Sunday, July 23rd marked the final day of the 19th Annual Plein Air Easton Art Festival and Competition, known to many as the largest and most prestigious outdoor painting competition in the United States.  Plein Air Easton organized by the Avalon Foundation announced today that art sales exceeded 500 thousand dollars over the course of the 10-day festival.  Throughout the pandemic, Plein Air Easton continued to persevere using creative solutions like drive-thru art parties to keep the festival alive.  In 2021 the Avalon Foundation announced art sales of $496K, just shy of the coveted half-million mark.  

“It felt like it might be a blip in data, fueled by pent-up demand post-pandemic.  We were uncertain if sales volumes of that level were going to be achievable again and in 2022 with sales of $463K, we felt like maybe the art buying market had stabilized again,” stated Avalon Foundation Chief Operating and Finance Officer Jessica Bellis.  “This year we are proud to announce that Plein Air Easton sold $537K (451 paintings) during the festival and that this preliminary data does not include plein air works sold through our partner exhibition with the Working Artist Forum (Local Color) or artwork that we know sold through our wonderful galleries downtown Easton.”  

Proceeds from Plein Air Easton support the artists, the Festival itself, and the work of the Avalon Foundation whose mission is to inspire, enrich, and connect diverse audiences through arts, educational, and cultural experiences inside the historic Avalon Theatre and throughout Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Plein Air Easton is a juried competition, with artists from across the globe applying to participate each year. This year’s juror was acclaimed plein air painter Nancy Tankersley.  The festival’s juror from one year becomes the judge the next providing a new look each year, which results in a competitive and changing roster of competing painters.  Tankersley was specifically chosen to serve as the judge for the festival’s 20th year in 2024.  Nancy Tankersley was a founder of Plein Air Easton and a major force in its early success.  

“The 58 nationally and globally acclaimed artists who are selected to compete at Plein Air Easton work hard all week to create great paintings they hope will win awards and appeal to the people who come out to buy beautiful works of art.” explained Avalon Foundation Board Chair, Denise Grant.  “There was such enthusiastic support for the week’s artistic festivities in Easton, Talbot County from people in our broad community – from NYC to Philly, Baltimore to DC and beyond!”

Mother Nature also gave the festival a boost this year.  Plein Air Easton’s Quick Draw Competition, open to all ages and skill levels was held on Saturday, July 22.  While known for its grueling and excessive heat, humidity, and dense crowds, this year temperatures remained in the low 80s with a gentle breeze resulting in 82 plein air paintings (all produced during the 2-hour quick draw) to be sold directly off of their easels.  

“The Quick Draw is yet another opportunity for local artists to produce and exhibit their work alongside the competition artists.  It was a fun time for all!.” stated Grant.  “Everyone came together in support of the Avalon’s Plein Air Easton this year in exciting ways.  The entire community is proud we are celebrating our 19th year.  There is such excitement for Plein Air Easton and we look forward to our 20th anniversary in 2024!

See a summary of the week’s events and a list of competition winners below:

A week of painting in Talbot County kicked off with a canvas-stamping event on July 13th where artists were given an orientation for the week ahead before setting out to find painting inspiration. Friday the 14th, downtown galleries and merchants celebrated the arrival of artists with specials, a shop-to-win raffle, live music, and Storm Productions rendition of a Midsummer Night’s Dream as storm clouds rolled right past the heart of town. Saturday, competition artists could be found at the party of the summer known as the Meet the Artists Party. This event, for Friends of Plein Air Easton who support the event through charitable giving, is a true celebration of art where easels dot the landscape of a private estate in Talbot County. This year the event was held at the picturesque Gross Coate Farm.  Art collectors, supporters, and onlookers were ferried through gardens and throughout the grounds in golf carts to watch paintings progress before their eyes. The evening culminated in an exhibit and sale of the day’s work while the easy sounds of the Janet Paulsen Trio played in the background. For dinner, guests were presented with a gourmet picnic dinner crafted by chef Jordon Lloyd and Hambleton House Catering to enjoy either by the water’s edge or to take away and enjoy with friends in the comfort of their own homes.

Paint-outs in Oxford and Tilghman, were held on July 16th and July 17th respectively, and are a way to engage neighboring towns in the excitement of Plein Air Easton by bringing the magic of plein air art to these charming, working waterfront towns. Paint Oxford experienced a deluge of water and found artists tucked in and under the eaves of workshops, garages and boatyards.  While the challenges of the day had a negative impact on sales and spirits that evening, the day of painting produced several of the paintings that ultimately won major competition awards. 

The Tilghman Paint-out, by contrast, brought sunny skies, stunning artwork, and strong sales into the Wylder Hotel for an exhibit and sale on the evening of July 17th. 

All week the exhibit in the PAE Headquarters was dynamic as new art flowed in as the week progressed and art that was purchased went to new homes. In addition to the exhibit of hundreds of paintings, the Headquarters was the place where visitors could enjoy artist demos, interviews, and discussions on topics related to art and beyond.

The 58 competition artists handed in two completed works each on July 20 to be considered by event judge, Master Jove Wang, who focused on selecting the award winners from a spectacular body of combined work. Plein Air Easton’s Collector’s Party, July 21, was live-streamed and will remain available for viewing through our website and Plein Air Easton’s YouTube Channel. The Grand Prize: Timothy Dills Memorial Award (sponsored by Ellen Vatne) was awarded to Charles Newman for his painting “Toolin’ Around Again at Cutts and Case” and the honor of an award by their peers, the Artists’ Choice Award (sponsored by Hali and Scott Asplundh) was awarded to newcomer Martin Geiger for his painting “Reflected Storefront”. {Link to awards show.} 

On Saturday, July 22, the weather was untypically Easton-like with temps in the low 80s, blue skies and a summer breeze kept the mood light and fun while nearly 200 artists took to the streets for the Quick Draw Competition.  Zufar Bikbov won First Place overall, Charlie Hunter won Best Alumni Painting and Chris Rapa won First Place in the non-competition artist category. Fun fact – at least two artists who were subsequently juried into the main competition have won awards in the Non-Competition Artist category at Plein Air Easton’s Quick Draw competition in recent years. Quick Draw Awards are sponsored by September First Partners.

Finally, on Sunday, July 23, the festival culminated with Small Painting Sunday (held in honor of Suzan Estelle Brice in celebration of a life well-lived and sponsored by Ellen Vatne and Denise & John Bode) and the Judge’s Talk, during which Wang explained his award choices, and bestowed the final round of Small Painting Sunday awards to the 2023  competition artists. Patrick Lee took home Small Painting Sunday First Place, followed by Qiang Huang, Bernard Dellario, Rhonda Ford and Henry Coe with second, third and honorable mentions respectively. The Judge’s Talk is available for viewing through our website www.pleinaireaston.com or Plein Air Easton’s YouTube page.

Plein Air Easton is a juried competition, however, winning First, Second, Third Places; Artists’ Choice; First Place Quick Draw and the Alumni Quick Draw awards also come with the honor of an automatic invitation to the 20th  Plein Air Easton competition, scheduled for July 12-21, 2024.

2023 Plein Air Easton Competition Awards

Quick Draw Awards for Non-Competition Artists

Donations from Friends of Plein Air Easton ensure that the high standard of excellence for which the event is known continue into the future. 

Plein Air Easton is the work of the Avalon Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster a strong community on the Eastern Shore by creating accessible, uplifting arts, education, and cultural experiences that appeal to the interests of a diverse population and to ensure the long term viability of the historic Avalon Theatre. The event is supported by the Talbot County Arts Council, corporate donors, Friends of Plein Air Easton, and strong community support. 

Visit pleinaireaston.com for details, upcoming events, recorded events, and galleries of competition images.

The International Culture Collective (ICC) and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) are thrilled to announce the tremendous success of their inaugural joint project, the compelling documentary titled “The Long Shore.”

In recognition of its exceptional storytelling and production, this 21-minute film has been bestowed with the prestigious Emmy award from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS-NCCB).

“The Long Shore,” which aired during Maryland Public Television’s Chesapeake Bay Week in April 2022, takes viewers on a journey through the history of the Chesapeake Bay through the eyes of CBMM’s Curatorial team and the shipwrights of its working Shipyard.

Drawing on present-day scenes and historic footage and photos, this poignant documentary sheds light on the invaluable role played by CBMM in preserving this cherished heritage and the significance of this mission for the region and beyond.

Craig Fuller, Chairman of the ICC and Chairman of the CBMM Board of Governors, expressed his admiration for the documentary, stating, “It is so rewarding to see ‘The Long Shore’ receive an Emmy from NATAS-NCCB. This film, created by YO Productions in close collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, tells the story of one of the nation’s great treasures: the Chesapeake Bay. By better understanding our past, we can make more informed decisions about the future. ‘The Long Shore’ presents important messages for all of us in a beautifully crafted film.”

 Kristen Greenaway, CBMM President and CEO, added, “What a tremendous achievement for everyone involved in bringing ‘The Long Shore’ to life. The film was conceived as a new avenue to share CBMM’s mission and why we do what we do. We’re grateful to YO Productions and International Culture Collective for their support and care in sharing our story. And we’re delighted that it’s been enjoyed by so many people and now recognized by NATAS-NCCB with a Capital Emmy award.”

Franmarie Kennedy, President of the ICC and Executive in charge of Production for “The Long Shore,” added her sentiments, saying, “This prestigious recognition signifies a milestone achievement for the International Culture Collective. We are truly honored to receive this Emmy award, which reflects our commitment to presenting historical content in innovative, artistic, and unique ways, ensuring that history comes alive for the next generation. Working on ‘The Long Shore’ has been an incredible experience, and I want to express my gratitude to the exceptionally talented YO Productions team, including Trey Terpeluk as the Executive Producer, Max Loeb as the Producer, Tyler Ford as the Director, and Drake Pierre as the Assistant Producer.”

“We’re all incredibly proud to see ‘The Long Shore’ recognized with a Capital Emmy award,” CBMM Chief Historian Pete Lesher said. “This film’s success is a testament to the collaboration that went into crafting a snapshot of life on the Bay over time, and more than anything, we are thrilled to be able to share these stories, and why they’re so vital to our mission, with a growing audience.”

In addition to the Emmy award, “The Long Shore” has also been celebrated as the Best Documentary Short at the Maryland Film Festival 2022, the Chesapeake Film Festival 2022, and the Ocean City Film Festival 2021. It also was named a Best Documentary finalist at California’s Venice Shorts film festival in 2022, a further showcase of the documentary’s excellence and widespread appeal.

Born in 1964 in Glendale, Arizona, Alyson Shotz is the daughter of a United States Air Force pilot and a teacher. Shotz studied geology and physics, but turned to art, earning a BFA in 1987 from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in 1991 from the University of Washington in Seattle. She moved to New York to begin her career in art. Her work has been influenced by science. She began using photography as her medium, capturing the motion of an object with a series of photographs and putting them together in prints and videos. From 1996, her work has included three-dimensional pieces made of materials such as mirrors, optical lenses, and piano wire. She explores natural phenomena such as space, light, gravity, and patterns found in nature that are invisible to the human eye, and she makes them visible. By 1999, her works received wide notice and approval.

“Mirror Fence” (2002-2014) (138’ x 36”x 4”) (Storm King Art Center, New Windsor, NY) was made of Starphire glass mirror and aluminum. Starphire glass transmits 5% more visual light than ordinary glass, and it eliminates distortion and altered colors. Sections of the picket fence appear and disappear as visitors walk by, the color changing from day to night and season to season. 

“Mirror Fence” was in the company of such well-known sculptures by David Smith, Henry Moore, Louise Nevelson, Alexander Calder, and Maya Lin. Storm King is an outdoor museum opened in 1960 that contains works by some of the most acclaimed artists of the 20th and 21st Centuries.

Wave Equation” (2010)

In “Wave Equation” (2010) (120”x144”x117”) (stainless steel wire, silvered glass beads, aluminum) (Nasher Sculpture Center, Indianapolis, IN) Shotz draws on her knowledge of physics: “There are things that I see happen when I’m working with a material that tells me something about gravity, space, force. I’m interested in showing that idea through the artwork.”

Shotz’s sculptures are fascinating; they are large and continually changing. Visitors respond to their beauty and energy, and that is enough. However, appreciation of the ideas that influenced their creation requires some explanation. A wave “is a disturbance that travels through space and matter transferring energy from one place to another. When studying waves, it’s important to remember that they transfer energy, not matter.” (Physics for Kids, duckster.com) “Wave Equation” is constructed of two sets of four aluminum ellipses, connected by shiny piano wire. Cylindrical, mirrored glass beads are attached intermittently to the piano wire. The movement that is generated depicts the rise and fall of gravitational forces. Writer Rebecca Cater describes her observation of “Wave Equation”: “In my 360-degree tour of the sculpture, it is as if the wires are in fact broken, held together by a space of emptiness. Take one more step, and the illusion vanishes.”  (DMagazine, November 23, 2010)

“Wave Equation” (detail of bottom)

“Standing Wave” (2010)

“Standing Wave” (2010) (25’ long) is composed of thousands of acrylic dichroic strips that are fastened with tape side-by-side at stepped intervals to the gallery wall. The dichroic acrylic is clear; the surface reacts, reflects, and transmits rays of color depending on the conditions of the gallery and the passage of viewers. The result is an undulating wave of colors.

Dichroic acrylic is made by vaporizing quartz crystals and metallic oxides with an electron beam in a vacuum chamber. The resultant particles condense on the surface of the acrylic sheet, forming a crystal structure. Dichroic comes from Greek meaning “two-colored.”  The earliest known example comes from 4th Century Rome in the “Lycurgus Cup” which appears red under normal light, but when a flash photo is taken, the cup is green. In the 1990’s NASA developed dichroic glass for use as mirrors and re-entry tiles on space shuttles. Since then, the ever-changing color of dichroic glass and acrylic have played a major part in jewelry making. 

“Entanglement” (2022)  

Shotz continues to explore natural phenomena in “Entanglement” (2022) (206”x207”x206”) (165 feet in length) (stainless steel and paint). The sculpture was commissioned by the Billi Tisch Center for the Integrated Sciences at Skidmore College in New York. The 750-pound sculpture is suspended from the ceiling of the atrium of the building. What are entanglements? Shotz explains that “entangled structures are fundamental to DNA proteins, turbulent plasmas, fluid dynamics, and the quantum-mechanical foundations of nature itself. When two particles become entangled, they remain connected even when separated by vast distances. I like to imagine this sculpture as the pathway between two connected particles in space.” 

According to Shotz, “Entanglement” explores the idea that a shape can be defined by space rather than mass. There is more space in this sculpture than steel. It also asks, ‘How does perception define the experience of space?’ If you look at the sculpture from only one point of view, it might be difficult to understand, you have to move around it to experience it fully. As your point of view changes and the light changes, the shape itself changes. These concerns flow through all of my work.” In motion, the color will change from gold to green to blue.

The stainless-steel structure was made by MX3D, a process invented by a company in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A robot printed the work in two-to three-foot-long sections by dropping a single drop of molten steel at a time. Paint was applied after the steel frame was completed. The sections were then welded together and installed in the atrium of the Tisch center.

“The Robes of Justitia” (2022)

“The Robes of Justitia” (2022) was commissioned for the ceiling of the Fred D. Thompson Federal Courthouse in Nashville, Tennessee. Justitia was the Roman goddess of justice introduced to the pantheon by emperor Augustus, who reigned from 27 BCE to 14 CE. She was one of the four virtues, often depicted blindfolded and holding scales and a sword. She is the prototype for America’s Lady Justice. Shotz chose to represent her with folds of a classical Roman tunic. The ceiling installation is composed of eight panels containing very small glass mosaic tiles. Each panel is 25 feet wide and 13.5 feet tall. The domed ceiling is 50 feet in diameter.  Shotz describes the effect she wanted to create: “In this mosaic the folds of her robe sweep around the central oculus like the wind and space that surrounds us–a metaphor of the protection of justice and the work of the law as it is supposed to be enacted in this country.” 

Shotz’s “The Robes of Justitia” was one of the winners of the Honor Award, presented in 2022 by the U.S. General Services Administration for highest achievement in art. The award is presented annually to recognize excellent design in a federal building.

“Density of Air” (2023)

In May 2023, the Academy Art Museum in Easton added “Density of Air” (2023) (144”x59.5”) to the permanent collection. The sculpture consists of thousands of small stainless-steel discs. The work references the mixture of gases and air that expand and compress, but are invisible to the human eye. Stotz stated, “There are things that I see happen when I’m working with a material that tells me something about gravity, space, and force. I’m interested in showing that idea through the artwork.”

“Density of Air” (detail)

Shotz’s work can be found in museums and collections world-wide. Closer to home, her work is in the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Phillips Collection. She continues to explore multiple mediums and new technological break-throughs to advance her knowledge and the viewer’s experience of the unseen but very present phenomena of nature that surround us.

Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years.  Since retiring with her husband Kurt to Chestertown in 2014, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL. She is also an artist whose work is sometimes in exhibitions at Chestertown RiverArts and she paints sets for the Garfield Center for the Arts.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as part of its Music for Maryland summer touring season, returns to Chesapeake College’s Todd Performing Arts Center for the first time since 2016.

The Music for Maryland series opens July 8 with a concert at Harford Community College’s APG Federal Credit Union Arena, then makes its first Eastern Shore appearance at Elkton High School auditorium on July 21 with a program leading off with Mozart’s “Magic Flute” Overture.

The Chesapeake College concert, the first since Marin Alsop, now the BSO music director emeritus, conducted the orchestra in its 100th anniversary season with a program of the classic of classics, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”), and the Oboe Concerto by Christopher Rouse, then still a living composer. (He died in 2019.)

For nearly two decades to that time, the BSO had played at Chesapeake College every year until interrupted by scheduling cutbacks, in part due to lengthy contract negotiations with its musicians, the emergence of the Delmarva’s own Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and later by COVID restrictions.

This makes the July 29th Wye Mills 29 concert an on-the-road return homecoming for the BSO. Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser conducts a repertoire beginning with Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance, Op. 72, No. 7 in C major, followed by the third movement of belatedly celebrated African-American composer Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1, followed by Tchaikovsky’s Waltz from “Eugene Onegin,” Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances, Piazzolla’s “Summer” from “Four Seasons in Buenos Aires” and capped by the rousing fourth movement of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. 

The Music for Maryland BSO tour covers nine of the state’s 23 counties representing every geographic region from the Shore to St. Mary’s in southern Maryland on Aug. 5, with the finale in mountainous Garrett County on Aug. 6.

By the way, tickets are a Pay-What-You-Wish bargain or a suggested $10 donation. The concert starts at 730 PM.

bsomusic.org/events

A legendary string quartet known for playing beautiful music together showed that they play just as well with others as the 38th annual Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival opened with a resounding bang, featuring not only chamber gems from the 18th and 19th centuries but also a jazz-like nugget written by a composer born in 1983.

Orion String Quartet, having announced that the upcoming 2023-24 season will be its last, was the guest-star attraction for the “Festival Opening Extravaganza!” The chamber festival’s co-artistic directors, violist Catherine Cho and cellist Marcy Rosen, were joined by Orion’s violinist brothers Daniel and Todd Phillips, violist Steven Tanenbom and cellist Timothy Eddy to perform Brahms’ String Sextet No. 2 in G Major, Opus 36 for a dramatic opening night finale.

Orion’s foursome, which has essentially been the “house band” of the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center since 1997, will perform its farewell concert next April at CMS’s Alice Tully Hall home base. Named for the eponymous constellation – Orion has performed practically all the worthy chamber music repertoire since its debut in 1987, including Bartok’s modern String Quartet No. 6 which they will play Sunday on the Ebenezer Theater stage.

The evening got off to a comfortably familiar start with Mozart’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, K. 478. Commissioned to write three piano quartets, the last two were canceled because the first was poorly received as it was considered too difficult to play and, perhaps, too challenging for listeners. Now, more than two centuries later, it is considered the first great piano quartet by any composer.

The first movement opens with a booming G-minor clarion call that quickly gives way to a gentle theme in a closely related key – B-flat. This signals a harmonic flux throughout the piece, managed with nimble skill by pianist Robert McDonald. His piano-led change of pace in the second-movement Adante introduces an introspective response by violinist Randall Goosby and violist Natalie Loughran with a tinge of regret in soft undertones by cellist Rosen. But the party mood resumes in the closing Rondo with conversational interplay between cello and violin/viola counterparts.

Next, for something completely different: “Cities of Air” for Flute and String Quartet by 40-year-old Paul Wiancko who also plays cello for Kronos Quartet, known for innovative musical choices. Commissioned by New Mexico’s Music from Angel Fire, the 10-minute piece had to wait a year or so for its debut, due to COVID shutdowns of live performances of everything from ballet to baseball. Tara Helen O’Connor’s flute sings like a bird in the opening notes that settle into more grounded string accompaniment before breaking out into a musical riot of each instrument seemingly on its own – violinists Goosby and Orion’s Daniel Phillips, violist Loughran and cellist Rosen – before concluding with a dreamy disposition while letting out the air, literally, of the flute.

Post-intermission was the Brahms sextet, which famously includes a reference only a musician or music scholar is likely to notice. A woman named Agathe, to whom Johannes was briefly engaged, has her name partially spelled out in consecutive notes, A-G-A-H-E.

The sonata-form first movement with a haunting sound emitted by first violist Tenenbom builds to crisis proportions by the other strings before yielding to the elegant main theme introduced by first violinist Daniel Phillips and repeated by first cellist Eddy. Emotional turmoil marks the second movement with violins (notably that of Todd Phillips) and violas (Cho’s) cry out separately as Rosen’s cello marks the time with minute-hand plucking.

The third-movement Adagio suggests a trance-like state of mind interrupted by an assertive cello duet. A contrapuntal exchange among the violin and viola pairs swells to an inspired melodic resolution of sheer beauty by Orion Quartet and two of the festival’s finest. While still emoting drama tempered by a soothing refrain, the final movement begins and ends with satisfying optimism, as does the evening.

Judging from opening night, this festival – themed as “Cultural Crossings” – is a musical must.

Steve Parks is a retired New York arts critic now living in Easton.

Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival

Six concerts through June 17, with a free open rehearsal,10 a.m. June 14, at the Ebenezer Theater, 17 S. Washington St., Easton. chesapeakemusic.org