RiverArts opens its aptly timed new show, “Love Letters,” in its main gallery on First Friday, February 7th with a reception from 5:00pm to 8:00.pm. The artwork will showcase each artist’s deep affection towards their subject matter or more directly address the expression or experience of Love in its many facets. William Brockschmidt, the shows Curator, says the intention of “Love Letters” is to celebrate Love in broader terms than just romance.
You will not want to miss works by regional artists including Teresa Schram’s painting “Tree Lovers”, Gina Bosworth’s fiber and collaged paper creation “The Heart of Matter”, the latest by iPhoneography expert and 2013 Juried Show winner Karen Klinedinst, Michael M Bruley’s acrylic “Adopt a Cat and Patch A Heart”, Linnea L. Tober’s “Molten Hearts” and many other local favorites.
“Stories of Kent County African Americans” will be the exhibit in the RiverArts Studio Gallery. Curated by Lani Seikaly, the exhibit will feature two oral history projects. In collaboration with the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, the first project will be their summer StoryQuest project: a collection of interviews and photographs by Washington College students. The second project is “Working the Rock Hall Waters: the Golden Years led Tom McHugh and Ron Fithian.
Washington College students, Erin Cooper ‘14, Samantha Gross ‘14 and Michael Derege ‘16 spent last summer learning firsthand about Kent County’s complex and unwritten Civil Rights-era history through a series of interviews with African Americans in Kent County. Led by Starr Center Special Projects Manager Nona Martin and Oral History Program Manager, Michael Buckley, the students recorded the stories of eleven local African Americans who lived in Chestertown during the Civil Rights era. Included in the exhibition are stories told by Airlee Johnson, Mary Walker, William Pickrum, Chris Walker, Irene Moore, Eliose Johnson, Clyde Freeman, Wesley Commodore, Martha Wright, Armond Fletcher and Larry Wilson. Interviewer Samantha Gross shared, “This project is great because texts and facts can only tell you so much about history.”
“Working the Rock Hall Waters: The Golden Years.” was initiated by Tom McHugh and Ron Fithian who interviewed over 15 Rock Hall watermen about their experiences. A number of African American watermen were interviewed including Tyrone Hawkins, Leroy Rochester, Pudding Beck, and Allen Johnson. Helping to facilitate the interviews were Clarence Hawkins and Milford Murray. A video clip prepared by Walter Bowie, the videographer for the project, will be part of the exhibit.
RiverArts is located at 315 High Street, Suite 106, Chestertown, and will be open during regular gallery hours: Tuesday through Fridays, 11:00 to 4:00 and Saturdays, 10:00 to 4:00. Join the First Friday celebration from 5:00-8:00pm.
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