BMA Violet Hour: Lawrence Burney and Ellis Marsalis III (t.p. Luce)

BMA Violet Hour brings writer and critic Lawrence Burney and photographer, writer, and visual artist Ellis Marsalis III, who works under the name t.p. Luce, together at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Presented in connection with the exhibition *Flashback: Two Centuries of Baltimore Photography*, the evening includes a reading from Burney’s debut essay collection, *No Sense in Wishing*, a preview of his documentary-in-progress *Revisiting Ramona*, and a conversation between Burney and Marsalis.

The film draws on Marsalis’s 2004 book *Tha Bloc: Words, Photographs and Baltimore City in Black White and Gray* to create a cinematic portrait of a Baltimore community, considering its past, present, and future. The program is presented in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Writing Program and Maryland Humanities.

When: October 29, 2026

Showtimes: Doors open at 6 p.m. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 7:45 p.m.

Schedule: The evening features Lawrence Burney reading from *No Sense in Wishing*, a special preview screening of *Revisiting Ramona*, and a discussion with Burney and Ellis Marsalis III.

Tickets: Free. Registration is encouraged.

Venue: Baltimore Museum of Art, BMA Main Campus

Exhibition Connection: The event accompanies *Flashback: Two Centuries of Baltimore Photography*, an exhibition featuring more than 200 images spanning 185 years and examining Baltimore’s role in the development of photography.

Participants: Lawrence Burney is a Baltimore writer, editor, critic, and founder of *True Laurels*, an independent magazine focused on the city’s music and culture. His writing has appeared in *New York Magazine*, *GQ*, *The Washington Post*, and *Pitchfork*. He has worked at *The Fader*, VICE, and *The Baltimore Banner*. His essay collection *No Sense in Wishing* was published by Atria Books in July 2025, named a Best Book of 2025 by *Kirkus*, *The New Yorker*, and *New York Magazine*, and selected as the 2026 One Maryland One Book.

Participant: Ellis Marsalis III, who works under the name t.p. Luce, is a Baltimore-based photographer and writer whose work includes photographs, writing, and photo narratives. His first book and exhibition, *Tha Bloc: Words, Photographs and Baltimore City in Black White and Gray*, began a regional tour at the Smithsonian. His projects have also included *Antediluvian: Bring Back to Me–Me*, about New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and *Masters of the Edifice*, commissioned for Light City. He is currently developing *The Rainbow Decade*, a project about Black families in the 1970s.

Partners: The program is offered with the Johns Hopkins University Writing Program and Maryland Humanities. It also connects to One Maryland One Book, the statewide reading initiative that selected *No Sense in Wishing* for its 2026 program.