Throughout the month of July, The Artists’ Gallery will feature new works in oil by Freeman Dodsworth. “An Eye to See” is based on the artist’s “view of life from a different angle. Everyday scenes are observed by the artist with an eye for shape, color and light.”

Freeman Dodsworth exhibits with The Artists’ Gallery and is based in Port Republic, Maryland. He started painting in the 1980’s under the guidance of Terry Wolf, a well known and much loved Eastern Shore artist. After working with Wolf for three years, he left the shore for a career in the US Navy that took him around the world, but away from art. In 2017, Terry Wolf died, spurring Freeman to return to the easel. “Terry gave me the gift of painting, and when he died, I felt I needed to get going if I ever wanted to grow into the painter I want to be.” Since then, Freeman has painted consistently, with master painters including Peter Fiore and Jim Kingston, as well as various on-line instructors.

“Mother’s Day,” 12×16, oil on canvas by Freeman Dodsworth

Working primarily in oil, Freeman enjoys the traditional techniques and materials of the great masters. He often makes his own supports of panel and canvas, and crafts many of the frames for his paintings. “Painting is a first and foremost a craft, like any other. There are materials, tools and processes for using them. I am continually learning the craft and that will never end.” The woods, fields and local marinas of Maryland provide the inspiration for many of Freeman’s paintings. He mixes his time between outdoor painting and working in the studio, but with every painting he seeks light, shadow and dramatic shapes that convey a story.

The Artists’ Gallery is located at 239 High Street in Chestertown and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. For more information about the artists, please visit www.theartistsgalleryctown.com and www.facebook.com/6goodpainters or call the gallery at 410-778-2425.

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A group of 23 artists, who live or work in Easton, Maryland, will have an art show along the fence at 11 South Aurora Street on July 4, 2020. Each artist will portray a chosen African American who has unjustly lost his or her life because of systemic racism in the U.S. The show will hang on the fence from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and all are invited to respectfully view from the sidewalk during those hours. The works are not for sale, but the artists hope that the impact from the display will serve to send a collective message that we, as a nation, still have much to do to improve our democracy for all of its citizens.

Philando Castile by Laura Kapolchok

The idea for the art show came from Easton-based artist Nancy Tankersley who is in the process of converting 11 S. Aurora (formerly known as Atelier 11) into a working studio and a home for her and husband Carl. Located in Easton’s Arts and Entertainment District, this pop-up exhibit will be the first of its kind in the Hill neighborhood. 

Tankersley says the idea came to her while she was participating in the first vigil for victim George Floyd, which was held along Marlboro Avenue in Easton on May 30. “I was standing there with my family, just to show support, and a young black woman drove slowly by reading all of the signs and shouting out her thanks. Her graciousness in the face of all that has happened within black communities in the U.S. shamed me. Spending one hour of my life standing by the side of a road seemed a small thing. I started thinking about how I could use my skills as an artist to send the message that we get it and the idea of the portraits and a fence show came to me.”

Freddie Gray by Mary Ellen Mabe

Tankersley put the idea out to artists that she has mentored in her Easton Studio and also to artists who live in the downtown Easton area; the response was overwhelming. 

Because this portrait project was conceived by a white artist and painted by white artists, Tankersley offers a personal interpretation. “This show is an apology for being silent for so long. It is our hope, if there is interest in continuing the exhibit, that artists of all colors, ages, and ability will want to participate. When painting a portrait, the act of doing so forces the artist to really look at the person and try to understand them as human beings. I think all of us learned something about our subjects and ourselves during this project.”

Even though many of the images will be of young black men who have been slain by police officers in the U.S., others are individuals who have lost their lives through the systemic racism that prompts ordinary citizens to act unjustly. A portrait of Emmett Till, whose murder jumpstarted the civil rights movement, will be on display along with George Floyd, Freddie Gray, Atatiana Jefferson, Philandro Castille, and 19 more paintings.

Atatiana Jefferson by Kathy Kopec

Tankersley and some of the participating artists will be onsite to answer questions about their individual portraits. The participating Artists for Justice are: 

Jane Anderson, Diana Dardis, Mary Ford, Rhonda Ford, Christopher Gillen, Joan Hart, Betty Huang, Laura Kapolchok, Adam Kernan-Schloss, Kathy Kopec, Marianne Kost, Mignonne La Chapelle, Mary Ellen Mabe, Maire McArdle, Sara Linda Poly, Josepha Price, Maggii Sarfaty, Nancy Tankersley, Katie Theeke, Stephen Walker, Stewart White, Lori Yates, and Arlene Zachmann.

For more information, contact Nancy Tankersley: eastonstudio3@gmail.com

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After careful analysis of the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Board of Directors of the National Music Festival has unanimously voted to cancel the 2020 season, which was originally scheduled for May 31-June 13 and later rescheduled for August 8-15.

“We have invested our hearts and souls in the preparation of what was to be an ambitious and inspiring 10th anniversary, and though it breaks our hearts, we have made the gut-wrenching decision to cancel this season,” said Richard Rosenberg, the Festival’s Artistic Director.

The National Music Festival’s board and staff feel an ethical obligation to do their part to protect the local community as well as the musicians who would normally travel to Chestertown from all over the country and beyond.

“We cannot take the risk of advancing the spread of the virus by moving forward with the plans for an August Festival,” said Caitlin Patton, NMF Executive Director. “We had hoped that it would work out for August, but at this time we see no way to keep our community and our musicians safe. We care about you all and your safety is of paramount importance. “

The 2021 Festival will feature the programming originally planned for 2020. The Fiddlesticks! Youth Strings Program will resume when it is safe to do so, and the Resonance Concert Series will resume in Fall 2021. As plans develop, more information will be available on the Festival’s website, www.nationalmusic.us. In the meantime, visit the National Music Festival on Facebook to enjoy recordings from past seasons.

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