Eubie Blake National Jazz and Cultural Center, Baltimore

The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center is a renowned cultural institution in Baltimore. Established in 1981, the center began as a Model Cities Arts Program and was later renamed after the famous ragtime piano player and musical theater composer, Eubie Blake.

Eubie Blake was a musical prodigy and groundbreaking composer and pianist born in East Baltimore to formerly enslaved parents. He played professionally by the age of 12 and went on to collaborate with Noble Sissle to create the hit musical Shuffle Along, the first Broadway production entirely written, directed, produced, and starring Black artists.

The center is housed in a Classical Revival structure that has served a variety of purposes throughout its history, including housing the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, the University of Baltimore's Law School, and the Maryland General Hospital School of Nurses.

The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center is a hub for a wide range of programming, concerts, and art exhibits for both adults and youths. The center is dedicated to showcasing the works of renowned and aspiring artists, with a particular focus on increasing public awareness of the contributions African Americans have made in the area of Fine Arts. It features museum galleries exhibiting memorabilia of Eubie Blake and other jazz greats who were born or raised in Baltimore, such as Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, and Chick Webb.

Additionally, the center places great emphasis on art education for children in music, dance, drama, and visual arts.