The Academy Art Museum recently announced five new trustees who have been appointed to the Board: Brenda Fike, Shelton Hawkins, Chris Sadler, Paige R. Tilghman, and Chris Walsh. Catherine Collins McCoy has been named Emeritus Trustee. Three trustees have completed their terms: Peter Gallagher, Kentavius Jones, and Julie Madden.

Brenda Fike owns and operates the Easton advertising business Bay Imprint with her husband Scott, where they sponsor dozens of Mid-Shore community programs and cultural events. She volunteers as a youth mentor for Talbot Mentors and has been an officer of its Board of Directors. Previously, Brenda taught art and art history at Towson University, and served as Media Specialist for the White House Historical Association. She holds an MFA in Studio Art from Towson University and is a Shore Leadership alum.

Photo: AAM celebrates new Board of Trustee Members and retiring members. Left to right: Kentavius Jones (retiring member), Director Sarah Jesse, Emeritus Trustee Catherine Collins McCoy, Board Chair Nanny Trippe, and new board members Brenda Fike, Paige R. Tilghman and Chris Walsh.

Shelton Hawkins is an art teacher in Charles County, Maryland during the week, and in the evening and on weekends, he uses art to bring communities together around social issues. He spent a year in Barcelona, Spain, where he coached youth basketball for Nike. While in Barcelona, he learned about “Destination Art” basketball courts – which uses public courts to strengthen communities through art. He returned to Maryland and started the project “Play in Color,” making Easton the first community in Maryland to have two “Destination Art” basketball courts in one town. “Play in Color” is not his only community-based art project – he was one of 20 creative participants in a Converse brand COVID-19 support campaign; he has designed t-shirts in support of educators, protestors, and essential workers; and worked with local ice cream parlor Storm & Daughters to create flavors to honor local teachers and their work through the pandemic. He was recently recognized by the Maryland State Art Council and asked to speak on how he has turned his multi-dimensional art projects into community action. Shelton resides in Easton and, along with his many other accomplishments, is the Men’s Basketball Special Assistant at UMES.

Chris Sadler is a serial entrepreneur and businessman. Born in Nice, France while his father was serving in the United States Navy, he grew up in and around New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BA in Economics and an MBA in Finance. Chris’s career started in Houston, Texas with Prudential Insurance Company as a Pension Fund Advisor specializing in commercial real estate. His corporate career took him to New York and London before he struck out on his own in the 1990’s. He formed Oxford Commercial in partnership with Ray Stevens to address commercial real estate on the Eastern Shore – a market underserved at the time. Chris divides his time between Farmville, VA where he still has a large farm and two breweries in the area, as well as a business in Richmond with his brother, and Easton, MD with his wife Jackie and daughter Katherine.

A native of California, Paige R. Tilghman moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1982 and has spent most of her professional career in business and economic development. She has managed regional and county economic development offices for the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Talbot County, Queen Anne’s County and the Town of Centreville. Early work experience at Chesapeake College in contract business and workforce training sparked her interest in this work. Affiliations while working in this capacity included: 25 years as an evaluator for the University of Maryland Industrial Partnerships; an active membership with Regional Councils, Chambers of Commerce, and a graduate of Shore Leadership Class of 2000. Paige completed a Masters of Science in Technology Management from University of Maryland, University College; and a BA&S, Speech and Drama, from Catholic University of America. Currently, Paige operates Earle’s Cove Trading Company, an art and antique store located in Centreville. She serves as President of the Centreville Rotary Club, is a member of the Queen Anne’s County Garden Club, and a member of the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, Central Committee. She has been an active member of the Third Haven Friends, in Easton since 1984. She resides in Centreville with her husband Ben.

Chris Walsh has 35 years’ experience successfully designing, selling, and implementing health care programs. He holds a Health Management MS from American University and a BA from Georgetown University. In 1990, Chris founded Arlington Associates, Inc. and spent 15 years as a corporate officer with two public healthcare companies, Coventry Health Care and CorVel Corporation. In addition, Walsh has written about industry topics for WorkCompWire.com and Insurance Today. He’s been a trusted resource for investment and private equity firms seeking a better understanding of healthcare dynamics and future trends. A resident of Talbot County since 2005, Chris is an avid hiker, cyclist, and rower. He currently serves as board President and Treasurer for Freedom Rowers, a non-profit Mid-Shore junior rowing team based on Port Street in Easton. His wife, Meg, is a professional artist who exhibits throughout the Mid-Atlantic and teaches at the Academy Art Museum.

Catherine “Cathy” Collins McCoy served on the Museum’s board from 2015-2021 and as Board Chair for four years during her tenure.

Director Sarah Jesse commented, “We’re thrilled to welcome this cohort of civic leaders to the team. It’s an exciting time for the Museum. I know Brenda, Chris S., Chris W., Paige, and Shelton will help us advance our goal of creating a more creative and connected community through exposure to the arts.”

Departing the museum’s Board of Trustees are Peter Gallagher, Kentavius Jones, and Julie Madden. “We are deeply grateful to Julie, KJ, and Peter for their years of dedicated service on the Board. I will greatly miss working with them but know they will continue to stay involved in the Museum and support our important work.” Board Chair Nanny Trippe said.

As the premier art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Academy Art Museum presents high-quality exhibitions and a full range of art classes for visitors of all ages. Past exhibitions have featured artists such as James Turrell, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir and Richard Diebenkorn. The permanent collection focuses on works on paper by American and European artists from four centuries including recent acquisitions by Graciela Iturbide and Zanele Muholi. Arts educational programs range from life drawing lessons to digital art instruction, and include lunchtime and cocktail hour concerts, lectures and special art events, as well as a Fall Craft Show. AAM also provides arts education to public and private school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Hours:  Tuesday-Wednesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Thursday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 7:00 pm (free admission), Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Sunday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: $3, children under 12 free, AAM members free.

A free event “Exchange: A Pop-Up Art Expo” will be held at the Academy Art Museum on Saturday, August 6 from 2-5 pm.  Lisa Scarbath of Pieceful Designs Mosaics has been chosen as one of eight artists and creative entrepreneurs from around the region to participate at this event.   A variety of artworks will be offered for sale. In addition, paintings, fiber art, ceramics, an interactive mural, food, raffles, and adult beverages will be on site.  All attendees will also have the chance to vote for their “Fan Favorite” in each category.

Lisa creates mosaic fine art, custom pet portraits, decor and furniture using a variety of materials, such as stained glass, ceramic, slate, rocks, tiles and found objects to express her vision on 2D and 3D substrates. Some of her most popular items are her unique steampunk and embellished crabs and other creatures. Works by Lisa can be seen at www.PiecefulDesignsMosaics.com and on social media @PiecefulDesignsMosaics.

The Academy Art Museum, in collaboration with Brea Soul, presents Exchange: A Pop-up Art Expo. Exchange will host eight artisans and creative entrepreneurs from around the region at the museum on Saturday, August 6 from 2-5 pm. The pop-up will include a variety of artworks, an interactive Polaroid mural, Caribbean food, raffles, and adult beverages. From small and large paintings and mosaics to fiber art and ceramics, there is plenty of art for the community to browse through and take home. All attendees will also have the chance to vote for their “Fan Favorite” in each category: Art and Craft. Exchange celebrates artists, and takes on many characteristics associated with the idea of “community” – exchange of ideas, craft, and support!

We would like to thank our sponsors for their support: Arts Education in Maryland Public Schools (AEMS), LitWorks Consulting LLC, Care on Wheels, LLC, BAAM, Inc, Creative Theory, WeSeeGhosts and Tight Lock Security.

Featured Artists

George Burroughs is an artist and filmmaker living in Cordova, Maryland. With an emphasis on mark-making his energetically layered work is built of scribbles, brushstrokes, and washes of color that anchor forms on the canvas. Emerging imagery—pulled from lived experience—ranges from figurative to gestural. He was born and raised in the Chesapeake Bay region and received his BFA at Pratt Institute.

Maryland-based artist Nia Keturah Calhoun centers on the communal world built by Black Americans. Her work focuses on the real and imagined connections in Black America. Multidisciplinary, Calhoun uses painting, sculpting, animating, and immersive experiences to create her work. She has exhibited in New York with the Smithsonian Asian American Center, in Alexandria, VA at the Torpedo Gallery, and in Johannesburg at the Ants Gallery. Her lyrical and mixed media works have been featured on/in BBC Radio 1, The Guardian, Hypebeast, and The Huffington Post.

Gentry Pack, a.k.a in the art community as G. Pack is an American artist, illustrator, animator, and graphic designer. His works include paintings, drawings, digital illustrations, and clothing designs for his company, For Glory. From Baltimore, MD, Pacfk received his BA in Studio Art & Design from the University of Maryland and began his career as an independent artist. A strong influence in his work comes from the early Venetian, Baroque, and Renaissance periods due to time spent studying art history and art theory while in Verona, Italy. He aims to combine these eras’ classical compositions and techniques with modern-day figures, styles, and symbolism from contemporary Black culture.

Delaware artist William Schulze is inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the Eastern Shore. After leaving the United States Air Force he became a certified tattoo artist and eventually transitioned into painting full-time. Schulze currently studies art and partakes in the wide variety of classes offered at the Academy Art Museum. He has attended several workshops with instructors and award-winning artists and travels across the east coast attending Plein Air events and shows. He is passionate about painting strong compositions with a focus on landscapes and structures.

Featured Makers

Black Squirrel Company – Based out of Washington, DC, Renata Philippe opened the doors of Black Squirrel Company as a creative outlet in 2014. Phillippe received a Bachelor of Science in Apparel Design at the University of Delaware and a Masters in Marketing from Wilmington University. She refined her design aesthetic as a visual merchandiser and commercial planner at Restoration Hardware and IKEA. Phillippe’s passion for travel and art shaped her approach to design. Black Squirrel Company can be found online as well as various DMV pop-ups, craft & design shows, and art installations.

Diane Makes Things – As an artist, educator, & organizer, combating systems of oppression is at the center of Diane D’Costa’s ceramic work. As a queer, brown, Jewish woman living in Washington, DC, she has never quite fit into the boxes or expectations of society. Art is her outlet to feel, to produce, to process, and to make sense of the battles she encounters both personally and professionally.

Double Rainbow Designs – Whitney Elliott’s love for fiber art bloomed in 2018 when she and her husband and experienced two miscarriages just months apart. From there, Whitney started looking for a hobby to keep her mind busy during that devastating time. While shopping for home decor items, she came across a macramé wall hanging and thought “I could probably make that.” Therefore, she did! Based in Cambridge, MD, Double Rainbow Design officially opened in February 2019 and she hasn’t looked back since. She makes modern macrame made with positive thoughts and positive vibes.

Pieceful Design Mosaics – While studying to be a lawyer and working as a professor, Lisa Scarbath always found ways to be creative at work and home. Now she works on her art daily as a Resident Artist at the Howard County Center for the Arts in Ellicott City, MD. Inspiration for her mosaic art comes everything around her, especially the Chesapeake Bay, the beach and favorite objects given to her by family and friends.
Image Below:

About Event Curator, Brea Soul

Brea Soul is a multifaceted communication and marketing specialist by day and a multimedia storyteller by night, hosting the interview series “Sights, Sound, Soul.” She received a B.A. in Fine Arts and an M.S. in Strategic Communications from the University of Maryland. Originally, from Trappe, MD, and now residing in Miami, Florida Brea serves as Perez Art Museum – Miami’s Marketing Manager. Aligning with her personal mantra, “every voice deserves a seat at the table,” she seeks to create and curate opportunities for the inspiring creative culture, and among communities with opportunity disparities.

About AAM Summer Series

The Academy Art Museum enlisted five local creatives to design and execute summer programs at the museum from June through September. AAM’s Community Programmers include Kerry Folan, Tori Paxon, Francisco Salazar and Brea Soul.

Programs and Dates:
June 3: The World Doesn’t Require You Conversation
July 29: 24-Hour Video Race
August 6: Exchange: A Pop-Up Art Expo
September 2: Variety Show

About the Academy Art Museum

As the premier art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Academy Art Museum presents high-quality exhibitions and a full range of art classes for visitors of all ages. Past exhibitions have featured artists such as James Turrell, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir and Richard Diebenkorn. The permanent collection focuses on works on paper by American and European artists from four centuries including recent acquisitions by Graciela Iturbide and Zanele Muholi. Arts educational programs range from life drawing lessons to digital art instruction, and include lunchtime and cocktail hour concerts, lectures and special art events, as well as a Fall Craft Show. AAM also provides arts education to public and private school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Summer Hours (through September 4): Tuesday-Thursday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 7:30 pm (free admission), Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: $3, children under 12 free, AAM members free.

Whether you’re an amateur or a skilled filmmaker, you and your team (should you wish to create one) will have the opportunity to produce a one-to-seven-minute video that will be screened at the Academy Art Museum on July 29.

Films will be based on a specific theme and a word that will be provided on Friday, July 22 at 5:00 pm. Filmmakers will then have 24 hours to shoot, edit, and submit a video that includes the given prompt. Entries will then must be submitted by 5:00 pm on July 23.

Presented in partnership with the Chesapeake Film Festival, the event is designed by an award-winning filmmaker, Francisco Salazar, who said: “What drew me to the program was an opportunity to engage with the community and find a way to connect with the diverse community that the Eastern Shore has. I think it is important to give everyone a chance to tell their story, and this was a great opportunity for this.”

A panel of judges will choose the Best in Show in two categories: Adult and Student/Family (at least 50% of the team is under 18). Additionally, two People’s Choice Awards will be presented.

To participate, go to the 24-Hour Video Race Registration https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdrE6B1OzVc991SGUBEAyCKeQIIBeSwK0uY_wu1o2DviAEo9A/viewform

Images Above (L -R):

1) Nancy Floyd (American, born 1956), Weathering Time, 1982/2012, archival inkjet print, 10 x 18.3 in, courtesy of the artist.

2) Njideka Akunyili Crosby (Nigerian, born 1983), I Refuse to Be Invisible, 2010, Ink, charcoal, acrylic, and transfers on paper, 117 3/4 × 82 in. (299.1 × 208.3 cm), courtesy of Art Bridges.

3) Zanele Muholi (South African, born 1972), Vika II, The Decks, Cape Town, 2019, gelatin silver print, courtesy of the Academy Art Museum.

On August 2, the Academy Art Museum (AAM) in Easton, Maryland opens an exciting exhibition: Fickle Mirror: Dialogues in Self-Portraiture. From the first staged photograph to the present day’s unceasing flow of selfies in social media, self-portraiture has expanded the possibilities of artistic production, enhancing the ability of artists to take control of their own representation, reinterpret truthfulness, and experiment with their chosen medium. When creating a self-portrait, the image-maker must exercise self-introspection, only to imagine and prepare themselves to be the subject of the viewer’s gaze. This exhibition explores the myriad ways in which artists use the theme of self-portraiture to explore, and at times manipulate their own representation. The selection has a particular focus on dialogues between works across art history, with a consideration of the influence of the invention and advancements of photographic techniques.

AAM Curator Mehves Lelic comments: “Curating this exhibition was an incredible opportunity. Bringing together significant works from art history and showing them alongside major works by some of the most exciting contemporary artists reflects on the ubiquity of self-exploration in art. AAM is honored to share these works with our audience, as we know that the complexity of depicting and representing the self is a theme that will resonate with viewers of all ages.”

The exhibition includes works by Francisco de Goya, Jacob Kainen, Emily Lombardo, and Zanele Muholi from the Museum’s Permanent Collection, as well as major loans of pieces by Njideka Akunyili-Crosby, Amy Sherald, Rembrandt van Rijn, Evan Penny, Andy Warhol, and others from Art Bridges Foundation, Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, and private collections.

On view will be Nancy Floyd’s Weathering Time series. A 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, Floyd has been taking a self-portrait every day for the past 40 years. The project is a reflection on simultaneous joy and grief of living, as well as the representation women in photography. Floyd will speak at the Museum on Thursday, August 18 at 6 pm.

Evan Penny’s Young Self (Portrait of the Artist as He Was (Not), Variation #2) and Old Self: Portrait of the Artist as He Will (Not) Be, Variation #2 offer a sculptural foray into self-exploration. On loan from the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the larger-than-life, hyperrealistic works are frank past and future projections of the artist himself, gazing directly into the viewer’s eyes. Penny elaborates not only on a “history of the self” but also the complexity of imagining one’s future: his old self is ironically a future possible self that he perhaps hopes not to become, as expressed by his clever title.

Also on view is a rare early work by acclaimed contemporary artist Amy Sherald. Created in 2003 as part of her MFA thesis project at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), the painting Falling from Grace offers a unique opportunity to see the emergence of a signature aesthetic that evolves into her mature work. Sherald’s work is in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA; among others, and was recently commissioned to create the official portrait of Michelle Obama.

This will also be the first public showing of AAM’s new acquisition by Zanele Muholi, Vika II, The Decks, Cape Town. The work features Muholi biting into a circular wicker decorative object reminiscent of an African lip plate, a form of traditional body modification that has often been exoticized, and its wearers treated as a tourist attraction. Muholi teases the viewer with a form that resembles the plate, inviting the assumption that the subject is a mere object for the pleasure and curiosity of the viewer’s gaze. A closer look reveals that the object is not plate inside Muholi’s lip but merely a wicker disc the subject is playfully biting. Performing for the camera, Muholi complicates the dynamics of the image: the artist has all the control both as image-maker and subject.

Fickle Mirror also launches AAM’s collaboration with Art Bridges to present a monumental work by Nigerian American artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Titled I Refuse to Be Invisible, the work is composed of collaged, photographic transfers depicting the artist with her American husband. Born in Nigeria and relocating to the United States as a teenager, the work addresses the complexities of identity, belonging, and migration through imagery that references her dual backgrounds.

Art Bridges is a nonprofit arts foundation that creates and supports programs that expand access to American art around the country. It partners with art institutions on projects that deeply engage communities via thematic traveling exhibitions, long-term loan sharing collaborations, among additional initiatives. In addition to the loan, AAM is also working with Art Bridges to create exciting free programs for the public, such as a book talk, concert, and a family art day centered on Crosby’s work.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Art Bridges to share this important work with our audiences. I deeply admire the vision of the Foundation to disseminate great artworks to rural areas. We share a mission to provide everyone with access to art and a belief in the power of art to transform communities,” says AAM Director Sarah Jesse.

(Right) Evan Penny (Canadian, born 1953), Young Self: Portrait of the Artist as He Was (Not), Variation #2, 2011, Pigmented silicone, hair, fabric, and aluminum, 38 × 36 × 16 in. (96.5 × 91.4 × 40.6 cm), (Left) Old Self: Portrait of the Artist as He Will (Not) Be. Variation #2, 2010, 33 7/8 x 29 7/8 x 23 1/4 in. (86 x 75.9 x 59.1 cm), courtesy of Crystal Bridges Museum of Art.

Andy Warhol (American, 1928 – 1987), Self-Portrait, 1986, synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas, 203.2 x 203.2 cm (80 x 80 in.), © 2022 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Mequitta Ahuja (American, born 1976), Mocoonama, 2012, Acrylic, colored pencil, watercolor, waxy chalk, and enamel on vellum, 87 × 73 × 2 in. (221 × 185.4 × 5.1 cm), courtesy of Crystal Bridges Museum of Art.

Amy Sherald (American, born 1973), Falling from Grace (detail), 2003, oil on canvas, 57 in x 54 in, courtesy of Keith Eric Timmons.

As the premier art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Academy Art Museum presents high-quality exhibitions and a full range of art classes for visitors of all ages. Past exhibitions have featured artists such as James Turrell, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir and Richard Diebenkorn. The permanent collection focuses on works on paper by American and European artists from four centuries including recent acquisitions by Graciela Iturbide and Zanele Muholi. Arts educational programs range from life drawing lessons to digital art instruction, and include lunchtime and cocktail hour concerts, lectures and special art events, as well as a Fall Craft Show. AAM also provides arts education to public and private school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Summer Hours (through September 4):  Tuesday-Wednesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Thursday 10:00 am to 7:30 pm (free admission), Friday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: $3, children under 12 free, AAM members free.

The Academy Art Museum is pleased to announce its 2022 Artist-in-Residence Jackie Milad and her concurrent exhibition, Vestige, which runs from August 2 – November 13, 2022. On August 6, she will also teach a free Multi-Media Collage Workshop at AAM.

Jackie Milad: Vestige
August 2 – November 13, 2022
Opening reception: Friday, August 5, 5:30 pm

Baltimore-based artist Jackie Milad’s large-scale pieces, often featuring bright colors and bold lines on paper, canvas, and textiles, explore the complex relationship between the individual and the long arc of history and cultural heritage. The artist asks, “How are we shaped by narratives of belonging?” In the center of this exploration is the contrast between the short-lived human life and her physical impermanence and the grander symbolism elevating our existence: eyes, hearts, pyramids, and sarcophagi in Milad’s whimsical hand. In layer after layer of her exuberant work, Milad uses references to her identity as a Honduran-Egyptian-American woman. Each layer then becomes entry points into Milad’s retelling of human history.

Milad is the Museum’s 2022 Artist-in-Residence. As part of her residency this summer, she will spend time in Easton and create new work. “I grew up in Maryland and it’s part of my history. I look forward to learning about Easton and its history. The residency is a unique experience and opportunity to meet new people and for them to see my work. That exchange or engagement can be really beneficial and lead to some new ideas and new perspectives for my work.”

Jackie Milad is a multi-year recipient of the Individual Artist Grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. In 2019, she was named a Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize Finalist and a Robert W. Deutsch Foundation Ruby Grantee. Her work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions at museums including The Walters Art Museum (Baltimore, MD), The Baltimore Museum of Art (Baltimore, MD), and the Arthur Ross Gallery University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA), among others. Milad received her BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts, and her MFA from Towson University.

Multi-Media Collage Workshop with 2022 Artist-in-Residence Jackie Milad
Saturday, August 6 from 10 am to 2:30 pm
Tuesday, August 9 evening

In this free workshop, Milad will guide participants through multi-media collage techniques. Sourcing collage materials from new and repurposed paper, objects, textiles, and the participants’ own artwork, artists will embark on an archeology of their own work to create fun, intriguing and layered collage pieces. Milad will guide participants through transferring, layering and mounting techniques and address the conceptual underpinnings of collage work during the first session of the critique on Saturday, August 6 from 10 am to 2:30 pm. Participants will reconvene in the evening on Tuesday, August 9 to revisit the participants’ finished work and celebrate the workshop.

The workshop is free but space is limited and reservations are required. Some materials are provided; however, participants are expected to bring some of their own artwork and/or found materials they would like to include in their collage.

About the Academy Art Museum Artist-in-Residence Program

AAM’s Artist-in-Residence program began in 2017 with New York based artist Emily Lombardo. Each residency consists of a solo exhibition of the artist’s work and an artist-taught workshop. Since then, the Museum has hosted Philadelphia-based artist Amze Emmons in 2019 and Baltimore artist Antonio McAfee in 2020. The Artist-in-Residence Program and exhibitions are generously supported by Mary Ann Schindler.

About the Academy Art Museum

As the premier art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Academy Art Museum presents high-quality exhibitions and a full range of art classes for visitors of all ages. Past exhibitions have featured artists such as James Turrell, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir and Richard Diebenkorn. The permanent collection focuses on works on paper by American and European artists from four centuries including recent acquisitions by Graciela Iturbide and Zanele Muholi. Arts educational programs range from life drawing lessons to digital art instruction, and include lunchtime and cocktail hour concerts, lectures and special art events, as well as a Fall Craft Show. AAM also provides arts education to public and private school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Summer Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Thursday 10:00 am to 7:30 pm (free admission), Friday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: $3, children under 12 free, AAM members free.

Registration: Now through July 22, 2022
Film Screening: Friday, July 29, 2022, 6pm

The Academy Art Museum is pleased to present the 24-Hour Video Race in partnership with the Chesapeake Film Festival and organized by Francisco Salazar. This event is included in the AAM Summer Series programming and is free and open to the public.

Filmmakers of all ages (either as a team or solo) will have the chance to create a one-to-seven-minute video that will be screened at the Academy Art Museum on Friday, July 29. Films must incorporate a word and theme that will be provided to competitors via email on Friday, July 22 at 5 pm. Budding and experienced filmmakers will have just 24 hours to shoot, edit, and submit a video by the deadline of Saturday, July 23 at 5 pm.

A panel of judges including Cid Collins Walker (Festival Director) and Martin Zell (Board of Trustees President) of the Chesapeake Film Festival will choose the Best in Show for two categories—Student/Family (at least 50% of the filmmaking team are under 18) and Adult—in addition to a People’s Choice Award. Best in Show winners will receive two (2) Festival Passes to see all films in the LIVE Chesapeake Film Festival for 2022 and a Waiver Fee Code to enter their film for consideration in the festival for 2023!

Timeline:
Now through July 22 – Sign-up to participate. REGISTER HERE
Friday, July 22, 5 pm – Film theme and word will be emailed to all teams
Saturday, July 23, 5pm – Film submission deadline
Friday, July 29 – All films will screen at AAM, winners will be announced

About AAM Summer Series

The Academy Art Museum enlisted five local creatives to design and execute summer programs at the museum from June through September. AAM’s Community Programmers include Kerry Folan, Marco Garcia, Tori Paxon, Francisco Salazar and Brea Soul.

Programs and Dates:
June 3: The World Doesn’t Require You Conversation
July 29: 24-Hour Video Race
August 6: Pop-Up Market
August 26: Hip-Hop Cypher
September 2: Variety Show

About the Academy Art Museum

As the premier art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Academy Art Museum presents high-quality exhibitions and a full range of art classes for visitors of all ages. Past exhibitions have featured artists such as James Turrell, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir and Richard Diebenkorn. The permanent collection focuses on works on paper by American and European artists from four centuries including recent acquisitions by Graciela Iturbide and Zanele Muholi. Arts educational programs range from life drawing lessons to digital art instruction, and include lunchtime and cocktail hour concerts, lectures and special art events, as well as a Fall Craft Show. AAM also provides arts education to public and private school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Summer Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 7:30 pm (free admission), Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: $3, children under 12 free, AAM members free.

About Francisco Salazar

Francisco Salazar is an award-winning filmmaker whose first feature Nowhere, which he co-directed with his brother, was selected into more than 20 film festivals, including Outfest Fusion, the OutShine Film Festival, Cinequest Film Festival, and Woods Hole Film Festival, where it was the runner-up Jury Award winner and Second Runner Up for the Audience Award.

About the Chesapeake Film Festival

Founded in 2008, it is the mission of the Chesapeake Film Festival to entertain, empower, educate and inspire diverse audiences of all ages by presenting exceptional independent films and events. They offer outstanding filmmakers, experienced and emerging, a forum to showcase and discuss stories of compelling interest to a local and global community. Because of the location and diverse population of the Chesapeake Bay, the Festival prioritizes films that focus on the environment and social justice issues. The Festival also strives to be an economic engine for the Eastern Shore by enticing visitors to experience exceptional films, world-famous seafood, art, and the beauty of the Bay’s waterways. The 15th anniversary of the Chesapeake Film Festival will include a weekend of provocative, insightful, and innovative films at the Live Festival September 30 – October 2, followed by a week-long Virtual Festival October 3 through Sunday, October 9, 2022.

The Academy Art Museum is pleased to announce the 11th Annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 18 from noon – 4 pm. Presented by AAM, Building African American Minds (BAAM), the Frederick Douglass Honor Society and the Talbot County Free Library, this special free celebration is an outdoor block party featuring a concert with exceptional musical talent from around the region including Dat Feel Good and Julie Outrage, an exhibition of the vibrant tapestries and paintings of Adrienne Elise Tarver and the stunning illustrations of children’s book author Bryan Collier, a hands-on art project for families and delicious food vendors including Danielle’s Pit Stop, Scottish Highland Creamery, and Gabee’s Icees.

The Academy Art Museum would like to thank Lead Sponsor Morgan Stanley for supporting this year’s celebration. Additional support for this event is provided by Talbot Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, Maryland Public Television, Easton Utilities and Paris Foods Corporation.

PERFORMANCES

Clarence Ward III and his band Dat Feel Good are one of the most sought-after neo-jazz bands based in the DC/MD areas. Ward III is a flugelhornist, saxophonist, and trumpeter whose lion’s heart style of playing positions him as the vanguard of reinforcing jazz music’s vital voice in these modern times. He has performed with a diverse range of artists including Gladys Knight, N’Dambi Blue, Robert Glasper, Nancy Wilson, Musiq Soulchild, Benny Golson, Aretha Franklin, and toured with R&B Soul Singer Ledisi. Music critics and fans alike say “[Clarence] is in a lane of his own,” when it comes to his flare and style of playing. He named his band Dat Feel Good because it is the way he wants listeners to feel when they leave his shows.

Julie O. aka Julie Outrage is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, filmmaker and producer with a style ranging from blues, rock, R&B, hip-hop, jazz and experimental. She was born in West Africa, spent several years living in Brooklyn and is based in Washington D.C. In 2014, Julie Outrage was named The Deli Magazine’s Best of NYC Emerging Artist. Her style has been called funk-rock with a jazz guitar influence, a feel encompassing hip hop inspired & spoken word lyrics. In January 2021, Julie Outrage released her 5th self-produced single, “Slow Down” arranged and mixed by Jaz Williams (credits: Mac Miller, Kap G, Bone Thugs) featuring the horn section from Washington D.C. band, Aztec Sun. Slow Down, is available on all streaming platforms.

ART

Enjoy the artwork of Adrienne Elise Tarver in the exhibition Manifesting Paradise. Her paintings and works on paper feature bold figures and botanical forms, brought to life by a warm palette rich with dynamic overtones and gradients. Encompassing multiple stages of Tarver’s prolific career, the work in the exhibition serves as a hopeful, beautiful projection in the face of the socioeconomic and cultural injustices Black people face in America.

Also on display is the exhibition Bryan Collier: Dream Walking. This exhibition features the stunning original artworks that illustrate Collier’s children’s books, By and By, about gospel composer Charles Albert Tindley, and We Shall Overcome, a celebration of the eponymous gospel anthem and Civil Rights protest song, plus his latest book Music is a Rainbow inspired by the childhoods of Maya Angelou and Quincy Jones. Collier is a Caldecott Honor recipient and a nine-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. His unique illustrations combine watercolor and collage to bring African American historical figures to life.

This year’s free family craft will be a colorful collage project inspired by Bryan Collier’s art.

About the Academy Art Museum

As the premier art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Academy Art Museum presents high-quality exhibitions and a full range of art classes for visitors of all ages. Past exhibitions have featured artists such as James Turrell, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir and Richard Diebenkorn. The permanent collection focuses on works on paper by American and European artists from four centuries including recent acquisitions by Graciela Iturbide and Zanele Muholi. Arts educational programs range from life drawing lessons to digital art instruction, and include lunchtime and cocktail hour concerts, lectures and special art events, as well as a Fall Craft Show. AAM also provides arts education to public and private school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Summer Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 7:30 pm (free admission), Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: $3, children under 12 free, AAM members free.

AAM Summer Series Presents: The World Doesn’t Require You: Author Rion Amilcar Scott in Conversation with Historian Dale Green. Friday, June 3, 6 pm. Free and open to the public

The Academy Art Museum is pleased to host The World Doesn’t Require You: Author Rion Amilcar Scott in Conversation with Historian Dale Green. This event is the first of the AAM Summer Series and is free and open to the public.

Rion Amilcar Scott’s award-winning short story collections imagine the fictional town of Cross River, Maryland, a free Black settlement founded after the only successful slave revolt in the United States. Historian Dale Glenwood Green’s research documents Easton’s Hill Community, one of the oldest free Black neighborhoods in the United States still in existence today. Join them for a reading and conversation about the history, legacy, and future of Maryland’s African American communities, followed by a walking tour led by Professor Green. This conversation is moderated by Shore Lit Founder and George Mason University professor Kerry Folan. Washington College’s Chesapeake Heartland African American Humanities Truck will also be on site to share a grassroots-curated exhibition celebrating African American history and culture on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Special thanks to our partners, sponsors, and friends in the community: The Chesapeake Heartland Project at Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of American Experience, The Hill Community Project, and Shore Lit.

Rion Amilcar Scott is the author of the story collection, The World Doesn’t Require You (Norton/Liveright, August 2019), a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and winner of the 2020 Towson Prize for Literature. His work has been published in places such as The New Yorker, The Kenyon Review, Crab Orchard Review, Best Small Fictions 2020 and The Rumpus, among others. He was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland and earned an MFA from George Mason University where he won the Mary Roberts Rinehart award, a Completion Fellowship and an Alumni Exemplar Award. He has received fellowships from Bread Loaf Writing Conference, Kimbilio and the Colgate Writing Conference as well as a 2019 Maryland Individual Artist Award. Presently he teaches Creative Writing at the University of Maryland.

Dale Glenwood Green is a Morgan State University Professor of Architecture and Historic Preservation and a Vice President and Partner of Sulton Campbell Britt & Associates, PC. He bridges both the academy and practice where he built his reputation as a respected leader in the building industry. Green earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture and Environmental Design from Morgan State University, a Masters of Architecture and Historic Preservation from the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign, and a Ph.D. ABD in Architectural Studies in Historic Preservation from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Green works to develop new sites and also preserve historical sites as well. He is not only a respected leader in the building industry, but also a sought after lecturer and scholar of African American heritage.

About AAM Summer Series

The Academy Art Museum enlisted five local creatives to design and execute summer programs at the museum from June through September. AAM’s Community Programmers include Kerry Folan, Marco Garcia, Tori Paxon, Francisco Salazar and Brea Soul.

Programs and Dates:
June 3: The World Doesn’t Require You Conversation
July 29: 24-Hour Video Race
August 6: Pop-Up Market
August 26: Hip-Hop Cypher
September: Variety Show

About the Academy Art Museum

As the premier art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Academy Art Museum presents high-quality exhibitions and a full range of art classes for visitors of all ages. Past exhibitions have featured artists such as James Turrell, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir and Richard Diebenkorn. The permanent collection focuses on works on paper by American and European artists from four centuries including recent acquisitions by Graciela Iturbide and Zanele Muholi. Arts educational programs range from life drawing lessons to digital art instruction, and include lunchtime and cocktail hour concerts, lectures and special art events, as well as a Fall Craft Show. AAM also provides arts education to public and private school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Summer Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 7:30 pm (free admission), Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: $3, children under 12 free, AAM members free.

About Shore Lit Founder Kerry Folan

Kerry Folan is a writer with a focus on visual culture. She was formerly the editor of Women in the Arts magazine and the fashion news website Racked.com. Her essays and journalism on fashion and art have appeared in ARTNews, BOMB, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Literary Hub, The Cut, The Washington Post, and The Baltimore Review, among other outlets. She is currently an assistant professor at George Mason University and a docent at the Academy Art Museum.

About the Chesapeake Heartland African American Humanities Truck

The Chesapeake Heartland African American Humanities Truck serves Kent County and the Eastern Shore as a mobile digitization station, oral history studio, exhibit space, and pop-up-festival-maker. It is designed to meet community members on their own grounds — their own turf and their own terms — inviting partners and participants to gather inside and around the truck to conduct interviews, digitize materials, and create exhibits and events.