Downtown Easton’s arts district just got bigger – and broader in terms of diversity in what qualifies as art and by whom.
Easton’s trio of galleries along Harrison Street within walking distance of the Academy Art Museum and curling up a half-block on Goldsborough has increased twofold. While the Zebra and Spiralis Galleries (note the plural) occupy one address site – 5 N. Harrison St., more or less half-way between the Troika and Trippe galleries and directly opposite the Tidewater Inn and across Dover Street from the Avalon Theatre – they are separate galleries whose independent owners say they plan to collaborate on certain parallel exhibitions while diverting here and there on their own.
“They Call Me Mr. T,” diamondback terrapin fabric art by Susan Fay Schauer
The current joint show, “At the Buzzer!” running through March 31, reflects on a compelling story of a basketball resurrection following the death of a young man on a court then in disrepair. According to Shelton Hawkins, the artist who has since painted resurfaced basketball courts across the country, starting with the one at Easton’s Idlewild Park, the death was not due to an injury. Hawkins’ cousin, James Thompson, 22, died of an enlarged heart rather than the impact of falling on a basketball court. The fatal incident, however, led to the resurfacing and repainting in bright geometric colors with the financial help of mentor Richard Marks and Easton Councilwoman Megan Cook, now the mayor.
Since then, Hawkins has created 40 more basketball canvases in concrete in three countries – several on display in colorful patterns on framed images lining one wall as you enter this dual gallery space. Other images include black-and-white photos of, among others, superstar Lebron James, who recently became the first player to surpass 4,000 points in his NBA career.
But you don’t have to appreciate the difference between dribble and scribble to get what else is happening in these cohabiting galleries. Gail Patterson, owner of the Spiralis Gallery, says their exhibits of shared space with the Zebra Gallery, owned by Susan Fay Schauer, is “complementary,” adding, “We each do our own thing, and sometimes we’ll do a joint show.” Like now, with “At the Buzzer!”
Bulsby Duncan’s “Buy or Sell”
Schauer calls the works in her gallery “evolutionary art,” mostly of flora or fauna in various media, both in abstract and realistic depictions. The current works on display are eclectic, to say the least, with mostly Afro-Caribbean art curated by Spiralis and a mix of narrative works and nature by Zebra artists.
Among the pieces that most caught my eye are “Buy or Sell,” an acrylic takeoff on the game of Monopoly by Bulsby Duncan, which is among the Spiralis pieces in one of the galleries, plus two Zebra fiber works, “Steppin’ Out,” a Cindy Winnick sculpture of a girl kicking up her dancin’ shoes, and – particularly appealing to me as a University of Maryland alum – “They Call Me Mr. T,” a Diamondback terrapin by Schauer. Hard to miss is a piece that should never be overlooked in any case: “I’m Late I’m Late,” a sculpture in stained glass and mosaic tile by Richard Fritz, obviously inspired by “Alice in Wonderland.” It stands as if on guard in an alcove between galleries.
While one corner of the current dual exhibit struck me as pedestrian – an array of hand-painted basketballs amounted to junior-varsity graffiti – the breadth of the art throughout and their disparate sources makes Zebra and Spiralis significant additions to Easton’s gallery scene, taking nothing away from the regional focuses of the Troika and Trippe galleries, just south and north on Harrison. The new galleries can only help expand the palette of art on view along Gallery Row, previously broadened by Studio B’s Asian influence.
As I’ve suspected, since I moved back here in 2017, Easton has become the art capital of the Eastern Shore. Now, if only we had an Equity theater company. But that discussion is for another time. For now, I’m happy to see how much we’ve grown already as an arts-friendly community.
Both the new galleries are open Thursdays-Sundays at 5 N. Harrison St., Easton.
ZEBRA AND SPIRALIS GALLERIES
At the Buzzer!” is a joint exhibit by Shelton Hawkins through March 31, along with other artworks from each gallery.
thezebragallery.com and spiralisgallery.com
Sarah says
The basketballs were actually hand painted and donated by locals, one local being Shelton’s young daughter, for charity. The charity is called Foundation of Hope.