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May 8, 2025

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

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The Kent Cultural Alliance announces 2025 Independent Artist Grants for Kent County Artists

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The Kent Cultural Alliance (KCA) is pleased to announce the 2025 Independent Artist Grants program, which will provide $25,000 in funding to support artists living and creating in Kent County. This initiative will award 50 individual grants of $500 each as one-time financial support for artists working in a variety of disciplines.

The application period will open on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at 10:00 AM and close on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Eligible applicants must reside and actively create work in Kent County. These funds may be used for a range of artistic needs, including the purchase of materials, studio rental, marketing expenses, or equipment maintenance. However, grant funds may not be used for travel purposes.

Applicants are not required to rely on art as their primary source of income.  The KCA’s definition of art is multidisciplinary and includes practices often referred to as craft. Applications will include questions related to the artist’s practice, proposed use of the grant funds, and plans for sharing their work with the community.

If the number of qualified applications exceeds the funding capacity, grant recipients will be selected through a randomized process. This will not be a first come/ first served process.

The application is available online at www.kentculture.org, where both an online submission form and a downloadable PDF version can be accessed. Artists requiring a printed copy may request one by contacting the KCA office. Paper applications can also be picked up in person at the Raimond Center, located at 101 Spring Avenue, Chestertown, during office hours (Tuesday–Friday, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM).

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Hester Sachse, Deputy Director of the Kent Cultural Alliance, at [email protected] or by phone at 410-778-3700.

The Kent Cultural Alliance is dedicated to fostering engagement, education, and connection through the arts in Kent County. These grants reflect our mission to support local artists and strengthen the creative community.

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

Garfield Center showcases Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: A review by Peter Heck and Jane Jewell

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Gaston at the village tavern

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, playing at the Garfield Center in Chestertown through Saturday, Dec. 21, is a perfect holiday experience for the whole family. Directed by Jennifer Kafka Smith, the musical features romance, comedy, action, and a familiar story with delightful characters. This is a professional-quality production that highlights just how much talent the local theatrical community has to offer.

The earliest version of Beauty and the Beast is generally cited as La Belle et la Bete by the French author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, first published in 1740. However, the story has its roots in numerous folk tales from all over the world, some close to 4,000 years old. The basic story tells of a person who, under a magical spell, has been turned into a hideous beast. This curse can only be broken when the beast learns to love someone who, seeing beneath the surface, returns the beast’s love.  Beauty, says this fable, is not just skin deep. The story has been rewritten numerous times over the years, notably by Andrew Lang in 1889 in the Blue Fairy Book.

A 1946 film version by French director Jean Cocteau introduced the idea of inanimate objects in the Beast’s household coming to life. The film was nominated for the Festival Grand Prize at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival and in the same year won the Prix Louis Dullec. Listed in the British Film Institute’s Top 50 Films that everyone should see by the age of 14. This version includes a bit of the Cinderella story with Beauty having two cruel sisters who make her do all the housework. Currently, it’s available to stream for free on the internet at Tubi TV and Movies [https://tubitv.com/movies/568421/beauty-and-the-beast]

The Disney studios attempted to make Beauty and the Beast into an animated film first in the 1930s and again in the 1950s, but the projects never reached the theaters. After the success of The Little Mermaid as a musical in 1989, they decided to try again, turning the story into a light musical and introducing an element of comedy that was missing in most of the earlier versions.

It was a huge success. Released in 1991, with a book by Linda Wolverton and music by Alan Menken, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast became the first animated film ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

The movie was adapted for the stage in 1994. The current version playing at the Garfield is a reworking of that version, shortened and geared for a younger audience. As Kafka Smith observes in her “Director’s Notes,” most of the violence and “scary parts” of the original version have been scaled back. For example, in this version, the wolf pack that attacks Maurice and Belle is played by the younger children in the cast, who simply chase the other characters around the stage. The result is a family friendly, live-action version of the 1991 Disney movie.

The play begins with a brief scene—played in pantomime, with narration by Todd Steffes—where an arrogant young prince denies hospitality to what he believes to be an ugly, old beggar woman. She offers him a rose as payment for shelter from the storm, but he repulses her. She then reveals herself as an enchantress, both young and beautiful. In punishment for his selfishness and cruelty, she casts a spell, changing him into a hideous beast. He is cursed to remain a beast until he stops judging people by their appearances and learns instead to love and be loved in return. But if he has not learned his lesson before the rose withers and its last petals fall, he will be doomed to remain a beast forever.

Lumiere, Babette, Mrs. Potts, Chip the Teacup, Madame de la Grande Bouche, Cogsworth the Clock

Years pass. The story moves to a small French village nearby. Belle, the daughter of an eccentric inventor, is played by Shannon Carter. Shannon’s stage father, Maurice, is played by her real-life father, Brian Whitaker. She is going to the village square to find a new book to read. The other villagers consider her odd, especially because of her avid reading.

Enter Gaston (Max Hagan), a self-important hunter who has decided to marry Belle – but he quickly finds that she’s not interested in him. And she’s certainly not interested in the kind of subservient relationship he expects of a wife. All the villagers oh and ah as Gaston flexes his muscles like a body-builder. He’s clearly the village hero, albeit a self-important, conceited one.

This version of the story is more feminist than earlier ones, with Belle being not only attractive in appearance but also kind, intelligent, resourceful, and brave. She has a mind of her own; she is not just a pretty face. As she says later, to one of the Beast’s servants, “He may be your master but he’s not mine.”

Gaston and his sidekick LeFou (Russell Laing) go to the tavern to sulk and brag, while Belle meets her father Maurice, who is preparing his new invention for the annual fair. When it is ready, he heads off, only to get lost in the forest, where he is pursued by wolves. Maurice escapes, eventually finding himself at the Beast’s castle, where he is made prisoner.

Also at the castle, we meet the Beast’s staff, servants whom the curse has transformed into household objects related to their work or personalities. JW Ruth plays Lumiere the candelabra while Colby Crawford is Cogsworth the clock. Annie Sparks rules the kitchen as Mrs. Potts, a kind and motherly teakettle, whose small child has been transformed into Chip, a teacup.

Natalie Hagan plays Babette, the vivacious, flighty feather duster, and Maya McGrory proudly portrays the vanity bureau. These characters are the source of considerable comedy. Lumiere and Cogsworth are especially adept at physical comedy, but the script provides good bits for all them to display their talents.

The repartee among the clock, the candelabra, the teakettle, and other characters is full of puns—both visual and verbal. Lumiere, the candelabra, mentions being “cut to the wick,” while the clock, in referring to a style of decoration says with a laugh, “If it’s not Baroque, don’t fix it.” One of the characters at the castle used to be an opera singer—a rather conceited and bragging one—before the spell was cast. Her French name, “Madame de la Grande Bouche,” translates as “Lady with a Real Big Mouth.” Appropriately enough, she has become a piece of furniture, specifically, a “vanity” bureau complete with mirror.

The servants are also anxious to break the curse. The flirtation between Lumiere and Babette is both hilarious and poignant. Lumiere speaks with an exaggerated “Ooh-la-la” French accent as he shimmies and gesticulates his love—and lust—for Babette, the feather duster.  She tickles his fancy, he says and sneezes, but there is not much he can do about it with candlesticks for arms.  These two, like the other servants, all yearn to be human again.

Learning that her father is lost, Belle goes to find him and, in her turn, arrives at the castle. When she learns that her father is a prisoner, she offers to trade places with him. The Beast (Matthew Rein) at first refuses, then accepts the offer on condition that she can never leave. Thus begins a relationship that the servants eagerly hope will break the spell – but the course of true love is, as always, fraught with difficulties.  There are calls to “Kill the Beast” and the castle is attacked by a mob of villagers, led by Gaston, of course. Not the least of their troubles, however, is the Beast’s entitled, tyrannical manner in contrast to Belle’s kindness and fierce independence.

On the way to the happy ending, the cast shows its talents in several wonderfully choreographed musical numbers, including ensemble pieces with the townsfolk – notably “Gaston.” The Beast’s servants also shine – particularly in “Be Our Guest.” All the main leads – especially Gaston and Belle – have strong voices, and each has one or more solo pieces. The accompaniment is pre-recorded, which should help provide a welcome degree of consistency from one performance to another.

The Beast and Beauty

The music itself, while enjoyable, is not especially memorable, especially in comparison to songs from earlier Disney musicals. There’s no equivalent of “When I Wish Upon a Star,” “Some Day My Prince Will Come,” or “Heigh Ho, Heigh, Ho, It’s Off to Work We Go” that people will exit the theater singing to themselves. But in the context of the show, the lyrics are fun and the music works. What really pulls it all together is the sparkling choreography by Natalie Hagan, along with the costumes and the energy and enthusiasm of the cast. The ensemble dances are fabulous. The audience at the production’s opening night cheered enthusiastically, and the standing ovation at the final curtain felt as if it was truly earned instead of just a conditioned reflex, as happens all too often these days.

The performance gets an extra dash of energy from the presence of several younger actors. Prominent among them is Divya Shajwani, who plays Chip – Mrs. Potts’ child, transformed by the spell into a chipped teacup sitting on a table. She has only a few lines, but she projects great charm.

Other young actors – who among other things portray the pack of wolves lurking in the forest and a set of salt and pepper shakers – include Caroline Curran, Camden Hubbert, Clover King, Henry Mann, Mila Shepherd, and Claire Williams. Olivia Coppage and Carly Mourlas play two slightly older village children. S. R. Mohan and Grace Sutherland are appropriately gushy as two village girls who, taken in by Gaston’s charms, have a crush on him and weep and wail convincingly when they hear he wants to wed Belle.

Other adult cast members are Heather Campbell, Chris Hansen, John Mann, Bob McGrory, Steffi Rickerts,  Heather Robuck, Maryann Shoge, and Suzanne Thuecks. As is common in local theater, most play several different characters as well as joining in the chorus and dance ensembles.

The set is simple but very effective. A video screen at the back shows images of the village, the forest, or rooms in the castle. A couple of reversible panels at the front are quickly changed for different scenes, so there are no lengthy scene changes that slow down the pace of the show. There’s a tower at one side, on top of which is the rose, and a few pieces of furniture that can be easily shifted as necessary. The table that Chip the teacup appears to rest on is especially clever. Only the actor’s head is visible above a white table cloth. The table is on a cart with wheels and easily follows Mrs. Potts around.

The red rose that holds the curse is visible throughout the play, sitting on top of the tower. And, by a magnetic special effect, it sheds its petals, one by one, during the performance. This isn’t easy to spot from the audience, mainly because the rose is on a different level from the main action. But it’s worth keeping an eye on it to see if you can catch it happening. The set and major prop pieces were designed by Butch Clark, Steven Arnold, Nic Carter, and the director, and were constructed by Carter, Clark and Benji Price.

The costumes are stunningly elaborate and varied, especially those of the castle staff. They include characters dressed as furniture, dishes, knives, forks, spoons, even a corkscrew. There must be a lot of quick costume changing going on behind the scenes! Heather Roebuck, Heather Campbell and Cory Palmer deserve special recognition for creating a distinctive look for this production. Also kudos go to Maya McGrory, who oversaw the stage combat; and to Michael Casey, the production’s musical director.

We’ve mentioned that Belle and Maurice are real-life daughter and father. The show’s “family affair” doesn’t end there. Shannon’s husband, Nic Carter, is the Garfield’s Theatre Manager and helped design the set and run the sound and lights. Stage manager Marlo Coppage is the mother of Olivia Coppage, a member of the teen ensemble. Max Hagan, who plays Gaston, is married to Natalie Hagan, who plays Babette the feather duster and did the choreography. John Mann, who plays the proprietor of the local insane asylum, is joined in the cast by his son Henry, who plays a wolf, a fork, and a gargoyle. Father and son also sing and dance in the ensembles. Bob McGrory, who is a baker, a spoon, and one of Gaston’s cronies, is the father of Maya McCrory, who plays Mme. de la Grande Bouche and the enchantress. And stage manager Katie Shajwani is the aunt of Divya Shajwani, who makes her Garfield debut as Chip, the Teacup. All in all, it’s a wonderful family-friendly production

The Garfield’s production of the Beauty and the Beast musical is in many ways the most impressive overall production we’ve seen on a local stage – and given the high quality of many previous productions, that says a lot. Anyone who enjoys theater should make it a priority to see this one – you will not regret it.

Beauty and the Beast opened at the Garfield on Friday, Dec. 6 and runs through Dec. 21, for a total of 11 performances. Note that the schedule is different from the normal pattern. Two Thursday evening performances have been added and all evening performances are at 7 p.m. rather than the usual 8 p.m. This makes a lot of sense considering the busy holiday season, the weather, and the number of school-age performers in the case. Performances run just under 2 1/2 hours, with one 15-minute intermission.

Friday, Dec. 13 – 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 14 – 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 15 – 2 p.m

Thursday, Dec. 19 – 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 20 – 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 21 – 2 p.m. and  7 p.m.

Note – there is no Sunday performance the final weekend.

Ticket prices are $25 for general public, $15 for students. (Plus a small Eventbrite fee if bought online.) For more information and reservations, call the theatre box office at 410-810-2060

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

Bookplate author event – Patrick Smithwick’s ” War’s Over, Come Home”

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The Bookplate is continuing their 2024 season of author events with author Patrick Smithwick on Wednesday, November 13th. Guests are welcome to join Smithwick and the Bookplate staff for a reading and book signing at 6pm at The Kitchen at The Imperial.  

For soldiers and their families, wars never end. The memories come home, occasionally in triumph, but more often in unpredictable and debilitating ways barely visible to the larger public. Most accounts rightly focus on the soldier’s struggles. Compelling and revealing, Patrick Smithwick’s War’s Over, Come Home is a rare and intimate account from a family’s vantage point, an essential perspective often missed. Their transcontinental efforts to find Iraq war veteran Andrew Smithwick—son, brother and once a friend to many—are a disturbing and eloquent testament to the cascading impact of a single case of PTSD.

Smithwick, a gifted storyteller who has written an acclaimed trilogy about steeplechase racing, has noted elsewhere, “Not for a moment did I imagine that one day I’d be pulling blankets off the faces of homeless men in Seattle, San Diego, Santa Fe, New York, Baltimore, Orlando. Or tapping on their shoulders and asking, ‘Is that you, Andrew?’” Despite its hopeless moments and recurring despair, War’s Over, Come Home is, at its heart, a love story about a family’s resilient and at times, blind commitment to finding Andrew. The sightings, the close calls, his brief return home are inspiring, yet thus far confounding and fruitless. When does one stop looking?

War’s Over, Come Home will strike home with a wide range of readers, from families similarly afflicted by PTSD to policymakers at the Pentagon, from family counselors to sociologists, and most of all to general readers curious about an otherwise invisible world.

“No one who cares about today’s veterans should miss this splendid book.” -Henry Taylor, Pulitzer Prize winning poet and author of This Tilted World Is Where I Live: New and Selected Poems 1962-2020

“This powerful and heart-wrenching book is far too familiar a story to some and far too unfamiliar to others. Through Patrick’s raw and honest story of a father’s journey to find his son…readers gain a deep understanding of the hidden costs of war and the struggles that many veterans face when they return home. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to truly understand the challenges facing our veterans and their families and to help raise awareness and support for the critical mental healthcare needs of our nation’s heroes.” -Zach Iscol, U.S. Marine captain in Iraq from 2001-2007, founder of the Headstrong Project, which offers free mental health care to veterans and their families, and serves as commissioner of New York City Emergency Management

Patrick Smithwick

Patrick Smithwick has been working with horses all of his life. At a very young age he began working with his father, the legendary steeplechase jockey, A.P. Smithwick, who became a trainer after retiring from riding. Smithwick then worked his way through school and college by exercising Thoroughbreds at major East Coast racetracks and riding steeplechase races at such venues as Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, and hunt meets such as the Maryland Hunt Club and the Grand National.

​Smithwick received a Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University in 1973 followed by a Master of Arts in creative writing from Hollins College in 1975. After working in the newspaper business for several years, Smithwick began teaching English, philosophy, photography, and journalism at both the high school and collegiate levels. In 1988, he received a master of liberal arts from Johns Hopkins University and in 2000 he received his degree in education for ministry from University of the South. During this time, Smithwick taught as well as held the position of director of publications and public relations at two different schools.

He has now turned his two biggest passions into two businesses – writing and training. Thoroughbred steeplechase horse and riding. He also gives talks, teaches part-time, and does freelance writing. In addition to Racing My Father, Smithwick has written The Art of Healing: Union Memorial Hospital and Gilman Voices, 1897-1997. He has also written for many publications including Mid-Atlantic Country, The Maryland Horse, Horsemen’s Journal, and The Chronicle of the Horse. Smithwick resides on the horse farm where he was raised in Monkton, Maryland, with his wife Ansley. They have three children: Paddy, Andrew, and Eliza.

For more event details, or to reserve your seats, contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or [email protected]. These events are free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. The Bookplate will continue their event series on Saturday, December 7th with The Word Girls. The Kitchen at The Imperial is located at 208 High Street in Chestertown.

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

Salon Talks at the Trippe Gallery with Jill Basham

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Artist Jill Basham unveils a new chapter in her creative journey with “Another Side of Jill Basham,” exploring new mediums, techniques, and subject matter in a bold artistic evolution.

Renowned for her expansive impressionistic landscapes and signature low horizon lines, artist Jill Basham invites viewers to experience different directions in her upcoming exhibition, “Another Side of Jill Basham,” which opens November 1 at The Trippe Gallery.

This show reveals the artist’s exploration into a variety of techniques, subject matter, as well as medium, allowing her to tap into an emotional depth and range. While Basham is best known for her sweeping skies and expansive vistas, this exhibition offers a glimpse into a broader creative vision. The works on display range from her signature oil landscapes to more abstract realism, as well as intimate still lifes, dynamic city scenes, and rugged cliff sides and waterfalls. Some pieces feature gouache, a departure from her usual medium of oil.

While Jill has built her career on impressionistic brushwork, several pieces in “Another Side of Jill Basham” take a more abstracted approach, reflecting the artist’s desire to push beyond her established comfort zone. “Exploration is necessary for growth as an artist,” Basham explains. “With exploration comes new ideas, and these ideas can build on one another, leading to new ways of expressing emotion and perspective.” This sentiment is echoed by Trippe Gallery owner, Nanny Trippe, who shares, “I have known Jill a long time and watched her growth as a significant contemporary artist. I approached her with an idea of an exhibition tapping into another side of her creativity, giving her the freedom to paint from perhaps a different vision/version of inspiration. I am really excited to share these works!”

In the first of many salon talks, Nanny talks to Jill about this unique shift and the unique freedom that the show allowed her to experience.

The exhibition runs through November 30, with an opening reception with the artist on Friday, November 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. The Trippe Gallery is located at 23 N Harrison Street. For more information, please call 410-310-8727.

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

Spy Review: Isidore String Quartet Interlude by Steve Parks

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Isidore String Quartet, from left, Adrian Steele, Devin Moore, Phoenix Avalon and Joshua McClendon

The Isidore String Quartet, riding high after back-to-back years as winner of Canada’s prestigious Banff International String Quartet Competition (2022) and an Avery Fisher Career Grant (2023) put their credentials to inspired effect in their Chesapeake Music Interlude concert Saturday night.
Never mind that the program listed a trio of pieces by dead European composers. The concert was adventurous enough with Bartok’s atonally immersive riff that critics derided as “barbaric” when his second string quartet debuted during World War I. But Ravel’s ground-breaking early career masterpiece and Mozart’s quartet that anticipated by at least two centuries the modern string quartet model made the program almost entirely contemporary in temperament and musical maturity.
The four New York-based Isidore musicians are graduates of the Juilliard School campus at Lincoln Center. They take their name from two sources – legendary Juilliard Quartet violinist Isidore Cohen but also their shared taste for vodka ascribed to a Greek monk named Isidore.
The concert opened with the last of six Mozart quartets championed by his mentor, Haydn – 24 years his senior. At the time – the 1780s – nearly all string quartets were basically first-violin solo pieces with a supporting cast of viola, cello and second violin. So shocking was Mozart’s String Quartet No. 6, nicknamed his “Dissonance” quartet, that his publisher assumed the score was a copying error. Haydn countered on behalf of his genius protege: “If Mozart wrote it, he must have meant it.”
The piece opens with, instead of a solo turn by Isidore violinist Phoenix Avalon, a ponderous motif that suggests a wandering in the dark of a bad dream, which shifts abruptly to a cheerful awakening that brilliantly involves all four string players in a musical conversation alternatively featuring violinists Avalon and Adrian Steele, violist Devin Moore and cellist Joshua McClendon.
The conversation resumes in the second movement andante with cellist McClendon providing the heartbeat thoughline. The third movement minuet is anything but the standard ballroom dance vibe. There’s a turbulent undercurrent with counterpoint interruptions in the flow with a return to the melancholy of the opening bars of the first movement. The allegro finale suggests a cheerful resolution to the preceding turmoil with almost giddy turns of musical phasing by  Avalon and Steele with fluttering syncopation by violist Moore and grounded by cellist McClendon for a skilled landing.
Bartok’s String Quartet No. 2, completed in 1917 in the middle of the Great War, now known as World War I, almost demands a bleak musical format. The piece opens with a peaceful if restless opening, as if awakening in the middle of the night but unable to fall back asleep, watching the inside of your eyelids a soon-to-be realized horror. The second movement borrows on both Bartok’s native Hungarian folkloric themes with Arabic overtones from his North African studies to create a desperate intensity led by violist Moore and cellist McClendon which dissolves into a brooding finale dramatically marked by a swelling requiem theme punctuated by moments of reverential near-silence.
After intermission, the first violin chair role switched to Adrian Steele who led a romantic opening, which morphed into urgent and then wistful phrasing that may suggest love lost. Quivering regrets are reflected in the pizzicato and plucking of string percussion in a brief second movement followed by a slow, melodic revisit of earlier themes. The finale encompasses all the shifting moods of the whole with moments of agitation, joy and reflection in between. In each expression, the Isidore quartet delivered the goods as they did in each of the first two remarkably relevant string quartets written two centuries ago.
Of note: This was the first major concert event under the helm of Chesapeake Music’s new executive director David Faleris following founder Don Buxton’s retirement. So far, so good.
Chesapeake Music Interlude Concert
Isidore String Quartet, Saturday night, Oct. 5, at Ebenezer Theatre, Easton.
Steve Parks is a retired New York arts critic now living in Easton.

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

Mid-Shore Arts: A Spy Check-in with the Avalon’s Al Bond and Jessica Davies

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There were two things on Al Bond’s mind for the latest Spy check-in with the president of Avalon Foundation. The first was the introduction of Jessica Davies, who recently joined the foundation as its first director of development after 24 years in a similar role for the University of Maryland. The hiring of Jessica was how seriously Al and his board have taken the need to develop long-term philanthropic funding for the arts organization and its landmark downtown theater in Easton. Al and Jennifer talk to Spy about the need and the opportunity to reach out to more of Avalon’s devoted fans for critical support for its ever-expanding portfolio of programs and events.

The second item on the agenda was to discuss jazz. Ever since Avalon brought in the Monty Alexander Jazz Festival a few years ago, Al and his team have been working on plans to spread those performances over a year rather than bundled together during Labor Day Weekend. Al talks about that important change and some stars who are already scheduled for the Fall.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For information and tickets for Avalon performances, please go here

 

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A Landmark Reimagined: The Revival of Easton’s Waterfowl Building

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Standing in front of the Waterfowl Building this past weekend started me thinking about how interesting it is to watch history evolve, listen for echoes of the past, and wonder about future possibilities. After all, this is an Easton landmark—the big castle-looking thing with the geese sculpture. Many still refer to it as ‘The Armory’ due to its prior life as the local home of the Maryland National Guard. However, in 1997, the building was transferred to the Waterfowl Festival and became the Waterfowl Building. Built in 1927, this sturdy structure is almost 100 years old, yet very little has changed. And that’s the problem—very little has changed. While some renovations have been done over the years, it is only now that the efforts have genuinely taken off. Thanks to the Waterfowl Festival’s leadership and local community support, its longevity just might have been extended.

“The building has been the center of the community for nearly a century,” said Tony Kern, Vice President of the Waterfowl Festival Board. “It’s hosted everything from the Delmarva Poultry Show and boxing matches in the 30s and 40s to community fundraisers and jazz festivals. It’s a place rich with history.” It also hosted basketball games, a driver’s license academy, and a President. On his campaign trail, John F. Kennedy stopped by many, many years ago. 

“The stories we’ve unearthed are incredible,” said Deena Kilmon, Executive Director of the Waterfowl Festival. Once a National Guard storage area, the basement has long been dubbed ‘the morgue’ due to its eerie collection of old equipment storage lockers. There is even an old shooting range. All these rooms are currently being used as storage, with volunteers helping to inventory and clear them out. 

“We’re becoming a museum of sorts, a repository of all those memories,” said Kilmon. “We’re pulling them up from the basement, seeing what it was like in the past. We’re finding things all over the place and in historical records throughout town, and we hope to be a big part of the Maryland 250 experience (an initiative to celebrate Maryland’s contribution to America as part of the observance of America’s 250th anniversary).”

Another fascinating aspect of the building’s history involves its role as a venue for African American basketball teams during a time when such opportunities were limited. “Traditionally, African American basketball teams had limited places to play, and the armory was one of those places,” said Kilmon. “We’re unearthing this history and discovering how the armory provided space. It was free; everyone could play here. Everyone was welcome.”

Kilmon is happy to continue putting out the welcome mat. The building is currently being used as a fundraiser for various organizations, a gallery space for Plein Air, Academy Art Museum, and Avalon Theater, and rehearsal space for TAP and Easton Improv. “It’s an amazing building,” she said.

This is why bringing buildings into the modern age is so important. But, renovating a building of such historical significance comes with its own challenges and requirements. “The building is covered by the Maryland Historic Trust,” Kern said. “This means we must restore it piece by piece, adhering to strict guidelines to maintain its historic integrity.” Guidelines, which include everything from the materials used to specific construction methods, a detailed process requiring much collaboration and patience.

 One of the first major projects just completed was the replacement of the deteriorated windows, which involved sourcing historically accurate materials and working with specialized craftsmen to recreate the original design. “The windows were 100 years old, with steel frames that had completely rusted,” said Kern. 

Tony Kern at the Waterfowl Building

The window renovations took approximately four years, requiring an initial engineering study. For that, they were able to get some assistance. “Preservation Maryland has a program called ‘Six to Fix,’” said Kern, “And this building was chosen as one of the six that had to be fixed because of its location and prominence. So they provide some free engineering.” Windows were rebuilt off-site, thermal panes were added, and then they were reinstalled. “The Maryland Historic Trust helped fund that, and we also put some money and time into it. The windows are a big thing, and now they’re as beautiful and functional as ever,” he said.

In addition to the window restoration and the removal of some very old carpeting, the building has seen several modern upgrades. “We’ve air-conditioned large parts of the building, especially the office spaces. Previously, we had window units sticking out everywhere,” Kern noted. “Our goal is to make the building more usable and comfortable for the community.”

A project both Kern and Kilmon are excited about is the restoration of the stage, a historical significance that cannot be overstated. In its heyday, it was a central venue for local theater productions, musical performances, and community gatherings. “We’ve found old programs and posters that show the diverse range of events that took place here,” Kilmon said. “Reopening the stage will revive these traditions and provide a platform for new ones.”

It is this combination of old and new that excites Kern. “Our mission of conservation and community aligns perfectly with the restoration of this building,” he said. Kilmon mentioned that people are very interested in what’s going on. “They are constantly coming in,” she said, “sharing memories and expressing their appreciation for the building’s revitalization. They come in and remember, ‘We used to do dances here,’ or ‘It was so beautiful inside.’ It’s amazing to see how much this building still means to the community.”

While significant progress has been made, work still needs to be done. “The roof is our next big project,” Kern said. “We’ve had some leaks, and fixing the roof is essential before we can move on to other interior renovations.” But it’s a project that the group of people sitting on the Board is willing to pursue. “This used to be nothing more than a smelly old building,” said Kern. “But as things get done, you’ll start to see the beauty of it. And the more we talk about the building, the more people want to use the building. We just need to make it more usable and make it a central part of our community again.”

It’s funny how a building can be such a big deal, right? As I walked away, I knew one thing was for sure – there was still plenty of life in this ‘big castle-looking thing with the geese sculpture,’ and you just have to wonder what stories these new walls will tell in the next hundred years.

To find out more about using the space, or to volunteer, or donate, go to: https://waterfowlfestival.org

 

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Founded in Gratitude: Celebrating 20 Years of Plein Air Easton

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We know that part of the Eastern Shore charm lies in its everyday beauty. The kind that we all see so often that we begin to take for granted. But then something special, like Plein Air Easton (PAE), gets underway. We watch artists arrive with fresh eyes and canvases, setting up their easels along streets, in parks, and by the water, ready to transform the familiar into the extraordinary.

Gratitude is the theme this year as PAE celebrates its 20th anniversary, honoring those who have contributed to its success over the past two decades. The Spy sat down with Jessica Bellis, Director of Finance and Operations at the Avalon Foundation, the organization behind the festival, who explained, “It has been our intent this entire year to ground ourselves and come from a place of real thankfulness.”

Despite the festival’s longevity, Bellis is often surprised by people wanting to know more about the event. “Plein Air Easton is an internationally known competition,” she tells them. “Artists from all over the globe apply to participate, and fifty-eight are chosen by a juror to come to Talbot County and paint for ten days, hoping to sell their artwork and win grand prizes.”

More importantly, Bellis wants to ensure that people know that PAE’s roots run deep in the community, involving thousands of people, hundreds of volunteers, and numerous host families. It celebrates Easton’s landscape, art, and the community’s spirit. Since it’s been 20 years, the festival is using it as an opportunity to honor those who have contributed to its success. “I think you’ll see little nods to 20 years at all of our events,” she said

One of the notable highlights this year is honoring Nancy Tankersley, one of the founders of PAE. She was chosen as this year’s competition judge. “Elevating her to this position is part of how we want to celebrate her career and accomplishments,” Bellis said.

In addition, PAE has created a Hall of Fame to recognize key figures who have significantly contributed to its success. “We had a submission process where community members nominated artists, businesses, longtime volunteers, and collectors,” Bellis says. “A committee then selected our inaugural inductees, who will be profiled and celebrated throughout the events.”

This year, the Hall of Fame honors Nancy and Carl Tankersley and the Academy Art Museum. By establishing this new tradition, PAE pays tribute to those who have helped shape its history while reinforcing its commitment to gratitude.

The festival also sees a renewed partnership with the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. “We’re doing a mini plein air competition with them, inviting back our grand prize winners and some top prize winners to paint on preserved properties,” Bellis says. “This allows us to celebrate their mission through the art of our winners, provides a great venue for our alumni, and gives our population another great place to come look at great artwork.”

Among the many exciting events this year, the Quick Draw is a crowd favorite. “If you haven’t experienced Plein Air Easton’s Quick Draw, it’s something everyone should experience,” Bellis said. “There are usually around 200 artists competing for great prizes and sales. It is fast; it is furious. People are always asking where the Quick Draw paintings are exhibited. They’re right there on the streets of Easton. If you miss it, you miss it!”

The festival also features free public demonstrations by renowned artists at the Waterfowl Building and Christ Church. Said Bellis, “This means you can save the thousands of dollars you would spend on taking workshops and then spend it on the paintings that you can take home and look at for years and years and years to come.”

In addition, an activity that made its mark last year is returning, and it’s a perfect relief from the hot weather. It’s a ‘paint-in’ at the Waterfowl Building. “Our friends at The Factory are going to have some models in period clothing; we’re going to have some interesting tableaus for painters to sketch still life. We’ll also be pumping some great music, and there will be cocktails to purchase. It will be a great time to sit with your sketchbook or paint palette and sketch with your friends. It’s a fun night for aspiring artists to feel the week’s inspiration.”

The festival also provides opportunities for young artists. “We have a kid’s corner at the Avalon Theatre, with structured painting activities all weekend long,” says Bellis. There’s even a Plein Air competition for kids, complete with an award ceremony judged by Nancy Tankersley. They can also sell their artwork!”

PAE’s success is also thanks to the support of local organizations. “The Maritime Museum opens its doors to artists in St. Michael’s,” Bellis says. “On Tilghman Island, in partnership with the Waterman’s Museum, artists will paint and then exhibit the day’s work at the Tilghman Island Inn. Then, our dear friends and partners at the Oxford community center are hosting Paint Oxford Day, with a special exhibition of the Oxford paintings that evening. This shows how deeply Plein Air Easton is embedded in the community.” 

The community is also involved in providing host family housing for many artists, some of whom are here from out of the country. “People open their homes, and the artists stay there at no cost. It helps them acclimate to the community and is a big cost savings. That’s huge,” said Bellis

Beyond the events and activities, PAE is about the connections between artists and the community. “Talk to the artists,” Bellis suggests. “Many are happy to engage with you, and you can even buy paintings right off their easels while it’s still wet. It adds a personal story to the artwork you take home. That’s what makes it all so special — you’re taking home a piece of artwork you experienced for yourself.”

As Plein Air Easton celebrates its 20th anniversary, the festival continues to evolve. “We want to keep focusing on excellence, serving the artists and this community, and bringing joy and connection to everyone involved,” Bellis says. “This event highlights our love for the landscape and our love for supporting the arts.”

Reflecting on her 20-year journey with PAE, Bellis shares a memory: “An artist once pulled me aside and told me with tears and emotion about how participating in the festival changed their life. They were coming from a dark place, and Plein Air Easton allowed them to approach life because of the energy and experience that this community gave them. It changed their perspective as it related to their career. That moment of gratitude will stay with me forever.” 

As Easton prepares to welcome visitors and artists for this year’s festival, the spirit of gratitude and community remains at its heart. “We need more joy, and where you’ll find it is as Plein Air Easton. So just come and experience it. It will be a party; you’ll have a good time.  We forget what a beautiful place we’re in. And when you come and look at this artwork, it will help you remember.”

That’s it in a nutshell: PAE is an invitation–not just for the artists but for us to pause, appreciate, and be grateful for the picturesque scenes surrounding us. 

For more information about Plein Air Easton and a detailed schedule of events, visit the Plein Air Easton website. Join the 20 years of artistic excellence and community spirit.

 

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A Personal Look at the Wyeth Family of Artists: A Conversation with Victoria Wyeth

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The first time I saw Andrew Wyeth’s work was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was around the time of the country’s Bicentennial, and the Met made a wise decision to showcase Wyeth’s realism at a time when modern abstractionism seemed to rule the world. For me, that show was a gateway into the collective work of one of America’s great artist families as I began to notice the work of his son, Jamie, and his powerful profiles of JFK, and in joining my own father in his lifelong hero worship of Andrew’s father N.C. Wyeth and his glorious illustrations.

Jamie is still working in his studio in Maine, but as his niece, Victoria, pointed out on the phone with me last week, there will be no next generation of Wyeth artists to keep this remarkable family tradition going. As Andrew’s only grandchild, she has chosen to work and write in the world of psychology, and she sadly laments her own inability to have children herself.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Victoria, and our conversation touched on the Wyeth family’s rich family history, tragedies,  personal stories, and artistic achievements.

Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth

Victoria shared how tragedy and personal experiences shaped the Wyeth family’s artistic journey. “My great-grandfather was squished by a train,” she recalled. “Every family has its trials, but our family’s history is out there for everyone to see. The tragedy of my great-grandfather’s death had a significant impact on my grandfather. Meeting my grandmother and the tragedy of his father’s death gave him a clear, albeit tragic vision. Without both of these events, I don’t know what would have happened to my grandfather’s art.”

Andrew Wyeth’s art stands out for its unique perspective, which diverged from contemporary trends. Victoria noted, “

Blind Pew by N.C. Wyeth

The Wyeth family’s connection to Maine has deep roots. Victoria recounted, “In the early 1900s, my great-grandfather, NC Wyeth, became friends with a painter named Sidney Chase. They bought a house in Maine, and eventually, NC moved his family there in the summer. NC wanted to be an easel painter, which was challenging for him. His easel paintings weren’t great, but his illustrations were breathtaking. This tradition of migration continued with my grandfather.”

Victoria shared a charming story about how her grandparents met. “My great-grandfather was friends with an artist named Merle James from Cushing, who introduced his daughters to my grandfather. My grandmother brought him to meet her friend, Christina Olson, who later posed for ‘Christina’s World.’ It’s incredible how their lives intertwined.”

Discussing her own perspective on art, Victoria emphasized the importance of context. “I studied the history of science and psychiatry. This training helps me look at my grandfather’s work in context. For instance, in the 1950s, he did a self-portrait of boots walking along. My grandmother found boots at a yard sale that belonged to Howard Pyle. During surgery, my grandfather hallucinated boots walking towards him, which he later turned into a self-portrait.”

Victoria is critical of overanalyzing art. “I don’t agree with art historians’ overanalysis of symbolism. My lectures are grounded in reality, based on 25 years of interviews with my grandfather and primary sources. I’d rather share what the artist said to his models and in letters than what someone with a PhD in art history thinks he said.”

The Wyeth legacy spans three generations, but unfortunately, it ends with Jamie Wyeth. “It’s just the three of them: NC, Andy, and Jamie. I can’t have children, and my uncle doesn’t have any. Their passion for painting their lives is incredible. Even when my uncle injured his shoulder, he continued painting with a sling. These men are so motivated.”

Jamie Wyeth, now 78, still paints with the same vigor. Victoria mentioned, “Jamie doesn’t care what anyone thinks, just like my grandfather. NC was preoccupied with others’ opinions, but Jamie and my grandfather weren’t.”

The Wyeth family’s story is not just about art but also about resilience and passion. Victoria concluded our conversation with a reflection on seeing her family’s history on the big screen. “The movie will give people a sense of the reality of where my grandfather painted. My lectures will flesh things out, based on my extensive interviews and research. Each lecture is different, as I have to keep it exciting after doing this since I was 14.”

Our conversation ended with a sense of anticipation for Victoria’s upcoming lecture. “I write a different lecture every time to keep it engaging. If I get bored, the audience gets bored. It’s like having a bad teacher. I want people to come to the lecture and see the family photos and hear the stories. It’s going to be very well-rounded.”

The Chesapeake Film Festival invites you to a pre-festival series of events celebrating Andrew Wyeth and his iconic paintings. The tribute begins August 15 at the Academy Art Museum at 4 p.m. with a presentation by Victoria Wyeth, the great-granddaughter of illustrator N.C. Wyeth, granddaughter of Andrew Wyeth, and the niece of contemporary realist Jamie Wyeth. Her years of conversations with the artists about their work give her talks a unique perspective.

The screening of the stunning film WYETH, directed by Glenn Holsten, begins at 6 p.m. Both programs on the 15th are offered free to the public, but reservations are required. For tickets, go to https://academyartmuseum.org/wyeth-a-documentary-film/

For further information and tickets regarding the festival visit chesapeakefilmfestival.com

 

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Easton Art Galleries Host Plein Air Shows by Steve Parks

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On Plein Air Easton/s opening night, July 12, Trippe Gallery celebrates with its “Variations 3.0: 1 Photograph, 15 Painters” exhibit and party. This third annual “Variation,” like its predecessors, is in part a contest involving both artists and appreciators. Fifteen painters participating in the Plein Air festival create their own interpretations of a single photo challenge presented by gallery owner and photographer Nanny Trippe. Viewers compete in matching the artist to his or her painting and then vote for a people’s choice winner.
“Mingle with the artists,” Trippe says, adding that the opening night “party starts here.”
The 15 artists who will paint their own variations on the photo include some who have been in most of the previous 19 Plein Air Easton festivals. They are, alphabetically, Olena Babak, Jill Basham, Beth Bathe, Zufar Bikbov, David Diaz, Vlad Duchev, Stephen Haynes, Charlie Hunter, Len Mizerek, Diane DuBois Mullaly, Elise Phillips, Crista Pisano, Cynthia Rosen, Nancy Tankersley and Mary Veiga. The first “Variation” came about during the 2020 COVID shutdown when the only public event was a show and sale of paintings in the Talbottown space that was formerly the News Center bookstore and gift shop.
A few doors south from Trippe on Harrison Street, Spiralis Gallery, which shares space with Zebra Gallery, opens its “Vistas and Viewpoints” show on First Friday, July 5, featuring interpretive landscapes by Larry Horowitz, Leslie Lumen, Kerream Jones, Francis Eck and James Stephen Terrell.
In adjoining rooms, Zebra has welcomed three new artists with exhibits ranging from Gabriel Lehman’s delightfully colorful paintings, which are essentially children’s-book illustrations of fairies and “real” kids in fanciful settings, to Adam Himoff’s patterned-face oil portraits “Plain Sight” and “She Looked Right Through Me,” among others. Golsa Golchini completes the threesome with mixed-media constructions, including “Knock Knock,” a document displayed within a frame on which a woodpecker is hammering away and “The Snow Shortcut” enveloping skiers riding a three-dimension avalanche downhill. Both, weirdly fascinating.

Kevin Fitzgerald “Ocean Nightfall”

Heading further south on Harrison, just past the Avalon Theater, the Troika Gallery renews its popular “Fabulous Forgeries” format with paintings by member artists creating paintings inspired by – “after” is the word – of various masters with photos of the original masterpieces posted next to their “forgeries.” That show runs before and after the Plein Air fortnight, along with Kevin Fitzgerald’s “Points of Departure II” exhibit of horizon-view land-and-seascapes.

Betty Huang “Splendor of Provence”

On Goldsborough, between Washington and Harrison streets, Studio B Art Gallery hosts its First Friday salon-style open house July 5, featuring new paintings by previous Plein Air Easton winners and participants in this year’s event, as well as paintings by Bernard Dellario and Studio B owner Betty Huang who just returned from France, where they applied their brushes in capturing Provence landscapes. On July 16, Dellario leads a live painting demonstration in floral still life for those who’d like to learn the technique or who just enjoy seeing how it’s done.

***

For this 20th anniversary Plein Air Easton, Nancy Tankersley serves as awards judge of the festival, now managed by the Avalon Foundation.

Tankersley, who founded Plein Air Easton two decades ago this month in partnership with the Academy Art Museum and Al Bond, then Easton’s economic development director who now leads the Avalon Foundation, brings her founding partners together again 20 years later.


Academy Art Museum opened its “Reflections: Nancy Tankersley” exhibit in the upstairs landing gallery, running through July 28, which bookends, calendar-wise, 2024 Plein Air Easton. Her art talk late last month revealed her reasons for choosing these particular reflections on her career – not only as an artist but as plein-air enthusiast, promoter and co-founder. Before 2004, such painting, historically associated with French art painted outdoors, was popular mostly in this part of the world along the West Coast.

Tankerley encountered the regional phenomenon first at Carmel, California, in 2004, and brought the idea to Easton and to Bond, who was seeking attractions in the summertime that might lure tourism to Easton rivaling the hugely successful Waterfowl Festival in November. It took only a few years to catch on, and Plein Air Easton is now regarded as one of the premiere events on the plein-air circuit.

Painters who come from all over the United States and other countries find that they can sell their artworks even before the paint is dry. It’s practically a Plein Air Easton trademark. From day-two’s “Meet the Artists” painting-and-purchase frenzy to the closing-night sales and festival awards, you can sniff the aroma of oil-on-canvas as prospective buyers are warned that they can look but not touch still-wet paint. It’s the closest that fine-art painting comes to matching the spontaneity of live performing arts.

Tankerseley’s “Reflections” attempts but never quite achieves that spontaneity, although a few of her most recent 2024 oils in this show gave me a still-drying whiff. Of course, you’re not allowed to touch them anyway. “Old Partners” (2024), portraying friends out for a leisurely crabbing-by-boat expedition – laughing and likely sharing old stories – practically reeked of fresh paint when I took it in. Or was it just my imagination? I don’t think so.

Several other paintings were chosen, it seems, to show the geographical extent of Tankersley’s plein-air experience, ranging from 2015’s “Curacas Ball” at Plein Air Curacao, South America, to “The End of the Island,” painted at 2019’s Plein Air Easton’s “Tilghman Island Paint-Out” at midday.

You’ll also see decades-apart Tankersley self-portraits, from her current home and studio on Aurora Street, still evoking fresh oil scents, to her first studio in Arlington, Virginia, in 1990. No such sniffs. One of my favorites comes from the mouth of what defines our region: “Bound for Baltimore” depicts in large-frame oil the view of Bay meets Ocean as you approach by automobile one of the apertures of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in far southeast Virginia. I vividly recall feeling on my first crossing that we might drive directly into the ocean before the enveloping tunnel ahead became apparent. Still-life drama in oil.

For this 20th Plein Air Easton, Tankersley serves as awards judge of the festival, managed by the Avalon Foundation.
Gallery Happenings During Plein Air Easton
“Reflections: Nancy Tankersley,” through July 28, Academy Art Museum, 106 South St.
“Fabulous Forgeries” and Kevin Fitzgerald, through July 29, Troika Gallery, 9 S. Harrison St.
New artists at Zebra and Spiralis galleries, through Aug. 18, 5 N. Harrison St.
“Variations 3.0,” opening night July 12, Trippe Gallery, 23 N. Harrison St.
First Friday Salon, July 5; still-life demo, July 16, Studio B, Goldsborough St.Steve Parks is a retired New York arts critic and editor now living in Easton.

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