BALTIMORE -- Screen painting in East Baltimore won't die, not on Elaine Eff's watch. The folklorist has been on a crusade for three decades to preserve the kitschy art -- landscapes painted on rowhouse window screens. The screens are for decoration, and privacy, too: The paintings allow residents to see out and prevent passersby from seeing in.

"It was a way of saying, 'Come a little closer,' " Eff says. " 'Not too close.' "

Next weekend, the American Visionary Art Museum will host "Rowhouse Rembrandts," a celebration of the art with workshops, demonstrations and a party for the old masters. An exhibition at the museum includes rowhouse facades decked out with painted screens and Eff's 1988 documentary "The Screen Painters," playing on a loop.