Talbot Arts welcomes Amy Blades Steward as the president of the county arts council board, effective July 1.

Amy is an Easton native with a BA in English/Communications from Hood College in Frederick. In 1999, after returning from working on the western shore in historic preservation, she began work in health care marketing at MGW School of Nursing and eventually Shore Health System. She founded Steward Writing & Communications, a boutique freelance writing firm in Easton, providing marketing, writing, and editing services for non-profit and for-profit companies and local governments. Her non-fiction articles–covering the arts, the environment, tourism, health care, and social services–have appeared in national, regional, and local publications for over 30 years. She has helped numerous clients tell stories of help, hope, and compassion for those less fortunate across the region. She graduated from the Shore Leadership Program, Class of 2005, and received the Alfred Knight Award in 2001 for media placement and a 1996 Telly Award for a nursing school video. She is active in St. Mark’s United Methodist Church and has served on the boards of Character Counts Mid Shore, Maryland Life Magazine, Talbot Partnership, and Channel Marker. She is the past president of Talbot Community Connections, having served on the board since 2011. She currently serves on the marketing committees of For All Seasons and Talbot Hospice.

Amy resides in Easton with her husband, Eric. Her two grown sons both benefited from Arts Council Summer Scholarships to study what turned out to be their chosen professional fields.

Amy succeeds Nancy Larson, who supported the organization in various board roles. As president, she guided the organization through two challenging pandemic years. Among many of her accomplishments, Nancy helped to launch the University of Maryland Graduate School of Music Community Outreach program at Easton Middle School and Easton High School to expose students to classical music. Talbot Arts expanded its summer scholarship program to include middle school students this year.

Crafted in pewter by Salisbury Fine Metal Artisans at their Easton factory, the 2022 Christmas Ornament commissioned by the Tilghman Watermen’s Museum is now available for purchase. This year’s design, the 8th in their unique collection relating to Tilghman history, features a map of Tilghman’s Island. Early reviews and sales of the ornament indicate the pewter map may be the most popular design yet.

As one of the few working watermen’s communities in Talbot County, Tilghman’s Island has a unique history. The first English settlers arrived in 1656. Granted to Seth Foster in 1659, the Great Choptank Island was inherited in 1741 by Matthew Tilghman of Claiborne, whose descendants owned the island for the next 100 years. In the 1830’s, the family began to sell off lots; new residents arrived interested in harvesting the bounty of the Bay. Tilghman’s location was ideal for working the water. Watermen worked on the dredges, tonged oysters and worked with the shipping companies who packed the seafood on ice and sent it all over the nation. At one time, the Tilghman Packing Company was the largest employer in Talbot County. Tilghman is also known for boat building and is home to the country’s oldest working sailing fleet, the skipjacks.

Ornaments are offered for purchased for $25.00 which includes tax. They are available at the museum, located in the Lee House at 6031 Tilghman Island Road, Two if by Sea Restaurant , 2 Vintage Chics Boutique, and Fairbanks Tackle. On-line purchases can be made by visiting the museum website: www.tilghmanmuseum.org, or by email: twm6031@gmail.com. Phone orders will be taken at 410-886-2930.

The Tilghman Watermen’s Museum is in their fourteenth year of celebrating, documenting, preserving and sharing the history, traditions, heritage and culture of Tilghman Island. The museum is open on weekends from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Off hour tours are available by calling 410-886-2930 or 410-886-1190. For additional information, contact us by email: twm6031@gmail.com or visit our website: www.tilghmanmuseum.org

Easton Choral Arts Society announces its search for a new artistic director.  Wes Lockfaw has held the position for the past twelve years with outstanding success.  He is relocating out of the area. 

As Artistic Director, Mr. Lockfaw has earned his reputation as a talented musician, conductor and visionary leader of the chorus. During his tenure, Easton Choral Arts has presented a wide range of music from Brahms’ Requiem to the jazz Mass in Blue, from Saint Saens’ Christmas Oratorio to favorites by John Rutter, and many other diverse choral pieces.  ECAS performances have consistently been appreciated by audiences and recognized for high quality.

For the 2022-23 season the chorus will perform two concert programs, in December and in April or May, with two performance dates for each concert. The new Artistic Director will lead the chorus in weekly two-hour rehearsals and sectionals as necessary, with the assistance of an accompanist, and will conduct the chorus and accompanying musicians in the four performances.

The ideal candidate will be a talented vocalist, keyboard musician and conductor with experience directing choral groups, working collaboratively with singers and others. Candidates may submit a letter of interest, resume, and the contact information for three references by August 22, 2022 to eastonchoralarts@gmail.com  or mail to: Easton Choral Arts Society, PO Box 13, Easton, Maryland 21601.