung beside an image of the earth, rendered with forceful, swirling lines. Sarah’s focus on nature appears in her earlier work, as well. A deer, captured wandering through the Tuscany-Canterbury neighborhood, was exhibited in one of the first shows at Memorial Episcopal. Another work, Peaceable Kingdom 2024, a bas-relief collage, reflects her aesthetic sensitivity through cutouts of animals and people, rendered in soft, muted colors and fluid lines.
Such work reflects what inspires Sarah: animals, environmental stewardship, craftsmanship, history, and art with a message. She cites environmental figures such as Jane Goodall as major influences and attended one of Goodall’s final lectures as part of the 2025 Speaker Series at The Lyric. Sarah calls Goodall “the most important climate evangelist that we have. She made you want to change your life.”
Sarah grew up in rural Howard County surrounded by nature. Her family lived in a New England saltbox house, and she keeps a framed photo of it in her living room. She comes from a creative family; her mother was a fiber artist and teacher, and her father’s family were woodworkers. One set of her grandparents migrated from Cuba and were missionaries to migrant farm workers. Horses and sheep were part of her childhood.
While Sarah retains a love for rural life, she is deeply attached to Bolton Hill, where she has lived for more than twenty years. She shares her W. Lanvale Street rowhouse with her husband Kevin (an attorney and amateur historian who writes often for The Bulletin), and their daughter Caroline, a college senior. The home is filled with treasured art alongside framed artifacts, family portraits, diplomas, architectural drawings, maps, and other documents that tell a story of the family’s history, interests and travels.
When not making art, Sarah teaches high school English in Anne Arundel County. She earned degrees in history and English from Mars Hill College in North Carolina, took graduate coursework in oral history and the civil rights movement at the University of Southern Mississippi (1998–99), and received a master’s degree in teaching from Towson University in 2013. When considering teaching as a career, she thought, “Yes, that is something that I can do.” And she was correct: in 2024 she was nominated for Teacher of the Year in Anne Arundel public schools.
Sarah is active in the Bolton Hill Garden Club, the Bolton Hill Girls Squad and Brown Memorial Church. She has contributed work to multiple exhibitions at Memorial Episcopal and has been a strong advocate for the space, encouraging others to participate and helping spread the word that local artists have a place to show their work. She also enjoys projects that blend art and community, including contributions to the Bolton Hill May Day Basket contests. One entry featured a from-the-shoulders-up cutout portrait of the performer Divine, framed by window shutters; another depicted former mayor William Donald Schaefer as he appeared at the opening of the National Aquarium in the seal pool.
Sarah’s current project merges her interests in history and art: a large-scale mural of Northwest Baltimore, circa 1848, on her dining room wall. Created with support from a twelve-foot ladder, the mural features city landmarks, pastoral landscape features and her dog, Bruno, a fitting detail given her love of animals.
If you spend time walking the streets of Bolton Hill you may well encounter Sarah, Kevin, and Bruno out for a stroll. In the meantime, keep an eye out for Sarah’s work in upcoming Memorial Episcopal shows, May Day contests and other local venues. Additional photos are posted on BHCA Facebook and Instagram pages.
–Francine Marchese
Download PDF