Jones Falls 2076

Jones Falls 2076 imagines alternative futures for Baltimore’s founding river through 14 newly commissioned speculative works by artists, designers, writers, and community members. The exhibition envisions a radically restored Jones Falls in the year 2076: unburied, reconnected, repaired, and once again centered as an ecological, social, and civic heart of Baltimore.

For more than 50 years, the river has been hidden beneath I-83, despite having helped make Baltimore an industrial powerhouse. As the elevated highway approaches the projected end of its lifespan, the exhibition considers what might happen if Baltimore reclaims the waterway. It asks how people relate to the river, its human and nonhuman neighbors, and future generations, while inviting visitors to contribute their own dream-like and aspirational visions through participatory design activities.

When: October 15–November 22, 2026

Venue: The Peale Museum, 3rd Floor Galleries

Tickets: Price not available

Featured works: The exhibition includes new works by Katryna Carter, Alyssa Dennis, Kondwani Fidel, Curry J. Hackett, Eric Johnson, Andrew Paul Keiper, Julie Shapiro, Mahan Rykiel Associates, Ashley Minner Jones, Xena Ni, Hugh Pocock, Lia Purpura, Unknown Studio, Nicholas Wisniewski, Merrell Hambleton, and Ziger|Snead Architects.

Additional material: A historical survey traces plans, visions, and depictions of the Jones Falls from the 1800s to the present, including efforts to tame, bury, and divert the river as well as more recent proposals to daylight and reclaim it.

Visitor participation: Visitors can respond to prompts and participate in spaces designed for sharing unexpected and imaginative visions of the Jones Falls’ future. The exhibition builds on the project’s River Reimagining Workshops.

Opening reception: Thursday, October 15, 5–7 p.m. Organizers, curators, and contributors will be present for an evening of discovery and celebration.

Roundtable: Thursday, October 22, 5–6:30 p.m. Artists, designers, and writers who contributed to the exhibition will discuss their work and visions.

Community Design Charette: Sunday, November 1, 1–2:30 p.m. Facilitated by the Neighborhood Design Center, this participatory session invites attendees to reflect on the exhibition and develop aspirational ideas for the future of the Jones Falls.

Refuturing Workshop: Saturday, November 7, 1–3:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Ecological Design Collective, this workshop creates an imaginative and meditative setting for envisioning a future worth working toward.

Future Directions for the Jones Falls: Thursday, November 12, 6–7:30 p.m. City officials, planners, and environmental leaders will discuss possible highway removal and river restoration in Baltimore. Reporters from The Baltimore Banner will moderate the conversation.

Stories of Rivers Reclaimed: Sunday, November 15, 2–3:30 p.m. Panelists from Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and New York City will share examples of cities that have decommissioned highways and restored buried waterways, with discussion of lessons that could inform plans for the Jones Falls.

Closing roundtable and ritual: Sunday, November 22, 2–3:30 p.m. Curators and contributors will hold a final conversation, followed by a procession to the Jones Falls and a ritual of release.

Curators: Bruce Willen curated the exhibition with Anand Pandian and Lee Davis.

Project team: Additional exhibition support, design, and production came from The Peale, Julianne Chan, Chelsea Foster, and Nic Amsel. The larger project was co-organized by Lee Davis, co-executive director of the Center for Creative Impact at MICA; Anand Pandian of Johns Hopkins University and co-founder of the Ecological Design Collective; and Bruce Willen, creator of the Ghost Rivers public art project and founder of Public Mechanics.

Project affiliation: Jones Falls 2076 is a project of the Ecological Design Collective, fiscally sponsored by Inquiring Systems Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.