On March 23, I visited the Owings Mills Jewish Community Center to observe a theater class for preschoolers. On this rainy day, tiny children entered the playroom full of energy. They were there to dance, play pretend and move their bodies. Pumpkin Theatre's Stacey Needle taught the class for 2-5 year olds as an experiment: the Jewish Community Center had never hosted a theater class for children this young. Needle has 10 years of experience teaching "Mommy and Me" classes to the younger age group, though, so she was prepared. Needle generally teaches theater classes for ages 4 and up, though…

It's a day when snow and ice are covering the landscape, but in Ana DelMar Belacqua's Pikesville studio, the windows are open. Though she offers to close them for me, she is perfectly warm as is. The longer we talk, the clearer it becomes: It would take more than a snowy day to cool her fiery, artistic passion. That passion is for cultural diversity and understanding through art. "My aim," she explains, "is to bring multiculturalism to the fine arts and then to the rest of the world." DelMar Belacqua grew up in rural Texas not far from Austin. When she was small, she drew on wooden blocks …

Bella Kuper is a physical therapist by occupation, and she loves the healing she sees in her patients. And she heals herself with her art."Art is along the same lines," she said. "It puts me in a new state of mind, and that transfers to others."After hours, Kuper is a mosaic artist working most often in glass. Her beautiful, gleaming mosaics fill her Pikesville home. She said she began making original mosaics from a functional need to fill certain spaces in her home, but it grew into a passion. Kuper's mosaics combine her love of bold, modern art with nature motifs and often, an Asian …

Sandra Street is a Pikesville artist who exhibits her dolls and fabric arts at many impressive venues in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas. I visited her home and was able to see her unique workspace that  exudes inspiration.She began making dolls in 1995 when her (now) sister-in-law was married. Before that, she had known her for more than 20 years, and she wanted to make a special gift for her. The doll she created was so popular at the bridal shower that the other guests placed orders for their own.When Sandra found out that some of her coworkers sold their own handmade dolls at a …

Congratulations to Elizabeth Lavin, an oboist and sophomore at Pikesville High School who successfully auditioned to play in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Side by Side concert.She was chosen as soloist to perform Franz Joseph Haydn's "Oboe Concerto" with the orchestra at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 6 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore.Lavin's musical education began years ago when she attended Fort Garrison Elementary School where she played the recorder. And five years ago, she started playing the oboe.Her musical parents are sources of her talent, and her continued interest and …

After bringing "Hansel and Gretel" and Winnie the Pooh to life, Pumpkin Theatre is now performing a show with the eponymous pumpkin center-stage. Its current musical staging of "Cinderella," set for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on both Dec. 18 and 19, is a chance to see a fairy godmother and her helpers, a comical king and his son, and of course Cinderella with her delightfully wicked stepfamily. And all of them, including Pikesville resident Stacey Needle as The Fairy Godmother, sing and dance. The dress rehearsal was held Dec. 9 and, as is often the case, was attended by students from the Maryland …

Recently I spoke with Michael Lisicky, the second oboe player in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. We didn't talk music. We talked department stores.Specifically, we talked Hutzler's.Lisisky is the author of "Hutzler's: Where Baltimore Shops," published in 2009 by History Press. He was signing copies at the Pikesville Barnes and Noble last week.Lisisky's book chronicles the rise and fall of the iconic Baltimore department store, from its beginning in 1858 to the closing of its last store in Towson in 1990.In its heyday, Hutzler's "was known throughout Baltimore for carrying the best of …

Joshua Polak has a lifelong passion for music. His shop, Guitars of Pikesville, is a gathering place for local talent and lovers of live music.It's a welcoming, cozy space. Beautiful guitars line one wall, and other displays feature original artwork and music posters. Four humidifiers work to keep the instruments well-conditioned.Rather than just selling equipment, Guitars of Pikesville hosts events such as gatherings, classes, concerts and jam sessions. "It's kind of a goodwill thing," Polak says. "People come to the shop, and when they need things, we hope they'll get them here. [The …

Certain children's books are packaged with plastic toys, or they are toys themselves, making noises like video games. The books become secondary to the trinkets. The merchandising is criticized as overly commercial. What's wrong with pure reading? Nothing, of course. But not all books equal silent hours with a solitary reader. Books can be centerpieces for fun activities and good, messy projects. For a change from the usual storybook offerings, the Pikesville Branch Library staff has chosen to display books that encourage kids to do things - to create crafts or make things to eat. "If you're …