Art at The Ivy opens the first of a series of rotating art exhibits honoring Black History Month

Art at The Ivy opens the first of a series of rotating art exhibits on Friday, February 7th with a Meet the Artist Reception from 5:30-8 pm at The Ivy Café, 12 West Dover Street in downtown Easton. The opening exhibit, which is free and open to the public, honors Black History Month and features the vibrant and diverse work of Ram Sueno, Bernie Houston, Whitney Elliott and Siante Moore. 

Art at The Ivy exhibits are designed to bring unique work by artists not already represented in Easton. Emerging artists are paired with established artists to create mentoring opportunities. The artists will be available to discuss their work and creative process. All work will be available for purchase. For more information on events, contact Jen Wagner at [email protected].

The artists include: 

Bernie Houston  Working in driftwood, each of Houston’s sculptures is carved from one solid piece of wood he finds predominantly in the Atlantic region of the U.S. Each piece is inspired by the natural structure of the wood itself. Fifty percent is nature – the rest is the artist’s unique creative vision. Because nature does not mimic itself, each piece in Houston’s collection is one-of-a-kind. He meticulously chooses driftwood based on its age, shape and overall form. The wood determines the nature of the piece. Houston spends nearly sixty days in his studio on each piece, curing, sanding, painting, and adding a polished finish to each creation. His gifted ability to visualize and carve each piece is what makes his work unique. The right tools, the right styles of carving, and complete attention to detail create Bernie‛s wonderful masterpieces. 

Ram Sueno  A self-taught collagist focusing on form, color and meaning, Sueno works in mixed media to bring an almost surreal perspective between material and transformations that play in stories and dreams. Within his collage style paintings, Sueno references textures, color and intent to bring layers upon layers to reveal unique and hidden narratives. Currently based in Baltimore, where he earned a degree in English at UMBC, he has lived in New York, Washington DC, and Germany. He has shown his work in museums, galleries, venues, and private collections. 

Whitney Elliot  A fiber artist who began her craft seven years ago, Elliot makes macrame and woven wall art and accessories inspired by nature and the spiritual realm. She strives to spread joy through her art and her business, Double Rainbow Design. Her work has been featured on Beyonce.com and on Voyager Baltimore. She lives and works on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. 

Siante Moore  An emerging local artist, Moore works in fiber and paper craft and will be exhibiting the ancient art form of paper Quilling. She will be showing pieces in honor of Black History Month, including a Quilled profile of an African woman and a Quilled image of Africa, among other works. Described as an up and coming artist, Moore is currently scheduled to teach Quilling in Dorchester County and showing her work in St. Michaels.