Val Cavalheri

Mid-Shore Arts: Troika at Twenty-Five by Val Cavalheri

December 7, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Collecting art is… well, an art. While to some, it is an investment, to others, it elicits an emotional response. Whatever the reason, Troika Gallery Fine Art Studio has, for the past 25 years, been providing the Eastern Shore (and beyond) with a broad selection of art along with their many years of expertise.

Troika credits their existence to a dream that would make Easton an art destination. But it wasn’t their dream. The year was 1997, and visionary real estate developer Tim Dills had available space in the Talbot Town Shopping Center. He also had an idea. So he turned to Laura Era, then president of the Working Artist Forum (WAF), wondering if she would be interested in starting a gallery, rent-free for the first year. It would be the first of its kind in Easton.

Era consulted with her mother, Dorothy Newland, and Annapolis artist Jennifer Heyd Wharton. Even though none of them had experience running a gallery, how could they say no to such a great opportunity? What they lacked in gallery experience, they more than made up in their knowledge, each having successful art careers. Newland and Era painted portraits in oils and pastels, and Wharton was a watercolor landscape artist. The three devised a plan to run an exclusive gallery selling traditional and original fine art painted by a select and limited group of artists.

Owner and Artist Laura Era

So with a set place and a plan, the only thing they lacked was a name, and that, too, came by unexpectedly. They were at their lawyer’s office about to sign a partnership agreement when the attorney walked in and asked, “what are we going to do with this ‘troika’?” Troika, in Russian, is a group of three people. It stuck. “Three was a beautiful number,” says Era. “Our logo is a triangle which in art is one of the most grounded compositions. We also were three Christian women who believed in the Trinity. So there you go, a match made in heaven.”

Whatever the intervention, Troika did well in the first year. They doubled what they made in their second year and doubled that again in their third. This was a pleasant surprise to the trio, but the most amazed was Dills. “Several years after we started,” says Era, “he revealed to us that he didn’t think we’d make it, but he wanted to see art in the town and gave us a shot.”

To no one’s surprise, by the fifth year, they had outgrown their space. Enter Dills again with another offer. This time it was a run-down building on Harrison Street that he would fix for them. Again, they couldn’t refuse. It was the perfect location—between the Avalon and close to the Academy Art Museum. That was 20 years ago. “We’ve been blessed,” says Era. “we’ve had 25 years of selling original fine art in a small town. This is not New York City; we’re in Easton. But then again, Easton is not just any town.”

Throughout the years, there have been changes: four years ago, Newland passed away at the age of 97, and Wharton moved to South Carolina to be with her family. So the troika is down to only one (with help from gallery manager Peg Fitzgerald), but Era’s commitment to not change what has been effective continues. Troika is still a quality fine arts gallery. You will not find her artists in any other gallery on the Eastern Shore. You will also not find prints, photographs, or abstract paintings.

What also has not changed is the criteria for handpicking any new artist wanting to be one of the 30-35 represented by the gallery. Troika has strict standards they have upheld throughout their existence. “First, I ask them to look around,” Era said, “Does their artwork fit into the ‘feel’ of our gallery? Is their work different than what any other artist does here? We don’t need another Bill Storck or another Victor Nizovtsev (two of Troika’s current artists). We already have them, so they must be different yet still fit that traditional fine art genre. Their work must also be well-framed, and they need to have a long successful track record. We really don’t want up-and-coming artists. There is a place for that, but it’s not us.”

One thing that Troika doesn’t care about is where the artist originates. “Yes, some are fairly local,” says Era, “but they’re from all over the U.S., even Canada. And we have a couple of our U.S. artists who are originally from Russia and Cuba.

However, there is one final criterion: “We need their work to knock our socks off. We want to be walking around barefoot because there is such great art here,” she added, laughing.

It’s all about that first impression. Era wants Troika to be distinctive, to be quality, and to be memorable. To hit all three requirements, they offer various services. “We have a great framer, and of course, we’re there to help people make a selection. We work with a conservator who can appraise what your art is worth, and decorators to style your home. Our artists will also do commissioned work.” For Era, that is portraiture work that she paints in, what she calls, the 4th room in her gallery—her studio.

Of course, this all circles back to making sure people are excited by the choice they make. If you’re not sure what works in your environment, Troika will bring several pieces and hang them throughout your space. Still not sure? Era will encourage you to take pictures home on trial to see if you love them on your wall as much as you love them in the gallery. “We want to have paintings here that people can relate to and feel good about. If you can’t be emotional about it, just hang wallpaper.”

Stop by. Shoes optional.

https://www.troikagallery.com

9 South Harrison Street, Easton, Maryland
Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Monday, 11 am -6 pm

Val Cavalheri is a writer and photographer. She has written for various publications, including The Washington Post. Previously she served as the editor of several magazines, including Bliss and Virginia Woman. Although her camera is never far from her reach, Val retired her photography studio when she moved from Northern Virginia to the Eastern Shore a few years ago.. She and her husband, Wayne Gaiteri, have two children and one grandchild.

How Oxford Saved its Community School by Val Cavalheri

November 28, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

The little town of Oxford is not necessarily known as a bedrock of activism. But this story about the saving of a building just might change your mind.

To most of us, the Oxford Community Center (OCC) is a place where you can take in a first-rate concert or theater production, listen to an enlightening guest speaker, attend yearly model boat shows and fine arts fairs, join monthly cars and coffee, exercise at daily classes, and so much more. But this place would not be such an indispensable part of the community were it not for the efforts of a group of people who would not allow the building to be torn down. But perhaps activists are not a name they would call themselves. They would more than likely say they were just neighbors.

To acknowledge this milestone, OCC will hold an all-out celebration at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 30. Festivities will include a video documentary premiere of how the building was saved from being torn down, told in the words of those who were there, who cared, and who passed on the torch to a newer generation of… neighbors.

Designed by renowned architect Henry Powell Hopkins, the building opened in 1928 as a high school. Ten years later, when high schoolers were transported to Easton, the Oxford School was converted to an elementary school and, in the late 1950s, became the first integrated school on the Eastern Shore. The school closed in 1971, and ten years of neglect later, a decision about its future was under discussion by the town commissioners.

At around the same time, a sister building by the same architect was torn down at Idlewild Park in Easton, and that action fired up the citizens of Oxford who realized their building was going to be demolished as well. “A lot of people who still live in Oxford today,” said Liza Ledford, OCC’s Executive Director, “have parents or grandparents who went to that school back into the 30s. The heart of the town, the heart of the memories of the generations, was stored up in those walls, and it motivated them to claim that building as theirs and not allow it to become just a historical reference piece.”

Forming the Save our School (S.O.S.) committee, this group of townspeople went door to door asking for signatures and monetary support. In 1982, less than a year after they started, an agreement was reached with the town and the county. The former schoolhouse became a community center, giving the town a place where townspeople and other local neighbors could meet to socialize, participate in educational or recreational activities, etc. Almost immediately, the Tred Avon Players found a home, as did a kid’s camp and various other groups who were able to make use of what the building could offer. And the Center grew.

In 2012 a new campaign was successfully launched to renovate and modernize the building. Then, a few years ago, as OCC began to plan a celebration of the 40th anniversary, Ledford came across some black foam cork boards containing pictures and the townspeople’s original petitions. It was laid out comparable to a PowerPoint slide presentation, and it told the story of the saving of the building. Ledford speculates it might have been part of a past celebration.

Nevertheless, it gave Ledford an idea. She applied for and won a grant from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority and the Stories of the Chesapeake to tell that story of the 1980s battle to save the building. “This incredible presentation was already laid out. It just needed a timeless format,” she said. And Ledford was the perfect person to make it happen. Before coming to OCC, she was part of the Hollywood film and entertainment business, working for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Sony Studios. She’s often said how working in the industry was about ‘selling an experience in a positive and moving way.’

To help her sell that experience, Ledford hired W Films, a company she’s worked with previously. “I knew I wanted to do the documentary,” she said, “and we started by interviewing some of the people highlighted in those black panels.” One conversation that stands out for Ledford involves a story about the five founding members of S.O.S. — Sue Jackson, Phillip Connor, Sidney Campen, Norman Harrington, and Doug Hanks, Jr. It was those five people who stood around a hot wood stove in an old boathouse in Oxford on a cold January day and gave birth to the committee that decided to put all of their energy and resources into saving a building slated for the wrecking ball.

Their efforts are celebrated in the documentary, as are some who had gone to that school, lived in Oxford at the time, or were connected in some way to the nostalgia surrounding the building. People like Ferne Banks who remembers growing up as an African American in Oxford and how she was more aware of racism when attending the Easton school. Even then, she explains, students saw each other as Oxford people first and protected and related to each other as neighbors.

Also interviewed are Fiona Foster and Jennifer Stanley, to whom the torch was passed and who, to this day, make sure the building remains active and, as Ledford says, “full of heart and warmth.” That torch is now in the hands of those associated with the Oxford Community Center of today, and like those before them, they are up to the challenge.

Written into the grant, besides the video, is a physical exhibit that will be displayed for an undetermined time at OCC. It will include a timeline and history of the building, correspondence and appeal letters to the commissioners, school yearbooks, photos, and other memorabilia. Some of the black panels that inspired Ledford to create this memorial will also be included.

“This exhibit,” she said, “will allow people to see the building as a character in transformation across all these years. And this character, this building, has a heartbeat. And the heartbeat is shown through what we all do now. So it’s a celebration of all these people who have stewarded it and cared for it passionately and made sure it remained as it is today, a welcoming place where people can meet, talk and share ideas.”

Ledford also hopes this celebration will allow OCC to become recognized as one of the landmarks of Oxford. “When you come to Oxford via the ferry or doing a walking tour with the museum, we wanted to put a stake in the ground and have people come to the Community Center. We want them to appreciate it not only as a piece of architecture but as an interesting part of the history of the Chesapeake, where people came together across color lines, across economic lines for a common goal. And how, to this day, the building they fought for continues to unite and bring togetherness and community. I just feel like that needs to be more emphasized these days.”

As robust and historic as this project is, there is still one item on Ledford’s to-do list. “I love those black panels; they’re just amazing. I only wish I could find out who made them. I hope they’ll come to the event.” Whether she gets her wish or not, the anniversary celebration will be a way to honor the structure’s illustrious past and bright future. It will be yet another gathering of neighbors, another festivity under the roof of this building known as Oxford Community Center.

OCC’s Anniversary Celebration on 11/30/2022 6-8 p.m. is free . For more information, please visit www.oxfordcc.org, or call 410-226-5904.

Author Meg Daley Olmert Makes the Case that Man and Dog are Made for Each Other

November 12, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

We live in a society where we celebrate our dogs; we treat them as family members because, in many ways, they are. So imagine a world where almost everyone has a dog to protect and help hunt, but they are given no care nor provided water, food, or shelter. Their already brief lives are shortened because many contract rabies or other diseases. In fact, the greatest insult you can give someone is to call them a dog—useless.

This is not an imaginary world. It exists in Northern Uganda, a place that author and activist Meg Daley Olmert has taken on as a mission in her life. But to understand her commitment, you need to understand how she got there.

Olmert’s background was in television, where she worked as a producer for the likes of National Geographic, Discovery Channel, BBC, and the Smithsonian. While producing a series on the history of humans and animals for actors William Holden and Stephanie Powers, Olmert’s curiosity about the onset of a new program of animal-assisted trauma therapy was sparked. During an interview with a psychiatrist, she learned that a study showed that when people were talking to their pets (vs. talking to another person), their heart rates and blood pressure decreased. Why did that happen, she wondered and was told that it was due to the pet’s capacity to show unconditional love. “It just didn’t make sense to me,” she said. “It was not the biological cause I was asking about. There was a physiological effect; what caused that? He couldn’t tell me. No one had ever asked that question.”

Coincidentally, the day after this exchange, an article on the study of oxytocin was published in the New York Times. It discussed the hormone, which among other things, stimulates uterine contractions during childbirth, fosters a connection between a mother and child, and strengthens social and sexual bonding. Olmert was intrigued and wanted to know more. She found that oxytocin affected areas of the brain that control social and emotional behavior, creating a sense of calm instead of nervousness and curiosity instead of paranoia. “And it’s in that state of calm and curiosity,” said Olmert, “that you connect instead of retreat and close off.”

If that was the case for a human, what about other mammals–could oxytocin be a basis for the human/animal bond as well? It was in asking that question that Olmert’s career changed. She realized she had found the best story that was never told and shifted her focus to telling it. What followed were attempts to understand the science behind it, which included interviewing specialists and assembling groups of experts.

The result was that the TV producer became an expert on the neurobiology of the human-animal bond and its therapeutic effects. The knowledge gained from 15 years of research led her to write the ground-breaking book Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond, published in 2009. “What I learned,” said Olmert, “was that when there is friendly interaction between humans and animals, oxytocin is released in both. Certain species with very similar social brain construction to ours, like the dog, allowed us to come into and socially manipulate their fear and flight zones, which is what domestication is. With dogs, a whole social brain network is created where oxytocin interacts with dopamine, serotonin, and cortisol, and all of these things to bring us into the perfect state of connection.”

So, where does a dog’s unconditional love fit in? “It’s a myth,” says Olmert. “For millennia, we relied on dogs to protect us from enemies without—to bark, growl, bite, and alert. Now, their role is to protect us from the enemies within—the greatest enemy to a social mammal, the one that can kill us, is loneliness. And because we have this evolutionary coincidence of the dog, which has the same social brain chemistry as us, we have this best friend who has four legs and will be there when humans can’t or won’t be the social support we need. So when people say: ‘Well, it’s unconditional love.’ It is not. There’s no such thing. Their ‘love’ is wildly generous, but it isn’t unconditional. You treat that dog badly, it will not be your best friend.”

With the book’s publication, Olmert became the subject matter expert in a field she inadvertently created. It was not surprising this generated articles, interviews, and lecture circuits, including two TEDx talks. It also led to a call from Rick Yount, a social worker who was in the midst of designing a program that needed to show how veterans suffering from combat-related stress and PTSD could benefit from interacting with dogs. By 2011 these conversations helped to create the nonprofit Warrior Canine Connection, which uses active-duty military members undergoing PTSD treatment at Walter Reed Medical Center to train service dogs for placement with disabled veterans.

“Working with dogs lowers symptoms of PTSD better than any other treatments being offered,” says Olmert. “A therapist cannot get in your lap and hug you; yet, touch and physical connection are essential, especially when it’s combat or violence related. Training a dog is basically learning how to communicate with the dog—learning that it requires patience, consistency, timing, and empathy. These traits and skills are damaged when the social brain network is injured. The only way to repair and reboot them is through this type of practice.”

Which brings us halfway around the world to Northern Uganda and the Comfort Dog Project. Olmert’s expertise had been noted by someone else who was at that same time gaining notoriety. Her name was Sarah Schmidt, and in 2012 she founded an animal welfare charity called BIG FIX Uganda after observing that there was no veterinary care in an area where rabies was extensive and hate and fear of dogs as carriers was equally rampant. She also noticed that, even though everyone had dogs, they were left to their own devices. Nevertheless, Schmidt set up a veterinary hospital, offered free spaying and neutering, vaccinated over 90,000 dogs, and began an education program to save them.

Schmidt’s involvement in Northern Uganda also gave her a glimpse into a world where, dire as life was for the animals, the villagers were also going through a grim existence. They had lived through a horrific 20-year civil war where almost 30,000 boys and girls were kidnapped and forced to carry out raids, beat and kill civilians, or were used as domestic servants or sex slaves. Abductees who were able to flee returned to villages where they were shunned and treated as pariahs. It is estimated that 70% of people in Uganda have PTSD and severe trauma. Predictably, many attempt or commit suicide.

So when Schmidt made that call in 2017, Olmert learned that two years prior, there had been a recognition that Uganda’s reviled humans and canines might be able to benefit each other. They expanded their mission to rescue the fractured people through an animal-assisted therapy program similar to the Warrior Canine Connection. Called the Comfort Dog Project, it consisted of a 20-week dog training program that taught war trauma survivors how to create loving bonds with dogs.

Ten weeks into the program, when measurements were taken on the program’s outcome, it was discovered that these ‘trainers’ (called Guardians) were dancing and playing with their dogs and calling them their sisters, brothers, or even children. The presence of the dogs soothed the survivors and allowed them to talk about their war experiences, leading to a 100% reduction in PTSD symptoms and an improvement in their general health. Graduating Guardians went from being traumatized, rejected people to being employed providing community health services, working in rabies clinics, school programs, etc.

Author Meg Olmert and cat

Olmert was impressed enough to start including these findings in her writings and lectures. BBC even did a short film on one of these connections: the story of Filda Akumu, a young woman abducted when she was 13. After escaping, she was ostracized by her village, suffered trauma and depression, and became suicidal. Through the Comfort Dog Project, Filda was partnered with a dog who was abandoned as a puppy. “This dog saved my life,” she says. “if it wasn’t for him, I would be dead.” The two, who helped each other heal, have gone on to help others.

“Now, the very interesting part of this whole thing,” says Olmert, “is that the genetic studies of the dogs of Northern Uganda show that they’re the most ancient dogs on the planet and have never been domesticated. They have no modern dog DNA in them. And sociologically, they’ve never been befriended; in fact, quite the opposite. So we have the rare experience of the most ancient, least domesticated dog on the planet coming together with people who have never domesticated dogs. With all of the studies that have been done about how dogs were first domesticated, this is what was left out—dogs did more than protect us and help us hunt. They saved our hearts and minds. That’s their greatest contribution and one we can’t take for granted. When I went to Uganda and saw it for myself, it changed me. I am now a different person.”

The person who Olmert is now writes articles, goes after funding, and collaborates with researchers interested in confirming the importance of canine connection therapy. She is being encouraged to write another book. “All I ever wanted from my first book was that I would have really interesting conversations with really interesting people. And it has delivered in spades.”

She also currently serves as Science Advisor to the Warrior Canine Connection Program in Maryland and as Science Advisor and board member for The Comfort Dog Program of Northern Uganda. Of her association with the two powerhouses in her life, Olmert says: “Both Rick (Yount) and Sarah (Schmidt) are good dogs, which is the highest compliment I can give. They are humans that deserve all the praise any human can have.”

Well then, Meg Olmert, all we can say is you, also, are a really, really good dog.

Val Cavalheri is a recent transplant to the Eastern Shore, having lived in Northern Virginia for the past 20 years. She’s been a writer, editor and professional photographer for various publications, including the Washington Post.

The Ordinary Life of an Extraordinary Man by Val Cavalheri

October 29, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Artist Ed Krell

On Saturday and Sunday, November 5th and 6th, a unique interactive event named Hoopers Island First Chalk Arts Festival will occur. In partnership with the Dorchester Center for the Arts (DCA) and Kelly Ellis-Neal of The Bungalow by the Bay, the event’s purpose is to raise awareness for mental health. To appreciate how this all came together, you have to meet the artist who inspired it.

But this is not an ordinary story about an artist because Ed Krell is no ordinary artist. Even his choice of art form is not typical. Krell is a chalk artist. No, not the kind that draws on the sidewalk and whose creation is temporary, erased in less than a week by time and weather. His work is done with chalk on canvas and then sprayed with a fixing spray and lacquer that makes it last.

Like most stories about the extraordinary, it started unexpectedly, during a chance encounter at the Hoopers Island Fishing Creek post office when he praised a woman wearing ‘crazy bright pants.’ The woman was Kelly Ellis-Neal, who accepted his compliment and gave him her card. This prompted a brief discussion about art – big mural-sized art in particular.

Ellis-Neal, a realtor and entrepreneur, is a recent transplant to Hooper’s Island, where she and her husband bought master shipbuilder Jack McLaughlin’s home, which came with a 100-foot boat shed/pole barn. As an art enthusiast, she dreamed about the possibility of bringing meaningful art to the island. The impromptu meeting led to further discussions, and as Krell observed, their dreams intertwined. The exterior of the pole barn, located behind the post office on Ballpark Rd., became the canvas for the large chalk mural and blended Krell’s visionary, vibrant, psychedelic colors with images of Hoopers Island living.

The response to the unveiling of the mural surprised everyone. Soon people were stopping to take pictures with and of the mural, and a decision had to be made to have it lit at night. The mural also gained landmark status, and the unexpected notoriety became the impetus and started the ball rolling on the festival, changing the life of a man who was used to life changes and hardships, one of which included homelessness.

If you ask, Krell will say he’s been doing art his whole life; you might even have admired his black-and-white architectural precision drawings. He will also admit he had to take two to three years off due to an injury. What he may not tell you is that the injury led to 11 reconstructive surgeries, including a nerve transplant.

The injury cost him the use of his right arm, which also had to be fused to his side for a period of time. “I was always the guy with the megaphone in front of the crowd. And then, I had to ask people for help. It was very humbling.” Krell will admit he went into what he describes, as a dark place, emotionally and physically. Whatever he once aspired to be, the former right-handed artist was gone.

Krell credits a friend–nicknamed ‘81’—who encouraged him to start drawing again. “Draw with chalk on the floor,” ‘81’ told him. And Krell did, and then erased it and started all over again. Until he got bored and started drawing on walls and ceilings, and when he ran out of space, he started working on canvas. Then it became an even greater obsession. He found himself drawing every day, all day. And he got really good.

Krell calls it his ‘art groove.’ “Once I’m making really good art,” he says, “everything happening around me has that same vibe. It’s like I’m on fire. When I met Kelly that day, I was really on fire.”

That spark continued to grow as the collaboration expanded. “We started meeting more people who were interested. Musician Jon Jacob let Melissa Cooperman (DCA’s Community Arts Coordinator) know about me, and then John Lewis (DCA’s board member) got involved. Then there is Marianne Styles and her husband, Robert. So many doors were opened.” Suddenly the black and white right-handed artist found his art groove in his left hand, making colorful pictures of boats, crabs, and bridges.

“And then, of course, I burned it,” Krell added.

That’s correct. He would burn his paintings once he was done. “Not being a taught artist, I learned everything by trial and error. There’s nothing like an epic fail to teach you. Even when people wanted to buy it, it went into a campfire since I needed the wood to make my next one. I did what I needed to learn. So now let’s do it again, but better.”

Nowadays, he’s not allowed to burn his pictures. Krell’s partner Paul Ellwood ensures he doesn’t do that anymore, among other things. Ellis-Neal credits Ellwood for keeping them all organized. “This has become something bigger than one person can handle. If it wasn’t for Paul, keeping us on track, we couldn’t have come this far.”

Where Ellwood is the glue, ‘81’ is the reason why the festival is dedicated to mental health awareness. The last exhibit he did at DCA in July was called the “Story of 81” as a tribute to the friend who helped Krell during his recovery. But ‘81’ had his own difficulties, wrestling with schizophrenia and people’s misconceptions about the disease. He succumbed to mental illness in 2020 at the age of 24. Through his art, Krell wants to give a voice to anyone who is struggling. In that way, he also helps ‘81’s mother keep her son’s memory alive by opening up channels of conversations about her son’s disability.

“We’re keeping a mental health awareness kind of mantra and dedicating this project to helping out the moms and families, the caregivers, and the first responders. Anyone we can get involved to make them aware that some people out there are a little bit different, you know, and that’s OK.”

For the Chalk Art Festival, the mantra has developed into a slogan — Healing waves one chalk line at a time. “I believe that water heals. I believe art heals if we just listen to each other,” says Krell. “So I want everybody just to come and have a great time.”

DAC and all the people involved are dedicated to making this happen. Besides art and food vendors, there will be live music and other forms of entertainment, including a band of chalk artists from California, known as Chalk Mafia (https://www.facebook.com/chalkmafia/), chalk art workshops for all ages, led by Lori Antoinette of LAntArt (https://lantart.wixsite.com/lantart), as well as an opportunity for kids to learn how to draw their own cartoon character.

The two-day event is free, and Krell is humbled and grateful for the experience and support. But he is more interested in knowing that his art does something good for the world. “I want that, at the very least, it starts a conversation. My art allows us to create a space and openness for an honest dialogue.” He paused then and added. “I’m just getting started in this whole adventure. I wonder what it will be like a year or two down the road?”

Any bets?

Hoopers Island First Chalk Arts Festival will take place on November 5th and 6th from 11 am to 4 pm at 1125 Ballpark Rd, Fishing Creek, MD. For more information about the festival and the artist, go here. (https://edkrell.art/chalk-art-festival).

Mid-Shore Arts: The Photography of Edwin Remsberg

September 13, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

A traveling Smithsonian Museum on Main Street (MoMS) show is coming to Oxford in October called Crossroads: Change in Rural America. This exhibit offers towns a chance to look at what happened when America’s rural population became a minority of the country’s population and the ripple effects that occurred.

So what does that mean for the Eastern Shore? Stuart Parnes, president of Oxford Museum, said. “We’re as much an agricultural place as Kansas, but people don’t recognize that. We all spend so much time looking at the water, talking about watermen, watching the log canoes, or sailing. Yet everybody drives by acres and acres of corn and soybeans, and they don’t think about it. So, part of what we wanted to do, was to make sure we all start paying some attention.”

Matt Taylor of Taylor’s Produce

The concept behind MoMS is to send high-quality exhibits to small museums in towns with small populations. Places that usually wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in a national exhibition program. As part of the program, many events are being organized, including farm tours, retrospectives, and discussions.

It was during one of the planning meetings that Edwin Remsberg’s name came up. Remsberg, an award-winning Maryland photographer, specializes in documenting agriculture and the changing nature of traditional work in a modern economy. Parnes took a look at the photographs and was immediately interested. And here’s the thing. Remsberg is good at what he does because he knows so much about it. He, too, is a farmer raising sheep in Harford County. Working so close also meant that Remsberg has a lot of images of Eastern Shore farmers.

Remsberg said, “I think it’s an important part of being able to relate is that I do it myself, so I can appreciate what everybody’s doing. I see us as a big connected community because everybody’s intertwined with each other, regardless of where they are.”

Ken Ballard of Ballard Meats and Seafood

Remsberg’s career started on his family’s Maryland farm, and through the connections he made in the agricultural community. Using his camera allowed Remsberg to tell their stories, an ability that is still a part of his success. As he has said: For me, the photograph is not an end in itself but rather a tool for transmitting information, telling stories, and educating. Photography is a means to bring these incredibly rich and interesting worlds to people who would not otherwise have such an opportunity. The content and the story is what matters. I am passionate about Maryland. The idea of sense of place is very important to me because I have a long history with Maryland. I believe our sense of place comes not only from our geography around us but from this human geography of who we are and the culture we create. I aim to provide Marylanders with the opportunity to gain a sense of their local identity, giving them something to appreciate and love. The visual experience offers individuals the chance to see themselves as unique but also for a larger culture to see itself as unique.”

This attention to detail has solidified his reputation and success as a photojournalist for the Baltimore Sun and Associated Press, a stock photographer for Getty, and a photographer for 11 books. He’s worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Maryland and has traveled worldwide photographing rural areas. He’s also produced essays on such topics as the war in El Salvador, elections in Haiti, and missionary work in Belize. In 1987 Life Magazine chose his photograph of the Amtrak crash in Chase, Maryland, as one of the “Pictures of the Year” and later, “Pictures of the Decade. More recently, Remsberg can be found conducting workshops in England or Africa, authoring new books, or selling his own apparel brand.

Emily Jackson of Emily’s Produce

Rooted in the Land: A Tribute to Eastern Shore Farmers—Photographs by Edwin Remsberg is now on exhibit at the Oxford Museum. It’s a show well worth seeing as you realize that Remsberg is telling a story about today’s farmer and, more importantly, the Eastern Shore farmer. Here you’ll find people and places you know. Judy Crow from Crow’s Vineyard cuddling a calf, Matt Taylor of Taylor’s Produce standing in his young field of corn silhouetted against the sun, Emily Jackson from Emily’s Produce cradling a watermelon. Remsberg proudly pointed to a photograph of Ken Ballard of Ballard Meats and Seafood. “I have that tractor, too,” he said.

For Parnes, this tribute to farmers is the perfect start to a thought-provoking Smithsonian show. “Edwin is just kicking this off for us because the show doesn’t get here till October. People will look at these images and see that there are farms everywhere, and all these people are still working on them, and they’re second and third generation farmers.”

Besides people, there are also scenes of farmers’ hands holding wheat or supporting a grapevine. Then there are the perspectives you may never see outside this exhibit. That’s because Remsberg is also an aerial photographer, and he has a lot to show you from the sky. Here you’ll find a mesmerizing look at a watermelon harvest (at Worms farm in Preston) and, in an abstract photograph of dark tracks on a white field, a winter cover crop planting in Kent County.

Remsberg is also sharing one of his rare collections with the Museum: Periodicals that Maryland’s farmers read from before the Civil War into the 1930s. These are filled with technical assistance and farming stories and are illustrated by some of the then best-known artists and photographers.

But it will be the farmers themselves that you’ll remember. Yes, they are photographed in their lush and frequently colorful environment, but the intimate focus is on the individual. And there is a reason. “I’m not showing you a window of farmers. What I’m doing is holding up a mirror for them. I want them to be the people who get the most out of the picture, and then the rest of the world can see, but I want them to know that they’re cool and interesting. I want to show how proud and diverse these people are and how their workplace is their identity. I want them to be the stars.”

And that they are.

Rooted in the Land: A Tribute to Eastern Shore Farmers—Photographs by Edwin Remsberg is running now through December 16th at the Oxford Museum

Crossroads: Change in Rural America will open on October 29, 2022, and run through December 16, 2022, at the Oxford Museum at St. Paul’s Church.

Looking at Both Sides at 83: A Spy Chat with Judy Collins

September 3, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

For over sixty years, Judy Collins has captivated the world with hits such as Send in the Clowns and Both Sides Now. Today, at 83, the Grammy award-winning singer, author, social activist, and founder and CEO of Wildflower Records is not slowing down. In 2019 at the age of 80, she recorded Winter Stories, her first No. 1 album on an American Billboard Chart. Last year, she released her first all original material album, called Spellbound. She continues to tour, inspiring audiences with her soaring vocals and provocative songwriting.

The Spy spoke with Collins about her upcoming show at the Avalon, her affair with singer Stephen Stills, her long career, and why music can still soothe the soul.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length.

Judy Collins will be performing at the Avalon on Friday September 9. Tickets are available here.

Mid-Shore Arts: The Reluctant Art of Jennifer Leps

August 29, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Attending Jennifer Leps’ exhibit, currently at the St. Michaels branch of the Talbot County Free Library, is like being exposed to three different artists–such is the range of her work. Yet, Leps is unassuming in taking in the praises she has received from the community. But that’s probably because art was not part of her original career path. That one had been about practicing business law, a profession she retired from after 37 years.

Art had always been part of her life, so it was no surprise that she gravitated toward it when possible. “Once I retired from practicing law, I had more room in my life to try a lot of different types of art. I honestly believe that every person has a creative urge. You only have to stop into Michaels Stores. It doesn’t matter whether they’re scrapbooking, doing wood burning, or painting; it’s all really a fundamental human impulse.”

What has surprised her is the critical acclaim she has been receiving. Especially, as she explained, she is self-taught. “I use watercolor, pastel, charcoal, and acrylic. And sometimes, all in the same piece, which I suspect you’re not supposed to do. But since I didn’t go to art school, I’m unaware of breaking any rules.”

Which brings us to this current show: It came about when her husband (author Bryan Christy) was invited to do a book reading at the St. Michaels library. Branch manager Shauna Beulah, who knew Leps was an artist, approached her about displaying her paintings in the exhibit space. Leps, whose creativity had been previously enjoyed only by friends and family, was forced to consider what everyone else had known for years: she was an artist. And a damn good one at that.

And so, Leps hung three series of paintings, each giving the viewer a glimpse into her artistic mind. In All Creatures Great and Small, Leps expresses her love for animals. Here you will find a black bear, face resting on a tree branch, or the osprey, both majestic yet almost human-like in its depiction. “I love to paint creatures,” she said, “both wild and domesticated, but particularly wildlife. I’m fascinated by everything from insects, fish, and toads to black bears and wild dogs.” St. Michaels’ Art League, of which Leps is a member, describes her work as “whimsical, colorful, and artistically precise.”

The second grouping is titled Spirit Animals. Leps expands her pull towards creatures, depicting them in realistic watercolors but combining them with a drawing of that same animal’s ‘soul using black, white, and red colors. In describing her work Richard Marks, who attended the exhibit, said, “As an artist, Jennifer’s style is quite varied with proficiency in many mediums. What is constant and shines wonderfully is her depiction and love for animals.”

The third series deviates from the pleasantly familiar and imaginative and instead represents a personal statement from Leps. Titled It’s Not Your Fault, these Me-Too-inspired paintings are primarily of women’s faces portraying their pain and brushed in broad acrylic strokes of fiery reds, oranges, and blues.

The series struck a chord with viewers: “I loved all of Jennifer’s artwork,” said Holly DeKarske, Executive Director of Easton Economic Development Corp., “but ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ was the most moving for me. It’s something every woman and girl needs to hear, know, and remember. Each painting was incredibly moving.”

Shauna Beulah agreed: “I was most impressed with the pieces from ‘It’s Not Your Fault. They made me think and reflect on women’s issues and my response to them. Other people reacted to the spirit animals and found one that seemed to speak to them.”

The idea for this collection came about unexpectedly during a trip to Spain Leps took with her family. “We were at an International Women’s Day march, and a couple of men walked in front of us with a sign that said, ‘It’s Not Your Fault.’ My (at the time) 26-year-old daughter burst into tears. Here she was, an extremely poised, successful, competent young woman, yet something triggered her. I put my hand on her back in comfort, and at the same time, my husband Bryan took a picture. So I recreated that scene in my painting, and it initiated a process for the series.”

Leps wanted to go further. In her exhibit, she prominently included information about Easton’s crisis service center, For All Seasons. “The group,” she said, “has an amazing reach and breadth in terms of the expertise that they can provide, and they can do it all in both English and Spanish, without regard to the individual’s ability to pay. In speaking with the staff, they suggested that it might be helpful to put their phone numbers near the pictures because, just like my daughter’s experience, you never know what might be triggering.”

Beth Anne Langrell, CEO of For All Seasons, was happy with the collaboration, “Our team was thrilled to be asked to support Jennifer’s art show and bring to light the topic of sexual assault. The pictures are stunning and highlight that sexual assault affects us all – everyone knows someone who has been affected. The impact of Jennifer’s work is universal. We are so happy to be a part of the artistic journey that shines a light on such an important topic.”

For Leps, this was further confirmation of the effect of her work. “I was gratified that people responded to paintings designed to deliver a message, make a statement, or challenge people to think differently about something.”

Leps is currently working on a series about mothers and children, but you won’t find these images used on Hallmark cards. They are meant to explore the power of motherhood in a challenging world. And she doesn’t want to whitewash it with pretty pictures, which is why the set includes one mother shielding her child during the Indonesian tsunami and another protecting her child during the Syrian war. “I want to represent, across every ethnicity and every economic stratum, the commonality of mothers wanting more than anything in the world to protect their children.”

One thing Leps can take away from the reviews of her show is that she is free to continue to work on whatever inspires her. “I’m pretty sure that what one is supposed to do as an artist is to find your style and keep doing it until you are very, very good. I just enjoy trying different styles and different combinations of mediums. I’m always searching for something that seems to be evocative.”

So, after all this, does Leps finally consider herself an artist? After giving the question some thought, she said: “I do. It’s been a transition, and it has taken a couple of years for me to say that with confidence, but I do.”Jennifer Leps’ one-woman show will run through the end of August at the St. Michaels branch of the Talbot County Free Library, 106 Fremont St., St. Michaels, MD.

For All Seasons forallseasonsinc.org provides outpatient mental health, psychiatric, education, and rape crisis services to English and Spanish-speaking communities regardless of one’s ability to pay. Trauma-certified therapists and psychiatrists provide a variety of treatment approaches and individualized care for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with locations in Easton, Denton, Cambridge, Stevensville, Chestertown, and Tilghman Island. Phone: 410.822.1018

24-HR Hotlines:
English Hotlines:800.310.7273 or 410.820.5600 Text in English & Spanish: 410-829-6143
Para Español llame o envíe un mensaje de texto al: 410.829.6143

Mid-Shore Arts: The Dorchester Women’s Mural Hits the Wall

August 19, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

The dedication and ribbon cutting of the Dorchester Women’s Mural was held on Saturday, August 13, 2022. The mural, which features 12 Dorchester County women, is located on the sidewalls of 516 and 518 Poplar Street. The Cambridge Community Arts Foundation, Inc. (CCAF) conceived the project, which was funded through grants, local individuals, and community organizations.

The mural was painted by artist Bridget Cimino, whose design was chosen from among the 17 entries received. The portraits took approximately a month to complete, and a day was set aside where people in the community were encouraged to come out and help paint (under the tutelage and watchful eye of Cimino). Once completed, it was time to work on the dedication ceremony and invite the women (or their representatives) who were featured on the walls.

Over 200 people were in attendance on the day of the ceremony. They were there to pay tribute and be inspired by the women chosen both by their contribution to their field and the impact they have made that extends beyond their community. Emceeing the event were Theresa McFadden, President of CCAF, Linda B. Starling, and Lisa Krentel. The three, who are all local artists, and board members of Main Street Gallery and CCAF, were instrumental in launching and managing this mural project. First introduced was Cimino, who expressed her gratitude for the experience and the honor of meeting some of the women whose faces she had spent hours painting.

Chief Yogananda Pittman and Bridget Cimino

Yogananda Pittman, former Acting Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, spoke next, joking, “it doesn’t take much to convince me to come back home. Usually, just an invitation to a bushel of crabs would do it.” Then added: “But when I was chosen to have my face displayed on this mural, with other notable women of this community, I would have walked from Washington DC to be here today. This is beyond anything I could have imagined in my life. Words alone cannot express the gratitude that I’m feeling at this moment.” Pittman noted that her rise in ranks would probably have gone unnoticed were it not for the events of January 6th and her subsequent testimony at the Congressional hearings. She also acknowledged the officers who lost their lives on that day. Pittman expressed gratitude to the community of Cambridge and the influence of teachers and family.

Also recognizing the community was Admiral Sara Joyner, the first female carrier strike fighter squadron leader. She mentioned that in her current work at the Pentagon, she is used to meeting individuals who grew up on the Eastern Shore, calling it a “testament to the type of people who are raised here.” Joyner mentioned the education she received in Cambridge that was instrumental in her being accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy, even though women were not allowed to serve in combat when she first joined. “But ‘no,’ was not something I accepted,” she told the audience. “It became something to overcome.” And so, by 1993, she was allowed to fly jets, although still only in a teaching capacity. When laws finally changed, Joyner did five deployments and almost 100 combat missions. “I’ve had great opportunities,” she said, “and that foundation was formed here. When people told me no, I knew how to get through that, I learned it here.”

The next speaker, Victoria Jackson-Stanley, drew a standing ovation when introduced. As the first woman, first African American, and (three-term) mayor of Cambridge, Jackson-Stanley, expressed the importance of support from family and community members. Referring to others who were memorialized on the wall, she said, “The community of Cambridge has made us all part of history, although I never thought of myself as being history. Someone sitting behind me asked, ‘You’re the mayor? You know you’re history?’ But I didn’t do it for that. I did it because I love Cambridge. I love this community. It has made us all who we are in one way or another.”

Other speakers included Harriet Tubman’s great-great-great grandniece, Tina Wyatt, who reminded the audience that her relative was accused of ‘having stolen herself.’ Mary Handley, Annie Oakley’s impersonator, appeared in costume and gave a brief historical perspective of champion sharpshooter Oakley’s life. Dr. Lida Orem Meredith, the first woman doctor in Dorchester County who was especially noted for serving the underprivileged, was represented by her great-grandson Jay Meredith. Speaking on behalf of Fronie Jones, the matriarch of a legendary 60-year, multi-generational crab picking family at J.M. Clayton’s, was Evangelist Patricia Brown, a granddaughter of Jones. She thanked Cimino for capturing her grandmother’s spirit in her drawing. Civil Rights activist Gloria Richardson was represented by two people who identify themselves as keepers of her flame, Kisha Petticolas, and Dion Banks

Additional women on the mural are Anna Ella Carroll, advisor to President Lincoln, and actress of stage, screen, and television–Bea Arthur. In attendance but choosing not to speak was Donna ‘Wolf Mother’ Abbott, the first woman Chief of the Nause Waiwash tribe.

The last introduction went to Dakota Abbott Flowers, six-time champion muskrat skinner, and former Miss Outdoors. Flowers began by expressing her surprise that her “muskrat skinning skills” would get her on the wall with other women who have helped pave the way for future generations of admirals, chiefs, mayors, and surgeons. She ended with a quote: “What is important in a dress? The woman who is wearing it.”

Following the speeches, Theresa McFadden cut the ribbon. The celebrated women and their families chatted and took pictures with audience members before heading out to a luncheon at the 447 Venue on Race St.

Said McFadden: “We were thrilled with the turnout and the reception the speakers got from the crowd. Their words were powerful and moving, and it was clear how important the mural was to them and their families. The dedication was truly a joyous community event!”

For a time-lapse video of the creation of the mural, click here.

A Time to Wake Up with Artist Anna Harding

August 17, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

The Spy recently sat down with botanical artist Anna Harding who currently has an exhibition at Adkins Arboretum titled Wake Up…We Need Everybody. Her show includes a selection of plants, birds, animals, and insects indigenous to the Chesapeake region. Harding selected what she would draw after researching a comprehensive catalog received from the Wildlife & Heritage Service through the Department of Natural Resources. Featured in it were endangered, threatened, extirpated (no longer able to exist in a specific geographic area), and critically imperiled species. Although she chose several from each category, only one extinct creature made the list—the Maryland Darter, a three-inch freshwater fish solely found in Maryland and last seen in 1988.

Using ultra-sharp graphite and colored pencils, Harding creates amazingly accurate and detailed drawings that invite the viewer to step in for a close look. It is within this intimate look that she hopes people can have a conversation as to why these species are in trouble.

Harding, who minored in art while attending George Washington University, was active as a ceramic artist for over 25 years before turning to botanical art. She has taught her craft at Adkins Arboretum and is a member of the Working Artists Forum. She also co-founded the Botanical Art League of the Eastern Shore in 2021.

Anna Harding’s retrospective runs through September 3 and is part of the Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view at the Arboretum Visitor’s center at 12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely.

It’s a Wrap! Academy Art Museum First 24-Hour Race Winners

August 8, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

The first 24-Hour Video Race is in the can! Sponsored by Academy Art Museum (AAM) in partnership with the Chesapeake Film Festival, the submitted films were screened at AAM on Friday July 29th and winners were announced.

Jackie Royer, Ray Remsch, and Chris Pierce People’s Choice Award

The competition began on July 22 when registered filmmakers of all expertise and ages were sent the following elements in an email, which they had to incorporate into their film.

Theme: Transformation
Prop: Water
Dialogue: “How refreshing”

They were then challenged to write, shoot, edit, and score an original short film. The film had to be between 1- 7 minutes in length and had to be submitted within a 24-hour period.

Award-winning filmmaker Francisco Salazar designed the event for AAM and a panel of judges, including Chesapeake Film Festival Director Cid Collins Walker and Martin Zell, Board of Trustees President, selected the winners. Cash prizes and a trophy were given to:

Best in Show – Adult $250
Black and White and Hot All Over: Stephen Haynes,

Best in Show – Student/Family (at least 50% of the filmmaking team had to be under 18) $150

Water!: Ian Hasselgren, (Student/Family)

Ian Hasselgren

Lemonade: Mac Mirabile, (Student/Family)

Additionally, a People’s Choice Award was selected on Friday by attendees and an award was also given to: The Driver’s Seat, Ray Remesch, (Adult) who also won $100

Jennifer Chrzanowski, AAM’s Development Manager, said “The judges were excited and surprised at the quality of the submissions. Everything about them, including the editing and acting, was very unexpected and very welcomed.”

Meanwhile you can judge for yourself: https://vimeo.com/737544972

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