MENU

Sections

More

June 21, 2021

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

News News Notes

Waterfowl Festival Receives County Award for Community Impact

by

Kevin Greaney, Waterfowl Festival Board President and Margaret Enloe, Waterfowl Chesapeake Executive Director.

On Friday morning, the Waterfowl Festival was a recipient of one of five Community Impact Awards presented during the 2021 Virtual Business Appreciation Summit, an event hosted by the Talbot County Office of Economic Development and Tourism that celebrated the strength and resiliency of area businesses.

“We are so pleased to have been recognized in this way, especially during our 50th Festival year,” says Kevin Greaney, Waterfowl Festival Board President. “Credit for the Festival’s continued success really comes from the incredible community we live in and everyone’s commitment to keeping us going!  It’s the support of hundreds of volunteers, vendors and artists, the commitments from our business and corporate sponsors, and the spirit of Talbot County that makes it all work!”

The Waterfowl Festival is valuable to the County in both an economic and a cultural sense. The “Economic Impact and Quality of Life Study of the Waterfowl Festival” released this past January illustrates that the shopping, lodging and dining during the weekend by Festival visitors results in a $2.6million economic impact for Talbot County. Almost $500,000 of that total impact comes from Waterfowl Festival itself, which focuses on spending operations dollars locally to create the annual event. All these figures are remarkable for a one-a-year, three-day festival of its size.

The study also highlights things that local residents and visitors value about the Waterfowl Festival.  Most residents recognize the crucial role the Festival plays in keeping traditions alive and believe it is “very important or essential” to showcasing local culture and heritage, uniting the community toward a common goal, and igniting a sense of community pride.  Visitors are incredibly dedicated guests who return year after year and who are avid promoters of all the Festival, Easton and the County have to offer.

Finally, while the Festival event may be what everyone knows, Waterfowl Chesapeake, Inc. and Waterfowl Festival, Inc., partner non-profit organizations, have invested nearly $4 million in habitat conservation, more than $1.2 million in education, and more than $26,000 in wildlife research initiatives over the past 50 years.

“It is an honor to be recognized by our County and business leaders in this way,” said Executive Director Margaret Enloe. “The arts and our region’s traditions are essential to our community’s health, appeal and our way of life and the Festival is certainly woven into our history. After fifty years, I think I can say we are here to stay.  After all, if we learned nothing else in the last year, we now know that it takes something the scale of a global pandemic to stop us from having a Waterfowl Festival.  We look forward to seeing everyone for our 50th in November!”

Sculptor, Bart Walter, Returns as Waterfowl Festival’s 50th Anniversary Featured Artist

by

Bart Walter

The Waterfowl Festival is thrilled to welcome internationally renowned sculptor, Bart Walter of Westminster, Maryland, back to Easton as the Featured Artist for its 50th Anniversary this fall.

“We are proud to have Bart Walter join us for our 50th Anniversary,” said Kevin Greaney, Waterfowl Festival Board President. “Bart has been part of the Festival Family for many years and shares our belief that art plays an important role in conserving the landscapes, habitats and heritage of the Eastern Shore.”

Walter’s artistic career has deep roots in Easton and with the Waterfowl Festival. He grew up in Baltimore and spent weekends and summers on the Eastern Shore hiking, hunting, fishing and canoeing where he developed his love of the natural world.

Walter first exhibited at the Festival in 1974 at the age of sixteen as a wood carver and became a loyal exhibitor for many years.

“Bird carving was odd to my friends in Baltimore City,” said Walter. “The Waterfowl Festival opened my eyes to other people my age who had similar interests in art and nature. I fell in love with the Festival, and my fellow exhibitors and Festival volunteers became my extended family. I am honored to be part of this ‘homecoming,’ to celebrate this significant anniversary with such a wonderful community of artists and volunteers.”

After beginning his career as a wood carver, Walter transitioned to working in bronze in the late 1980s after his work caught the attention of famed primatologist, Jane Goodall, at a chance meeting at a lecture. She commissioned Walter to make two chimpanzee sculptures that now reside at the Jane Goodall Institute in Arlington, Va.

“Battle of Wills” by Bart Walter

A trained biologist, Walter prefers to sketch and sculpt in the wild and gets as close to his subjects as possible. Walter has sketched and sculpted chimpanzees and elephants in Africa, polar bears in the Arctic, penguins in the Antarctic and wild mustangs on the plains of Wyoming.

Walter’s work can be found around the world in private and public collections including the Ugandan Wildlife Authority Headquarters in Kampala, the private collection of King  Abdullah in Saudi Arabia, the National Zoo in Washington, DC, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin and the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming.

When asked about the pieces and exhibitions of which he is most proud, Walter shares projects with both professional and sentimental significance. The first is the recent installation of “Battle of Wills” a 15.5 foot bronze bucking bronco at the entrance of the Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming. The second is his 1996 solo exhibition at the Musee de Vernon in the village of Vernon, France located across the River Seine from Giverny, where Claude Monet lived and painted his famous waterlilies and other impressionistic masterpieces.

His sentimental choices are “Wild Imaginings,” a bronze sculpture of a full-size lion and boy, at his hometown public library in Westminster, Maryland and “Family Affair” the bronze sculpture of a pair of geese and their hatchlings that resides at the front of the Waterfowl Building on South Harrison Street in Easton where his artistic career began.

“Family Affair” by Bart Walter

“Family Affair” was created in honor of the Festival’s 25th Anniversary in 1995 and is a beloved part of the historic downtown’s streetscape. Taking photos with “Family Affair” has become a rite of passage and part of visitors’ annual Waterfowl Festival traditions.

This is what Walter loves most about public art. “It’s the gift that keeps giving. It’s always out there and always speaking to the public, years and even decades later.”

As the 50th Anniversary Featured Artist, Walter will create a sculpture exclusively for the 2021 Waterfowl Festival. The work will be unveiled this summer.

“Given Bart’s international acclaim and popularity, we are very grateful for his gift of time and incredible talent in support of our 50th year,” says Waterfowl Chesapeake Executive Director Margaret Enloe. “Our partnership has been years in the works. We offer this announcement with excitement and some hope for a fall Festival where everyone has renewed excitement for friendships, community and the beauty of our natural world”.

For more information about Bart Walter and his work, please visit www.bartwalter.com. For more information about the Festival’s Featured Artist program, please contact Waterfowl Festival offices at 410.822.4567 or marketing@waterfowlfestival.org.

About the Waterfowl Festival

Waterfowl Festival Inc. is dedicated to wildlife conservation, the promotion of wildlife art, and the celebration of the life and culture of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The 50th Festival will be held November 12-14, 2021 in historic Easton, Md. VIP and corporate sponsorship packages are also available. For more information, to volunteer, or donate, visit www.waterfowlfestival.org or call 410-822-4567.

WAF Artists are Added to the Waterfowl Festival Virtual Art Gallery

by

Marianne Kost, “Escorting the Ladies”

The ongoing Waterfowl Festival Virtual Art Gallery now includes an additional twelve members of Working Artists Forum, an Easton based organization of professional artists. The following artists each have 2-5 original painting available threw this online gallery: Barbara Watson, Barbara Zuehike, Betty Huang, Carla Huber, Jane Knighton, Kathy Gardiner, Kathy Kopek, Maggii Sarfaty, Marianne Kost, Maureen Wheatley, Nancy Thomas and Pat Lang.

With excitement building for this coming Fall’s festival, the 50th Anniversary Waterfowl Festival is a celebration of Eastern Shore history, heritage, art and culture and will be held in Easton MD on November 12-14, 2021. The Virtual Art Gallery, which started in November of 2020, offers a safe year round opportunity for collector to purchase exclusive art from the Waterfowl Festival. Twenty-eight artists, including WAF members Mary Veiga and Sandy Alanko, were juried into last year’s festival and are now participating in the virtual gallery along with the new WAF artists. New paintings are continuously added from all 40 artists. In additions to these fantastic paintings, there are also carvings, sculpture, photography, and items from the Chesapeake Marketplace in this virtual venue.

More than 250 pieces of art are on sale in the online gallery at https://waterfowlfestival.org/virtual-art-gallery

Waterfowl Festival Creates New Virtual Art Gallery for 2020

by

To connect fine art buyers to the artists they love, Waterfowl Festival has gone online for 2020, creating its first ever Waterfowl Festival Virtual Art Gallery. The web-based showcase launches November 1 and will bring the Festival “home” to art lovers, giving them the opportunity to explore and purchase exclusive carvings, sculpture, paintings and photography. While the new online gallery can’t replace the in-person thrill of the traditional Festival, it will support artists by encouraging interest in their work in their home studios and helps provide them with a much-needed way to continue to earn their living during this challenging year.

“Obviously we would prefer to be holding the Festival in person, “ said WF Board President Kevin Greaney. “However, these difficult times have offered us the time to create this new opportunity to use our website to support our artists while providing a small revenue stream for us. We want folks to be excited about what we are planning for 2021 and at the same time remember the impact that the lack of a Festival in 2020 is having on the local economy”.

Marsh by Mary Veiga

The Virtual Art Gallery will be online at www.WaterfowlFestival.org and will include artists who were juried into the 2020 show. Each artist is submitting 3-5 pieces that can only be found in the Gallery. Visitors can shop from the comfort of home and when they make a purchase, the artwork will be shipped directly to them from the artist themselves. Online sales will benefit both the artist and Waterfowl Festival’s mission and future. The Gallery will change often, as pieces are sold, so buyers should check in often! Pieces will be updated as sold and updated throughout the year as we get closer to the 50th Festival in 2021. Buyers will find works of art at all price points and can make online purchases through the Festival’s new secure, safe e-commerce system.

As of October 12, over 35 artists have signed up to participate in the Virtual Art Gallery, including: Photographers Heather Orkis, Cal Jackson and Tony Masso; Sculptors Ken Newman, Fred Boyer and Ronnie Wells; Carvers Al Jordan and Tom Horn; Painters Linda Besse, Keith Whitelock, Sara Linda Poly and Sandy Alanko to name a few. Painter Richard Clifton, who recently won the Federal Duck Stamp Contest for 2020-2021 will also be participating and offering up some of his colorful waterfowl paintings for sale.

Says Greaney, “By engaging our art buyers online and providing an exciting virtual experience for art collectors, we will keep the Festival moving forward toward a terrific 50th Festival next fall!”

Visit http://www.WaterfowlFestival.org/waterfowl-festival-announces-virtual-art-gallery for more information or email marketing@waterfowlfestival.org.

50th Waterfowl Festival Postponed Until 2021

by

For the first time in its history, the iconic Waterfowl Festival® that draws 15,000+ people to Easton, Maryland each year will not be held this November – at least not in its usual form. Instead, the Festival, along with conservation partner Waterfowl Chesapeake, will devote their energies to developing some new plans for this fall, including virtual programming that brings people together to celebrate the Eastern Shore heritage, culture and bird life. The 50th Festival will be held in its traditional style in November 2021.

“All of us want the Festival to take place as usual,” said Festival Board President, Kevin Greaney, “but uncertainty about the future means we must rethink how we are going to safely host an event, especially one of this size”. He explains, “Our strength is in the relationships we have and the face-to-face experiences we offer for artists, vendors and visitors. All our people – and especially our volunteer leaders and supporters who make Festival possible – need to feel confident and safe. So instead of a big event, we are planning for other programs that can still create connections and celebrate our community.”

Planning for the town-wide Festival begins annually each February with many commitments already made by June. By this time each year, the fine artists have been selected and the Featured Artist has been announced. The annual featured art piece, whether a painting or sculpture, has been completed and art buyers are beginning to take interest. Most of the three hundred vendors, exhibitors and artists have been invited and have made travel plans and commitments. Until now, the Festival’s forty volunteer Committee Chairs have kept all of these processes moving forward for this year, however, much has also been on hold and still remains to be done due to COVID-19.

“We’ve surveyed many of our stakeholders and what we heard overall is that they share our desire to have the Festival,” explained Greaney. “And simultaneously, they – especially our huge corps of leadership and weekend volunteers who make the Festival work — are still very concerned about the fall and a resurgence of COVID19. So, next year, we will host the 50th Festival with the vitality, hospitality and excitement that people have come to expect, along with a few surprises.”

Since 1971, Waterfowl Festival has seen incredible change and overcome challenges – from the internet to the Great Recession – and weathered it all because its strength comes from the dedication, support and love of the Eastern Shore community. It continues to be a cherished annual tradition and the Eastern Shore’s “Homecoming” which now hosts its fourth generation of dedicated families and guests.

“I applaud the Waterfowl organization for its forward thinking and flexible leadership,” says 2019 Featured Artist Nancy Tankersley. “As an artist, it is very disappointing to see yet another event cancelled, but this 50th anniversary is so important that it deserves 100% attention and shouldn’t be overshadowed by the risks of going forward with a physical event. I think the possibilities in virtual offerings are great, and a way for the artist to keep working and creating new work. If a collector is familiar with an artist’s work, they will feel comfortable purchasing online and will continue to support the Waterfowl Festival in this way.”

The Festival has made significant contributions to waterfowl conservation projects over the years and generates millions of dollars for the local economy annually. In 2019, the Festival visitors who travelled to Easton for the Waterfowl weekend generated almost $2.6 million in annual economic impact to Talbot County through shopping, lodging and travel.

“This has been a tough time for everyone, full of difficult choices,” said Margaret Enloe, Executive Director for Waterfowl Chesapeake. “This decision can feel like a step backward, however we see it as an opportunity to try new things, to grow and change. I have every confidence that we will emerge stronger and better. I expect that the 50th Festival in 2021 will be an even more incredible community celebration of the arts and our Eastern Shore heritage, one more vibrant than we could’ve ever imagined.”

To keep abreast of Waterfowl Festival related activities for the fall as they unfold, visit www.waterfowlfestival.org.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Waterfowl Festival Wraps Up Its 49th Year

by

This past weekend’s sunny brisk days could definitely be called the “perfect waterfowl weather” for the 49th annual Waterfowl Festival. Visitors flocked to the streets and venues in droves to enjoy amazing art, sporting vendors and heritage exhibits spread out over town.

The streets of Easton were bustling with activity on Saturday and Sunday with people of all ages enjoying food, art and music, making the downtown area vibrant with activity and showcasing the best of an Eastern Shore fall. This year’s official attendance came in at approximately 14,119 people, almost exactly the same as the previous year.

“The Festival has always been about celebrating our community – through wildlife art, our sporting heritage, and the Eastern Shore way of life,” said Festival President Kevin Greaney. “We made several changes this year to improve on our visitors’ experiences in preparation for our 50th anniversary in 2020 and we are very pleased with the results. This felt like one of our most exciting events in recent years. Guests seemed really happy and every venue was hopping on Saturday”.

More than fifty Festival Chairman – who volunteer countless hours and days to manage everything from venues and exhibits to ticket sales, transportation and security – and a veritable army of more than 700 additional community volunteers on Festival weekend make it all flow. “Guests often don’t realize that we are virtually an all-volunteer operation,” says Greaney. “From our leadership, to people working with visitors and behind the scenes, every gift of time is essential to making Festival work. We are so very grateful to everyone who came out to make our 49th year a success!”

The weekend kicked off with Waterfowl Chesapeake’s Premiere Night Party, attended by more than 550 guests – including corporate supporters, donors and art buyers – who turned out to enjoy an evening of food, cocktails and a preview of the Festival’s six downtown art galleries. Guests were also treated to new art experiences including two YETI “Quick Paint” projects in which Chestertown artist Mary Prichard created a landscape and 2019 Featured Artist Nancy Tankersley painting a Bay scene, both on tops of YETI coolers. David Turner also offered a “Quick Clay”, sculpting a duck in less than one hour. These items were auctioned off and won by determined bidders, with $2,300 in proceeds going directly to Waterfowl Chesapeake’s two Delmarva-based conservation projects for 2019. The William A. Perry Art and Decoy Auction also raised more than $3,800 for the Wm. A. Perry Scholarship Fund that benefits local college-bound students. “We felt the evening was great fun overall and were very pleased with the number of new people that joined the party,” said Waterfowl Chesapeake Executive Director Margaret Enloe.

More than sixty business, community and elected leaders gathered early Friday morning for “Coffee & Conservation” event, co-hosted by Waterfowl Chesapeake and the Talbot County Office of Tourism and Economic Development to kick off the official start of the Festival. Guest speaker Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Ricco delivered a thoughtful address focused on the agency’s work to bolster the outdoor recreation economy across the state and interesting aquaculture opportunities in the county.

Saturday kicked off with a bang – and no one was deterred by the cold temperatures. Waterfowl’s downtown “Beer Wetland”, now in its second year, was teeming with activity all day. It was the perfect venue for getting together with friends, enjoying a beer with grilled oysters and enjoying live music supplied by local musicians. The venue showcased eight craft brews from four regional breweries – most notably, the “Wood’rfowl Brew” made especially for Waterfowl weekend by RAR Brewing in Cambridge.

The “Chesapeake Marketplace” at Easton Middle School, with free admission this year, was the place to be for shopping and for the kid’s activities like the Chesapeake Mermaid, children’s story times, arts and crafts and a classroom full of conservation exhibits. If the number of children playing is any indication, families certainly seemed to enjoy the more family-friendly atmosphere which included an expanded food vendor area and a new birds-of-prey demonstration “Wings Across America” offered by the Earth Conservation Corps.

In the six downtown Art Galleries, more than one hundred of the finest nature and wildlife artists – some here for their first Festival, some returning favorites – came from all over the world. A constant stream of visitors flowed in and out of the galleries all day, enjoying sculptures, paintings, photographs, carvings and many new art pieces that defy traditional genre definitions. Featured Artist Nancy Tankersley’s exhibition showcased her love of local watermen at work, including the Featured Painting “Podgin’ for Oysters”. Tankersley had a solid weekend, selling several pieces, although the featured piece still remains available for purchase. Festival’s new venue, Art at the Library, offered an exhibit from the local Working Artists Forum, who were really pleased with the turn out.

Across town at the Bay Street Ponds, temperatures didn’t stop our regional hunting dogs from showing off their skills at the Retriever Demonstrations, though the hardy spectators there and during the fishing activities were bundled up tight on Saturday.

The even larger Sportsman’s Pavilion focused on the regions’ sporting heritage and was a beehive of activity all weekend. With additional vendors like Duck Camp, EukanubaTM, Boss Shotgun Shells, National Wild Turkey Federation, the giant Molly’s Place Sporting Goods tent, and an additional tent for duck and goose call-makers, several major vendors completely sold out of their wares. Activities onsite like the Kids’ Goose & Duck Calling Clinics, led by champions from the World Waterfowl Calling Contest®, saw registration fill quickly and helped introduce one hundred of the youngest Festival guests to the sport of duck and goose calling. The excitement surrounding the North American Diving Dogs® was palpable and many festival-goers took advantage of the stadium seating to enjoy the competition. Over 150 dogs competed, not counting the many amateur “try-its’ that happened in between the various heats.

The Festival’s World Waterfowl Calling Contests presented by Molly’s Place Sporting Goods crowned Ritson Galloway its first international winner in the Jr. Duck Calling Contest while Kile Jones of Paducah, Kentucky took his second win in the World Goose Calling Championship. Saturday evening after the contest finals, callers and other sportsmen and women enjoyed the revamped Sportsman’s Party at the Elks Lodge. It was a rocking event thanks to the support of YETI, Molly’s Place, Bass Pro Shops, Drake Waterfowl and several more corporate sponsors who supported the 2019 championships and also offered terrific raffle prizes for the party. More than 200 people enjoyed dinner of crab cakes and fried chicken, raffle prizes from sponsors, the Festival Beer Garden on tap and music by James Avedon well into the night. Across the street, the Buy, Sell, Swap offered visitors the opportunity to learn about the Shore’s waterfowl-related heritage by visiting with traders and collectors. At the Harry M. Walsh Artifacts Exhibit next door guests had the singular opportunity to see museum exhibitions and private historic collections not found anywhere else.

“The Waterfowl Festival owes a great deal of thanks to our many corporate, business, promotional and non-profit partners for their new or continued support this year,” says Greaney. “We absolutely couldn’t do it without each and every one of them and the services offered by the Town of Easton and Talbot County, too. We are particularly grateful for the funding we received from the Maryland State Arts Council.”

 

Local Painter Nancy Tankersley Selected as 2019 Festival Featured Artist

by

The Waterfowl Festival is pleased to announce the selection of painter Nancy Tankersley as its Featured Artist for the 2019 Festival taking place on Nov. 8-10. Tankersley, a 15 year resident of Easton, has been an exhibitor at the Festival since 2015 and welcomes the opportunity to be part of what makes her town so special.

“As a resident of Easton, I’m privileged to see the excitement build as our little town is transformed into the site of a major art and conservation festival,” she said. “The enthusiasm of the crowds, the local businesses, and the volunteers make the months of preparation and labor well worth the effort. The fact that this festival is in its 49th year is a testament to the vision of its founders, the support of the local community, and the wisdom and hard work of the people that keep it going year after year!”

It’s been a busy few years for Tankersley who was invited to participate in the annual Masters Exhibit at the Salmagundi Club in NYC in both 2017 and 2018. Last year she also became a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists and participated in their juried exhibit in Charleston in November.

“We are so excited to be working with Nancy this year,” commented Kevin Greaney, Waterfowl Festival Board President. “She is an amazing artist and a valued member of the arts community in Easton. Nancy is someone who understands the value of the organization and its mission to support conservation efforts on the Shore. We couldn’t be happier to have such a local treasure as our 2019 Featured Artist.”

Tankersley began her career as a portraitist in 1983 but entered the gallery scene with figurative paintings of people at work and at leisure. Currently her creations move between landscape, figures and still life. Incorporating non-traditional tools, supports and technologies for her paintings she remains faithful to her impressionistic style.

“In the years I have lived on the Eastern Shore my interest in painting figures at work has extended to images of our working watermen,” Tankersley said when asked about her inspiration for the Featured Art Piece she is creating for the Festival. “Yet I know that environmentalists and watermen are sometimes at odds, so I hope to portray the importance of a well-balanced and symbiotic relationship. My painting will certainly have watermen, boats and some of the wildlife that is native to the Chesapeake Bay and its environs. I like activity and color so my painting will have plenty of both.”

Active in the current plein air movement, and a founder of Plein Air Easton, she travels worldwide participating in competitions, judging and teaching. In 2018 and in 2019 she was invited to be an instructor and demonstrator at the Plein Air Convention in Santa Fe and released her first instructional video with Lilliedahl Videos. In 2016 and 2017 she was invited to exhibit at the prestigious Masters Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club in NYC. Recent honors include Best of Show at Parrsboro, Nova Scotia International Plein Air 2018, Best of Show at the Lighthouse Plein Air Festival 2017 and the Dickinson Award for Best Painting by a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society 2016 Annual Juried Exhibit.

Tankersley is a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society, the American Society for Marine Art, and the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters and also holds memberships in the Washington Society for Landscape Painters and the Salmagundi Club. Founder and Director of the Easton Studio, a workshop facility begun in Easton in 2010, the artist mentors and teaches and sponsors workshops by nationally known painters.

‘Sorting the Oysters’ Copyright 2019 Nancy Tankersley.

Awards:
2018 – Award of Excellence, American Impressionist Society National Annual Juried Exhibit
2018 – Bold Brush Award, June, Fine Arts Studio Online Competition
2018 – Best Architectural Painting, Plein Air Easton
2018- Best of Show, Parrsboro International Plein Air Festival, Nova Scotia
2017 – Life on the Farm Award, Plein Air Easton
2017 – Best of Show, Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival, Tequesta, Florida
2016 – Dickinson Signature Member Award, American Impressionist Society Annual Juried Exhibit
2016 – Best Painting by a Maryland Artist, Plein Air Easton
2016 – Plein Air Richmond, Honorable Mention
2015 – Oil Painters of America Eastern Exhibit, Award of Excellence
2015 – American Impressionist Society Annual Juried Exhibit, Honorable Mention
2015 – Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD Members Show – Best Landscape
2015 – Door County Plein Air Quick Draw, Artist’s Choice Award
2014 – En Plein Air Texas, Award of Excellence for Capturing the West Texas Light
2014 – Plein Air Richmond, Gamblin Award
2014 – January Finalist in Raymar On-line Competition
2013 – Plein Air Easton, Second Place
2013 – Plein Air Richmond, Third Place
2012 – Finalist, February Bold Brush Competition
2011 – Jane Shannanhan Offutt Memorial Award, Excellence in Painting in the Realist Tradition Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD.
2010 – Finalist, Fine Art Studios Bold Brush on-line competition
2010 – Vasari Award for Excellence in Oils, Plein Air-Easton! Quick Draw Competition
2010 – Honorable Mention, Wayne Plein Air Festival
2009 – A. Brittain Banghart Award for Excellence in Painting the Figure, Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD
2008 – Best in Show and First Place in Professional Category, Chesapeake College Open Competition, Wye Mills, MD.
2007- A. Brittain Banghart Award, Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD
2006- Artist’s Choice Award, for painting River Bend Paint-out, Great Falls, VA
2006- Directors Award, First Place. Art League, Alexandria, Virginia
2005 – Award of Merit, Urban Landscapes, Art League, Alexandria, Va
2005 – Equal Award, Art league, Alexandria, VA
2005 – Finalist, Raymar National Art Competition
2004 – Kirstein Award, Best in Show, Art League of Alexandria, VA
2000 – First Place, Patrons Show, Art League, Alexandria, VA.

For more information, visit www.waterfowlfestival.org or call 410-822-4567.

About the Waterfowl Festival
Waterfowl Festival Inc., a partner of Waterfowl Chesapeake Inc., is dedicated to wildlife conservation, the promotion of wildlife art, and the celebration of the life and culture of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The 49th Annual Festival will be held November 8-10, 2019 in historic Easton, MD. General admission tickets are $15 for all three days (if purchased prior to October 31) and $20 after or onsite. VIP and corporate sponsorship packages are also available. For more information, to volunteer, or donate, visit www.waterfowlfestival.org or call 410-822-4567.

Waterfowl-Related Education Programs Receive 2018 Funding

by

This year Waterfowl Chesapeake has chosen two conservation education programs on Delmarva as the focus of its 2018 Community in Conservation Match Campaign. “We are excited to offer a dollar for dollar match, up to $5,000, for two great ways to connect students with waterfowl issues,” says Executive Director Margaret Enloe. “We raised just over $1200 during Festival weekend through the generous support of artists and Festival guests. If we reach our goal by December 31, our community will help fully fund University of Delaware’s (UD) experiences for grad students and the Ward Museum’s program for Talbot County kindergarteners.”

UD’s field program “Promoting Waterfowl Hunter Education for New Adult Students” is aimed at better connecting today’s graduate students with tomorrow’s careers in Waterfowl Ecology. Many graduate students studying in this field have never had the experience of hunting. Yet these young adults are likely to become the future leaders in environmental resource management, with positions in academia, state agencies or federal service – all of whom must work with landowners and the hunting community. How can they communicate with the hunters and landowners if they have never had the experienced the sport? The program includes certification, education on waterfowl identification, policy, habitat management, value structures associated with hunting, hunting dog training, and cooking wild game. The program ends with a voluntary opportunity to engage in a one-on-one mentored waterfowl hunting experience. Overall, the experience is designed to help them be the best leaders in conservation they can be.

The Ward Museum’s program will offer classroom visits and field trips for Talbot County kindergarten students to experience the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art. While this opportunity is already successful in several other Shore counties, it will be a new program for students here. The curriculum supports MD State Department of Education’s Environmental Literacy Standards. It also meets the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) requirement for kindergarteners, which ensures that school children have hands-on, action-based learning experience that engage core concepts of watershed health and environmental impacts. And what better way for local children to understand the natural world than through lessons about our waterfowl!?

Waterfowl Chesapeake’s Community in Conservation Program includes using restricted proceeds from the Waterfowl Festival to offer non-profits and community entities the chance to receive monies for projects and initiatives at the intersection of conservation and community. “While we also support large restoration projects,” explains Enloe, “these small grants are a simple way for us to bring people and local conservation work together.”

Waterfowl Chesapeake hopes that the broad emphasis on “community” will encourage organizations to think creatively about who they can serve and will help generate new ideas to bring people and regional conservation work, research and education together on waterfowl-related issues. The matching campaign each year gives people a way to make a difference locally. “In the event that we exceed our match campaign goal, any additional funds are earmarked for next year’s worthy waterfowl projects.”

Find out more about the program or making a contribution at www.waterfowlchesapeake.org or by calling 410.822.4567.

About us: With a focus on communities, stewardship and the waterfowl-related resources and heritage on Delmarva, Waterfowl Chesapeake: Connects financial resources from the Festival and environmental needs in communities, Serves as a neutral convener for events, forums and discussions leading to solutions, and Engages and educates communities about the benefits of healthy waterfowl populations and habitats.

Kent’s Carvers and Clubs Exhibition at Waterfowl Festival

by

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s newest waterfowling exhibition will travel to the 48th annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Md. on November 9-11, 2018, before returning to CBMM’s Waterfowling Building through March 2019. Festival ticket holders can see the exhibition at Easton High School.

Kent’s Carvers and Clubs: Guides, Gunners and Co-Ops shares the stories of Maryland’s Kent County carvers and hunting clubs through a collection of decoys, oral histories, historic photographs, and other artifacts.

In the Rock Hall area of Kent County, virtually every young man grew up learning to hunt waterfowl in the early 1900s. That intimate knowledge of birds, their habits and their habitat translated into a marketable skill as gunning became the pastime of the wealthy. Rich photo documentation from the 1930s and 40s illustrate the camaraderie of the well-to-do business and professional men who flocked to Kent’s gunning shores to spend icy mornings in booby blinds, awaiting the arrival of ducks and geese and warm evenings by the club woodstove, where they feasted on local delicacies.

Two duck hunters take aim from a “booby” blind on the lower Chester River, c. 1950. Photo by A. Aubrey Bodine © Jennifer B. Bodine, courtesy of aaubreybodine.com.

Oral history excerpts reveal the stories of hardworking guides, who found vital supplemental seasonal income. Captain John Glenn fashioned hand-chopped decoys from his Piney Neck home, “Decoy Farm,” and began to work with other local carvers to supply a wide variety of stool. While the “Rock Hall School of Carvers” was likely influenced by the work of Susquehanna Flats decoy makers, Kent carver Charlie Joiner learned directly from legendary Havre de Grace carver R. Madison Mitchell, and befriended the Ward brothers of Crisfield, developing his own distinct and notable style.

“Kent County’s bountiful waterfowl population and picturesque shorelines drew gentlemen hunters from the cities to organized gunning clubs, especially along the shores near Rock Hall and Eastern Neck,” said CBMM Collections Manager Jenifer Dolde, curator of the exhibition. “Knowledgeable local men served as guides, savvy property owners leased their land for clubs, and skillful Kent carvers created co-ops to craft decoys for the rigs of neighbors and club members.”

“Kent County has an enduring waterfowling culture—one that continues to flourish in the fields, necks and islands of the deeply-rural region,” said CBMM Chief Curator Pete Lesher. “We’re grateful for the support of this exhibition to be able to explore this important part of Chesapeake history with our guests.”

Kent’s Carvers and Clubs: Guides, Gunners and Co-Ops is generously sponsored by Judy and Henry Stansbury, and the world’s leading decoy auction firm, Guyette & Deeter. Entry to the exhibition is free for CBMM members or with general admission. Kent’s Carvers and Clubs will travel to the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Md.November 9-11, 2018, and return to CBMM’s Waterfowling Building through March 31, 2019.

To learn more about the Waterfowl Festival, visit waterfowlfestival.org. For more on CBMM, visit cbmm.org.

Workshops Celebrate Nature as Creative Muse for Art

by

Hillary Parker, a naturalist and international award-winning botanical artist, will be returning to Easton November 7, 8 and 9 to lead two watercolor workshops – one for artists that want to broaden their experience and another for beginners.  In their own unique ways, each program celebrates nature as the creative muse for artistic expression.

“Painting Fins, Flies & Feathers,” starting on Wednesday, November 7 at 5:30pm and running all day Thursday, November 8, is a fun and comprehensive workshop for artists who also love fly fishing, waterfowl and art. The workshop combines these passions and focuses on minute details of artistry. Students can create watercolor studies of a wide variety of lures and the fish they attract, or enjoy learning to paint beautiful feathers such as quail, grouse, duck, pheasant and peacock that are often used to make lures. This is an excellent opportunity for all artists with basic drawing and watercolor experience to build upon, fine tune and master their skills in a detailed and controlled approach to their work. Cost is $150 and includes all supplies.

On Friday evening November 9, the focus shifts from experience to fun! From 5:30-7:30 p.m. after Waterfowl Festival hours, Parker is hosting a “Wine & Watercolors” painting party in the atrium of the Academy Art Museum. This art event is for everyone, including those folks new to art and wanting a little “liquid courage” to pick up a paint brush for the first time! She’ll help get your creative juices flowing during what she calls an “educational art experience”. With contagious enthusiasm and a mastery of skills, Parker encourages her guests to enjoy experimenting and painting with watercolors in a relaxed and social setting. It is a great way to see what watercolors can do, enjoy some wine and meet new people. Cost is $45 and includes all supplies, beverages and nibbles.

“We are thrilled to have someone like Hilary join us to provide new opportunities for current and budding artists, too,” says Waterfowl Chesapeake Executive Director. “She has such a fun energy and leads people to experiment and enjoy the process of creating art. In the lead up to Waterfowl Festival weekend, we want to help people find new ways to explore or expand their artistic horizons!”

So Parker can have all supplies at the ready, she asks people to pre-register for either program at www.WaterfowlFestival.org/AdultClasses or by calling 410.822.4567.

Both of these programs are supported in part by the Talbot County Arts Council.