Spy Highlights

From and Fuller: Phase One of the Debt Ceiling Fight and Assessing Nikki Haley

February 2, 2023 by Al From and Craig Fuller Leave a Comment

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller discuss the long-game strategies of both Republicans and Democrats in the debt-ceiling battle between Congress and the White House over the next five months. Al and Craig also share their impressions of former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and her anticipated run for the presidency in 2024.

This video podcast is approximately sixteen minutes in length.

To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last five years, where now serves on the boards of the Academy Art Museum, the Benedictine School, and Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Art of Giving Back Locally Even if You’ve Left Town

January 30, 2023 by Val Cavalheri 1 Comment

It’s usually bittersweet–that time when someone retires. They wave goodbye to their friends, home, and job to begin a new life elsewhere, surrounded by sunshine, grandchildren, hobbies, and other leisure activities.

But for some, and it seems a growing number of adults, retirement is just the beginning of a new life cycle that sometimes involves the continuation of what they were doing before they retired, within the community they left.

Howard Freedlander

Take Howard Freedlander, former MD Deputy State Treasurer and current Spy essayist. Since he writes about the goings on in Talbot County, you probably think the Out and About (Sort of) columnist lived here. Well, he used to. Since 2020, Freedlander has been an Annapolis resident. But after 44 years in Easton, the roots are deep. “I cannot sever my ties to Talbot County,” he has said.

But does he have to?

For Freedlander, who is involved as a committee chair for BAAM (Building African American Minds) and still sits on local boards, that answer is a resounding ‘no.’ “It’s been great to be able to continue to serve Talbot County. And, every week when I write a column for the Spy, I feel as if I’m continuing to cultivate my roots.”

Because of those roots, people know him and seek him out even though he’s no longer a resident. Just in time for last year’s election, he was asked to host a Talbot County Council candidate forum. “When I was emceeing, both the candidates and the audience, which contained many people whom I knew, granted me a degree of credibility because I lived on the shore for so long and still love it.”

Despite how busy he’s kept on this side of the bridge, he’s also becoming well-known in his new home city. That’s not a surprise for someone who is used to being busy. “I’m on the board of Historic Annapolis and on the Advisory Council of the Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation. I also serve on the finance committee where we live. And then I’ve been involved in a project that gives me a lot of personal satisfaction.” That project was a five-acre piece of land that had been earmarked as a site for 43 townhomes. With Freedlander’s intervention, $6.5 million was secured, and the property was purchased and turned into a passive park focused on the heritage of the historic port of Annapolis. “I was able to work effectively on this,” he said, “because of my experience with the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, my time as Deputy Treasurer for the State of Maryland, and my firm belief in preservation.”

Not that he hasn’t experienced some changes. “I’ve left a place I loved, Freedlander said, “and moved to a far more populated area, with more traffic lights and longer waits.” There is also the transition to a retirement community. “We’re living in a wonderful retirement community where we own our unit but live by rules set by others, as opposed to living in your own home making your own rules. We had to get accustomed to that.”

Yet life in Annapolis has given him a deeper understanding and appreciation for the Eastern Shore and its people. “It seems that issues such as the Talbot boys and Lakeside have awakened Talbot County citizens. When I looked down on that audience during the forum, I saw people I knew and those I didn’t know. And every seat was occupied. I thought, well, this is really terrific; people in Talbot County are paying attention to a local election.”

Lani Seikaly

Another retiree has perhaps found a solution to continuing local involvement. Just ask Lani Seikaly where she lives, and she’ll tell you, “I live in Chestertown and McLean (Virginia).”

Until 2010, Seikaly lived on the Western Shore. She had worked as a principal through the Maryland State Department of Education and then spent years providing technical assistance and professional development to schools. When close to retirement age, she and her husband moved to Chestertown, a place where she was born but not raised. “Once there, I started getting involved in activities. I was looking for work that I thought had some meaning.” Seikaly created programs, sat on various boards, and got interested in the field of home insecurity. It was through this interest that she founded the Kent Attainable Housing (KAH), an organization dedicated to moving families out of poverty through the asset of homeownership. “We build affordable homes and have a financial literacy support program that helps families get their credit scores in a place where they could get a loan, and we could sell them a house.”

But here is the thing: when she started KAH a little over three years ago, she wasn’t entirely living on the Eastern Shore full-time. Like Freedlander, Seikaly wanted to be near her children. Eventually. But eventually came sooner than they expected when their Chestertown home sold quickly. Since they weren’t quite ready to move away full-time, Seikaly and her husband now have a house in McLean but rent in Chestertown–sort of. Seikaly explains, “We rent flexible nights per month from two different homeowners. One is the home of friends who are only here part-time, and the other is a cottage next to a home of a woman who uses the cottage for her family on occasion. That’s our Chestertown existence.”

Seikaly continues to be very involved in KAH. She feels there is a need here for this type of program. “It was easier to get that going here. I already love this place, and I already have roots in this place.” Yet, Chestertown is a little too far away from her family. “My decision is to be as involved here as possible. And it has its downside because it keeps me from being involved in the area where I now have a home.”

The Chestertown pull continues to be strong, however. She got involved in a project to document and record Chestertown’s black entrepreneurs from the 1960s and 70s. “I love giving voice to folks whose voices are not being heard. I was also involved with Chestertown River Arts and made an exhibit of about seven of these oral histories, where I took photos and used quotes from the interviews. It was gratifying work, and the one time we had more African American presence in the gallery than we did at any other time.”

Seikaly feels there is a difference in living on the Eastern Shore that is hard to find anywhere else, and it comes down to the people. “So often, I won’t know the full history of somebody’s work experience until I read an obituary. In McLean, if I went to a cocktail party, the chief question you get is, what do you do? That’s not how it is in Chestertown, where that’s usually only a curiosity question because what you do is not who you are. And so, I value that too.”

Yet Seikaly is also mindful of another difference. “I feel I’m unlike some of my friends. Some people here think retirement is just for enjoying the great environment, the water, the golf course, etc. I like all those things too, but that’s not what will make my life meaningful.”

Robert “Bob” Grill

Robert “Bob” Grill has also found a meaningful life he cannot entirely move away from. In 2010, he co founded a relief charity called Disaster Aid USA (DAUSA). What started as a Rotary Club project became a worldwide highly successful organization whose mission is to provide humanitarian relief to victims when disaster strikes.

Grill was Chairman of the Board and stepped down four years ago and took on the position of President and CEO of DAUSA. At the time, he and his wife lived in Davidsonville in Anne Arundel County. In 2019, faced with a bigger house than they needed, Grill and his wife moved to Easton.

Like Freedlander and Seikaly, Grill cannot ‘retire’ from the job he enjoys. Lucky for him, he doesn’t have to. At 85 years of age, he no longer goes to help at different disaster sites, but he does whatever he can and continues being involved in what he loves.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Grill started his own construction company and remains somewhat active in this business, loaning out his construction yard as storage space to DAUSA. He’s still a Rotarian, although not as active as he used to be. But that’s because DAUSA keeps him pretty busy every day. “I can’t stay away,” he says. I do the bulk mailings, banking, and bookkeeping. I send out all the thank yous, make up all the mailings, do the brochures and stuff like that.”

As for his move to Easton, Grill is happy with the decision. “There are a lot of clubs here,” he says, “and all through the Eastern Shore that are very supportive of Disaster Aid USA. When there’s a disaster, they’ve always provided funds for us to go out and to do the work.”

Freedlander, Seikaly, and Grill are just three examples of a new breed of retirees who have redefined the word as they continue to do crucial and meaningful work despite their geographical location. After all, if you’re doing good work, does it matter where it’s being done and what you call it?

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.

Talbot Arts Check in: A Chat with Director Joan Levy and Board President Amy Steward

January 28, 2023 by The Spy Leave a Comment

Talbot Arts, aka the Talbot County Arts Council, has had some real challenges since it officially rebranded itself a few years ago. Shortly after the unveiling of “Talbot Arts”, the public arts agency was seriously disrupted, like its art grantees, with the arrival and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more that two years, art, whether it be formed, created, or taught, took a back seat as a international health crisis forced the hibernation of artists, musicians, writers, dancers and art students.

Things have clearly improved since those dark days. Those sleeping arts organizations did finally reawaken with full schedules of performances, classes, and commissions over the last year. And Talbot Arts has gone back to being a central funder and important resource for those initial programs, including its impactful scholarships for students.

A few weeks ago, the Spy asked Talbot Arts’s director Joan Levy, and newly-elected Board Chair and friend Amy Stewart to stop by the Spy studio to talk about their plans for 2023, including public art, the distribution of a one-time arts grant to Talbot County from the State of Maryland’s Arts Relief Fund, and begins with scholarship funding, which Amy notes had a profound impact on her own children.

This video is approximately minutes in length. For more information about Talbot Arts please go here.

Update: The Maryland State Arts Council noted in the interview has extended the deadline for submitting grants to their public art planning and public art implementation grants to April 14. For more information please go here.

From and Fuller: The Politics of Anti-Wokeness and GOP House Revenge

January 26, 2023 by Al From and Craig Fuller 1 Comment

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller discuss the political strategy behind Governor Ron DeSantis’s campaign against wokeness, including most recently his administration blocking an AP African American studies class. Al and Craig also talk about Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s recent decision to remove Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) from the House Intelligence committee.

This video podcast is approximately seventeen minutes in length.

To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

Design with Jenn Martella: Searching for Sears, Roebuck Houses on the Eastern Shore

January 25, 2023 by Jennifer Martella 5 Comments

After the end of World War I, America became the world’s greatest economic power. The dam of pent-up consumer buying during the war years burst and riding the wave of economic prosperity was Sears, Roebuck and Co., “The World’s Greatest Store”. Whatever product consumers wanted for their homes, Sears, Roebuck’s goal was to provide it, including for a short time, automobiles! Since Sears provided products for the home, their natural next step was to provide customers with prefabricated homes. Sears, Roebuck offered plans and materials to complete a home from designs included in five series from 1908 to 1940 that totaled 447 house plans.

The legacy of the Sears, Roebuck houses lives on and one day I discovered an exquisite Sears, Roebuck bungalow that is now the Publications House for Washington College. Houses are quite adaptable for office use; living rooms become reception and administration uses, dining rooms become conference spaces and bedrooms become single or dual workspaces, kitchens become break rooms. I loved the earth toned colors of the deep mocha shake siding, creamy white trim and the river rock used for the porch’s half wood, half river rock columns and how the river rock continued along the sides of the steps to the porch. Most of the Sears bungalows included in the 1926 Catalog had full front porches but this house’s porch wraps around the one corner of the house to take full advantage of its corner site. The publication “Chestertown Maryland: An Inventory of Historic Sites” lists this bungalow as being the first Sears, Roebuck house built in Chestertown.

Seeing this exquisite bungalow on its prominent corner location piqued my interest in the Sears, Roebuck houses. I began my research with the Chestertown and Easton libraries, the Maryland Room at the Easton Library, and the Talbot County Historical Society. Unfortunately, to date, no compilation of the Sears’ houses exists. To learn more about the Sears houses, I purchased “The Small House of the Twenties”; The Sears, Roebuck 1926 House Catalog”, that contained 71 designs from 1921-1926. The architectural styles featured in this series are American Four-Square, Cottage and Craftsman Bungalow with the only Spanish style house, “The Alhambra’, on the cover.

Perusing through the seventy-two house designs with floor plans, descriptions, interior renderings and an rendering of the house from a street, I recognized several house styles that could had been built, or inspired by, Sears house designs in Easton and St. Michaels’ Historic Districts. Houses change over time and multiple owners; single pane windows and storm windows may have been replaced with insulated units and perhaps window styles may have been changed from casement to double-hung or additions made to the original house. The Talbot County Historic Society found this house for me that originally could have been “The Tarryton” design with a later addition to the right side.

I received another tip from a former member of Easton’s Historic District Commission who told me that the owner of the house to the left of the photograph below had been told her new home was a Sears design. This is very probable since it closely resembles “The Olivia” design and is located across the street from the former railroad tracks that would have transported the house components via the railroad. Like the best streetscapes, this pair of houses are identical in layout and shake siding but their differences define their individual personalities. One house’s front porch is screened and the other is open to the roof rafters with a cross beam defining its Craftsman style. One house’s shake siding is painted and the other is stained. Both houses have porch steps at the front of the house to suit the urban sized lot.

Armed with the Sears, Roebuck 1926 Catalog to guide my search, I drove around Easton’s Historic District to study the streetscapes for Sears houses. To my knowledge, no houses I found during my driving tour are actual Sears houses but the similarities are striking.

The Dutch Colonial:

Design with Jenn Martella: Searching for Sears, Roebuck Houses on the Eastern Shore

This Dutch Colonial is very similar to the Sears Roebuck design “The Martha Washington”

The American Four Square:

This house and many other American Four-Squares in Easton’s Historic District, resemble Sears’ “The Rockford”. This house reverses the floor plan of the Sears’ version and changes window sizes on the second floor and the attic level. The full brick columns become half brick, half wood for a Craftsman flair. I admired this house’s wood railing that breaks up the brick and gives a more open feeling to the porch.

Are you wondering if your house is a Sears House? Several clues might remain, such as stamped lumber exposed in your basement or attic. Framing members were stamped with a number and a letter to expedite the carpenters’ work. Other clues would be a shipping label, found on the back of molding around door and windows and in the 1930’s, hardware fixtures often had a small circle around the letters “SR” that would have been cast into the lower corner of a bathtub or the underside of kitchen sinks or bath lavatories.

Another hindrance to verification of homes built from Sears Roebuck designs is that during a corporate house cleaning records of home sales were destroyed. In addition, other companies offering prefabricated homes often copied designs from each other, so there are similarities among the various models from different manufacturers. I love scavenger hunts and want to continue my photographic documentation of possible Sears, Roebuck houses. If you own a home that was a Sears design, please contact me at jenn@spycommunitymedia.org so I can begin to document these homes. Stay Tuned!

Many Thanks to the Librarians in Easton and Chestertown, The Maryland Room and the Talbot County Historical Society for their assistance.

“The Small House of the Twenties”; The Sears, Roebuck 1926 House Catalog”, An Unabridged Reprint, Sears, Roebuck and Co., A Joint Publication of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia and Dover Publications, Garden City, New York.

“Chestertown, Maryland, An Inventory of Historic Sites”, based upon an historic survey conducted by Robert McNeill, Michael Bourne and Kathleen B. White, with additional survey information by Marsha Fritz, Robert J.H. Janson-La Palme and Peter Newlin, FAIA

Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.

Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.

From and Fuller: The High Expectations for New Governor Wes Moore and the George Santos Saga

January 19, 2023 by Al From and Craig Fuller Leave a Comment

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller discuss the historic inauguration of Maryland’s new Governor, Wes Moore, and unusually high expectations for his administration. Al and Craig also offer their views on New York Republican Congressman George Santos and his resume fabrications.

This video podcast is approximately fifteen minutes in length.

To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

Celebrating Women & Girls Fund’s Two Decades of Action: Talbot Community Connections

January 18, 2023 by The Spy Leave a Comment

For many private foundations, making grants to a conduit organization which then re-grants those funds to other organizations is not a popular option. Most of these institutions have dedicated staff or volunteer leaders to identify grantees. And so it was interesting to note when reviewing the current awards made by the Women & Girls Fund over the last year that the Talbot Community Connections (TCC) was on the list. By design, they were established to specifically support the Talbot County Children Advocacy Center to help victims of sexual abuse.

But it should be no surprise that the Women & Girls Fund, given their mission, would be one of the TCC’s earliest donors. By supporting this special division of the Talbot County Department of Social Services, the WGF knows that their grants go to critical therapeutic resources for these victims such as self-defense classes, equine therapy, music therapy, art therapy, and trauma-informed yoga that the County cannot fund itself.

In the Spy’s ongoing series celebrating 20 years of grantmaking by the Women & Girls Fund, we talked with Jennifer Wright , co-president of Talbot Community Connections and WGF president Karen Kaludis about this important partnership.

This video is approximately four minutes in length. This video is approximately 6 minutes in length. For information about Talbot Community Connections please go here. For the Women & Girls Fund please go here.

Design with Jenn Martella: Mowbray Chapel Redux

January 18, 2023 by Jennifer Martella Leave a Comment

Since I began writing about houses, it has been a special pleasure to find homes that had previous lives as other uses. One featured house in Talbot County had been a deconsecrated church so I was intrigued to discover today’s Kent County feature, the former Mowbray Chapel that has been stylishly renovated as weekend get-away or event venue. Mowbray Chapel began its life in 1865 when the Methodist Episcopal Church bought the 3.22 acre site and built Walton Chapel. Its short life may have ended in 1889 when the building caught fire and was destroyed. Pastor W. R. Mowbray was undeterred and the chapel that now bears his name was rebuilt a year later. Mowbray Chapel’s ministry soon extended to the community of Cliff City and neighboring farms and became a center of not only religious but also social activity.

As the Shaker song said, “Tis the gift to be simple..” and Mowbray Chapel’s simple one-story, pitched roofed rectangular building is articulated with earth toned brick facades laid in common bond with pilasters at the corners of the main entry at the northern gable and the sanctuary that projected slightly beyond the southern gable. The blue accent color was chosen for the gables, main roof and cupola. Both side elevations have three bays, separated by pilasters with the walls infilled by wide and tall 12/12 double-hung windows that flood the interior with sunlight. The front entry is detailed with a granite sill and step leading to the double paneled doors painted slate blue flanked by half glass, half paneled sidelights, eleven light full transom with a molded bar, with white pilasters below the architrave.

Over the years, as Mowbray Chapel’s congregation dwindled, the building was eventually abandoned and began its slow decline until 1963 when the property was sold. A new roof was added and some minimal repairs were made to slow down further deterioration. The final chapter in this unique property that is one of the few authentic Greek Revival structures in Kent County began in 2017 when new Owners fell under its spell and began its transformation into the gem it is today.

They left the exterior as-is but saw great potential in the large open space with high ceilings, exposed brick walls with bands of accent colored brick, sunlight streaming through the wide and tall multi-paned 12/12 windows onto the beautiful wood floors. In one front corner they added a full bath and laundry and left the rest of the space open so furniture could be easily arranged and added the Murphy bed. Dark trim around the doors and large windows and a fully equipped kitchen completed the look for their new weekend getaway/event venue.

The floor plan is a perfect blend of open plan living-dining-kitchen areas with enclosed service spaces of bath and laundry. Even small houses need a sense of entry and the front doors open into a compact foyer with a coat closet and alcove for a small chest. To the right of the doors is the “U” shaped kitchen with the sink below the wide and tall window. The light countertop contrasts with the deep gray-green cabinetry and one countertop leg of the “U” is widened for bar stools. To the left of the foyer is the full bath and sliding doors to the laundry space.

As you move past the kitchen the space feels like an urban loft that ends in a vista to the former Chapel sanctuary which is now another kind of sanctuary as a cozy sitting area with side windows. My only suggestion would be to add windows at the rear wall of the sanctuary for wrap around windows to maximize views to the woods.

In the open space, I loved how only the lower windowpanes are covered by paneled shutters for seated and standing privacy that allows sunlight to penetrate deep into the interior spaces through the upper windowpanes with their detail of an arched muntins at the top row. The headers of the majestic windows are just below the ceiling height that accentuate the height of the space’s volume.

My first studio apartment had a Murphy bed and they are a great solution for a small space and against the rear wall next to the former sanctuary is a Murphy bed for overnight stays. In homage to the original use of the building, there is a long former church pew along the side wall for extra seating across from the seating area grouped around the wood stove. The dining table accommodates six or more people or could become a buffet table for large gatherings. The neutral colors of the upholstered and wood furniture against the backdrop of the interior brick walls creates a warm and inviting environment. After seeing this fantastic space, I made a mental note to book Mowbray Chapel for a fall weekend to explore the walking trail that meanders through the 3.22 wooded acreage and to later enjoy the peace and quiet over dinner with friends.

Mowbray Chapel can easily host private cocktail parties, dinners, art or product showings, photography sessions and your own special events. Amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, bottled water, coffee and juice; linens, towels and plush bathrobes and Aveda botanical bath products.

The property is for sale, but hopefully new owners will continue to host guests. To book your getaway, visit https://mowbraychapel.com/ .

For more information about this property, contact Chris McClary, who helped sponsored this article with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-275-2118 (o), 410-708-2614 (c) or mcclary21@hotmail.com. For more pictures and pricing, visit https://gunthermcclary.com/ , “Equal Housing Opportunity.” Photography by Stephen Buchanan, steve@buchananphotography.com.

Getting to know Chestertown’s Woicke Sculpture Collection: A Chat with WC Professor Ben Tilghman

January 14, 2023 by James Dissette Leave a Comment

The recent delivery and installation of seven sculptures from the Hanna and Peter Woicke Collection in St. Michaels are transforming Chestertown into a gallery of public sculptures emphasizing the town’s commitment to the arts.

Ben Tilghman, Chair of the Chestertown Public Arts Committee and Washington College Associate Professor and Chair, Art + Art History says that the benefit of public art is well-researched and enhances the community on several levels.

“Public art increases a feeling of civic pride, and there are connections between having public art around and people feeling more inspired to care for their community,” Tilghman says.

With 17 more to come, each sculpture by individual artists will be placed throughout the town, from along the bike path and H.H. Garnett Elementary School to the Chestertown Library and Carpenter Park at Washington Park.

The Chestertown Public Art Committee refers possible locations for specific sculptures to the Town Council for review with the idea that there will be a thematic relationship between art and its placement.

The installation process began by creating bases for each sculpture by Tom Parker Welding and Fabricating in Millington, then transported by Chris Hansard at Level Arts Services & Installations in Annapolis. Concrete and bluestone base installation was completed by Ben Herr at Anthony’s Flowers and Landscape, and landscape design and installation management were directed by Miles Barnard at South Fork Studio and Landscape Architecture.

A recent press release by the Chestertown Public Arts Committee described the newly paced art as:

“The new installations feature two works by Serbian sculptor Magdalena Miočinović Andrić, the first permanent installation of the artist’s work in the United States. A versatile artist who works in bronze, wood, and stone, Andrić explores the borderlands between representational and abstract art. The two newly installed works, The Big Courtship next to the Kent Cultural Alliance’s newly refurbished Raimond Center and The Great Yes along the Gilchrest Rail Trail where it crosses High Street, both arise out of the deep artistic traditions of bronze figural sculpture while exploring new forms.

Vessel by Peter Burke, installed in Louisa Carpenter Park, is another work that explores meaningful ways to represent the body, as the widely-exhibited English artist has done for over forty years. Constructed out of small steel bars welded together, the sculpture presents a human body on its head waiting, as the name implies, to be filled up. The sculpture asks its viewers to consider what exactly it is that fulfills them.

Another work, Figure by Walter Bailey, presents a similarly mysterious human form in the pocket park at 107 S. Cross St. Working with a chainsaw in wood, the English artist created a faceless figure out of sinuous lines, evoking a spiritual or ghostly form.

The American artist Susan Stamm Evans also created an air of mystery in Face Fragment III, which has been installed in Remembrance Park along Horsey Lane. Noticing the unsettling effect of works of art where we cannot see a person’s eyes, Evans removed the eyes for this series of sculptures. With its lips lightly parted, the viewer is left to wonder what secret knowledge the sculpture might be trying to impart.

The final work to be installed is Sentinel, a lively representation of an owl by the American artist Don Rambadt. Gracing the new rain garden at the Cerino Center in Chestertown Marina, Sentinel pays tribute to the vibrant confluence of art and nature that animates so much of Chestertown and Kent County.”

The Spy recently sat down with Ben Tilghman to talk about the new arrivals, the significance of public art, and what the collection means to the community.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length. Images and video courtesy of Marianne Sade and David Hegland. For more about Chestertown Public Arts Committee go here.

Choptank Health Reinvents the School Nurse’s Office

January 13, 2023 by The Spy Leave a Comment

For generations, going to the nurse’s office at the local elementary school was a simple concept. It was where children received their daily medications or complained of stomach aches. And if the child had severe conditions, their parents were asked to take them home or the family doctor.

But thanks to partnerships with Choptank Community Health System, those school health offices are increasingly becoming urgent care centers similar to those found in local shopping centers on the Mid-Shore. Staffed by licensed, advanced practice clinicians, these nurse’s offices have started to function like a typical doctor’s office, with medical providers assessing and diagnosing illness, writing prescriptions, performing lab tests—including strep and COVID—and performing physicals, including for school sports.

The Spy was so intrigued that we ventured out to White Marsh Elementary School in Trappe to learn more from Choptank’s CEO, Sara Rich, health provider Kim Fitzgerald NP, her assistant Jennifer Insley, and White Marsh’s principal, Kim Seidel, to learn more.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about Choptank’s school-based programs please go here.

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