Chestertown RiverArts’ annual ReImagined Runway gala is returning the Chester River Yacht and Country Club on August 3. This popular event has expanded this year and includes dinner table service and signature cocktail for all ticket holders and French Cabaret-style live music. Dress is casual and colorful.

Several of last year’s winning designers will be returning including Cori Lynn Arnold, Kayti Didricksen, Christine Kamon, Kris Kelley-Majors,  Dora Pelczar, Laura Skinner, and Pam Vogel. Guests will vote for the Peoples Choice Award.

An unconventional silent auction will be held offering a broad range of desirable items. Some of these items include:

Two tickets for a scenic sunset cruise up the Chester River on the

River Packet, a 651 foot, 1920’s style classic yacht.

A $200 certificate from the Modern Stone Age Kitchen for a family pizza dinner held on their patio.

Three mini-bottles and a tasting at the award winning Crow Winery.

Your choice of one-of-a-kind whimsical painted furniture and  sculptures created by visionary artist, Nancy Smith.

Art by nationally known artists such as Marcy Dunn Ramsey.

A class with nationally known pastel artist, Mary Pritchard.

Buy your tickets, support the arts, and join in this joyful celebration of creativity. Go to https://www.chestertownriverarts.com/reimagined-runway .

Come celebrate RiverArts fabulous Re!magined Runway fashion extravaganza on August 3 at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club. We’re expanding this event to provide dinner table service for all ticket holders. Dress will be casual and colorful, the dinner delectable, the music danceable, and the laughter contagious at this joyful celebration of creativity and community. Tickets will go on sale June 1. Those that register early will have the best table to view the models as they take to the runway.

CALLING ALL FASHIONISTAS: Show off your own fabulous fashions on the Re!magined Runway. This is your chance to dig through that old stuff in your attic and turn it into something spectacular. There is a limit of 15 designers. Go to www.chestertownriverarts.com/reimagined-runway  to see the many prize winning designs from last year and to register for this year’s showcase.

 Everyone, come join the fun!

In the beginning, there was mud. The many ways humans learned to form that mud into practical containers that eventually evolved into beautiful artistic forms is explored in RiverArts’ March exhibit: Grounded. This celebration of ceramic art opens First Friday, March 1.

The invitational show features work by 14 accomplished artists from the Chesapeake area, showcasing their wide variety of styles, their individual approaches to working in clay, their influences and artistic insights. These artists approach their work from diverse points of view, but all are grounded in the traditions of the art — turning humble clay into functional objects of everyday use or creating poetic pieces to be appreciated on their own.

Yoshi Fujii and Matt Hyleck are from Baltimore. From the Eastern Shore are Wendy Cronin and Rick Bisgyer, Paul Aspell, Wanda Brumwell, Fredy Granillo (pictured), Marlayn King, Veronika Norton, Mike Pugh, Doug Sassi, Marilee Schumann and Laura Ventura.

A vintage piece by the late Seiko Behr will also be on view.  Seiko lived and worked in Chestertown, specializing in modernist sculptural containers for ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, in which she was a master.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a grand Potters Marketplace where gallery goers will find a tempting selection of pieces from each exhibitor for sale. Functional items such as mugs, plates, platters and teapots will be offered alongside decorative urns, vases and art pieces.

A concurrent show at RiverArts Clay Studio Gallery will present work created by the Clay Studio’s vibrant local potter’s community and students. This smaller show places emphasis on the variety and creative explorations that happen every day in that exciting space.

Join RiverArts for a First Friday opening reception on March 1, 5 – 7 pm at both galleries. For those interested in learning more about the creative process of clay, please join the artists at a Second Friday reception March 8, from 5 – 7pm in the Main Gallery.

RiverArts Main Gallery is at 315 High St. in the Breezeway. The Clay Studio Gallery is at 200B High St. Open hours at both locations will be Wednesday-Friday 11am to 4pm and Saturday 10 am to 4 pm. Both shows continue through Saturday, March 30.

This special exhibit is sponsored in part by Kent Cultural Alliance and the Maryland State Arts Council. Community sponsors and supporters are The People’s Bank, Chesapeake Bank and Trust, Peaceful World Enterprises, Chestertown Ukulele Club, Hegland Glass, The Mill of Kingstown and Zephyr Pottery Studio.

RiverArts KidSPOT is organized around the belief that children learn best by playing, creating, and exploring. In addition to providing activities in its classroom, KidSPOT On The Move sends this joy to the community.

Every Saturday morning, 9am-noon, KidSPOT welcomes children, ages 2-12, together with an accompanying adult to drop in for free at its classroom and stay as long as they like. Children may choose to be led in a project by the KidSPOT Coordinator or volunteer or go to areas with different creative materials that appeal to them

In 2023 KidSPOT Saturdays remained busy and energized with some 50 attendees stopping in each week. Children and adults were encouraged to create together resulting in the adults enjoying the process as much as the kids. KidSPOT strives to promote the joys and connections that develop when families create together.

This past summer KidSPOT offered “Art Adventures”, which included separate weekly programs for ages 4-6, 7-12, and 10-13. A range of media was taught including all types of painting, print-making and working in clay. In 2024 the program will be more robust by getting licensed to provide whole day camps. Registration will hopefully open sometime around March 1.

Through KidSPOT On The Move, RiverArts partners with other community organizations and events to meet families where they gather. It has the reputation of being the “people who bring the art”. This past year KidSPOT participated in such events as The Chestertown Tea Party Festival, Rock Hall Fall Fest and the Chestertown Earth Day.

Wherever possible KidSPOT On The Move provides activities that tie in with the themes of specific events. At Chestertown’s Legacy Day kids learned about the exuberant work of African American painter, Alma Thomas. Then children created colorful abstract paintings inspired by her. In collaboration with the Kent Cultural Alliance’s Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month KidSPOT assisted musician, painter, and ceramic artist, Fredy Granillo, as he taught children and families to paint Talavera designs on cardboard tiles.

Over the past years the KidSPOT team collaborated with the Garnet Elementary School Judy Center to provide creative activities for all Pre-K and Kindergarten students. The Judy Center is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Maryland families by ensuring that children  are ready for kindergarten as part of a coordinated effort among parents, providers, teachers, school districts, local and state governments, non-profits and other community partners.

This year the KidSPOT team will again meet with each pre-K and Kindergarten class at Garnet Elementary School as well as host a monthly play group for children ages 1-4 who will eventually attend Garnet. In February KidSPOT will be on the move to the new Judy Center at Rock Hall Elementary School to share some creative art experiences at their first evening playgroup.

The KidSPOT classroom is located at 315 High Street, in the breezeway. To get a real feel for what happens at KidSPOT and to see just how welcoming it is go to www.facebook.com/kidspotcenter/.  If you would like to be part of the fun as a volunteer, contact Anne Highfield, Coordinator, at [email protected]. If you’d like to support this community resource with a donation, go to www.chestertownriverarts.com.