Mid-Shore Life

The Mid-Shore is an artist's - and art-lover's - utopia. Every county has an active Arts Council, offering unique community programs and classes. In addition, there are galleries, exhibits, classes, concerts, theatrical productions and festivals scattered throughout the area.

Enjoy!

The third annual Chesapeake Film Festival will once again bring the best in film from around the world to the Eastern Shore. Featuring more than 30 films from festivals like Cannes, Galway, Dublin, Sundance, Slamdance, and the NY Int’l Children’s Film Festival, not to mention Academy Award winners and nominees, this festival truly has something for everyone.

A screening of “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child” on September 24^th attended by filmmaker Tamra Davis will launch this year’s festival at the Academy Art Museum in Easton. A fascinating look at the meteoric rise of an influential outsider painter and the melting pot of the New York arts scene in the late ‘70s and ’80s the film tracks Basquiat’s work, its impact, and his many fascinating relationships. Preceding the screening, guests will be able to view original Basquiat artwork with Academy Art Museum curator Brian Young.  Immediately following the film, guests will mingle with filmmakers and special guests at a festive reception and dance party at the Tidewater Inn. Acclaimed deejay Lee Mayjahs? will be there to delight guests with music inspired by the film’s unique mix of ‘80s tunes, Bebop, and classic jazz.  Lee Mayjahs? has played for enthralled crowds at events from Burning Man to Berlin.

The festival runs from September 24-26 at various venues in Easton, Cambridge, Oxford, and St. Michaels. For tickets and further information, visit www.chesapeakefilmfestival.com or call 410-822-1012. Also, you can find us on Facebook.

ADKINS ARBORETUM TO SPONSOR MAGIC IN THE MEADOW—A TWILIGHT CABARET, SEPT.18

Adkins Arboretum promises an enchanted evening when it hosts Magic in the Meadow—A Twilight Cabaret, a dazzling event to benefit the Arboretum's conservation programs. As twilight falls from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 18, guests will mingle in the meadow, surrounded by the Arboretum's 400 acres of majestic native gardens, wetlands, forests and streams.

The evening will feature the music of the incomparable Stef Scaggiari, sumptuous multicourse small plates and hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, delicious local wines from Cassinelli Vineyards and Winery, and dancing to the music of Dan Saunders.

Magic in the Meadow guests will have the opportunity to bid on a variety of unique items during the live and silent auctions taking place throughout the evening. Items range from fine wines to art, private parties and dinners, and custom travel packages to stunning destinations.

Don't miss Erin Dickins' CD Release Party & benefit concert October 21st at Easton's historic Avalon Theatre!
             Kentavius Jones will perform the opening set, which will begin at 8:00 PM. A graduate of Easton High School and Washington College, "KJ" is known from Maryland to L.A. for his "swoon-worthy" singing style. 
            It will be ‘Bette Midler meets Diana Krall’ when Erin takes the stage to deliver her mix of elegant jazz, sultry ballads, original material and offbeat humor. Dickins will be celebrating the release of her long-awaited first solo CD by performing with an all-star lineup of jazz musicians, including the fabulous Stef Scaggiari on the grand piano.  

Tim Hauser, a co-founder of that famous vocal group, said, “I have known Erin since 1969 and I've always thought she was a great singer . . . because she sings from her heart.”

     The Chestertown Arts League is privileged to unveil its September show “Four under Forty” on the first Friday of September.  This show features the work of four Kent County resident artists:  Robbi Behr, Emily Kalwaitis, Joe Karlik and Angela Ranzoni.  All in their fourth decade, these prolific practicing artists are in the prime of their relatively young creative lives.  Each artist has a distinctive style, but they share the desire to  create art with an expressive and sometimes highly symbolic and allusive form.    Those attending the show will be presented with fresh perspectives and imagery that challenge, question, and reveal that which is not ordinarily considered.    The show was organized by  Emily Kalwaitis and Rich Hall.   The show opens on First Friday September 3 with a reception from 5-8 pm -- the artists will be introduced  at 6pm.   The show runs through Sept 26. 

 Robbi Behr’s style is messy, loose, and visceral.  The world beneath her gaze
is compressed to the point of distortion.  Rather than providing a literal representation of a text, Behr’s  illustrations present a parallel visual narrative that works independently to explicate, enlarge, and often ironize the written one.  Her work balances cynicism and earnest critique, retaining a breath of optimism while acknowledging the fallibility—and absurdity—of the world it beholds. 

Photo:“Cloud People – I” – Angela Ranzoni – acrylic on canvas

 September

 September 1 - 30:  Fall Classes in Ballroom Dance, Boot Camp, Bronze Basics, Haiku & You, Weight Lifting & Cardio, Yoga, Ballet, and Sit, Walk & Fly for children begin at the Centre for the Arts in Centreville, 206 South Commerce St.,, Centreville, MD. 410.758.2520. www.arts4u.info.

September 1 - October 30, 2010:  Members’ Best Exhibits. Members’ Best Exhibits will be on display in the Centre for the Arts. Ric Conn, Skip Faulkner, Barbara Love, Coleman Sellers, Heidi Wetzel, Tina Williams. Enjoy acrylics, oils, photography, decorative baskets and more. QAC Arts Council members can request to be in an exhibit individually, or if they have an idea for a collective show, suggestions will be welcomed. 410.758.2520. exhibit@arts4u.info

September 10 – October 15:  Boot Camp: A five-week workout with Pam Thaxton and Mary Messick that will have you in great shape just in time for the holidays. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 5:30 to 6:30a.m., Register by 9/7, $104 new student/$80 returning student. Queen Anne’s County Arts Council’s Centre for the Arts, Centreville, MD. For more information call 410-758-2520.  www.arts4u.info

The Dorchester Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the return of WBOC’s morning anchor Kelly Rouse to present a one-woman show portraying well-known artist Georgia O’Keeffe. This one-night only theatrical presentation will be held on August 28 at 7:30 p.m.

“O’Keeffe/Sunset of an Artist” by Martha Furey, is a portrait of the fiercely independent artist Georgia O’Keeffe, considered the first woman in the American Modern Art movement. This two-act play depicts O’Keeffe in her twilight years as she reminisces about her passion for art and life. The play reveals O’Keeffe’s struggle to establish her own identity outside of the dominating influence of her husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, the first to recognize and promote her talent and to whom she owed her early fame.

Tickets for this performance are $12.00 for Center members; $15.00 for non-members and include refreshments. Seating is limited. For more information, call 410-228-7782.

(PHOTO: Audiences won’t want to miss Kelley Rouse’s strong portrayal of Georgia O’Keeffe at DCA on Saturday, August 28 at 7:30 p.m.)

            The Dorchester Center for the Arts will present its “Discerning Palates” event over two weekends, September 24-25 and October 1-2, 2010. Discerning Palates is a yearly fundraiser for the Center, featuring specially prepared meals served at some of the most beautiful homes and businesses in the region. Activities occurring over the two weekend period include cocktail parties, dinners and much more.  Chairing the event this year, as in previous years is Barbara Wilson.

            There are six events scheduled with various themes including: “Taste of Italy,” “Egypt on the Bay,” “Good-bye Summer, Hello Fall,” “A Dinner Celebration with Guest Chef Gregory Dick,” “A Touch of Spain on the Warwick,” and “A Food Trip in Italy.” The Center extends its appreciation to the hosts Loretta and Gerald Cassidy, Jody Panzenhagen, Sally Bright, Nancy Rupertus, Amy and Bill Craig, Nancy and Frank Moore, Kathy and Charles Powell, and Sharon Gilroy.

Tickets to the various events are limited, so early purchase is recommended. More information can be obtained by contacting the Center at 410-228-7782.

 (PHOTO: Specially prepared meals with unique themes will be presented at beautiful homes throughout the region as part of Dorchester Center for the Arts Discerning Palates event. Proceeds will benefit the Center.)