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March 11, 2026

Centreville Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Centreville

6 Arts Notes

SMAL Announces Winners of Annual Members Show

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The St. Michaels Art League (SMAL) is pleased to announce the winners of their 2023 Members Show featuring all mediums.

The exhibit was judged by local artist Barrie Barnett.  Barrie started her art education at the age of nine in classical realism in Baltimore.  She is well known for her work in portraiture where she spent 15 years painting children, mainly for families in the American Southeast.  In 1998 she switched to specializing in dogs for the next fifteen years after she was offered a solo show of dog paintings in New York’s upper east side, then had two more solo shows in Palm Beach, Fl and Carmel, CA. Barrie became known as a top pastelist and was invited to teach at the Pastel Society of America in New York.   She now works in charcoal, pastel and oils and occasionally teaches classes at the Academy Art Museum in Easton.

“Heading Home” by Jan Perdue

First Place was awarded to Jan Perdue for her watercolor “Heading Home.”  Second Place went to Rhonda Ford for her oil painting “Molcajete.”  Third place was awarded to Scott Sullivan for his oil painting on paper “Hester Ditches the Letter.”  Honorable mentions went to Naomi Clark-Turner for her oil painting “Afternoon Glow,” and to Joan Cranor for her watercolor titled “Carnival.”

For more information visit Smartleague.org.

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Academy Art Museum Instructor’s Studio Sale

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Something for Everyone!

The public is invited to the Academy Art Museum for an Instructor’s Studio Sale on Saturday June 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The instructors are bringing their studio works to you. Enjoy perusing their bins and racks of paintings, pastels, fine art prints, drawings, pottery, photographs and more. Plus art books, supplies and frames. Who knows what hidden gems you might find? All in a festive outdoor market atmosphere. Rain location is in the AAM performing arts room.

Participating instructors include Barrie Barnett, Bernie Dellario, Diane DuBois Mullaly, Mary Pritchard, Sheryl Southwick, Meg Walsh and Stewart White.

While you’re there, it’s a great time to visit the current exhibits inside the museum.

The Academy Art Museum is located in Easton, Maryland at 106 South Street, corner of S. Harrison Street. Convenient on and off-street parking.

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Smooth Jazz Guitarist Ronny Smith Comes to the Mainstay

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On Friday, June 23rd at 8 pm, the Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD, in partnership with the Maryland State Arts Council’s Touring and Presenting program, is excited to welcome the smooth jazz sounds of guitarist Ronny Smith and his six-piece band.

Baltimore-born, Grammy-nominee Ronny Smith is one of the most exciting guitarists on the contemporary jazz scene.  Smith’s playing brings to mind that of Joe Pass, Larry Carlton, George Benson, Wes Montgomery, and even 70’s Johnny Guitar Watson. His style quickly impresses the listener with the broad range of his influences – from urban jazz/ funk, to raw, edgy blues, an infectious rhythm and blues groove, and straight-ahead jazz swing. His 2013 release Can’t Stop Now hit #1 on Billboard’s New and Active smooth jazz chart and ultimately reached #25 on the Billboard Top 30. Renowned jazz journalist Scott Yanow wrote, “Guitarist Ronny Smith’s mellow tone, subtle creativity and ability to groove over catchy rhythms have made him an increasingly popular force in contemporary “smooth” jazz.” The veteran guitarist’s artistry and spirit of eclecticism has led him to build a loyal Mid-Atlantic following on his own terms, and gained a public recognition that has resulted in consistently sold-out appearances at the top jazz clubs in Baltimore and D.C.

Ronny Smith

Tickets are $20 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $25 when paid at the door). The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall.

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Main Street Gallery, Cambridge, Celebrates 12 Years and Presents its Summer Show with Karen Jury

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“Peony on Green” by Karen Jury

Main Street Gallery in Cambridge, MD has lots to be excited about. The city’s only member owned and operated Coop is turning 12 this summer and will celebrate with a champagne party on Second Saturday, August 12 from 5-8 pm. This is a free event and all are welcome to join us and meet our artists. The gallery will also be celebrating its guest artist for the July/August exhibition, Karen Jury, a resident of Chester, MD, whose show, “Creating Texture with Photo Encaustic” will be on the walls for the celebration.

If you are wondering what photo encaustic is, Karen says, “It all starts with a camera and a photograph and ends with wax and heat.”  To make a photo encaustic image an artist prints a photo onto paper and adheres the paper to a substrate. Then comes the wax and heat part as the artist paints the photo with a heated wax mixture called encaustic. The many and varied results of this process can be seen in Karen’s arresting images of nature. “My love of flowers, landscapes and textures is evident is my work” she says.

Karen didn’t start her career as a photo encaustic artist, however. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University she worked as an art director for a number of companies and colleges until she decided to take time off to raise her family. It was then that she rediscovered photography. Initially she photographed families, their pets and their significant events. Later she had the opportunity to photograph performances during Songwriter Festivals in Miami and Key West. “I enjoyed the creative aspect of portrait photography” she says “….and the creative aspect of shooting talented musicians”.

Still, the artist wanted to figure out something more creative to do with her photography. It was a friend, who after listening to Karen speak about her past and her love of textures, suggested she try Photo Encaustics. “Eureka….!”, Karen said. “I fell in love. I took courses online, a lot of trial and error, no injuries, and years later I am happy to share my encaustics.”

In addition to Main Street Gallery, Karen’s work can be seen at The Artist’s Gallery in Ellicott City. She has also shown her work at Kent Island Federation of Arts and the Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis.

“Creating Texture with Photo Encaustic” will open on Thursday, July 6 and run through Sunday, August 27. The public is invited to two artist receptions which will take place on Second Saturdays, July 8 and August 12 from 5-8 pm. The receptions are free and light refreshments will be served. Karen will give a brief artist talk on the July 8 opening at 7 pm and the August reception will also be the champagne celebration of the gallery’s 12th Anniversary. Gallery hours are Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11-5. Online shopping is always available on the gallery’s website at mainstgallery.net.

Main Street Gallery is located at 518 Poplar St. in Cambridge.  The gallery is currently reviewing work from prospective members and guest artists. Please contact the gallery through its website or by phoning 410-330-4659 if you are interested in being a part of this vibrant artist community.

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Musician Carrie Rose Brings Breathing in Nature to Adkins Arboretum June 17

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Carrie Rose intertwines solo flute with recorded owls, grasshoppers and water. As dusk falls on Sat., June 17, these sounds will mingle with breezes, bird and frog calls and stirring turtles and fish when Rose performs Breathing in Nature on the wetland boardwalk at Adkins Arboretum. All are invited to attend.

Featuring compositions by Rose and other contemporary and classical composers, along with friendly introductions to each piece to engage curiosity and intellect, the program will also explore the writings of environmentalist Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring and The Sense of Wonder.

Rose is a flutist, composer and teacher in the Washington, D.C., area. As a performer, she unfurls a luscious array of classical chamber music, grooves for folk dances, freelances with regional orchestras, wails out avant-garde music and presents in-person and recorded Breathing in Nature concerts. Her compositions have been featured at numerous venues in the Baltimore-D.C. region, and she has performed in the D.C. area with ensembles that include the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, Arlington Philharmonic, Cathedral Choral Society and Washington Concert Opera.

Flutist, composer and teacher Carrie Rose will blend solo flute with the music of the natural world when she performs Breathing in Nature at Adkins Arboretum on Sat., June 17.

Seating begins at 7 p.m. on the wetland bridge and boardwalk. Music from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. will include Syrinx by Claude Debussy, Owls for Flute and Owl Sounds by Carrie Rose, Sonata Appassionata by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Canto del Alba by Mario Lavista, Waterweave for flute and water sounds by Carrie Rose, Tango Etude #3 by Astor Piazzola, Prelude in C Major from the Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ave Maria by Charles Gounod and Suvisoitto (Summersounds) flute and grasshoppers by Usko Merilainen.

Wine and treats will be available for purchase before the concert. Attendees should bring chairs. The concert is accessible.

The program fee of $20 for members/$25 for non-members increases by $5 on the day of the event. Advance registration is encouraged at adkinsarboretum.org or by calling 410-634-2847, ext. 100.

Breathing in Nature is sponsored in part by the Caroline County Council of Arts and the Maryland Arts Council.

A 400-acre native garden and preserve, Adkins Arboretum provides exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.

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Auditions for Harvey at Church Hill Theatre

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Auditions for Harvey, Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize winning drama will be held at Church Hill Theatre on Monday and Wednesday, June 12th and 14th at 5:30 PM and Saturday morning, June 17th at 10 AM. Directed by Bonnie Hill, the play runs three weekends from September 8 – September 24.

In this whimsical period comedy, Edward P. Dowd introduces his imaginary friend, Harvey, a six-and-a-half-foot rabbit, to guests at a society party given by his sister, Veta. She has seen enough of her brother’s eccentric behavior and decides to have him committed to a sanitarium to spare her daughter and the family further embarrassment. The results are both surprising and hilarious. In 1950, this delightful and amusing play was made into a film starring Jimmy Stewart.

Ms. Hill is looking to cast six men and five women in this period comedy. Ages for male and female characters range from 25 to 80. More information about the characters can be found on the Church Hill Theatre website: https://www.churchhilltheatre.org/shows/auditions.

Familiarity with the script is beneficial, but not necessary. Scripts are available for your perusal at CHT but must be returned.

Construction and technical assistance are also needed.

For further information, call/email Bonnie Hill at 410-708-2870/ [email protected]

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Authors & Oysters: Spy Columnist Jamie Kirkpatrick

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The Bookplate is happily continuing their popular Authors & Oysters event series at The Retriever Bar in 2023. Author Michael Stang was featured in the most recent Authors & Oysters event on May 31st. Next up on Wednesday, June 7th at 6pm, all are invited to The Retriever to welcome local favorite Jamie Kirkpatrick as he discusses his historical novel, “This Salted Soil: The Battle for Tunisia, 1942-1943”.

“This Salted Soil” tells the story of the North African Campaign in World War II; America’s first, but often-overlooked, involvement in the war against Nazi Germany that helped to shape and ultimately secure the Allied victory in that bloody conflict. Using both historical and fictional characters, this is the story of the battle for Tunisia that took place between November, 1942 and May, 1943. The novel also explores two other related themes: Tunisia’s struggle for independence from France and the role of Third World countries in the ideological struggle between East and West in the post-war era.

Jamie Kirkpatrick is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Tunisia from 1970 to 1972. He was also the Associated Peace Corps Director in Tunisia from 1974 to 1976. Now retired after careers in international service organizations and education, Jamie is a writer and photographer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Washington College Alumni Magazine, and American Cowboy Magazine. For the past seven years, Jamie has written a weekly column for The Chestertown Spy and The Talbot Spy. Two collections of these essays (“Musing Right Along” and “I’ll Be Right Back”) are available at The Bookplate. Jamie and his wife Kat Conley have homes in Bethesda and Chestertown.

For more event details contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or [email protected]. This event is free and open to the public and reservations are not required, however the event on 6/14 with Smithsonian curator, Eleanor Harvey, will require reservations to guarantee a seat. Reserve your space by calling the shop at 410-778-4167. All events are held in the back room of The Retriever, located at 337 ½ High Street in Chestertown, Maryland. 

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RiverArts Members Show

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RiverArts invites you to its First Friday reception, 5-7pm, celebrating the opening of its Members Show. This exhibit is one of the most popular amongst the artists themselves and visitors alike because of the breadth of media being shown and its open theme. The show runs from June 2-July 2 at its main Gallery and Gift Shop at 315 High Street, in the breezeway.

See the works of 55 artists and artisans. Take in a range of subject matter in paintings, prints, and photography. In addition, fine crafts are on display including digital phone photography, digital painting, ceramics, glasswork, metalwork, woodwork, pyrography, and various fiber media including hand felting, silk painting, quilting, hand knitting, and basket weaving. While at the reception, vote for the Peoples Choice Award.

Rob Glebe’s work will also be on display again this month in his private show located at the back of the Gallery. See his oldies but goodies as well as new aluminum 3D work and wall hangings. Have a seat on one of two of Rob’s benches which are also available for sale; they can go inside or outside.

On Friday, June 9, hear from the participating artists at the Artists’ Talk. Those interested in learning about their inspirations and processes will enjoy the give and take from 7-9 pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Just down the street is a new gallery space, “Gallery on High” at 200B High Street, located in the RiverArts Education Center, right next to the Clay Studio. This show will feature the wall hangings and fanciful copper sculptures of Cindy Bowers-Fulton. In addition to the works on view, Cindy also takes commissions to create sculptures for that special place in your yard or home.

Sharing this exhibit space is the pottery by Marlayn King and Marilee Schumann. Marlayn is popular for her functional work which incorporates a broad range of techniques and decorative designs. Marilee creates pottery with simplicity and elegance of design created to enhance the beauty of one’s home. The “Gallery on High” exhibit will be open First Friday, 5-7pm and Wednesday to Sunday 10-4 through the month of June.

RiverArts main Gallery’s regular hours are Wednesday-Friday 11-4, Saturday 10-4, and Sunday 11-3. If you are indeed inspired by this show, consider becoming a member. For information on upcoming exhibits, talks, classes, special events, and membership go to www.community.chestertownriverarts.com  or call 410-778-6300.

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The Garfield Center Announces Auditions for “The Addams Family” Musical

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Open auditions for the GCA production of “The Addams Family” will take place on Saturday, June 24th at 2 PM, Monday, June 26th at 6 PM, and Tuesday, June 27th at 6 PM. The production itself will open September 22nd and run weekends through October 8th.

The Garfield Center production will have an opportunity for a flexible cast size, depending on the number of ‘ancestor’ characters that are cast. There are 10 principal characters in the cast. Character descriptions can be found at https://www.garfieldcenter.org/gcaevent/addams-open-auditions/2023-06-24/ and requests for character-specific song suggestions are given there.

The director of the production is Jennifer Kafka Smith, and she has given audition music guidelines. First, for character roles, follow the link given above for the songs she would like to hear. Measure numbers come from the MTI Vocal Score. Copies of the sheet music, specific to the requested measures, can be requested via email at [email protected]. Time stamps and measure numbers from the music links found on the GCA website are provided.

The director will have Addams Family show tracks on hand at the auditions. There will not be a pianist available. Singing a cappella does not provide enough information for the director, so she needs to hear singing with an accompaniment to determine two things: your ability to sing with sufficient volume and to tune your voice to the accompaniment. It is permissible to have sheet music and/or lyrics on stage to audition.

For the audition process, each auditioner will sing per the guidelines given above. Auditions will also include a cold read from the script. A portion of the audition will include learning a small section of choreography. Due to the dance segment, the GCA asks that you wear shoes that will permit movement on stage. For this reason, do not wear no rubber soled shoes or sandals).

Once all auditions are complete, casting will be announced by July 4. For any further information or to secure the resources mentioned above, contact the director at [email protected]. Please do not call the Garfield Center.

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AAM to Host Acclaimed Filmmaker Sky Hopinka and Other Programs Centering Indigenous American Perspectives

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The Academy Art Museum (AAM) received a generous grant from Art Bridges Foundation to offer a series of free public programs related to tintype photographs of Native American people by contemporaryDiné artist Will Wilson that are on view in AAM’s latest exhibition In Praise of Shadows.

The slate includes three film programs—a selection of Sky Hopinka’s short films, followed by a conversation with the artist; short films by Indigenous American directors and producers; and a lecture by scholar Rebecca Weaver-Hightower that addresses depictions of Native American people in film throughout history. The programs complement and expand on themes that Wilson explores in his work, offering audiences a greater understanding of the racist and genocidal mythologizing at work in non-Native art and film about Native American people, and the settler colonial gaze that Wilson and many Indigenous artists and filmmakers are resisting.

All programs are generously supported by Art Bridges arts patron Alice Walton’s visionary program that subsidizes loans of major artworks and related programming in rural museums. Details about each event follow.

An Evening with Sky Hopinka
Tuesday, June 6, 6 pm
Free
Register Here: https://academyartmuseum.org/an-evening-with-sky-hopinka/

View a selection of short films by renowned experimental filmmaker Sky Hopinka, followed by a post-screening discussion with the artist and Dr. Ryan Conrath, Salisbury University professor and film programmer. Conceived in connection to Diné artist Will Wilson’s portraits of Native American people on view in the exhibition In Praise of Shadows, the program examines representations of Indigenous people and worldviews in art and film.

Sky Hopinkais a 2022 MacArthur Fellow. He received a BA from Portland State University and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Film and Electronic Arts Program at Bard College. His work has been shown at many film festivals and exhibited at the Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester, Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Hopinka is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and a descendent of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.

Rebecca Weaver-Hightower: The Settler Colonial Gaze
Thursday, June 8, 6 pm
Free
Register here: https://academyartmuseum.org/rebecca-weaver-hightower-the-settler-colonial-gaze/

Dr. Rebecca Weaver-Hightower offers a thought-provoking talk on the construction of settler colonial ideology and its visual manifestations in cinema, photography, and museum exhibition practice. Offered in connection to Diné artist Will Wilson’s portraits of Native American people on view in the exhibition In Praise of Shadows, the lecture examines representations of Indigenous people and worldviews in art and film over time.

Weaver-Hightower is a professor in the Department of English at Virginia Tech. She recently co-authored Cinematic Settlers: The Settler Colonial World in Film, and she authored both Frontier Fictions: Settler Sagas and Postcolonial Guilt and Empire Islands: Castaways, Cannibals and Fantasies. She is also a co-editor of Archiving Settler Colonialism: Culture, Space and Race and Postcolonial Film: History, Empire, Resistance.

Shorts Program: “Critical Indigenous Cinema”
Thursday, June 15, 6 pm
Free
Register here: https://academyartmuseum.org/critcal-indigenous-cinema/

Join us for a program of short experimental films by contemporary Indigenous producers who use cinema to provide counter-images to settler narratives in visually and conceptually daring ways. Curated by Dr. Ryan Conrath, Salisbury University professor and film programmer, and conceived in connection to Diné artist Will Wilson’s portraits of Native American people on view in the exhibition In Praise of Shadows, the program examines representations of Indigenous people and worldviews in art and film. Following the screening, Conrath and B.L. Strang-Moya, filmmaker and Ocean City Film Festival organizer, will discuss the films and their contributions to contemporary film culture as well as to a rethinking of Native American people’s involvement in cinema more broadly.

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 free block-party style Juneteenth Celebration and Fall Craft Show celebrating 26 years. 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.

Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Thursday-Friday 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday-Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: Free

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