American Visionary Art Museum, Maryland Food Bank Win John Oliver’s Contest; Baltimore Museum To Exhibit Weird Works

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The American Visionary Art Museum is 1 of 5 winners of a unsocial contention organized by John Oliver, big of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight.”

In November, the assemblage volition big 3 antithetic pieces from the show’s collection. AVAM and the Maryland Food Bank volition each person $10,000 from Oliver.

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What’s being called “Last Week Tonight’s Gallery for Cultural Enrichment” volition statesman its circuit Sept. 7 astatine the Judy Garland Museum successful Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

“We are thrilled!” AVAM laminitis Rebecca Hoffberger said successful a statement. “Firstly, we were profoundly moved that Mr. Oliver recognized and cared that the COVID pandemic and its forced nationalist closures had caused grievous losses to museums. That helium past cooked up specified a highly disposable and amusive situation to publically underscore that request – well, we were smitten!”

Hoffberger’s connection included an representation of John Oliver’s look inserted into a classical photograph of Oscar Wilde.

Oliver launched the contention successful October 2020 to item issues faced by museums and arts organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. AVAM was chosen from astir 1,000 museums nationwide.

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The works see a coating of tv big Wendy Williams eating a lamb chop, a coating of ties and a York, Pennsylvania, artist’s coating of an amorous brace of anthropomorphic rats.

Hoffberger said she’s besides thrilled that the Maryland Food Bank benefits from their win.

“They person agelong made an creation retired of sincerely and practically caring for radical successful request and successful situation and are acold much deserving of each our assistance present than ever,” Hoffberger said.

This isn’t Oliver’s archetypal stunt aimed astatine helping struggling businesses. Last year, his amusement created a enactment of stamps to promote viewers to enactment the United States Postal Service. In 2018, helium bought respective pieces of screen-used Russell Crowe costumes and props, which helium successful crook gave to Alaska’s past operating Blockbuster Video. The pieces were aboriginal sent to the world’s past remaining Blockbuster successful Bend, Oregon.

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The pieces volition beryllium astatine AVAM Nov. 1 done 22.

CBS Baltimore Staff