Stanley Mazaroff and Nancy Dorman have lived on Park Avenue for more than half a century and during that time have become important figures in the art world as collectors, critics and scholars. Now in their 80s, they are downsizing — to the benefit of Bolton Hill and the city.
They have offered, and BHCA has accepted, a gift of six outdoor sculptures by nationally and internationally known artists. With city government and MICA collaboration the sculptures will be installed and preserved in parks and green spaces throughout Bolton Hill and Madison Park. Added to the 28 art pieces already adorning the neighborhood, the contributions will make Bolton Hill a unique draw for those who cherish outdoor sculpture.
“This is an act of huge generosity, which will make the neighborhood we all love even more special,” said Amy Sheridan, BHCA’s president. The association board voted unanimously to accept the gift and to embark on a fundraising campaign to cover movement, installation, signage and other expenses associated with exhibiting them.
The couple already has given 100 works of art to the Baltimore Museum of Art and contributed $5 million to BMA for the Nancy Dorman and Stanley Marazoff Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs. The center is dedicated to the presentation, study, and preservation of the BMA’s works on paper collection: more than 57,000 prints, 4,000 drawings and 4,000 photographs from the 15th century through the present.
The donation to Bolton Hill includes Emerald, by John Ferguson; The Prodigious Building, by Jon Isherwood; Split Rock, by Jon Ruppert; Wolf Reclamation Project, by Leonard Streckfus; Crouching Movement, by Kristen Campbell and Heat Exchanger, by David Hess.
Under the agreement with Mazaroff and Dorman, BHCA will receive the gifts and transfer them to the City’s Department of Recreation and Parks and Department of Housing and Community Development and MICA. BHCA’s Greening Committee and its park stewards will oversee the project. The committee has set up a group led by Lee Tawney and Linda Stirling to consult with those artists who are living and to work out placement details.
The parties agreed to expedite the transfer in the hopes of having all the works in place during 2024.
To learn more about the sculptures and their creators, click here. See a full sized gallery at the bottom of the article.
Stanley Mazaroff is a Baltimore native and successful lawyer who served in the Peace Corps, in the U.S. Army, and as a U.S. Senate staff member. He was a senior partner at the Venable law firm, retiring in 2001 after 30 years to return to school and become an art historian. He has written books on employment law and two books and numerable articles for art publications. He served on the Walters Art Museum Board of Trustees.
Nancy Dorman served on President Carter’s Domestic Policy Staff in the White House in the 1970s. In Baltimore she became a Vice President and member of the board of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Maryland SPCA.