Academy Art Museum: February Events

The Academy Art Museum in Easton has a lot to offer in February! Exhibits, music, classes for adults and children, open studios, dance, and voice lessons. See below for a full list of upcoming events and opportunities for learning and engagement.

EXHIBITIONS

The following exhibitions are sponsored by the Talbot County Arts Council and the Maryland State Arts Council.

Annual Mid-Shore Student Exhibition
February 1 – 23, 2014
Grades K-8 Opening Reception: Wednesday, February 5, 2014, 4:30-6 p.m. Door Prizes at 5 p.m. You must be present to win.
Grades 9-12 Opening Reception: Thursday, February 6, 5:30-7 p.m. Awards presented at 6 p.m. Students are strongly encouraged to be present.
The Museum’s annual Mid-Shore Student Art Exhibitions highlight the artistic talents of K-12 students from Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, and Queen Anne’s counties. This year, all student work will be on view at the same time. As in past years, visitors will get to see a variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography and printmaking. The Mid-Shore Student Art Exhibitions have been a Museum tradition for over 23 years and are the largest and most prestigious student art exhibitions on the Eastern Shore.

Katja Oxman: Aquatint Etchings
February 1 – April 6, 2014
Munich-born, Maryland artist Katja Oxman (1942) has been creating richly textured color etchings in her precise signature style for over twenty years. She studied printmaking at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia, from 1962 to 1965 and pursued further study at the Academy of Munich, Germany in 1966. Oxman’s multi-plate aquatint etchings of the past 20 years present complex still lifes of richly patterned Oriental rugs upon which rest an overwhelming array of the artist’s treasured objects: opened letters and envelopes; picture postcards from museums; birds, feathers and nests; potted plants, oriental boxes, fruits and vegetables. Steven Scott Gallery in Baltimore has represented the artist since its opening in 1988.

The Art of Greg Mort:
Selections from The Hickman Bequest II
February 1 – April 6, 2014
Greg Mort is an internationally acclaimed, self-taught artist who hikes the rugged coast of Maine and travels the rural trails of Maryland with his brushes, paints and canvases. Drawing and painting since childhood, Mort’s professional art career star began to rise at an early age with his first museum show at eighteen. Recognized today as one of America’s leading contemporary artists, his watercolor, oil and pastel images are in notable collections around the world, including the Smithsonian, the Corcoran and the White House.
When David Hickman died from multiple sclerosis in 2011, he graciously left over 30 paintings by Greg Mort to the Academy Art Museum making it the largest public repository of the artist’s work. This exhibition is the second part of selections from the Hickman gift.

Bobbie Seger: Painting with Nature
January 11 – March 9, 2014
Meet the artist and book signing on First Saturday, February 1, 2014, 4:30-6:30pm
Roberta Seger (“Bobbie”) lives and paints on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Her oils, watercolors, and acrylics communicate an immediacy of place and mood, providing the viewer a glimpse of life on the Chesapeake. She is a graduate of Drexel University with a degree in Fine Arts and member of the Academy Art Museum, where she has taught painting classes for over 16 years.

MUSIC
Valentine’s Day Concert: Joe Alterman Trio
February 14, 8 p.m.
Sponsored by Chesapeake Chamber Music’s Jazz on the Chesapeake and the Academy Art Museum
Cost: $40 per person
Jazz Pianist Joe Alterman has performed at venues around the world including the Blue Note Jazz Club in Milan, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and Preservation Hall in New Orleans and he has led groups at venues in New York City, including the Blue Note Jazz Club, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, the Iridium, and Cornelia Street Café, among others. To purchase tickets visit jazzonthechesapeake.org or call 410-819-0380.

ADULT CLASSES
Monthly Art Salon and Critique
First Fridays: February 7 and March 7, 2014, 5 – 7 p.m.
Mentors: Katie Cassidy and Diane DuBois Mullaly
Cost: $15 per person payable at the door (includes complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres)
Come with one or two recently completed pieces or works in process, relax in the camaraderie of fellow artists, enjoy complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres, talk about your work, and join in a group critique led by Katie Cassidy and Diane DuBois Mullaly. This Monthly Art Salon and Critique also provides a platform for artists to talk about their brainstorming process and new ideas. Many artists find it very beneficial to view their work through someone else’s perspective. Diane and Katie will also gather and share the latest information about art events and exhibit opportunities in the region, and welcome your input. Open to all art enthusiasts and artists of any level and experience and who work in any medium.

Painting the Costumed Portrait Model
Instructor: Rita Curtis 4 weeks: February 19 – March 12, 2014
Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Cost: $160 Members, $190 Non-members
For beginners and experienced artists who want to learn an uncomplicated approach to painting people in oil or acrylics. Models appear in colorful contemporary fashions or historical clothing. This course shows you how to create a likeness by understanding how light travels over form. The goal is to compose robust figure-centered paintings. With a small number of paints, students can mix the rich color harmonies that are classical yet thoroughly modern in their application. Rita will show students how to jump boldly into painting a live model with little preliminary drawing. This class is flexible so students may create several strong “starts” or finish one painting per sessions. To see Rita’s work visit www.ritacurtis.com.

Paint with Pizazz – Palette Knife Painting for All Levels in Oil or Acrylic
Instructor: Diane DuBois Mullaly
One day: Saturday, February 22, 2014, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Cost: $60 Members, $90 Non-members
This class is for all levels. For the painter who feels they need some pizazz in their work, they will learn to use a palette knife in this mini workshop to create a beautiful and interesting painterly surface. Each class will include a short demonstration followed by painting time and experimentation. Students receive written materials and plenty of personal attention. This fun and inspiring day will broaden the scope of the student’s painting technique! Minimum 6, Maximum 15.

Special Tools and Techniques for Watercolorists
Instructor: Sandy Alanko
4 weeks: April 8 – 29
Tuesdays, 1– 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $170 Members, $190 Non-members
Students will learn how to use special tools, materials and techniques to enhance their watercolor paintings. Tools include digital cameras, razor blades, palette knives, sponges, hair dryers, sticks, squirt bottles, spray bottles, oil painters brushes, and tooth brushes. Materials include frisket, wax, tape, straws and salt. Special techniques covered will be pouring, spattering, negative painting, dry brushing, blending and more. If time permits, the class will also discuss ways to repair a problem painting and how to pack watercolor painting materials for travel. Students will have the opportunity to practice these techniques as they paint small “exercise paintings” on Arches 140 weight watercolor paper. Finally, students will create their own watercolor painting utilizing some of the tools, materials and techniques covered in this class and add them to their own personal watercolor “bag of tricks.”

In Service for Art Teachers, Too!!
A terrific opportunity! The Museum offers art and elementary classroom teachers the chance to learn new tricks, talk art, swap project ideas and come away from a workshop with renewed energy and enthusiasm. We launched our teacher in-service day program this past summer with a workshop called “Let’s Try This,” featuring projects that cost little to nothing and have a big wow factor. New workshops that incorporate common core standards into the visual arts are under development. To plan an in-service day for your school or district, please get in touch with Director of ArtReach and Community Programs, Constance Del Nero, at [email protected]

OPEN STUDIOS
Open Portrait Studio
Mondays, 9:30am – noon
The group meets weekly with a live model. Model fee collected weekly. Museum membership required.

Open Studio with Live Model
Mondays, 1-3:30 p.m.
An opportunity to study the human figure and its action, volume, structure, anatomy, design and expressive potential. Money is collected weekly to cover model fees. Museum membership required.

Collage Studio
Studio meets second Saturday of each month.
For those interested in collage, assemblage or fibers. Artists are invited to come and work on a project they would like to start, or have begun. There is no designated instructor. Museum membership required.

DANCE
Adult Ballroom & Latin Dance
Amanda Showell (410) 482-6169 www.dancingontheshore.com
Pre-Ballet, Pre-Tap Classes, Creative Movement 1 & 2, Ballet, Tap, and LA & NY, and Musical Theatre Tap. Contact the Ballet Theatre of Maryland for additional information or to register for classes at 410-224-5644.

VOICE LESSONS
Ages 10 through adult Instructor: Suzanne S. Chadwick (410) 963-0893
Exploring vocal technique, performance skills, and even stress therapy can be a part of each individualized program. Contact the instructor directly for lesson schedule and cost.

CHILDREN’S CLASSES
AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES
After-School Art Club Grades 4 through 7
Instructor: Susan Horsey
9 weeks: Thursdays, January 9, 2014 – March 6, 2014, 3:30 – 5 p.m.
Cost: $125 Members, $135 Non-Members
Popular Country School art teacher, Susan Horsey, offers an exciting new Art Club for budding artists. The Art Club will focus on a variety of media, including painting, printmaking, 3-D wire construction, collage, pastels, and graphite, while also teaching stylistic secrets of famous artists. Each club meeting will include a planned activity and/or a free choice project, with creative guidance available every step of the way. If your child wants to develop new skills and confidence, the Art Club is the perfect fit!

Home School Art Classes
Fridays, 1:00- 2:30 p.m.
12-weeks: winter session begins on Friday, January 10, 2014 and continues through March 28, 2014.
Cost: $140 Museum Members, $150 Non-members
Preregistration is advised as space is limited in each group.
The Museum offers art classes for the area’s home-schooled children, ages six and up. Classes focus on fine art techniques and materials. A variety of media will be explored. Students visit the Museum’s exhibitions when appropriate.

In Service Day Activity
Talbot County Public Schools
Ages 6-10 Instructors: Constance Del Nero and Alanna Berman
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cost: $35
If you can’t get the Cat in the Hat to entertain your children on in-service days, why not beat the stay-at-home blahs by bringing them to the Museum instead? Museum staff Constance Del Nero and Alanna Berman team up to lead hours of fun-filled art projects and other activities for children ages 6-10. Bring a bag lunch; the Museum will provide snacks. Class sizes are limited. For questions about in-service day opportunities at the Museum, please go to academyartmuseum.org or email Constance at [email protected].

For further information or to register for these programs, classes and event, visit www.academyartmuseum.org or call 410-822-2787.