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June 8, 2023

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

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Arts Arts Notes

Authors & Oysters: Spy Columnist Jamie Kirkpatrick

June 1, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

The Bookplate is happily continuing their popular Authors & Oysters event series at The Retriever Bar in 2023. Author Michael Stang was featured in the most recent Authors & Oysters event on May 31st. Next up on Wednesday, June 7th at 6pm, all are invited to The Retriever to welcome local favorite Jamie Kirkpatrick as he discusses his historical novel, “This Salted Soil: The Battle for Tunisia, 1942-1943”.

“This Salted Soil” tells the story of the North African Campaign in World War II; America’s first, but often-overlooked, involvement in the war against Nazi Germany that helped to shape and ultimately secure the Allied victory in that bloody conflict. Using both historical and fictional characters, this is the story of the battle for Tunisia that took place between November, 1942 and May, 1943. The novel also explores two other related themes: Tunisia’s struggle for independence from France and the role of Third World countries in the ideological struggle between East and West in the post-war era.

Jamie Kirkpatrick is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Tunisia from 1970 to 1972. He was also the Associated Peace Corps Director in Tunisia from 1974 to 1976. Now retired after careers in international service organizations and education, Jamie is a writer and photographer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Washington College Alumni Magazine, and American Cowboy Magazine. For the past seven years, Jamie has written a weekly column for The Chestertown Spy and The Talbot Spy. Two collections of these essays (“Musing Right Along” and “I’ll Be Right Back”) are available at The Bookplate. Jamie and his wife Kat Conley have homes in Bethesda and Chestertown.

For more event details contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or contact@thebookplate.net. This event is free and open to the public and reservations are not required, however the event on 6/14 with Smithsonian curator, Eleanor Harvey, will require reservations to guarantee a seat. Reserve your space by calling the shop at 410-778-4167. All events are held in the back room of The Retriever, located at 337 ½ High Street in Chestertown, Maryland. 

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Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, local news, The Bookplate

The Garfield Center Announces Auditions for “The Addams Family” Musical

June 1, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Open auditions for the GCA production of “The Addams Family” will take place on Saturday, June 24th at 2 PM, Monday, June 26th at 6 PM, and Tuesday, June 27th at 6 PM. The production itself will open September 22nd and run weekends through October 8th.

The Garfield Center production will have an opportunity for a flexible cast size, depending on the number of ‘ancestor’ characters that are cast. There are 10 principal characters in the cast. Character descriptions can be found at https://www.garfieldcenter.org/gcaevent/addams-open-auditions/2023-06-24/ and requests for character-specific song suggestions are given there.

The director of the production is Jennifer Kafka Smith, and she has given audition music guidelines. First, for character roles, follow the link given above for the songs she would like to hear. Measure numbers come from the MTI Vocal Score. Copies of the sheet music, specific to the requested measures, can be requested via email at kafkasmith@gmail.com. Time stamps and measure numbers from the music links found on the GCA website are provided.

The director will have Addams Family show tracks on hand at the auditions. There will not be a pianist available. Singing a cappella does not provide enough information for the director, so she needs to hear singing with an accompaniment to determine two things: your ability to sing with sufficient volume and to tune your voice to the accompaniment. It is permissible to have sheet music and/or lyrics on stage to audition.

For the audition process, each auditioner will sing per the guidelines given above. Auditions will also include a cold read from the script. A portion of the audition will include learning a small section of choreography. Due to the dance segment, the GCA asks that you wear shoes that will permit movement on stage. For this reason, do not wear no rubber soled shoes or sandals).

Once all auditions are complete, casting will be announced by July 4. For any further information or to secure the resources mentioned above, contact the director at kafkasmith@gmail.com. Please do not call the Garfield Center.

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Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, Garfield Center for the Arts, local news

AAM to Host Acclaimed Filmmaker Sky Hopinka and Other Programs Centering Indigenous American Perspectives

May 31, 2023 by Academy Art Museum Leave a Comment

The Academy Art Museum (AAM) received a generous grant from Art Bridges Foundation to offer a series of free public programs related to tintype photographs of Native American people by contemporaryDiné artist Will Wilson that are on view in AAM’s latest exhibition In Praise of Shadows.

The slate includes three film programs—a selection of Sky Hopinka’s short films, followed by a conversation with the artist; short films by Indigenous American directors and producers; and a lecture by scholar Rebecca Weaver-Hightower that addresses depictions of Native American people in film throughout history. The programs complement and expand on themes that Wilson explores in his work, offering audiences a greater understanding of the racist and genocidal mythologizing at work in non-Native art and film about Native American people, and the settler colonial gaze that Wilson and many Indigenous artists and filmmakers are resisting.

All programs are generously supported by Art Bridges arts patron Alice Walton’s visionary program that subsidizes loans of major artworks and related programming in rural museums. Details about each event follow.

An Evening with Sky Hopinka
Tuesday, June 6, 6 pm
Free
Register Here: https://academyartmuseum.org/an-evening-with-sky-hopinka/

View a selection of short films by renowned experimental filmmaker Sky Hopinka, followed by a post-screening discussion with the artist and Dr. Ryan Conrath, Salisbury University professor and film programmer. Conceived in connection to Diné artist Will Wilson’s portraits of Native American people on view in the exhibition In Praise of Shadows, the program examines representations of Indigenous people and worldviews in art and film.

Sky Hopinkais a 2022 MacArthur Fellow. He received a BA from Portland State University and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Film and Electronic Arts Program at Bard College. His work has been shown at many film festivals and exhibited at the Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester, Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Hopinka is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and a descendent of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.

Rebecca Weaver-Hightower: The Settler Colonial Gaze
Thursday, June 8, 6 pm
Free
Register here: https://academyartmuseum.org/rebecca-weaver-hightower-the-settler-colonial-gaze/

Dr. Rebecca Weaver-Hightower offers a thought-provoking talk on the construction of settler colonial ideology and its visual manifestations in cinema, photography, and museum exhibition practice. Offered in connection to Diné artist Will Wilson’s portraits of Native American people on view in the exhibition In Praise of Shadows, the lecture examines representations of Indigenous people and worldviews in art and film over time.

Weaver-Hightower is a professor in the Department of English at Virginia Tech. She recently co-authored Cinematic Settlers: The Settler Colonial World in Film, and she authored both Frontier Fictions: Settler Sagas and Postcolonial Guilt and Empire Islands: Castaways, Cannibals and Fantasies. She is also a co-editor of Archiving Settler Colonialism: Culture, Space and Race and Postcolonial Film: History, Empire, Resistance.

Shorts Program: “Critical Indigenous Cinema”
Thursday, June 15, 6 pm
Free
Register here: https://academyartmuseum.org/critcal-indigenous-cinema/

Join us for a program of short experimental films by contemporary Indigenous producers who use cinema to provide counter-images to settler narratives in visually and conceptually daring ways. Curated by Dr. Ryan Conrath, Salisbury University professor and film programmer, and conceived in connection to Diné artist Will Wilson’s portraits of Native American people on view in the exhibition In Praise of Shadows, the program examines representations of Indigenous people and worldviews in art and film. Following the screening, Conrath and B.L. Strang-Moya, filmmaker and Ocean City Film Festival organizer, will discuss the films and their contributions to contemporary film culture as well as to a rethinking of Native American people’s involvement in cinema more broadly.

About the Academy Art Museum

As the premier art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Academy Art Museum presents high-quality exhibitions and a full range of art classes for visitors of all ages. Past exhibitions have featured artists such as James Turrell, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir and Richard Diebenkorn. The permanent collection focuses on works on paper by American and European artists from four centuries including recent acquisitions by Graciela Iturbide and Zanele Muholi. Arts educational programs range from life drawing lessons to digital art instruction, and include lunchtime and cocktail hour concerts, lectures and special art events, as well as a free block-party style Juneteenth Celebration and Fall Craft Show celebrating 26 years. AAM also provides arts education to school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. To continue the institutional movement of offering free public programming and to give barrier-free access to art, AAM eliminated admission fees in 2023.

Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Thursday-Friday 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday-Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: Free

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Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Academy Art Museum, Arts, local news

Studio B Art Gallery Opens “Wanderlust” Exhibit During Easton’s First Friday Gallery Walk

May 31, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Studio B Art Gallery is proud to announce the opening of its latest exhibit, “Wanderlust,” which will debut during Easton’s First Friday Gallery Walk on June 2. This event marks the gallery’s newest “Art Salon Opening,” featuring stunning artwork inspired by worldly travels and exploration.

The “Wanderlust” exhibit is a celebration of the adventurous spirit, showcasing the art of the gallery’s globe-trotting artists who have captured the essence of their travels and experiences in their works. Visitors to Studio B Art Gallery will be treated to a visual journey that will transport them to various locations with inspiring new perspectives to spark the imagination.

“Paris in the Rain” – 9×12 Jove Wang

Gallery artist Charles Newman will be at Studio B Art Gallery for the First Friday Art Salon. Charles was selected as the top 25 finalist for PleinAir Magazine’s 12th Annual $33,000 Plein Air Art Competition; he also just won second place at the Wayne Plein Air Festival.

“We are thrilled to present Wanderlust as our latest exhibit and excited to have Charles join us for June’s First Friday Gallery Walk,” said gallery owner, Betty Huang. “Our artists have truly captured the spirit of adventure and we can’t wait to share it with our community during the month of May.”

Studio B Art Gallery also has spots open for a 3-day Plein Air Workshop with Master Jove Wang on Sunday, July 16 – Tuesday, July 18, 2023. This is an amazing opportunity to learn from a master artist in this immersive three day workshop experience, and you are invited to work with Jove on location in Easton, Maryland. Jove will hold daily demos, lectures, and hands-on sessions as he explains his painting processes for creating his amazing works of art.

“Yvoire, France” – 11×14 Jove Wang

The “Wanderlust” exhibit will run through June and is open to the public during regular gallery hours. The “Plein Air Workshop with Master Jove Wang” is filling fast. Visit www.studiobartgallery.com for information on registering and learn more about the gallery, the events, and featured artists. You can also send an email to betty@studiobartgallery.com or call 443-988-1818 to register for the workshops or arrange a private showing this spring.

Studio B Art Gallery is located at 7 B Goldsborough Street in historic downtown Easton, Maryland. The gallery represents nationally and internationally known painters Hiu Lai Chong, Bernard Dellario, Ken DeWaard, Betty Huang, Qiang Huang, Charles Newman, Daniel Robbins, Master Jove Wang, and sculptor Rick Casali.

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Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, local news

DrinkMaryland: Centreville Celebrates Maryland Makers on June 17th

May 31, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

When a group of 24 Main Street volunteers gathered in 2016 to create a new signature event to attract visitors to Centreville little did they know that their efforts would lead to the production of an event that not only attracts about 1,800 visitors from seven different states in addition to Washington, D.C., and Maryland, but also that the event would be equally popular with locals.

The event concept went from idea to fruition when Centreville Main Street approached the Maryland Wineries Association in 2017 to partner with the Town to celebrate Maryland’s craft beverage makers, artisans, and entertainers. Now in its sixth year, DrinkMaryland: Centreville – A Maryland Makers Event will be hosted on Lawyers Row and Broadway on Saturday, June 17 from noon to 5 p.m.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Moore

Admission to the event is free and attendees over the age of 21 (ID required) may purchase tasting passes to explore local wine, beer and spirits. Tasting passes are available for $20 in advance at drinkmaryland.org for $25 on the day of the event at the check-in tent on the corner of Broadway and N. Commerce Street.

This year’s event will feature nearly 40 Maryland makers, including live performances by Chesapeake Sons, led by band founder Jason Morton of Chester, and Philip Dutton and The Alligators, led by front man Philip Dutton of Worton. Emceeing the stage and engaging the audience with a special tasting session will be certified sommelier, national speaker and “edutainer” Laurie Forster of Easton.

Chesapeake Sons will be performing their signature blend of Southern rock. The band has toured throughout the United States as well as at a special international music festival in Lithuania, and has shared the stage with renowned music legends such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Church, ZZ Top, Kid Rock, and Shooter Jennings. Chesapeake Sons was back in studio in Nashville, Tenn., writing and recording new music in mid-May, so the DrinkMaryland: Centreville audience may be treated to some brand new tunes.

Philip Dutton and The Alligators will perform some lively original and cover music that will evoke the sounds of New Orleans, and for good reason. Philip Dutton was born and raised in Louisiana and developed his musical chops from influences such as bayou two-step dancing music and the music of Zydeco pioneer Clifton Chenier.

Corporate Sponsors

DrinkMaryland: Centreville – A Maryland Makers Event is produced by event partners Maryland Wineries Association (MWA) and the Town of Centreville and is executed by a group Centreville Main Street volunteers and MWA staff and volunteers. The signature event is funded in part through the generosity of its corporate sponsors.

At press time corporate sponsors include: Platinum Sponsor: Shore United Bank; Support Services/Stage Production Sponsor: Queenstown Bank; Gold Sponsors: CR Realty and Rosendale Realty; Silver Sponsors: Joseph W. McCartin Insurance, Inc. and Rural Maryland Council; and Bronze Sponsors: Chesapeake Real Estate Associates LLC, Prime Lending, and Queen Anne’s County Library.

Chesapeake Sons

Artisans and food vendors

In addition to live performances and the chance to explore Maryland wine, beer and spirits offerings, attendees can check out a diverse selection of artisan wares. At press time, event artisans include:

  • Beltway Merch: Handmade Maryland themed belts, dog collars & leashes, cat collars, key chains, and hair accessories;
  • Brackish Wooder: Carved wooden signs and décor;
  • BroHo Sauce Company: Small batch hot sauce;
  • Chesapeake Shoppe: Handcrafted jewelry and unique designs;
  • Crafty Ness: Camping buckets, floral arrangements & more;
  • Emailine: Mirror sun-catchers & earrings;
  • Hometown Rustics: Handmade burlap wreaths & décor;
  • J and S Creations: Gourds; hair accessories; wood crafts & more;
  • KaitMadeDesign:  Handmade polymer clay jewelry and accessories such as hair clips & beer can glasses;
  • The Moonlit Shell: Handmade jewelry, crafted with hand-collected seashells, pearls, and shark teeth recycled from oceans in the United States and abroad;
  • Pope’s Leather: Handmade leather belts, bags, wallets & accessories; and
  • Resouled/Marilyn DiMarco: Reclaimed vintage doors and nautical charts transformed into unique wall art.

Philip Dutton and The Alligators

When the afternoon’s festivities work up an appetite, attendees will have an eclectic selection of food offerings to satisfy their hunger. Food vendors include:

  • BBQ Bueno: Chopped chicken, pulled-pork and sliced brisket, burrito bowls, sandwiches, tacos, nachos plus mac & cheese;
  • Carrie Sue’s Cupcakery: Cupcakes & sweet treats;
  • Paul Gunther’s Catering: BBQ chicken, pit beef & more;
  • Jimmy’s Fat Rolls: Lobster, filet mignon, chicken and shrimp rolls, cheesy bacon taters;
  • Lucky Heart Bakery: Featuring the launch of a limited edition Old Bay soft pretzel as well as pies, cookies, artisan breads, and cinnamon buns;
  • Kent Island Crab Cakes: Crab cake sliders, crab topped pretzels, Smith Island Cakes, and lemon bars; & soft drinks; and
  • A Sprinkle of Magic Cupcakes: Cupcakes & baked goods.

To purchase a tasting pass for DrinkMaryland: Centreville – A Maryland Makers Event, visit drinkmaryland.org. For artisan or sponsorship information, contact Carol D’Agostino, Centreville Main Street manager, at mainstreet@townofcentreville.org or (410) 758-1180, ext. 17 or search for “DrinkMaryland” at townofcentreville.org.

All photos are supplied by Centreville Main Street, Chesapeake Sons/Jason Morton and Philip Dutton/Philip Dutton and The Alligators, which provide consent for publication purposes.

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Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, local news

Artists in Dialogue with Landscape Outdoor Sculpture Invitational on View at Adkins Arboretum

May 31, 2023 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

Many stories are woven into the landscape at Adkins Arboretum. This spring, five artists from the mid-Atlantic region brought some of them to light with their sculptures on view June 1 through Sept. 30 in the Arboretum’s 11th biennial Outdoor Sculpture Invitational—Artists in Dialogue with Landscape. The artists will talk about the stories that inspired their artworks during a reception and guided sculpture walk on Sat., June 3 from 2 to 4 p.m.

“News Alert—Dinosaur Tracks Discovered at Adkins Arboretum!” is Yardley, Penn., artist Elizabeth McCue’s take on how the Arboretum may have looked in prehistory. Set in a curving path, her trackway of huge sauropod footprints marches off into the forest beyond.

The Arboretum’s present-day paths prompted Marcos Smyth of Alexandria, Va., to create “Revelator.” Spanning a path under the trees, it creates an unexpected barrier, forcing walkers to enter its wheelchair-accessible U-shaped tunnel. Inside, it reveals itself as a place of dappled light and shadow where one is largely concealed from the outside world but can see through the latticework of sticks and burlap that form its walls. It’s an invitation to pause, look around and open to the peace and revelations the forest offers before moving on.

“Revelator,” a sculpture by Marcos Smyth

Stephanie Garon, of Clarksville, Md., also took up the theme of traveling with three towering figures made of bundles of willow saplings that seem to stride across the Arboretum’s South Meadow. After learning that this land was the home of the native Choptank people until colonization forced them to migrate, Garon began to consider how people around the world are being displaced as climate change makes their homes uninhabitable through sea level rise and intensified weather patterns.

In her travels as an art handler moving art for museums and galleries across the U.S. and Canada, Laurel, Md., artist Melissa Burley often witnesses the effects of increasingly severe storms caused by climate change. Also disturbed by the discarded water bottles and tattered plastic bags caught in fences along the highways, she was inspired by Chief Seattle’s famous words, “Man does not weave a web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.” A startling bright blue in the green of the forest, her sculpture, “Caught in a Web,” is an intimate tableau made of a picket fence and litter with a mirror behind a silvery web that reflects the viewer’s own face.

Another aspect of the same web is revealed by colorful flags set in a patch of delicate ferns surrounding a large tree. “All Together,” a second sculpture by McCue, evokes the Wood Wide Web popularized by Suzanne Simard’s book Finding the Mother Tree. Only recently discovered by scientists, the mycorrhizal network that trees use to communicate and forge symbiotic relationships is hidden underground, but McCue has made it visible by marking its interconnected patterns with hundreds of multicolored flags radiating from a “Mother Tree.”

For Towson, Md., artist Bridgette Guerzon Mills, it was natural to let the forest’s trees tell their own stories. Gathering acorns, seedpods, bark, lichens, moss and leaves, she stitched them onto the pages of a large handmade book where they form a gentle meditation on trees’ role in the forest ecology. As well as containing the seeds of the next generation of trees, such “forest litter” provides food for animals and nutrients for the soil and is crucial to the health of the forest.

A powerful awareness of such intricate interconnections runs through all these artists’ works. In their various ways, they explore the realization that in our ever-changing world, the interconnections humans share with all of nature are crucial to the web of life on earth.

This show is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view June 1 through Sept. 30 at the Arboretum Visitor’s Center located at 12610 Eveland Road near Tuckahoe State Park in Ridgely. Contact the Arboretum at 410-634-2847, ext. 100 or info@adkinsarboretum.org for gallery hours.

A 400-acre native garden and preserve, Adkins Arboretum provides exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.

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Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Adkins Arboretum, Arts, local news

Forest Music Returns to Adkins Arboretum June 15

May 30, 2023 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

Music will once again lilt through the trees when Adkins Arboretum hosts Forest Music on Thurs., June 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. Presented in partnership with Chestertown’s National Music Festival, Forest Music is a unique performance art event that brings young musicians and their mentors from the Festival to play in the forest for visitors who travel from near and far to hear them.

Since its inception in 2014, Forest Music has become a highly anticipated annual event. Positioned individually or in small groups along a circuit of wooded paths, musicians play their individual selections simultaneously so that their music can be heard up close or at a distance as visitors walk through the forest. Sometimes harmonizing between one group and the next, sometimes creating strangely magical dissonances, they play in concert with birdsong, the rustle of leaves in high branches and, occasionally, a chorus of frogs.

Over the years, participating musicians have come with violins, clarinets, horns, bassoons, double basses and even steel drums to play everything from Bach to the Beatles to original compositions developed specifically for the Arboretum forest. Held during the National Music Festival’s two-week run, Forest Music draws many of its visitors from the Festival itself while also attracting a large local audience from the Arboretum’s members and friends.

Musicians from Chestertown’s National Music Festival play in the woods during Forest Music at Adkins Arboretum. The 2023 Forest Music performance is Thurs., June 15 at the Arboretum in Ridgely.

The event will also feature the opportunity to bid on a parlor-size acoustic/electric guitar, generously donated by PRS Guitars. Bids will also be accepted through June 30 at adkinsarboretum.org.

Forest Music is $10 per person. Light refreshments will be served, and wine will be available for purchase. All are welcome; advance registration is strongly encouraged at adkinsarboretum.org or by calling 410-634-2847, ext. 100.

This event is generously sponsored in part by the Caroline County Council of Arts, PRS Guitars and Unity Landscape Design|Build.

A 400-acre native garden and preserve, Adkins Arboretum provides exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.

The National Music Festival brings together inspiring mentors and the next generation of gifted musicians, providing education, scholarships and affordable, adventurous public performances in and around Chestertown, Md. Visit nationalmusic.us for more information.

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Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Adkins Arboretum, Arts, local news

Young Artist’s Harp Seminar Returns to Washington College

May 27, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Now in its 21st season, the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar (YAHS) returns to Maryland’s Eastern Shore this July. Over 50 of the world’s top young harpists will reside at Washington College for two weeks of intensive study, coaching sessions with renowned instructors, and concert performances open to the public.

The festivities open on July 10 at Chestertown’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church with a chamber music concert featuring Nancy Allen, principal harpist of the New York Philharmonic, and chair of the harp department at The Juilliard School.

Harpists coming from California, to Canada, to Costa Rica, and everywhere in between, will embark on a two-week course of study with renowned YAHS faculty. A training ground for elite artists, many YAHS alumni have subsequently attended top schools and conservatories, such as The Juilliard School, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Paris Conservatory, and many others.  YAHS alumni have also claimed top prizes at major international competitions, including France’s prestigious Concours de Harpe Lily Laskine and Japan’s Nippon Harp Competition.

Throughout their two weeks at YAHS, harpists have opportunities to practice performing on stage, in masterclasses, and in a series of simulated orchestral auditions.

Susan Bennett Brady (Principal Harpist with the Atlanta Opera Orchestra) and Kimberly Rowe (editor of Harp Column magazine) founded the YAHS program in 2002 as a way to give young harpists ages 12–26 an intense performance and practice environment with top instruction. In 2008, they launched the international Young Artist’s Harp Competition, and in 2014, the auxiliary one-week YAHS Prep program debuted for harpists ages 8–17. The YAHS is excited to return to Chestertown to join the passionate culture of music on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Concert-goers will have many opportunities to hear the young harpists—along with faculty and special guests—in action this summer at a series of concert events open to the public.

Most YAHS students are serious about the harp, and many have plans to pursue it as a career path. Some students, however, don’t see a professional harp career in their future, and for Rowe and Brady that’s fine: “Our number one goal is simply to impart a love for music and for the harp.” They are confident the students’ experiences at YAHS will help them meet their goals, whatever they may be.

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Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, local news

Spiralis Gallery Introduces Contemporary Afro-Caribbean Art to Eastern Shore

May 26, 2023 by Amy Blades Steward Leave a Comment

A new online art gallery is the perfect platform for Easton resident Gail Patterson to share her deep affinity for Afro-Caribbean art, particularly Haitian, by presenting this genre to Eastern Shore residents and beyond.  The online gallery, Spiralis Gallery, will launch its opening with some of its artwork being featured at Out of the Fire Restaurant in Easton, Maryland beginning July 12, 2023. The show, “Things Fall Together,” will then run for 10 weeks at the restaurant for diners to enjoy. All artworks are for sale.

Patterson, a physician and art lover, launched her original gallery at Art Basel Miami and the Outsider Art Fair in 2012-2013. For ten more years, her demanding medical career forced her to put her art gallery dreams on hold until now.

The new online gallery, Spiralis Gallery, has its opening show, “Things Fall Together,” at Out of the Fire Restaurant in Easton, Maryland on July 12, 2023, showcasing Easton resident Gail Patterson’s deep affinity for Afro-Caribbean art.

“This genre of art has always resonated with me, with its vibrant colors, exquisite patterns, and strong spiritual imagery. And I am drawn inexorably to outsider artists, whose creations come directly from their souls,” comments Patterson, director and curator of Spiralis Gallery.

The gallery will focus on emerging and mid-career artists, with a secondary lens on Outsider artists or “art brut.” She adds, “The Gallery’s new online presence amplifies the visual narratives of Afro-Caribbean artists by presenting bold pieces, colorful fiber art, bricolage, and sculpture. In so doing, our fervent hope is to connect cultures and people in meaningful ways, thereby emphasizing and exploring our common humanity.

Patterson bought her first piece of Haitian art in 1990, a small painting of a little girl’s face by Louisiane St. Fleurant – one of five artists who initially joined the experimental Saint Soleil art movement. She recalls, “I was transfixed by the girl’s smile, her direct gaze, the vivid colors and patterning – the painting brought me such a frisson of joy, that I knew I would want to look at it every day.  It felt instantly like home – like somewhere I had been or wanted to go.”

“What I did not know at the time was that this purchase would catalyze my relationship with Haiti, a place I have gone many times over the years for volunteer medical service, a place of great happiness and immense sorrow, a place where misery and triumph are mixed in the blender of life in equal parts.”

Over the years, Patterson continued to collect Haitian art, including contemporary, mainstream, and self-taught artists.

“Perhaps it’s the colors, the magic of symbols and mysticism, or the naive portrayal of everyday life that appeals to me. I have met many artists and bought from them directly at their homes, from the back of motorbikes, or in their own ateliers. In Haiti, art is life, art is necessary, a profound and vital expression of connection to the world – part of the spiral of the universe, where things are meant to be connected in ways we can’t even imagine or know. In one artist’s words, ‘It’s not me who voyages, it’s my spirit through my paintings that travels,’” she reflects.

“I have collected with the firm belief that the opposite of poverty and degradation is not peace and contentment but rather, creation in all its forms. In Haiti, art is essential, and that creative force is behind the extraordinary outpouring of work.”

Gerard, Red and White Flowers in Bird Vessel, Oil on Canvas, 29×38 inches.

Patterson’s vision is to find ways to showcase this artwork as a new addition to the thriving local art scene on the Eastern Shore. Her mission is to display and promote artists’ works as a way to bring people together and show our common humanity.

“In my opinion, the purpose of a gallery is not just to sell art but to create community, make space for conversation, and foster and support relationships,” she adds.

Spiralis Gallery will initially have an online presence that refreshes frequently as new artists join the ever-growing roster. For inquiries about sales and exhibitions, contact director and curator Gail Patterson at gail.spiralis@gmail.com or 908-625-8704 or visit https://spiralisgallery.com/.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, local news, The Talbot Spy

Chestertown’s 2023 National Music Festival Includes Something for Everyone

May 25, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Chestertown’s renowned National Music Festival has announced its June 2023 concert schedule. From June 4-17, the Festival will bring together 28 of the nation’s most esteemed mentors and 100 promising apprentices, presenting over 30 events, ranging from major symphonies to chamber music, pre-concert talks, and master classes, plus dozens of free open rehearsals. Mentors are professional musicians who teach and perform all over the country; apprentices are young professional musicians on the cusp of their careers. Festival musicians come to Chestertown this season from 10 countries and 30 US states.

Concert schedules, tickets, and Festival Passes are available on the Festival’s website, nationalmusic.us.

Highlights of the much-anticipated 11th season include:

  • Monumental symphonic works, including the 7th Symphonies of Beethoven and Mahler, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, and Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun;
  • Performances by audience favorite and acclaimed guitarist Camilo Carrara;
  • Chamber music, including works by Prokofiev, Barber, Messiaen, Bartok, and Haydn;
  • A free Family Concert featuring percussion;
  • Forest Music, a unique performance art event in collaboration with Adkins Arboretum (tickets available at adkinsarboretum.org).

Garnering national and international attention will be the Festival’s performance of American composer Dana Suesse’s Concerto in E Major for Two Pianos, performed by the young Croatian pianists Petra Akrap & Katarina Nera Biondić and orchestra, conducted by Festival Artistic Director Richard Rosenberg.

“Whatever your musical tastes, we have performances you will love,” said Rosenberg. “In addition to our flagship orchestra concerts, try our ‘Lunchtime Chamber Bites,’ our special Family Concert, or our Market Music in Fountain Park and enjoy!”

Lunchtime Chamber Bites are short, free concerts featuring performances and discussion with the artists. The Family Concert and Market Music concerts are also free, as are several other events. All rehearsals are free and open to the public. Venues for concerts and rehearsals range from local churches to Washington College to the Raimond Cultural Center, MassoniArt Galleries, Sumner Hall, and more. Concert and rehearsal schedules are available on the Festival’s website, nationalmusic.us.

For apprentices, the National Music Festival advances the lives and careers of these promising musicians by providing access to world-class mentors and performance opportunities. Apprentices are chosen in a highly competitive process and attend the Festival on scholarship, free of charge. The Festival is a true community effort as Chestertown area residents open their homes as host families for apprentices and mentors, and Emmanuel Church in downtown Chestertown will provide lunches for the musicians on weekdays.

Visit the Festival’s website for the complete 2023 Festival concert schedule and repertoire and to purchase tickets or Festival Passes: https://nationalmusic.us/eventsand-tickets/concert-schedules/. All tickets are held for pick-up at the concerts; no tickets will be mailed. A number of concerts are free, as are all rehearsals.

The National Music Festival is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) and the Kent Cultural Alliance (kentculture.org). For more information about the Festival, visit the website at nationalmusic.us or contact info@nationalmusic.us or (443)480-0221.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, local news

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