Adkins Arboretum

Adkins Arboretum’s 2020 Juried Art Show on View through March 27

February 4, 2020 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

Viewers will find both beauty and food for thought in Discovering the Native Landscapes of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Adkins Arboretum’s 21^st annual Juried Art Show. On view in the Arboretum Visitor’s Center through March 27, the exhibit was juried by Heather Harvey, Associate Professor and Chair of the Art and Art History Department and Studio Art Coordinator at Washington College. Both she and the artists will be on hand for a reception on Sat., Feb. 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. to talk with visitors about the work in the show.

In reviewing the 137 entries submitted for this show, Harvey chose 24 that she felt were most in keeping with the show’s theme and would create a compelling range of work, mood and mediums.

She said, “I was looking for works that reference or evoke nature, landscape, flora/fauna, human versus natural tensions, local histories, etc., whether generally or specific to the Eastern Shore.”

The show includes a remarkably wide range of work—from “Yellow Abstract,” a vibrant oil painting by John Moran of Chester, to Centreville photographer Kellen McCluskey’s spectacular flurry of snow geese, and from the dreamily naïve quality of Easton artist Doris B. Gerlach’s watercolor “Deer on the Lawn” to the exquisite precision of St. Michaels botanical artist Lee D’Zmura’s watercolor “Jack-in-the-Pulpit/Arisaema.”

Many of these works reveal a subtext. Harvey is especially interested in art that stimulates thought and questioning.

She explained, “I am drawn to challenging or distinctive work, work I don’t immediately understand, that requires time to explore and analyze and that yields interesting, complex, multivalent meaning. I am drawn to nuanced work that is contradictory, experimental or exploratory and has a unique voice or perspective.”

“his own carbon” by Carol Minarick

Her choices for the annual Leon Andrus Awards reflect this interest. She awarded first place to Easton artist Carol Minarick’s mixed media work “his own carbon,” in which a textured mass of gray appears in a landscape just barely defined by strokes of graphite. The title brings two terms to mind: Star Trek’s “carbon units” and the “carbon footprints” we all create.

Second place went to Chris Mona of Annapolis for his lithograph “Joanna Lumley in the Afternoon, Eastern Shore,” a curious image of the well-known actress and activist strangely positioned beside a tangle of vines in a lush woodland.

“It’s funny and dark,” Harvey said. “Some kind of offbeat commentary on the state of our world, our dysfunctional relationship to the natural world, ourselves, each other and the strange pop cultural mash-up we live in today, with the parallel degradation of the environment.”

Harvey’s fascination with looking deeply into the concerns that motivated the artists in this show are also evidenced in Honorable Mentions awarded to Mark Nelson and Joseph Minarick, both of Easton.

These two works capture familiar Easton Shore scenes, but while Nelson’s “Unionville Oak” is a stunningly beautiful photograph of a lonely oak standing in the flat expanse of a snowy field, Minarick’s “Rural Electrification (Trappe – Centreville Road)” is a little bit eerie. It shows a roadside cedar whose uppermost branches have been cut away to make room for electrical lines, turning it into a dark heart shape standing alone in the foreground of a wide-open rural landscape.

Harvey said, “It’s a familiar or clichéd landscape image but also dense, dark, almost ominous. I also see the shadowy undercurrents and think of the social-historical events that have unfolded on the Eastern Shore for centuries, both the beauty and the not so beautiful.”

This show is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view through March 27 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. 0 or info@adkinsarboretum.org for gallery hours.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum is the region’s resource for native plants and education programs about nature, ecology and wildlife conservation gardening. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

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Adkins Arboretum Offers Nature Fun for Preschoolers

January 8, 2020 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

Snowflakes, foxes, pollywogs and more! Welcome 2020 and engage your young child with nature with Adkins Arboretum’s Acorn Academy Nature Preschool programs. The series of 10 classes for three- to five-year-olds is offered in either Wednesday or Thursday sessions beginning Feb. 26 and 27.

Programs run from 10 to 11:15 a.m. and include nature walks, stories, songs, snacks and an art project to take home. The fee for the 10-class series is $100 for members and $125 for non-members. Thanks to a generous grant from the PNC Foundation, the fee is waived for residents of Caroline County. Advance registration is required, and early registration is recommended. For more information or to register, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

Adkins Arboretum Assistant Director Jenny Houghton shows a bluebird nesting box to children in the Arboretum’s Acorn Academy Nature Preschool program.

Programs include:

Journey of a Snowflake

Feb. 26 and 27

Let’s pretend we’re snowflakes journeying through the winter sky! We’ll make a glittery snowflake craft, look for Jack Frost in the forest and warm up with hot chocolate and the beloved children’s book A Snowy Day.

Mitten Mice
March 4 and 5

Do you have a mouse in your mitten? We’ll read Jan Brett’s classic children’s story The Mitten and sing a song about Mimi Mouse. In the forest, we’ll look for signs of animals and find out how they keep warm when mittens aren’t an option.

Fox Trot

March 11 and 12
Where do foxes go when the cold wind blows? In their cozy dens, of course. Follow a winding trail to an Arboretum fox den, sing and dance to the “Fox Trot” and make pop-up fox finger puppets during this fun-filled class.

Seed Starters
March 18 and 19

It’s time to start thinking about your summer garden! Learn how seeds grow, dissect seeds and plant flowers in a nifty egg carton tray. Then visit the Arboretum greenhouse and enjoy a picnic snack.

Bunny Hop
March 25 and 26

Spring is here, are so are the rabbits! Have a thumpin’ good time exploring the world of the bouncy cottontail. We’ll dance the Bunny Hop, munch on rabbit snacks and meet our friend Hoppity Rabbit.

Which Nest is Best?
April 1 and 2

The birds are busy building nests for their babies! Take a peep inside the Arboretum’s bluebird houses, hold a nest in your hands and learn about the different ways birds build their homes. We’ll sample a bird’s nest snack and try building our own nests with mud and twigs.

Pollywog Adventure
April 8 and 9

No need to feel stuck in a bog—it’s peeper time at the Arboretum! We’ll stomp our feet to the “Pollywog Wiggle,” make a frog craft and use nets to scoop up tadpoles and other critters in the wetland.

Garden of Giants
April 15 and 16

Let’s make some garden magic and grow a giant beanstalk! We’ll learn about plant parts and enjoy a healthy picnic snack at Emily’s Play Garden, with a stop at the goat enclosure to say hello to the Arboretum’s goats.

Spring Beauties
April 22 and 23

April showers bring May flowers…along the Arboretum’s woodland paths! We’ll look for Virginia bluebells, lady slippers and spring beauties in the forest, stopping to play at First Light Village. A crunchy tissue paper flower craft will be perfect for Mother’s Day.

Wiggling Worms
April 29 and 30

Welcome to the wiggly world of worms! Did you know that worms are a gardener’s best friend? Enjoy a walk to Emily’s Play Garden, where we will peek into a composting “worm hotel” and dig for worms in the soil. We’ll also sing a “Wiggle and Waggle” song and snack on garden veggies.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum offers educational programs for all ages about nature and gardening. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

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Adkins Arboretum Transforms Living Collections Database

December 16, 2019 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

Adkins Arboretum recently upgraded and increased the accessibility of its Living Collections Database. The upgrade was made possible with a $25,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), awarded through its most competitive grant program, Museums for America, in the category of collections stewardship. Adkins Arboretum is considered a living museum, as its exhibits are in the forms of living plant material, land preservation and educational resources.

The upgrade transformed the Living Collections Database into a robust, user-friendly database, geographic information system (GIS) and web mapping platform for broader public access and to improve monitoring and management of the Arboretum’s living collections. The end result is an easily navigable Living Collections Database that may be accessed online for all who are interested in learning more about the Arboretum’s flora. The expanded inventory of mapped plants makes it easier for visitors to locate species of interest, and it links to outside resources such as the Maryland Plant Atlas, further enhancing the learning experience.

Adkins Arboretum Horticultural Consultant Leslie Hunter Cario, at left, and volunteer Laura Rocco.

The project was completed over a two-year period by Adkins staff, including Executive Director Ginna Tiernan, Land Steward Kathy Thornton, Chesapeake Bay Trust Chesapeake Conservation Corps Members Emily Castle, Nathan Simmons and Blake Steiner, Arboretum volunteers, and local contractors Sylvan Kaufman of Sylvan Green Earth Consulting, Thayer Young of Cicada Systems GIS Consulting and Leslie Hunter Cario of Chesapeake Horticultural Services.

Founded in 1980 as Maryland’s official state arboretum, Adkins Arboretum is now a native plant preserve. Located adjacent to Tuckahoe State Park, the Arboretum operates and maintains a visitor’s center, 400 acres of meadows, woods and wetlands, and five miles of paths under a 50-year lease with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Its diverse collection includes more than 600 species of trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers native to the Eastern Shore and the Mid-Atlantic coastal plain. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s approximately 120,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Its mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning and cultural and civic engagement. Its grant making, policy development and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit imls.gov or follow IMLS on Facebook and Twitter.

Join Adkins Arboretum for A Longwood Christmas Bus Trip

November 25, 2019 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

Experience the joys and wonders of the holiday season when Adkins Arboretum hosts a bus trip to Longwood Gardens for A Longwood Christmas on Mon., Dec. 16. Join an afternoon and evening of organ singalongs, strolling carolers, fountain shows and plenty of yuletide cheer—all without the stress of driving and parking.

The annual celebration showcases more than 6,000 seasonal plants and more than a half-million lights in the gardens and on the grounds. Explore holiday displays in the Conservatory, then venture outdoors to view gloriously illuminated trees, stroll beneath floating orbs of light and watch as trees and branches take on new illuminated life. Sounds of wonder will fill the air as fountains dance to seasonal music.

Photo credit: Kellen McCluskey

The bus departs from Aurora Park Drive in Easton at noon and will pick up passengers at the Routes 50/404 Park and Ride and from the Routes 301/291 Park and Ride in Millington. The return time is approximately 9 p.m. The trip fee is $75 for members and $95 for non-members. Advance registration is required at adkinsarboretum.org or by calling 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

Call for Artists: Adkins Arboretum to Sponsor 2020 Juried Art Show

November 6, 2019 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

“Tributary,” by Baltimore artist Liz Donadio, received the first-prize Leon Andrus Award in 2019 Juried Art Show.

Adkins Arboretum in Ridgely, Md., will sponsor its 21st annual Juried Art Show, to exhibit in February and March 2020. The theme of the show—Discovering the Native Landscapes of Maryland’s Eastern Shore—celebrates the Arboretum’s mission of conservation. The Leon Andrus Awards, named in honor of the Arboretum’s first benefactor, will be given for first and second places.

The show is open to original two- and three-dimensional fine arts in all mediums, including outdoor sculpture and installations. It will be juried by Heather Harvey, Associate Professor and Chair, Art and Art History Department, and Studio Art Coordinator at Washington College in Chestertown, Md. Harvey creates site-specific installations and objects that straddle traditional boundaries between painting, drawing and sculpture. She is interested in hidden infrastructures and invisible ordering mechanisms—things like gravity, quantum physics and radio waves, but also the human body, memory and contradictory emotions like aversion and affection. Her work is suggestive of mental and emotional landscapes and internal unfolding thought processes. Harvey has exhibited widely and has received awards from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Sustainable Arts Foundation, among others. Her art criticism has been published in Art Papers, Sculpture Magazine and NYArts.

The deadline for submissions is Dec. 20, 2019. Digital images of up to three pieces of art by each artist should be sent to art@adkinsarboretum.org. Submissions should include title, medium, dimensions (maximum of 6 feet in any direction, excluding outdoor sculpture) and artist’s name, address and phone number. Works should reflect or interpret broadly the show’s theme of wild nature and landscapes of the Mid-Atlantic coastal plain region.

Artists whose work is selected will be contacted by Jan. 15 to submit the original work ready to hang by Feb. 1. The exhibit will run from Feb. 5 to March 29, 2020, with a reception on Sat., Feb. 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. There is no entry fee, but artists are responsible for all shipping expenses. Selected artists may be considered for future exhibits at the Arboretum.

For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org, call 410-634-2847, ext. 0 or send e-mail to info@adkinsarboretum.org.

The 2020 Juried Art Show is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists.

Adkins Arboretum Offers Fall Botanical Art Programs

October 5, 2019 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

“Maple Leaf,” a watercolor by Lee D’Zmura.

Join artists Lee D’Zmura and Anna Harding for botanical art programs offered this fall at Adkins Arboretum.

Color Pencil I is a three-part series offered Fridays, Oct. 18 to Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Participants will learn basic color pencil techniques through demonstrations, exercises that explore application and tonal effects, and individual projects. The program is $165 for Arboretum members and $195 for non-members. A list of materials is provided.

In Watercolor: Fall Leaves, participants will learn how botanical illustration depicts the botanical features of the subject while expressing its unique character through composition, design and interpretation. The workshop will explore the wonders of color and the fragility of the fall leaf; students will produce a study of a single leaf. The program is Fri., Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is $65 for Arboretum members and $80 for non-members. A list of materials is provided.

D’Zmura and Harding will co-teach both programs. An award-winning botanical artist whose experience as a landscape architect enriches her watercolors, D’Zmura received her certificate in botanical art from the Brookside Gardens School of Botanical Art and Illustration. Her work is in collections throughout the country. Harding, who has studied botanical art for nearly a decade, works on paper and drafting film with colored pencils and graphite. She is a member of the St. Michaels Art League and the Working Artist Forum.

Advance registration is required at adkinsarboretum.org or by calling 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum offers educational programs for all ages about nature and gardening. For more information about programs, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

“Listening” by Mary McCoy on View Through November at Adkins Arboretum

October 2, 2019 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

There’s a peculiar intimacy about the tiny panels of shells, pressed leaves and feathers in Listening, an exhibit by environmental artist and writer Mary McCoy on view through Nov. 29 in the Adkins Arboretum Visitor’s Center. Hung casually alongside printed poems, pencil drawings and large sculptures made with branches or vines, they create the curious feeling that you’re almost hearing the artist wondering about the nature of the plants and animals, landscape and water she encounters living on the Eastern Shore. There will be a reception to meet the artist and learn about her work on Sat., Nov. 16 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Mary McCoy, “What Does a Butterfly Know?”

McCoy uses a wide, unhindered vocabulary when creating her art. Natural materials from stones to butterfly wings mingle with poetry, drawings and colorful acrylic paint. There’s a dramatic drawing of an osprey soaring overhead, but somewhat more unorthodox are a poem written on a deer’s skull, a ruffly oyster shell laid on a bed of antique lace and an 18-foot-long curlicuing sculpture made entirely of greenbrier vines bristling with thorns.

Familiar to many in the area for the outdoor sculptures she creates in collaboration with her husband, Howard McCoy, in the Arboretum’s forest, McCoy’s own work has been deeply influenced by her experience of living on her family’s riverside farm near Centreville.

“I spend as much time as possible outside, walking on our farm, kayaking on the river,” McCoy explained. “Art-making is my method of exploring the world around me and synthesizing my experiences. I guess you could say I’m trying to see nature from the inside out.”

For McCoy, nature isn’t some large, faceless thing that’s “out there.” It’s ubiquitous, familiar and fascinating. Each artwork chronicles a discovery, whether it’s the beauty and intricacy of a butterfly’s wings, an autumn leaf or the irrepressible way vines climb into trees. Some of her works are comic—a wasp’s nest is labeled “Home,” and a panel of assorted beach pebbles is titled “No Two Stones Are Exactly Alike.” Others are poignant. One small painting with three maple leaves brushed with white paint has a line of type that reads, “What if there was no more green?”

It’s important to McCoy that her art be friendly and approachable. Before moving to the Eastern Shore nearly 27 years ago, she lived in the Washington area, where she actively exhibited her work and was an art critic for publications such as The Washington Post, New Art Examiner and The Washington Review. Her experiences taught her that too many people miss out on art because they see it as frivolous, incomprehensible or aloof. In her current art exhibits and her writings on art for The Chestertown Spy, The Talbot Spy and other organizations, she focuses on making art welcoming and accessible and showing how its main purpose may be to present opportunities to consider our viewpoints and think in new, creative ways.

“One of my favorite things about showing art at Adkins Arboretum is that all kinds of people come here, especially kids,” she said. “With all the time we spend on our computers and smart phones, we’re losing out on direct, personal encounters with nature. There’s so much to see and wonder about out there, and you can learn so much. I hope that my work can help open people to that experience.”

This show is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view through Nov. 29 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. 0 or info@adkinsarboretum.org for gallery hours.

Adkins Arboretum’s Enchanted Fairyfest is October 12

September 20, 2019 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

Bring your wings and wands for a day of magic at Adkins Arboretum! The Arboretum’s fourth annual Fairyfest, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 12, celebrates fancy, fantasy and fun in the forest. Follow a trail of fairy houses along enchanted forest paths, meet Cinderella’s fairy godmother and kick up your fairy feet in a meadow maypole dance.

Face painting, archery and swordplay for elven warriors, a dragon tram and magical games and crafts are all part of the fun. Elves and fairies can make their own bows, search for Rumpelstiltskin’s gold, sip nectar at an acorn tea party and explore the labyrinth in Emily’s Play Garden.

The Fairy Queen (Chelsea Raithby) greets visitors to Adkins Arboretum’s annual Fairyfest. Photo by Kellen McCluskey.

The event includes live entertainment throughout the day, including performances by Shore Shakespeare, Ampersand, Chestertown Ukulele Club and the Sammati Dance Troupe. Unicorn rides provided by Snapdragon Stables, food by BBQ and Beyond and ice cream from Nice Farms Creamery will be available for purchase.

All are invited to enter The Great Fairy House Challenge. Awards will be given in the categories of Most Magical, Golden Fairy, Simply Spellbinding and Enchanted Excellence. Entries must be brought to the Arboretum October 4–6 and will be displayed during Fairyfest. Submission guidelines are available at adkinsarboretum.org.

Admission to Fairyfest is $10 for adults and children ages 3 and up and free for children 2 and under. Admission can be paid in advance at adkinsarboretum.org.

Explore the Tree in the History of Art at Adkins Arboretum

September 11, 2019 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

Albrecht Altdorfer, Large Spruce, 1517

From early sacred drawings to modern exhibitions, the tree features prominently in art. Join Benjamin Tilghman, assistant professor of art and art history at Washington College, for an October lecture series at Adkins Arboretum that considers instances where artists have made trees the primary subject of their artworks. Woven Mulberries, Abandoned Oaks and Gilded Larches: Exploring the Tree in the History of Art aims toward developing a deeper understanding of the relationships among humans, trees and the environment as a whole. Each of Tilghman’s three lectures can be enjoyed individually or in a series. Programs include:

Renaissance Era: Sun., Oct. 13, 1–2:30 p.m. The program will focus on the Renaissance artists Albrecht Dürer, Albrecht Altdorfer and Leonardo da Vinci. While all three helped to revolutionize artistic depictions of the natural world, their approaches are different in ways that highlight diverging ideas about nature in the sixteenth century.

Romantic Era: Sun., Oct 20, 1–2:30 p.m. This talk will highlight artists such as Caspar David Friedrich and John Constable and will explore how trees played a role in their attempts to bring together the sublime power of the natural world with changing ideas about the environment and national identity.

Contemporary Era: Sun., Oct. 27, 1–2:30 p.m. This final lecture will explore how contemporary artists, including Ai Wei Wei, Andy Goldsworthy and Giuseppe Penone have used trees to highlight the fraught but meaningful relationship between humanity and the environment.

Tilghman specializes in the art of medieval and early modern Europe but maintains an active interest in the art of the Islamic world and modern and contemporary art. His research has focused primarily on objects from early medieval Ireland and Great Britain, with special interest on manuscripts such as the Book of Kells and the Lindisfame Gospels. Since 2010, he has been a core member of the Material Collective, a collaborative working group of art historians dedicated to fostering innovative and humane research in the humanities.

Each lecture is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. Advance registration is appreciated at adkinsarboretum.org or by calling 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

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