ABOUT
DORCHESTER POWER AND LIGHT
Dorchester Power and Light documents cultural change and collaborates on projects that amplify voices within a dynamic community. We are proudly based in Cambridge, Maryland.
Mission
To brighten the moment.
Vision
We want to see you.
Contact
John Lewis
116 Vue de L’eau Street
Cambridge, MD 21613
410-330-1276 (cell)
What John's Been Up To
Work/Teaching Experience
Senior Contributing Writer, Baltimore magazine, 2015-present.
Arts & Culture Editor, Baltimore magazine, 2000-2015.
Assistant Director, American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD, 2015-2016.
Advisor, Curatorial Practice MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD, 2015-2018.
Adjunct Professor, Curatorial Practice MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art, 2011-2015.
Adjunct Professor, English Department, Goucher College, Towson, MD, 2012-2014.
U.S. Correspondent, Vibrations magazine, Lausanne, Switzerland/Paris, France, 1998-2009.
Contributing Writer, Oxford American, Oxford, MS, 1995-2002.
Staff Writer, City Paper, Baltimore, MD, 1990-1992.
Freelance Writer, published in Rolling Stone, Spin, The Washington Post Magazine, and many other outlets, 1992-present.
Select Published Works
"Better With Age," interview with indie musician/expat Shirle Hale, Baltimore magazine,
January 2024.
Whirly Gig: Inside Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind Sessions, book about the creative process behind Dylan's transformational 1997 album, Dorchester Power and Light, 2022.
“Like Dreaming,” feature story about Valerie Maynard, acclaimed artist from the Black Arts Movement, Baltimore magazine, September 2022.
“Dancing with Possibility,” commissioned essay on curator/educator George Ciscle’s five-decade career and innovative pedagogy, www.georgeciscle.com, September 2022.
“All Together Now,” profile of enduring, family-run music store, Baltimore magazine, October 2021.
“Storied Life,” profile of award winning author Laura Amy Schlitz, Baltimore magazine, March 2020.
“Martha Cooper” & “Emory Douglas” artist essays, Beyond the Streets exhibition catalogue,
New York, NY, 2019.
“Culture Club,” profile of jazz club owner Henry Wong, Baltimore magazine, September 2019.
“Globe Poster” & “Martha Cooper” artist essays, Beyond the Streets exhibition catalogue,
Los Angeles, CA, 2018.
King’s Mouth Immersive Head Trip Fantasy Experience, book co-written with Wayne Coyne
to accompany King’s Mouth travelling art installation, 2018.
“For the Record,” feature story documenting the rise of vinyl LP culture, Baltimore magazine,
May 2018.
“Smoke Screen,” profile of SNCC Civil Rights activist Gloria Richardson, Baltimore magazine,
July 2017.
“The Judge’s Benediction: Invoking the Barth-ian Spirit in Cambridge, Maryland,” essay in John Barth: A Body of Words, tribute book also includes contributions from Jonathan Lethem, Richard Powers, and others, Dalkey Archive Press, 2016.
“Globe Poster: The Art of Street Promotion,” essay in Pump Me Up: DC Subculture of the 1980s exhibition catalogue, Corcoran Museum, 2013.
Hundreds of published articles and reviews, circa 1990 to present, including pieces anthologized in The Oxford American Book of Great Music Writing and Vibrations Presente: Histoires de Musiciens.
Art Exhibitions
Co-Curator, Outside In: Outsider Art at DCA, Dorchester Center for the Arts, Cambridge, MD,
July 2022.
Curator, See It Loud: Globe Poster’s Street Smart Art, Dorchester Center for the Arts,
Cambridge, MD, January 2021.
Graphic Design (window banners), Black Lives Lost, Dorchester Center for the Arts,
Cambridge, MD, September 2020.
Curator, Art from the South Bank: DCA Celebrates John Barth & the Power of Place,
Dorchester Center for the Arts, Cambridge, MD, June 2020.
Artist/Curator, 100 Choptanks, Dorchester Center for the Arts, Cambridge, MD, March 2019.
Curator, Globe’s Groove: Living History of Globe Poster, Gallery 447, Cambridge, MD,
February 2019.
Curator, Hello It’s Me: The Mail Art of Damien Howard, Gallery 447, June 2018.
Co-Curator, Yummm! The History, Fantasy, and Future of Food, American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD, 2016-2017.
Wall Text, The Illustrated & Abbreviated Story of the King’s Mouth and How It Came To Be,
Ace Hotel, New York, NY, October 2016.
Curator, King’s Mouth multi-media installation by Wayne Coyne, American Visionary Art Museum, 2015-2016.
Advisor, all Curatorial Practice MFA exhibitions, Maryland Institute College of Art, 2011-2018.
Awards
Independent Artist Award, Literary Arts grant recipient, Maryland State Arts Council, 2022.
Folio: Eddie and Ozzie Awards, Best Single Article Finalist, “Museum Hours,” Baltimore magazine feature story on the Baltimore Museum of Art’s 100th anniversary, 2015.
Society of Professional Journalists, Second Place, “Reason to Believe,” Baltimore feature story
on emergence of Muslim community, 2006.
A.D. Emmart Award, First Place, “Wanted Man,” Baltimore profile of community activist
Leon Faruq, 2004.
Society of Professional Journalists, Second Place, “Wanted Man,” Baltimore profile
of community activist Leon Faruq, 2004.
Society of Professional Journalists, First Place, “Vivat! St. Petersburg,” Baltimore feature
on Russian arts and culture, 2004.
Society of Professional Journalists, First Place, “Baltimore from the Water,” Baltimore
photo essay/special section, 2003.
Society of Professional Journalists, First Place, “Read It,” Baltimore literary criticism, 2003.
Society of Professional Journalists, First Place, “Monthly Mix,” Baltimore music criticism, 2003.
Volunteer Work
Co-Founder/Treasurer, Choptank Arts & Culture Exchange, nonprofit serving Dorchester & Talbot counties, Spring 2024.
Board of Trustees, Nanticoke Historic Preservation Alliance (NHPA), nonprofit serving Dorchester County, MD, 2010-present.
Committee Member, African-American Memorial Project, NHPA, 2021.
Board of Trustees, WHCP 101.5 FM, Cambridge, MD, 2020-2023.
Show Host, Inna Funk weekly radio show, WHCP 101.5/91.7 FM, Cambridge, MD, 2021-present.
Board of Directors, Dorchester Center for the Arts, Cambridge, MD, 2022-2023.
Chair, Exhibitions/Programming/Gallery Shop Committee, Dorchester Center for the Arts,
Cambridge, MD, 2021-2023.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, English major/Mass Communications minor, Towson University, 1987.
Labor of Love
Co-Director/Co-Writer, See It Loud! The Globe Poster Story, documentary film chronicles the legacy and rebirth of an iconic concert poster company; includes interviews with filmmaker John Waters, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Solomon Burke, Grammy-winning bluesman Bobby Rush, r&b legend Chuck Brown, Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne, acclaimed artist Trenton Doyle Hancock, design guru Ellen Lupton, Hatch Show Print’s Jim Sherraden, Globe owners Bob & Frank Cicero, and others. Coming in 2024!