Winter Woods, a collage by Ann Crane Harlan
Some families boast the random creative relative who is a writer or perhaps a photographer, but Ann Herron Crane Harlan of Centreville, an accomplished artist, is steeped in generations of creativity. The Herron-Crane Family will travel from all parts of the United States to share their art in a special month-long exhibition at the Queen Anne’s County Centre for the Arts at 206 S. Commerce St., Centreville.
The Herron-Crane Family Heritage Show opens Saturday, March 30th from 6 to 9 p.m. with a special free reception. The exhibition runs through Tuesday, April 30th, at the Centre for the Arts on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The show features a diverse display of artwork, nature photography, music, literature, yoga, and other creative expressions from more than 20 family members spanning seven generations. Curated by Harlan, the show features work that showcases her family’s artistic journey from past to present. “This show is a long time in the making… well over a century,” Harlan says. “This year the timing just seemed right. We look forward to not only seeing the collective creative but also sharing everything with the local art community.”
Well-known Centreville artist
Harlan made Centreville her home in 2000 after living in Crofton, Maryland. She is now a well-known watercolor and collage artist and prominent figure in Queen Anne’s County, serving as a member of the Kent Island Federation of Art, River Arts in Chestertown, and the Queen Anne’s County Centre for the Arts.
She creates her art in her home studio, where many have known her and her husband for more than 24 years cultivating heritage varieties of peaches, apples, plums, pears, and Christmas trees over 16 acres at their White Marsh Orchard.
Harlan, whose maiden name is Herron, has two brothers—James who is a talented actor, narrator, voiceover artist, and jazz performer living in Cleveland, Ohio, and Tom, a photographer, writer, well-respected speaker and campaign consultant, and poet with a 40-year career in advertising living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Tom created the invitation for the exhibition’s private reception. James will play drums in the Dick Durham Trio, a jazz ensemble performing at the opening reception. “The last time I performed on the Eastern Shore with the Trio was for Dick’s 75th birthday at the Mainstay a few years back,” says Herron. “There’s no place really on earth that is more interesting, beautiful, and historic than the Eastern Shore,” he says. “I look forward to being with my family and especially in the Shore’s beautiful spaces where water and agriculture combine.”
Harlan’s children, grandchildren, and their family members are the ‘Cranes.’ Among the artists whose works are represented in the exhibition include her son, her daughter, her ex-brother-in-law David Crane, and her ex-husband Richard Crane, Sr., who creates beautiful scrimshaw.
Rich heritage in the Arts
The arts and writing have always been in the Herron family. Her great uncle was one of the top writers for the Cleveland Press during the ’20s and ’30s, with his life serving as an inspiration for the radio show, novel, and 1945 Billy Wilder-directed film, The Lost Weekend. Now, she says, everyone including her grandchildren engages in the arts in some form or medium.
A photograph of a marsh in Hilton Head by Tom Herron
“The Herron family’s roots are in Ireland and England, with ancestors in the Revolutionary War,” said Harlan. “The Crane family is from Baltimore and Indiana – with Richard growing up in Severna Park and our children spending several summers there along with boating out on the water.”
The Crane family is represented in the exhibition by her son, daughter, ex-brother-in-law David Crane, and ex-husband Richard Crane, Sr., each bringing a blend of artistic talents, including Richard’s beautiful scrimshaw.
Appreciating arts and humanity
The exhibition begins with the past and continues toward contemporary generations, including James’ daughter, Elizabeth Herron, talented oil on canvas painter and winemaker in Oregon. Elizabeth will also be contributing wine from her vineyard, Johan Vineyards, for the March 30 reception.
Beauty in the Tree Tops, a collage by Ann Crane Harlan
Harlan, who recently celebrated her octogenarian milestone, initiated the exhibition planning a year ago, bringing together family members from various generations and locations. A private reception on the afternoon of March 30 and a big Easter brunch will provide opportunities for the family to gather.
“I hope people will appreciate how we all love beauty and nature and humanity,” Harlan said. “We all express art in different ways and with different mediums and want to share our arts heritage with the public in this special way.”
“The exhibition includes the work of 21 multigenerational artists of varying disciplines, each one very accomplished, in what they do,” says Queen Anne’s County Centre for the Arts Executive Director Rick Strittmater. “Inventors, designers, musicians, sculptures, painters, and more, this is quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime event. The work is spectacular. We are privileged to have this collection of artists at the Centre for the Arts.”
The March 30th opening reception is free. Light refreshments will be provided. Walk-ins are welcome. Free on-the-street parking and overflow parking is available at Wye Upper River School, 316 S. Commerce St., and at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 301 S. Liberty Street. To RSVP, contact Allison Moffatt at Queen Anne’s County Centre for the Arts at (410) 758-2520 or [email protected].
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