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January 18, 2026

Centreville Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Centreville

00 Post to Chestertown Spy 6 Arts Notes

Academy Art Museum Welcomes Five New Members to it’s Board of Trustees

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Pictured from left to right: Benjamin C. Tilghman; Debbie Potter; Jay Borneman, PhD; Denise Anne Bode; Mark Dickinson.

The Academy Art Museum (AAM) is pleased to announce the appointment of five new members to its Board of Trustees, strengthening the Museum’s leadership with deep expertise across the arts, education, public policy, business, and community engagement.

The newly appointed trustees — Jay Borneman, Denise Bode; Mark Dickinson; Debbie Potter; and Benjamin C. Tilghman — bring decades of professional experience and a shared commitment to advance the Museum’s mission of connecting people to art, ideas, and one another through exhibitions, education, and public programs.

“The new trustees reflect a   breadth of perspectives and  experience that will help the Academy Art Museum continue to thrive,” said Christine Martin, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Their  knowledge, leadership, and passion for the arts will be invaluable as the Museum continues to grow its impact locally and regionally.

New Trustees

Jay Borneman is the founder and principal of Oak View Point Partners and retired Chairman and CEO of Hyland’s, Inc., a mid-size OTC pharmaceutical manufacturer. He holds degrees in chemistry, finance, and health policy, and has served as a trustee for St. Joseph’s University, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and the Avalon Foundation. Mr.. Borneman splits his time between Pennsylvania and Oxford, Maryland.

Denise Bode brings more than four decades of leadership in public policy, energy, and nonprofit governance. A nationally recognized expert in trade, tax, and environmental policy, she has led major industry associations and previously served as Chairman of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Denise has held trustee and executive leadership roles at several cultural and civic organizations, including the Avalon Foundation and the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, and is an active supporter of the arts on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Mark Dickinson is a retired attorney and real estate investor with extensive experience in historic preservation, conservation, and community-based philanthropy. Now a full-time Talbot County resident, he has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including Preservation Maryland, the Washington County Historical Society, and San Mar Children’s Home. His work reflects a longstanding commitment to stewardship, mentorship, and place-based community investment.

Debbie Potter spent much of her professional career in Washington, D.C., serving in senior roles across federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice. A former journalist and national press award recipient, she is deeply engaged in volunteer service and nonprofit leadership on the Eastern Shore. Debbie has previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Avalon Foundation

Benjamin C. Tilghman is a professor of art history at Washington College whose work bridges academic scholarship and public-facing museum engagement. His background includes curatorial fellowships, exhibition development, public lectures, and extensive experience in arts governance and fundraising. He currently serves as Chair of the Public Arts Committee in Chestertown, where he has led major public sculpture initiatives and community collaborations.

Board of Trustees

The Academy Art Museum Board of Trustees is chaired by Christine Martin, with Brenda Fike serving as Vice Chair, Sue Bredekamp as Secretary, and Ronald Flohr as Treasurer. Additional trustees include MaryLou Armstrong Peters, Denise Bode, Jay Borneman, Sandy Cardin, Mark Dickinson, Robert Fogarty, Jazmine Gibson, Denise Grant, Shelton Hawkins, Elizabeth Hormel, Victoria Gomez Lozano, Joanne Lukens, Debbie Potter, Chris Sadler, Ann Scully, Beth Spurry, Ben Tilghman, Holly Townsend, Daniel Weiss, and Donald Wooters.

With the addition of these new trustees, the Academy Art Museum continues to build a Board that reflects its commitment to artistic excellence, thoughtful stewardship, and meaningful community connection.

About the Academy Art Museum

Founded in 1958, the Academy Art Museum is the Eastern Shore’s leading cultural institution, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It combines the dynamism of an ambitious contemporary art museum with the intimacy of a community space. With five working studios, a 24,000 sq. ft. facility, and innovative programs including a robust artist-in-residence initiative and major commissions for its soaring atrium, the Museum is a destination for artists, scholars, collectors, and families alike. For more information, visit academyartmuseum.org

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AAM Joins the Fun of Artful Ingenuity at Easton’s Holiday Parade

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The Academy Art Museum delivered one of the more imaginative moments at this year’s Easton Holiday Parade, presenting a float that blended craftsmanship, humor, and a distinctly local creative spirit. Central to the display was a beautifully restored 1932 GMC pickup truck, generously provided by David and Joan North, longtime friends of the museum and a key collaborator on last year’s Bugatti exhibition.

In the truck bed, artist and AAM instructor Stewart White designed and hand-painted a charming diorama—a miniature reimagining of the museum itself. The scene portrays elves industriously constructing artworks, a playful nod to both Santa’s workshop and the daily creative production in AAM’s studios. White’s vision was brought to life with the support of a wide team of AAM instructors, staff, and volunteers, who contributed many hours to the build and finishing touches.

During the parade, students, children, teachers, and staff dressed as elves walked alongside the float, distributing magic sculpt and painting tools to spectators. Their presence reinforced the theme: that remarkable things are being made right here in Easton by a vibrant community of artists and learners.

For those who missed the parade, the 1932 GMC and its festive diorama are currently parked in front of the Academy Art Museum, giving visitors a chance to see the installation up close—or to take a holiday selfie before heading inside. The museum’s major exhibition, Robert Rauschenberg at 100: New Connections, is now on view, free and open to the public.

The project, championed by AAM’s new Manager of Membership, Laura Ryan, stands as a thoughtful example of what collective creativity can produce—and how art can bring a community together in joyful, unexpected ways. Consider giving the gift of a museum membership this holiday season!

This video is approximately two minutes in length. For information about the Academy Art Museum, please go here.

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Academy Art Museum Breaks Ground On Henny and James Freeman Annex and Hormel Research Center at Historic Property on Talbot Lane

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The Academy Art Museum (AAM) is set to break ground on the Henny and James Freeman Annex and Hormel Research Center, a custom-built, state-of-the-art facility designed to preserve and expand access to the Museum’s permanent collection of over 1,700 works of art. The new complex, located at 106, 108, and 110 Talbot Lane, is made possible through the a generous donation by AAM Trustee Elizabeth Hormel.

At its heart, this project advances AAM’s commitment to responsible stewardship and public access. The new facility will feature climate-controlled vaults, conservation-grade storage, and a research center—providing a secure and sustainable environment for the museum’s expanding collection while creating opportunities for scholarship and community engagement.

“The Academy Art Museum is a place where creativity meets community,” said Diz Hormel. “ The new Freeman annex and Hormel Research Center will enable the museum to be more ambitious with its collection while preserving history and honoring the first known freed family to own property and settle in the Hill community of downtown Easton. This project both embraces our past and inspires our future.”

While the Freeman Annex and Hormel Research Center will not be a public gallery space, it represents a major expansion of the Museum’s educational and research mission. Scholars, students, and community members will be able to schedule appointments to study works from the collection up close, opening new avenues for engagement, scholarship, and learning.

“Much of our collection has never been on public display,” said Charlotte Potter Kasic, Director of the Academy Art Museum. “This new facility gives us the ability to conserve and share these important works responsibly, while also creating a space for research and deeper connection with our community.”

The site itself carries remarkable historic significance. Once owned by Henny and James Freeman, the property at 106 Talbot Lane was home to the earliest documented free Black landowning family in Easton, Maryland. To better understand and honor this history, the Museum commissioned The Ottery Group, a Maryland-based firm specializing in archaeology and historic preservation, to conduct multiple excavations

By the spring of 2023, The Ottery Group had unearthed more than 6,000 historical artifacts, including pottery, glass, wrought iron nails, butchered bones, children’s toys, and personal objects such as buttons, jewelry, and a hair comb. Many items, including handmade glass bottles and ceramics, date to the 18th and early 19th centuries—when the Freeman family lived on the site.

Working with GRT Architects (Brooklyn, NY) and local architect and preservationist John Hutchison, the Museum has developed a design that celebrates this layered history. The new structure will be set across from the existing two-story building, framing a central courtyard that will serve as the heart of the property. The courtyard will include a public display of artifacts discovered during excavation, linking Easton’s past and present in a shared narrative of art, history, and community.

“This project represents the perfect intersection of art, history, and education,” said Kasic. “It provides the flexibility and infrastructure we’ve long needed to steward our growing collection responsibly, while also creating opportunities for discovery, learning, and connection.”

Special thanks to the Talbot Lane Committee, including Museum staff and Board Members Donna Alpi, Diz Hormel, Nanny Trippe, Chris Walsh, Mary Ann Schindler, and Jill Meyerhoff, whose leadership and vision have helped bring this transformative project to life.

A Groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Thursday December 18th 2025 at 10 am at the Academy Art Museum. All media is welcome. 

About the Academy Art Museum

Founded in 1958, the Academy Art Museum is the Eastern Shore’s leading cultural institution, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It combines the dynamism of an ambitious contemporary art museum with the intimacy of a community space. With five working studios, a 24,000 sq. ft. facility, and innovative programs including a robust artist-in-residence initiative and major commissions for its soaring atrium, the Museum is a destination for artists, scholars, collectors, and families alike.

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Academy Art Museum Celebrates Robert Rauschenberg’s 100th Birthday with Intimate Centennial Gathering

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 More than 100 of the Academy Art Museum’s closest supporters and donors gathered on October 22, to celebrate the centennial of visionary artist Robert Rauschenberg. The intimate evening—filled with champagne, storytelling, and reflection—honored one of the most influential figures in modern art and previewed the Museum’s upcoming exhibition, Rauschenberg 100: New Connections, opening December 11. 

Guests enjoyed a Rauschenberg-inspired cake and heartfelt remarks from Don Saff, Rauschenberg’s longtime collaborator and Easton, Maryland resident, who shared personal stories from their creative partnership. Curator Lee Glazer offered an inside look at the exhibition and screened a short preview of 100 Foot Photo, the documentary chronicling the making of Rauschenberg’s monumental 100-foot work Chinese Summerhall. 

A centerpiece of the upcoming exhibition, Chinese Summerhall is among the artist’s most fragile and rarely exhibited works. The Rauschenberg Foundation is highly selective in granting loans of such magnitude due to the artwork’s sensitivity and size. 

“Now I’m really letting you in on some insider information,” shared Charlotte Potter Kasic, Museum Director. “This exhibition almost didn’t happen if it weren’t for our tenacious curator. These works require an extraordinary level of care to display, and being approved for a loan of this caliber is a true testament to our team’s professionalism and our donors’ commitment. We are so fortunate to share such significant works with our community.” 

In concert with the Rauschenberg Foundation’s global centennial celebration, the Academy Art Museum proudly represents the Eastern Shore among museums worldwide honoring

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Academy Art Museum Appoints Brian J. Lang as Director of Curatorial Affairs

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Veteran Curator and Museum Professional to Lead Next Era of Curatorial Excellence and Expansion 

Easton, MD — October 16, 2025 – The Academy Art Museum (AAM) is proud to announce the appointment of Brian J. Lang as Director of Curatorial Affairs, marking a transformative new chapter for the institution as it advances toward construction of the Freeman Annex & Hormel Research Center—a state-of-the-art facility for collections care, research, and scholarship. 

Lang joins AAM following more than a decade of service as Chief Curator and Windgate Foundation Curator of Contemporary Craft at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA), where he played a pivotal leadership role in the museum’s $100 million campus renovation and expansion. Collaborating directly with internationally acclaimed firms Studio Gang and SCAPE, Lang helped realize one of the most celebrated museum redevelopments in the nation—hailed by Forbes as “America’s most inviting art museum.” Prior to AMFA, Brian was Curator of Decorative Arts at the Columbia Museum of Art in South Carolina, and served as Museum Curator at Dumbarton House in Washington, D.C. 

“Brian brings a powerful blend of curatorial depth, capital project experience, and leadership acumen,” said Charlotte Potter Kasic, Museum Director. “He understands how to build not just exhibitions but institutions. As we move into the next phase of AAM’s evolution, his arrival completes the three-person senior leadership team in curatorial affairs, education, and direction—united in advancing excellence, relevance, and access as the Museum enters a new era of scholarship and programming.” 

Lang will head a newly expanded curatorial team, which includes Manager of Exhibitions, Skye Monahan and Collections Manager & Registrar, Bianca Scialabba. Together, this team will deepen the Museum’s scholarship and develop exhibitions that honor AAM’s origin as an academy—projects that are regionally specific, intellectually rigorous, and artistically excellent. 

Throughout his distinguished 30-year career, Lang has demonstrated a rare combination of curatorial excellence, strategic vision, and organizational leadership. At AMFA, he curated or oversaw more than 80 exhibitions and collection installations, secured over $1.5 million annually in curatorial funding, and cultivated gifts and grants exceeding $170 million in support of art and infrastructure. He also stewarded major acquisitions, including a $1 million endowment from the Windgate Foundation for the purchase of contemporary craft and living artists, and the transformational donation of 500 works from the Enamel Arts Foundation, which positioned AMFA as a premier repository for enamel art in the United States.

“I am honored to join the Academy Art Museum at such an exciting moment in its evolution,” Lang said. “The Museum’s commitment to artistic excellence and community engagement mirrors my own professional values. I look forward to collaborating with the talented staff and community partners to continue presenting exhibitions and programs that reflect the diversity and vitality of the region and the larger art world.” 

Lang’s arrival at AAM comes at a defining moment. He will lead the Freeman Annex & Hormel Research Center project, a cornerstone of the Museum’s vision to protect and activate its growing collection. In tandem with this facility’s expansion, he will set the exhibition schedule and oversee a comprehensive review of AAM’s 1,700+ works of art—ensuring that each object is properly cataloged, conserved, and interpreted for generations to come. 

Lang succeeds Dr. Lee Glazer, now Senior Director, Historic Preservation and Collections, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). Dr. Glazer’s tenure set a high bar with landmark exhibitions including Bugatti: Reaching for Perfection and this fall’s Rauschenberg 100: New Connections. 

“Lee positioned the Museum for success,” said Christine Martin, Board Chair. “Brian brings the expertise and experience to build upon that foundation making our collection more visible, our exhibitions more ambitious and deepening our scholarship.” 

Lang holds an M.A. in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Denver and a B.A. in Anthropology and Spanish from Beloit College. His curatorial collaborations have included projects with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art. Lang is also the author of numerous books, exhibition catalogues, and articles on topics ranging from American furniture design to photography of the Black South to Chinese porcelain. 

About the Academy Art Museum 

Founded in 1958, the Academy Art Museum is the Eastern Shore’s leading cultural institution, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It combines the dynamism of an ambitious contemporary art museum with the intimacy of a community space. With five working studios, a 24,000 sq. ft. facility, and innovative programs including a robust artist-in-residence initiative and major commissions for its soaring atrium, the Museum is a destination for artists, scholars, collectors, and families alike. 

Press Contact: Janelle Burchfield | [email protected] | 757.439.0139

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Academy Art Museum Celebrates Robert Rauschenberg’s 100th Birthday with Landmark Exhibition “Rauschenberg 100: New Connections” – Opening December 11, 2025

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The Academy Art Museum (AAM) will honor the 100th birthday of iconic American artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008) with Rauschenberg 100: New Connections, opening December 11, 2025. Presented in partnership with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, the exhibition joins an international roster of institutions commemorating the artist’s centenary. 

“Rauschenberg’s belief that art could nurture empathy and cross-cultural connection is as vital today as it was in his lifetime,” said Charlotte Potter Kasic, Director of the Academy Art Museum. “We are honored to celebrate his centennial in partnership with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and to share this story from the Eastern Shore to the world.” 

At its center is Chinese Summerhall (1982)—a one-hundred-foot-long color photograph created in collaboration with Graphicstudio at the University of South Florida. Rarely exhibited due to its monumental scale and fragility, the work will be on loan from the Foundation and shown alongside more than twenty Rauschenberg works from the Museum’s permanent collection. 

“Something happened to painting around 1950,” wrote critic Leo Steinberg. That “something” was Rauschenberg: an artist whose openness to popular culture, everyday materials, and cross-disciplinary collaboration redefined what art could be. Rauschenberg 100: New Connections captures that spirit of experimentation and exchange, focusing on the artist’s groundbreaking 1982 trip to China and his creative partnership with Donald Saff, who has lived and worked on Maryland’s Eastern Shore since 1991. 

The exhibition will also feature the premiere of 100 Foot Photo, a new film directed by Matt Kresling and presented at the Chesapeake Film Festival. The documentary chronicles the making of Chinese Summerhall, with commentary from Saff and other collaborators. 

Local Connections, Global Impact 

In 1982, Rauschenberg and Saff traveled across China, photographing everyday moments—from back alleys to rural landscapes. Using 52 of those negatives, Rauschenberg composed Chinese Summerhall with assistance from George Holzer, a researcher at Graphicstudio, who oversaw the intricate printing process.

Rauschenberg’s connection to Maryland continues through Saff, who with his wife, Ruth, donated 28 Studies for Chinese Summerhall to the Museum in 2001. Their contributions and first-hand insight have deepened AAM’s role in preserving and contextualizing Rauschenberg’s legacy. 

Rauschenberg 100: New Connections invites audiences to explore the artist’s global vision while celebrating how his pioneering projects were grounded in collaboration—including those with artists and makers connected to Maryland’s vibrant creative community. 

From China to the World 

Rauschenberg’s 1982 journey laid the foundation for the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI)—a seven-year, Saff-led project that brought the artist to politically isolated nations including Cuba, the Soviet Union, East Germany, and Tibet. ROCI sought to foster global dialogue through art, culminating in a landmark exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in 1991. 

Exhibition Details 

Raschenberg 100: New Connections 

On view December 11, 2025 – May 2026 

Opening Reception: December 12, 2025 

Curated by Lee Glazer, Academy Art Museum 

Supported by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation 

About the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation 

The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation builds on the legacy of artist Robert Rauschenberg, emphasizing his belief that artists can drive social change. Rauschenberg sought to act in the “gap” between art and life, valuing chance and collaboration across disciplines. As such, the Foundation celebrates new and even untested ways of thinking. 

About Rauschenberg 100 

Robert Rauschenberg’s (1925-2008) strong conviction that engagement with art can nurture people’s sensibilities as individuals, community members, and citizens was key to his ethos. The Centennial celebrations seek to allow audiences familiar with him and those encountering the artist for the first time to form fresh perspectives about his artwork. 

A year of global activities and exhibitions in honor of Rauschenberg’s Centennial reexamines the artist through a contemporary lens, highlighting his enduring influence on generations of artists and advocates for social progress. The Centennial’s activation of the artist’s legacy promotes cross-disciplinary explorations and creates opportunities for critical dialogue.

About the Academy Art Museum 

Founded in 1958, the Academy Art Museum is the Eastern Shore’s leading cultural institution, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It combines the dynamism of an ambitious contemporary art museum with the intimacy of a community space. With five working studios, a 24,000 sq. ft. facility, and innovative programs including a robust artist-in-residence initiative and major commissions for its soaring atrium, the Museum is a destination for artists, scholars, collectors, and families alike. 

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On This Spot Co- Founder Loretta Howard to Screen and Discuss Short Documentaries on Women Artists in the AAM Collection

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 The Academy Art Museum is pleased to announce a special three-part lecture and screening series led by Loretta Howard, Co-founder of On This Spot, an acclaimed nonprofit project that brings women artists’ stories to life through short-form documentary videos.

Over three consecutive Thursday evenings, audiences will experience short archival films that illuminate the lives and legacies of women artists who shaped the artistic and cultural landscape of the postwar era. Through scholarly and entertaining biographical storytelling, Howard will guide audiences into the worlds where these artists lived and worked, dreamed and built communities that fueled their creativity.

The series will highlight women artists represented in the AMA collection, offering fresh insight into their work through a biographical and feminist lens, with selected artworks on view. Artists Martha Diamond, Nancy Graves, Grace Hartigan, Kiki Smith, Pat Steir and Susan Weil will be amongst those discussed. 

On This Spot

On This Spot NYC is a nonprofit dedicated to reclaiming the histories of women artists who shaped New York City’s cultural landscape. Through short-form documentary videos, interactive maps, and public programs, the organization highlights where pioneering artists lived and worked, bringing their often-overlooked contributions to life. Founded by gallerist Loretta Howard and producer Tony Ganz, On This Spot NYC has created more than 50 films since its 2023 launch, making women’s stories in art history widely available to audiences around the world.

Dates:
Thursday evenings — October 16, 23, & 30 at 5:30pm

Cost for three-lecture series:
$45 members / $60 non-members

This program is ideal for anyone curious about art, women’s history, and diverse voices—those who love stories that inspire and connect across generations.

For more information or to register, please visit the website or contact [email protected].

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About the Academy Art Museum

Founded in 1958, the Academy Art Museum is the Eastern Shore’s leading cultural institution, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It combines the dynamism of an ambitious contemporary art museum with the intimacy of a community space. With five working studios, a 24,000 sq. ft. facility, and innovative programs including a robust artist-in-residence initiative and major commissions for its soaring atrium, the Museum is a destination for artists, scholars, collectors, and families alike.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Academy Art Museum Announces Upcoming Exhibition with Artist Anita Groener

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Anita Groener

The Academy Art Museum proudly presents its first international exhibition, To the Edge of Your World by internationally recognized Dutch Irish artist Anita Groener. The exhibition will be open to the public from August 16 to October 26. An opening reception will be held on August 16  from 2 to 4 PM. 

Using humble materials – twigs, cardboard, cut paper – Groener explores themes of loss, displacement, and resilience. Her intricately constructed sculptures and drawings reflect on the shared human impact of migration, conflict, and remembrance, shaped in part by her travels through the American South and global regions affected by upheaval.

In 2022, Groener, accompanied by John Relman, one of the United States’ most prominent civil rights lawyers, travelled across the American South. With Relman as her guide, she visited historic sites important to the Civil Rights Movement: museums, trails, and memorials in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. America’s unfinished struggle for equality and justice made starkly tangible on this journey profoundly informed Groener’s most recent sculpture and drawings, adding a new aspect to her ongoing engagement with the world’s past decade of war and upheaval in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, and elsewhere.

To the Edge of Your World is accompanied by Shelter, a new animated film made in collaboration with documentary filmmaker Matt Kresling and the Talbot Interfaith Shelter (TIS) in Easton. Based on interviews relating individual stories of people facing hardship and their determination to rebuild their lives, Shelter addresses the urgent social and political realities of homelessness and celebrates the transformative work of TIS. The video resonates with the exhibition’s themes, displacement, belonging, and the fragile architecture of memory.

The world premiere of Shelter will be on August 16, with a special showing on August 17 with the Talbot Interfaith Shelter. 

One of Ireland’s most distinguished artists, Anita Groener, has recently shown her work at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris, France; the Museum Rijswijk in The Hague, Netherlands; and Highlanes Gallery in Drogheda, Ireland. In 2005, she was elected a member of Aosdána, the official association of Ireland’s preeminent artists and cultural producers.

For more information, visit AcademyArtMuseum.org. 

About Academy Art Museum

As the premiere 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, now in its 27th year. AAM also provides arts education to school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. To continue the institutional movement of offering free public programming and to give barrier-free access to art, AAM eliminated admission fees in 2023.

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Academy Art Museum Welcomes Matthew Moore as New Director of Education

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 The Academy Art Museum is thrilled to announce the appointment of Matthew Moore as its new Director of Education. An accomplished artist and dedicated educator, Matt brings a unique blend of creative vision, academic leadership, and deep community engagement to this important role.

As Director of Education, Matt will guide the strategic direction of the Museum’s education programs, overseeing K–12 initiatives, adult education offerings, and public programs designed to ignite and sustain curiosity for art throughout our community.

Matthew Moore’s own artistic practice reflects his thoughtful approach to exploring history, place, and collective memory. His photographic work examines patterns in the built environment that reveal the ways in which historical narratives are constructed and remembered. His recent series, Post-Socialist Landscapes, has been the focus of solo exhibitions at the Gormley Gallery in Baltimore, Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, and right here at the Academy Art Museum. His work has been featured in Time Magazine, The Daily Mail, Atlas Obscura, Musee, BmoreArt, Lenscratch, Deep Baltic, and more.

Matt holds a BFA in Photography from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and an MFA in Photography from Georgia State University. He is currently a tenured Professor at Anne Arundel Community College and has built a reputation as an innovative educator and mentor who inspires students to think critically and creatively about art and its role in the world.

“Matt’s deep commitment to both teaching and artistic practice makes him an exceptional fit for this role,” said Charlotte Potter Kasic, Director of the Academy Art Museum. “His experience in higher education, passion for fostering meaningful connections with our diverse audiences, and his ties to the Eastern Shore community will be invaluable as we continue to grow and expand our impact.”

About Academy Art Museum

As the premiere 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. AAM also provides arts education to school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. To continue the institutional movement of offering free public programming and to give barrier-free access to art, AAM eliminated admission fees in 2023.

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Announcement Regarding the Academy Art Museum 2025 Annual Craft Show

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In 2025, the Academy Art Museum will take a thoughtful pause from its annual Craft Show. This is a moment of transformation for the Museum as we build a new five-year strategic plan, focus our energy on breaking ground on the Freeman Annex and Hormel Research Center and give our new team the time and space to acclimate and establish a sustainable annual cadence. This pause will allow us to do important internal work and plan thoughtfully for the future.

We know this news will come as a disappointment, especially to those who have been part of this tradition for many years. As an artist myself — traditionally trained in glassblowing — I understand the time, labor, and love that go into an artistic practice. Please know this decision was not made lightly. This show holds deep significance for artists, collectors, volunteers, families, and supporters of handmade work, and this pause is our way of honor that dedication while we continue to grow with thoughtfulness and care.

We are grateful for the support our members have given to the Craft Show over the years. While we are pausing the show this fall, we remain committed to celebrating craft through our related current and upcoming exhibitions, including Anne Lindberg’s seen and unseen, Piper Shepard’s Field, Voids and Translations: Works on Paper, and the upcoming More Clay.

There are many reasons to visit the Academy Art Museum — from our free admission to world-class exhibitions, or perhaps you’ll consider taking one of our hands-on classes. Additionally, we are excited to announce our major exhibition opening later this year: Rauschenberg at 100, celebrating the centennial of his birth and his connection to this region.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time of transition. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out, and we invite you to participate in the survey, via the button below to help shape the museum‘s future.

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