Join Chestertown RiverArts this fall for: New exhibitions in the main gallery, special events and classes at the Clay Studio, classes and pop-up galleries in the ArtsAlive! Community Education Center, and at KidSPOT, free Saturday morning art activities for kids, and after school enrichment programs.

The September exhibit in the RiverArts Gallery is Connections: Work in a Series. The show presents work in a variety of media in which each of 3-5 individual pieces stands on its own while relating to the others in some manner. Working in this way allows the artist to explore issues, themes, compositions, form, or concepts in progressively deeper and more relational ways. The exhibit opens on September 4, with a First Friday reception from 5-8pm on September 6, and a Gallery Talk on September 12 from 5:30-6:30pm.

Also on First Friday, the RiverArts Clay Studio presents a special fundraising event, Ice Cream Bowls. Have a scoop of ice cream from a pretty little bowl and then take the bowl home! All bowls are handmade by Clay Studio potters, and ice cream is provided by Lockbriar Farms. Admission is $15 per bowl, and members of the public may register in advance at ChestertownRiverArts.com, or pay at the door. 1pm – 8pm Friday, September 6 at the Clay Studio, 204 High Street, Chestertown.

The Clay Studio offers an array of pottery classes this fall. Intermediate Pottery Wheel will run Tuesday evenings starting September 3, and Beginner Pottery Wheel on Thursdays beginning September 5. Later in the month, Marilee Schumann will teach a four week class in Hand Building beginning September 21.

Two doors down from the Clay Studio, the ArtsAlive! Community Education Center hosts another in its new series of First Friday Pop-Up Galleries. This month’s show features Animal Portraits, inspired by RiverArts instructor Lynne Lockhart’s popular animal painting classes. The show will spotlight all kinds of work featuring animals, by artists Lynne Lockhart, Julia Brown, Carol Cowie, Pat Ellison, Kathleen Quinn, Anne Singer, Barbara Watson, Lydia Schut, and Suzanne Fischer. The gallery will be open on Friday, September 6from 5-8pm and on Saturday, September 7 from 10am-2pm at 200 High Street, Chestertown.

The following week, Lynne Lockhart, signature member of the Society of Animal Artists and a RiverArts favorite, will be back to offer Dog School on September 11 & 12. Whether trying their hands at portraiture or including these pets in a landscape or even a still life, this class will add skills to painter’s toolbox. RiverArts is delighted to partner with the Kent County Humane Society, which will provide adoptable models for this class.

Smartphone photographers will take their skills to the next level in Anne Highfield’s iPhoneography 2.0 on September 21. In this class, students will explore techniques to give their photos a painterly or textured look, which can draw the eye’s attention to details that are often overlooked in straightforward photography. These effects can evoke different levels of feelings, moods, and impressions in the images.

Registration is now open for RiverArts KidSPOT’s After School Enrichment Program. This program for first through fifth graders runs for two 8-week sessions, 4-6pm Monday through Thursday beginning September 16. Led by experienced elementary teacher Elizabeth Healy additional qualified instructors, sessions include themed weeks of art activities and explorations in Physics, Geology, Biology, Poetry, field trips, fun and games, Theatre Arts and more! Visit the KidSPOT page on the RiverArts website for more information and registration links.

RiverArts has much more coming up this fall, with classes including A Fall Watercolor Warmup, an open-air Mobile Raku pottery workshop, the 20th Anniversary Studio Tour, First Friday fun every month, an exhibit featuring work by Kent County Public School students, and more!

RiverArts galleries and main office are at 315 High Street, Suite 106, Chestertown, MD  21620 – (in the breezeway). Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday, 11 AM to 5:30 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 5:30PM, Sunday 11 AM – 3 PM, First Fridays until 8 PM.

Woodworking artists were invited to enter their original creations in wood – made by carving, turning or any other woodworking technique. The goal was to display a wide variety of articles and styles representing the best in woodworking craftsmanship and design.

The beauty of these wood objects was enhanced by a concurrent Photography Exhibit which also emphasizes beauty in shape, line, and space.

Photographers were asked to show the individual passions that make them put camera to eye and submit photographs that ignited a passion, not to make the viewer speculate why you took the photograph but to spark a connection between the captured image and the viewer.  The something that goes beyond, “I was there,” and inspires us to share what we saw through the image.

Curated by Michael Wootton (Photography) and Chuck Engstrom (Wood).

Curator & Artists’ Talk

Thursday, August 8 @ 5:30PM Chestertown RiverArts 315 High Street, Suite 108 Chestertown, MD 21620 410-778-6300 Chestertownrverarts.org

Tasteful, Inspired, Creative, Affordable and Original; these words best describe the range of fine art and crafts that are available at the  RiverArts Holiday Show and Sale, open now through December 30. Every year these guidelines serve the customer well as RiverArts artists offer some 1,000 items that are beautifully hand-crafted, unique, and often one-of-a-kind.  There is a wide range of media available including fine art, pottery, jewelry, textiles, handmade books, cards, hand-painted gift bags, wood art, glass art, basketry, and holiday arrangements.

Sue Wright, curator of the show, encouraged artists to bring in gifts for men, women, children, and the home and at her suggestion most items are priced under $100. She also suggested painters and photographers to bring in miniatures – small pieces that offer original art at affordable prices. As works are sold, artists bring in additional pieces which keeps the show fresh.

Of the 61 artists represented in the show, 46 are popular artists from past shows while fifteen are new this year. New works include a broad array of fine art: oils, acrylics, watercolor, pastels, pen and ink, colored pencils, collages, and photography. There are small, dramatic pieces – perfect as stand alone, while others lend themselves to being part of a series.  Other new participants offer contemporary crafts: pottery, jewelry, glass art, wearable art, and basketry.

Another unique idea for holiday gifts is gift certificates to RiverArts offerings. Consider treating family and friends to items in the gift shop, classes and workshops, life drawing sessions, time and/or supplies at the Clay Studio, or maybe a membership to the film society. Go to RiverArts’ website, www.chestertownriverarts.org , for more detail. Needless to say, so many wonderful choices make RiverArts the “Go To” place for unique gifts.

Join in celebrating the holidays at the First Friday reception, December 7, 5:00-8:00pm.

RiverArts Galleries & Gift Shop 315 High Street, Suite 106, Chestertown, MD  21620 – (in the breezeway). Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday, 11 AM to 5:30 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 5:30PM, Sunday 11 AM – 3 PM, First Fridays until 8 PM.