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August 13, 2022

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

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RiverArts Event to Benefit the Kent County Food Pantry June 11

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Empty Bowls is a grassroots movement by artists and crafts people in cities and towns around the world to raise money for food related charities to care for and feed the hungry in their communities.

Local Chestertown area potters have put their hands in clay for the last 12 years to make bowls for an event that benefits the Kent County Food Pantry. When you take one of these bowls home, you have a unique piece of craftsmanship and a reminder that many people in our community go hungry every day.

The Kent County Food Pantry provides supplemental food to persons with limited incomes. The Pantry’s goal is to ensure that all qualified clients in Kent County receive sufficient food to meet their basic nutritional needs. No referral Is needed. All who seek food at the pantry are served.

RiverArts Event will be on June 11 this Saturday to benefit the Kent County Food Pantry from 8 am until 12 pm.

Riverarts Holiday Show And Sale is On Starting Today

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RiverArts is so pleased to announce that this year’s Holiday Show and Sale is truly better than ever. The opening will take place this Thursday, November 18. With over 800 one-of-a-kind items created by 44 artists and artisans, there is just the right gift for all on your holiday list including yourself. As items are purchased, more replace them so it is worth stopping by through December 31.

While many of our most popular artists and artisans are returning with their work this year, there are also many new participants. Many items are utilitarian while being beautifully designed and made. Others are just simply beautiful works of art that will bring a festive atmosphere to your home for the holidays and/or beauty to be enjoyed throughout the year. Styles range from folk to traditional to abstract to downright whimsical. And most are under $100!

Holidays are more festive with wall décor. In addition to traditional wreaths there are decorative wall hangings that are cleverly designed. Presents are that much more special when they come with note cards designed by local artists.

Fiber works include knitted sweaters, hats, gloves and socks. There are scarves, some knitted and woven ones whiles others are hand-painted silks. There are large quilts for hanging and smaller ones for decorative purposes. Utilitarian sewn items show a great deal of attention to design and detail.

This year’s pottery is truly special. The designs, techniques and glazes mean there is something for every décor. Wood work includes trays, butcher blocks and sculptures. Always popular are the small wooden, painted replicas of identifiable Kent County places. Fine art includes paintings, hand-pulled prints, and photography. And there’s jewelry for every occasion. New this year are charming constructions made of vintage tins and decorative items that will bring smiles to visitors’ faces. There is even a tiffany style lamp.

Do start your holiday shopping at Chestertown RiverArts in the breezeway. Shopping hours have been extended to make shopping easier while also leaving time to take in a local restaurant.

Opening: November 18 11-7
First Friday: December 3 11-7
Xmas Eve and New Year’s Eve : 11-3.
Thursdays and Fridays 11-6
Saturdays 9-5
Sundays 11- 4

Please note that for everyone’s safety masks are required. But we guarantee that won’t take away from the festive atmosphere. We look forward to greeting you. Happy holidays!

 

RiverArts Moment: Painting the Town Plus this Month

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Chestertown RiverArts is putting a new twist on its annual Plein Air festival this year. On Friday and Saturday, June 4-5, come to historic Chestertown to enjoy Paint the Town Plus, a festive atmosphere celebrating the art of the outdoors in the outdoors. 

On June 4 from 5-8pm, as part of Chestertown’s First Friday festivities, RiverArts will exhibit works by some 30 artists from throughout Maryland under tents in Fountain Park. These artists have been working on landscapes, seascapes, paintings of quaint towns, and more since April 30. Artists who work in media other than painting have also been invited to participate, a new addition from past years. The Friday evening event will be an opportunity to enjoy this exhibit, perhaps purchase a piece, and get to chat with the artists themselves.

In addition to the exhibit, the RiverArts Clay Community will offer Empty Bowls Upside Down, a new version of the ever popular Empty Bowls tradition, which benefits the Kent County Food Pantry. Potters have made hundreds of beautiful bowls, any one of which can be purchased for $20. Buyers are also asked to bring canned soup and boxed dried food for donation. Unsold bowls will be available again the next day.

Visitors will want to stroll through Chestertown during its First Friday celebration. Known for its arts and entertainment district and beautiful historic waterfront, the town has many galleries and fun shops which will be open, adding to the gala spirit.

On Saturday morning, coinciding with Chestertown’s noted Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market, RiverArts will be sponsoring a Quick Draw. From 10:30-12:30, artists will paint scenes from throughout Kent County, some based on suggestions from local residents. Expect to see some of these artists painting in town, once again offering the chance to speak with them about their approaches and techniques. These works will then be exhibited for judging in the tents. Cash awards will be given. All of these works will be for sale.

Also on Saturday morning, RiverArts’ KidSPOT will host Paint the Park for young children. Easels, paper canvases, and oil pastel sticks will be set up in Fountain Park, giving young artists the opportunity to explore the joys of Plein Air painting and express their interpretations of the local scene. A good time will be had for the whole family.

Come back June 11 to see works from the festival hung in the RiverArts Gallery for its first in-person exhibit in over a year.

RiverArts Celebrates All Things Hamilton

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RiverArts looks forward to celebrating the movie version of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton. On Friday, July 3, the movie will be available for streaming on DisneyPlus. At $6.99 for one month of DisneyPlus, it’s well worth it to sign up to see this musical sensation! Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSCKfXpAGHc

To mark this momentous occasion, RiverArts is hosting a number of special virtual events.
The Zoom Where it Happens
On Tuesday, June 30, at 5 pm, RiverArts Executive Director Maria Wood will be the special guest at the weekly RiverArts Salon to discuss the musical Hamilton in advance of its release. Maria wrote her honors thesis on the significance of Hamilton as work of art and a social, cultural, and political milestone. She has presented and taught on the subject for groups including Washington College’s Academy of Lifelong Learning. To sign up to listen and participate in this Zoom event, please email DailyDose@chestertownriverarts.org no later than noon on Tuesday.
Raise a Glass to Freedom
RiverArts is offering its first of a series of themed fundraising packages to commemorate Hamilton, Independence Day, and Chestertown’s First Friday. The “Raise a Glass to Freedom” packs will include a kit to make your own star-shaped lantern, a special paper craft, souvenir lyrics, 2 RiverArts stemless wineglasses, and a bottle of sparkling cider.
A limited number of packages will be offered for $40, with all proceeds going to support RiverArts’ programs & operations during these uncertain times. We will also donate some packages within our community. To purchase a kit, visit https://chestertownriverarts.org/programs/themedartkits/

no later than Wednesday, July 1, at 12 noon. Kits will be available for curbside pickup on Thursday, July 2, between 3 & 5 pm at the RiverArts Gallery (in the breezeway near Dunkin Donuts). Pick-up appointments and delivery may also be available. Please email annfarley@chestertownriverarts.org with questions.  

 
Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

The following week, on Wednesday, July 8, at 7 pm, gather via Zoom with RiverArts’ Maria Wood for a discussion about Hamilton impressions and themes, and the role of performance in civic discourse. Email DailyDose@ChestertownRiverArts.org to join us for this enlightening post-movie community conversation.  

RiverArts Partners with Black Union of Kent County for “We Stand: Day of Agreement” Event

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Chestertown RiverArts mourns with the rest of the country in the wake of the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and all the African American men and women who have been hurt or killed by police officers, especially including Chestertown’s own Anton Black.

RiverArts affirms directly and explicitly that Black Lives Matter and condemns racism in all its forms. The organization decries the pain and exhaustion of African Americans in this community and beyond who have lived in its constant dark, cold shadow for hundreds of years. RiverArts supports the fundamental change necessary to bring about true racial justice in our social, cultural, judicial, and political systems.

RiverArts believes that Art in all its forms is essential for expressing the whole range of human emotions and responses to the good and bad we find in the world, and for exploring truths and building bridges from where we are to where we need to be. The organization celebrates the art and artists that help us understand where we are and take the steps toward something better.

RiverArts is pleased to partner with the Black Union of Kent County and other community organizations on We Stand: Day of Agreement, a call to action for all in our community. Let the town of Chestertown be the place where we as a community make an agreement to stand against oppression, stand against injustice and stand against racism. We stand as a community together.

RiverArts calls for artists to submit work for a flash open air exhibit. Artists with work on themes of racial justice and action may submit work via email to info@ChestertownRiverArts.org by 7pm on Wednesday, June 17.

The event will take place on Friday, June 19, 2020 from 5 – 8pm in Fountain Park in Chestertown. Social distancing precautions will be strictly observed.

Artist Eugenia Alexander of St. Louis says, “It means a lot to be an artist and just to be able to have a voice.” It does mean a lot, and the stories of the art and artists in that community provide a ray of hope and encouragement that Art will help lead us through this current crisis as well.

Chestertown RiverArts is a community arts center serving Kent County, Maryland and beyond with exhibits, classes, children’s arts activities, and a Clay Studio. RiverArts’ mission is “growing community, creativity, and connection through the Arts.” Visit RiverArts online at www.ChestertownRiverArts.org, or connect by phone at 410.778.6300 or email at info@ChestertownRiverArts.org.

RiverArts Moments: Paul Santori on Abstract Painting (Part Two)

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In this second of two videos, local artist Paul E. Santori completes a demonstration of his current abstract painting practice. Paul is a local artist represented by Chestertown gallery Tish Fine Art Plus, and is a member of Chestertown RiverArts where his paintings are displayed regularly. In addition to abstract painting, Paul has gained recognition for his high-energy approach to plein air (landscape) painting having been selected for juried shows both locally and in Easton, Maryland. 

This video is approximately two minutes in length For more information on Paul Santori please go here. For Tish Fine Arts please go here.

RiverArts Moments: Paul Santori on Abstract Painting (Part One)

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Paul E. Santori is a local artist represented by Chestertown gallery Tish Fine Art Plus, and is a member of Chestertown RiverArts where his paintings are displayed regularly. His work can be found in local, national and international collections and has been selected for the 2020 Abstract National Exhibition at the Mark Arts Center in Wichita, Kansas. Well-versed in both realistic and abstract styles, in this first of two videos Paul demonstrates his current approach to abstract painting.

This video is approximately three minutes in length. For more information about Paul Santori’s work please go here.

RiverArts on Keeping their Mission Alive during Crisis

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RiverArts remains committed to growing community, creativity, and connection through the Arts. The unprecedented and unforeseen circumstances in which we find ourselves do not change this commitment. We strongly believe that people need the Arts more than ever during times of stress and crisis. Interacting with each other and with the Arts will help forestall the understandable boredom, anxiety, and loneliness of this strange moment in time.

Sign up at www.chestertownriverarts.org for our daily RiverArts Roundup email with interesting news, creative ideas, means of connecting with each other, and plain old fun distractions to keep us all going.

In partnership with Chestertown’s vibrant non-profit community, RiverArts invites you to join us for 30 days (or more!) of online art ideas for all ages! Each morning, through email and social media, we are sharing prompts for FREE artistic activities to do at home with supplies you already have. We’ll offer visual arts ideas, along with theater, literary, & culinary arts suggestions from our partners in the community. Sign up for our daily emails — or check us out on Facebook (ChestertownRiverArts) or Instagram (ctown_riverarts). Share your process or your finished product on social media or via email. Here’s to having some fun, igniting creativity, staving off boredom, & increasing connection during these next few weeks.

Our Clay Studio has limited weekday access to 2 hour increments where people can bring in greenware or glazed pieces and/or pick up clay or supplies. We will continue to run the kilns as needed. Hours can be found online, and they may continue to change.

RiverArts Photography Club will host its first online meeting via the Zoom platform on Thursday, March 26. The club meets the fourth Thursday of each month from 7 to 9 pm, and provides a forum for discussion and critique. You can find out more details about how to participate at our website. As always, participation in the club is free and all are welcome, from advanced photographers to beginners coming for the first time. Other arts groups who meet regularly in our space are exploring online meetings as well.

Our mission is more vital than ever, and serving it will take more creative thinking and innovation than ever. RiverArts staff, Board, and volunteers will be finding new modes of engagement, and we’ll welcome any and all ideas, suggestions, and questions as we go. Digital gallery talks, remote classes, lively dialog on social media, and daily creativity prompts are among the many possibilities we’ll continue to explore. Let us know what you would like!

At the suggestion of Clay Studio potter Guy Hutchison, we’re asking everyone to put a candle or other light in your window, visible from the street each night—a little sign of hope in trying times, kind of like the people in Italy singing from their balconies. Many have started doing this in Chestertown. Let’s see if we can get it to catch on!

Finally, a reminder to our community that this disruption will mean a big financial hit for RiverArts. Your donations will play an important role in keeping us afloat through this crisis and into the return to normality. Thank you for your support of us, and of each other.

RiverArts Minute: Seeing Red in February

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Chestertown RiverArts Curator Joan Strand discusses the February Exhibition:Seeing Red! The color red brings to mind both images and emotions: hearts, fire, roses, love, anger, passion.Come to the Gallery Exhibition and see works that depict or are inspired by the color Red.  

Curator Joan Strand Gallery & Artists’ Talk Thursday, February 13, 6:00PM Chestertown RiverArts 315 High Street, Suite 108 Chestertown, MD 21620 410-778-6300 Chestertownrverarts.org

RiverArts Minute: Curator Gordon Wallace Discusses “Amazing People”

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Amazing People is an oral history exhibition.The show will feature stories of the challenges and impact poverty has on children through adulthood as told by local, young men and women who have experienced it. The story tellers are all amazing people from whom we have much to learn. The exhibit includes portraits, highlighted excerpts from interviews and short videos.

Curators Lani Seikaly and Gordon Wallace
Gallery & Artists’ Talk Thursday, February 13, 6:00PM
Chestertown RiverArts 315 High Street, Suite 108 Chestertown, MD 21620 410-778-6300
Chestertownrverarts.org