The Academy Art Museum is pleased to announce two new exhibitions: Earth Abides: Selections from the Collection and Cheryl Warrick: Abstract Surge.

Earth Abides: Selections from the Collection 
Open now through February 28, 2023

The pandemic and ongoing climate crisis are a constant reminder that human civilization is more precarious than acknowledged. However, the fragility of existence has long been a subject of fascination for artists and is implicit in all depictions of nature.

Ansel Adams’ iconic photographs inspire awe because his subjects will outlive its admirers. Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton show landscapes altered by people, but only temporarily. The title of Kiki Smith’s etching Healers doesn’t refer to humans, but the bees that are pollinating the sphere-like bundle of dandelions that are depicted. Whether comforted or discomfited by the resilience of nature is for each viewer to decide.

Featuring works on paper from AAM’s collection by these artists, as well as Leonardo Drew, Robert Rauschenberg, Patricia Tobacco Forrester, and James Turrell, among others, this exhibition highlights the glorious trees, mountains and rolling hills that pre-date and will inevitably outlast humanity.

Cheryl Warrick: Abstract Surge 
November 19, 2022 – February 19, 2023

Cheryl Warrick’s intuitive language of abstraction charts the exuberant inner worlds of both the artist and the viewer. Using acrylic and oil paint, watercolors, and pencil, the artist creates dreamy portals that nevertheless invite interpretation: a corner of a letter or number here, a seed and a sprout there. Her organic forms are enriched by her expertly crafted patterns—and in her later works—expansive painted and poured textures, as she eliminates negative space in favor of a maximalist experience.

Cheryl Warrick was born 1956, in St. Albans, New York. Warrick received a BFA in Painting at the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston. In 1996 she received a Masters in Education from Lesley College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her work can be found in the collections of the Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence, RI, and the Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA, among others. This exhibition will feature works from various stages of Warrick’s career.

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 celebrating 25 years. 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:  (starting December 5, 2022) Tuesday-Wednesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Thursday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 6:00 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.

The Academy Art Museum has received a generous grant from Art Bridges Foundation to offer free public programs centered on Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s monumental artwork I Refuse to be Invisible featured in the current exhibition, Fickle Mirror: Dialogues in Self-Portraiture. Art Bridges funded the expenses associated with shipping Crosby’s work from its collection based in Arkansas to Easton, as well as a series of educational programs that help audiences engage with the ideas in the work.

The improvisational, interactive concert features acclaimed musicians from the region—Kentavius Jones, Jordan Stanley, and Ian Trusheim—and will also serve as a closing celebration for Fickle Mirror: Dialogues in Self-Portraiture, which closes on October 11. To reserve your spot at this concert, please register in advance at academyartmuseum.org.

I Refuse to Be Invisible: An Improvisational Concert
Saturday, October 8, 6 pm

Join the Academy Art Museum for a special Fickle Mirror: Dialogues in Self-Portraiture closing reception concert featuring Kentavius Jones (voice, guitar), Jordon Stanley (drums, spoken word) and Ian Trusheim (bass.) The dynamic trio will perform an interactive, improvisational response to artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s work, I Refuse to Be Invisible, on view as part of the Museum’s Fickle Mirror exhibition and on loan from Art Bridges. Audience members will be invited to join on percussion and contribute written responses inspired by the work. Don’t miss the chance to see our community’s most exciting ensemble perform live!

AAM has already presented two Art Bridges-funded programs inspired by Crosby’s work: Travelers: A Book Talk with Helon Habila and Matthew Davis on September 9, and Who Am I? Identity Silhouettes: A Family Art Making Project on Saturday, September 24.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Art Bridges to share Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s important work with our visitors. I deeply admire the vision of the Foundation to disseminate great artworks to rural areas and fund educational programs that help audiences engage with the ideas explored in the work,” AAM Director Sarah Jesse said. “Art Bridges and AAM share a mission to provide everyone with access to art and a belief in the power of art to transform communities, so it is a natural partnership.”

About Art Bridges

Art Bridges is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. The mission of Art Bridges is to expand access to American art in all regions across the United States. Since 2017, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of nearly 170 museums of all sizes and locations to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges collection, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices.

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 celebrating 25 years. 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.

The Plein Air Painters of the Chesapeake Bay (PAPCB) and the Academy Art Museum’s “Saturdays en Plein Air” painters are pleased to invite the public to an outdoor Fence Show and Sale of recent Plein Air works on Saturday October 8, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Academy Art Museum, 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland. Participating artists include Naomi Clark-Turner, Pasquale DiIulio, Mary Ford, Doris Gerlach, Helena Grady, Jennifer Harvey, Anne Allbeury Hock, Michael Iandolo, Diane DuBois Mullaly, Martha Pileggi, Kate Quinn, Russell Reno, Catherine Renzi, Maggii Sarfaty, Stacey Sass, William Schulze, Sheryl Southwick, Gail Stern and Diane Stoecker.

Stop by to meet and greet the artists, buy art, and enjoy the Academy Art Museum galleries. A portion of proceeds from this sale of paintings will be donated to the museum.

In the event of rain this show and sale will occur inside the museum.

PLEIN AIR PAINTERS OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY (PAPCB) started in April 2014 with four local artists painting outdoors together on Tuesdays. Now with over 50 members, from beginning artists to well-known award winners, PAPCB has annual exhibits and organizes plein air paint outs every Tuesday; mid-March thru June, and September thru mid-November. Each concludes with a critique. All levels of painters in all mediums are welcome. Membership is free, the only requirement is to attend the paint outs and paint! For more information please contact Kate Quinn, shadowkhq@icloud.com.

THE ACADEMY ART MUSEUM’S “SATURDAYS EN PLEIN AIR” PAINTERS are a group of Academy Members who paint together the last Saturday of the month April through October, en plein air, at beautiful and interesting Mid-Shore locations. Organized and mentored by instructor Diane DuBois Mullaly, each paint out concludes with a critique. This event is a free perk for Academy membership. For more information about this and all Academy Art Museum offerings, please visit academyartmuseum.org.

Academy Art Museum Exhibition by Hoesy Corona Explores Climate Migration
September 23, 2022 – August 31, 2023
Artist Talk: Friday, September 23, 5:30 pm

The Academy Art Museum is pleased to announce its new exhibition Hoesy Corona: Terrestrial Caravan with an Artist Talk on Friday, September 23 at 5:30 pm. Baltimore-based artist Hoesy Corona will transform the Museum’s Saul Atrium Gallery with site-specific vignettes that each picture a character journeying from a land made uninhabitable by global warming. The immersive, large-scale installation also features Corona’s Climate Ponchos, which double as wearable sculptures: while their form recalls a simple rain poncho, the dynamic patterns on them tell stories of migration, displacement, and history.

Hoesy Corona’s work highlights the complex relationship between humans and the environment by focusing on our changing climate and its impact on habitation and migration patterns. Using the archetype of the traveler, who is seen holding suitcases and voyaging through a wide array of landscapes towards a better place, Corona tackles the reality of the human aspect of climate change while celebrating the lushness and vibrancy of flora, bodies of water, and geographic forms, and bringing attention to the multitudinous powers of nature.

The museum’s location on Easton Shore of Maryland provides a relevant geographical context for this project. Through Corona’s anonymized portrayals of climate refugees, the exhibition connects the experiences of diverse people all over the planet, including Eastern Shore residents who experience firsthand the chronic flooding, warming temperatures, and disappearing communities spurred by climate change.

The 2022-2023 Atrium Commission is generously supported by Donna and Jim Alpi, Carol Gordean, Joseph and Alzbetka Robillard, and Mary Ann Schindler.

About Hoesy Corona 

Baltimore-based artist Hoesy Corona creates work across a variety of media spanning installation, performance, and video. He develops otherworldly narratives centering marginalized individuals in society by exploring a process-based practice that investigates what it means to be a queer Latinx immigrant in a place where there are few. He choreographs large scale performances and installations that oftentimes silently confront and delight viewers with some of the most pressing issues of our time. Reoccurring themes of queerness, race/class/gender, nature, isolation, celebration, and the climate crisis are present throughout his work. Corona has been on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Kreeger Museum, Peale Museum, and the Walters Art Museum, among other institutions. His recent honors include an Andy Warhol Foundation Grit Fund Grant in Visual Arts and a Robert W. Deutsch Foundation Ruby’s Project Grant in Visual Arts in 2016.

About the AAM Atrium Commission Project 

The AAM Atrium Commission Project began in 2021 with Baltimore based artist Zoe Friedman. Her exhibition, Sentient Forest was the inaugural site-specific artist commission for the Museum’s recently renovated Tricia and Frank Saul Atrium Gallery. The 2022-2023 Atrium Commission, Hoesy Corona: Terrestrial Caravan is generously supported by Donna and Jim Alpi, Carol Gordean, Joseph and Alzbetka Robillard, and Mary Ann Schindler.

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 celebrating 25 years. 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.

This year’s 25th annual Academy Art Museum Craft Show, will be held on October 22 & 23 with a Preview Event on October 21. The show will feature 60 juried exhibitors, including established artists, returning favorites from years past and more than 28 artists new to the show. Participating artists create work in all media including Basketry, Ceramics, Fiber – Decorative, Fiber – Wearable, Furniture, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Mixed Media, Sculpture and Wood.

This year’s featured artist, Sean Donlon, takes glass manipulation to a new level with his signature teapot series. Donlon uses this familiar form to make both individual objects, and also as elements for larger sculptural wall pieces. Fabricated primarily in mirrored glass, these inanimate glass sculptures become vibrant and alive when they interact with the light and colors in their surrounding environment. Donlon earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Craft and Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and has traveled all over the United States and internationally to Lauscha, Germany and Murano, Italy to study lost techniques in glass. He recently received the Smithsonian’s New Direction – Excellence in Design of the Future award and his work has been exhibited the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Chrysler Museum, and several galleries throughout the United States.

Craft Show Chair Diz Hormel states “We are thrilled to showcase this year’s featured artist Sean Donlon and share his dynamic and innovative glasswork with our Craft Show patrons.”

“We are celebrating a big milestone for our Craft Show, and we have some special programming to commemorate this significant event,” says Jennifer Chrzanowski, Director of Communications and Audience Development.

Tickets for the Craft Show Preview Event will go on sale online on September 15, which will be held from 5:30 – 8:00 pm on Friday, October 21. The party will feature a meet-and-greet with Featured Artist Sean Donlon, as well as food and libations located throughout the show. The ticket price for the evening is $175 per person and allows the ticket holder unlimited re-entry to the show on Saturday and Sunday.

The hours for the Craft Show are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday, October 22, and 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday, October 23. Patrons will be able to vote for their favorite artist for the Craft Show People’s Choice Award which will be given on Sunday morning to the artist with the most votes. Live glass blowing demonstrations from Valencia Glass will be featured daily. There is also a free family craft project on Sunday from 12:00 – 3:00pm. Admission to the Craft Show is $10 per person which includes a Craft Show tote bag. Tickets can be purchased online at academycraftshow.com or at the door.

For those interested in Sponsoring the Craft Show, please contact the Museum. All proceeds from fees, ticket sales and generous community sponsorships directly support the Museum’s mission of providing meaningful art experiences and education to the Mid-Shore.

AAM Craft Show Featured Artist Sean Donlon

Sean Donlon, Tipsy, 2018, glass: featured in American Craft Magazine

Sean Donlon, Cube, 2020, glass: featured in Home & Design Magazine

View of the Craft Show in the Easton Armory

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 celebrating 25 years. 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.

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.
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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.