Morris Louis came from Baltimore (MICA class of '33), and now, thanks to a gift from his widow, more of his acclaimed abstract artworks are coming to town. If you've visited the BMA's Contemporary Wing over the past decade, you've no doubt seen his work, and these new acquisitions—two major paintings and 19 drawings—will be seen when the Wing (currently under renovation) reopens in the Fall and when the museum mounts an exhibition of its Louis holdings in 2013.

The paintings are particularly important pieces, and here's more on that from BMA press materials...

The two newly gifted Louis paintings are rare works from a pivotal period in Louis’ career, when he experimented with a more gestural and lushly painted approach than he employed to create his celebrated “veil” paintings. Those works, which Louis began making in 1954, feature overlapping layers of ethereal color created by pouring thinned Magna acrylic paint directly onto unprimed and unstretched canvas....

If you're thinking of taking the plunge and buying Facebook shares when the company goes public this week, you might want to check out an ebook from Baltimore native/financial journalist Nancy Miller. Miller's Facebook IPO Primer offers sound advice that cuts through the media hype and questions "the price of friendship." It's a quick read—a well-written 40 pages—that will interest casual investors and/or Facebook fans.

And what's the author's overall take on it? When Business Insider asked Miller if Facebook was a "good investment," she deemed it "a very risky stock."

But the smart money says a Facebook frenzy is imminent, no matter the risk.

Animal Collective's Geologist plays a DJ set tonight at the Hirshhorn in D.C. as part of a "happening" that incorporates musical performances into Doug Aitken's Song 1 piece (above), which wraps the exterior of the building in a seamless video from dusk to midnight. Tickets are $25.

Tonight and Sunday, the legendary Andre Watts performs Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Marin Alsop and the BSO at the Meyerhoff. They'll also perform it at Strathmore on Saturday.

Pink Floyd tribute band The Machine plays Baltimore Soundstage tomorrow night, and the transcendent Secret Mountains plays Golden West on Sunday.

If you haven't seen Centerstage's amazing production of The Whipping Man yet, this is your last chance. It closes on Sunday.

Chesapeake Shakespeare Company has acquired the Mercantile Trust and Deposit Company building at 200 E. Redwood Street as a second venue for its performances. The Howard County-based company—which currently stages most of its productions outdoors at the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park in Ellicott City—plans to begin renovations early next year with an eye towards mounting a full season in 2014. CSC is working with Cho Benn Holback, the firm behind the Everyman and Creative Alliance renovations, on a design that mimics London's Globe Theatre and features a 250-seat theater (see above) for performances and educational programs. The total cost is estimated to be $6 million.

The announcement comes on the heels of a flurry of theater activity in Station North, the upcoming Everyman move to the Westside, recent renovations at the Lyric, and new leadership at Centerstage. “We are thrilled about our expansion...