Gallery art in March a good harbinger of spring
“March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes and a laugh in her voice.”
— Hal Borland, American journalist and naturalist
This quote perfectly describes how I remember feeling about March growing up. Spring puddles and mud on my shoes translated to sheer bliss. Perhaps “tomboy” is a questionable word today, and I guess it is in the interpretation.
I choose to think of it as a girl who is adventurous and not held back by conformity to what she should or should not be. When I read this phase, I view spring through the innocence, joy, and abandon of childhood, with anticipation of what’s coming that is new. I see it as a celebration.
As poetry is art, we look at these words and interpret them through our individual lens. What do you see and feel when you read it?
We each carry our own filters and perspectives when viewing art of any type, and our initial response is to see through that lens. Perhaps it is simple: “I like it — it’s pretty!” and that is because something about the aesthetic appeals to you; the color, the shapes, the lines or the subject matter, and it may not appeal to someone else. Some art clearly requires us to go deeper into what it means to us, and if we see what it means to others, the great dialogue begins.
There are some wonderfully personal and diverse works this month, giving us insight into the artists’ perspective, offering the opportunity to compare your view with the artist’s and discover the differences — and commonalities. This harbinger of spring is as hopeful as I can remember. Enjoy!
McBride Gallery is pleased to host “And the Winner is…”, a solo show for nationally recognized artist, Jason Sacran.
Sacran has been named the second most awarded artist in major art competitions by Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, a national art magazine. Sacran is known for his powerful landscapes, seascapes and figurative work, winning multiple awards as a plein air painter. He favors plein air painting over studio painting revealing.
“I am interested in documenting overlooked or even forgotten aspects of everyday life... sometimes they are the very things we come to miss.”
Open now, this solo exhibit runs through March 21. The Gallery is open for ten visitors at a time, with seven rooms filled with artwork.
Gallery 333 hosts a virtual exhibit through April 30 showcasing works from “Six Zooming Artists”. The exhibit, “Monday Musings,” is a collection of works from six local artists: Genie Crawford, Lisa McKnight, Laura Norton, Diane Ratcliff, Karen Watt, and John Wider.
The exhibit consists primarily of watercolor paintings, but also includes works in mixed media, acrylic, and graphite pencil. This group of artists met while taking Monday classes at Maryland Hall in the spring of 2016, continuing until the start of the pandemic last March. In an effort to continue their work, support each other, and provide an outlet from challenging times, the group meets virtually on Mondays to discuss each other’s work and offer tips, suggestions, and encouragement.
The exhibit showcases their various styles and interests and is a reflection of their individuality as well as their ability to find a way to continue connecting through art. The exhibit can be viewed at uuannapolis.org/gallery-333. There will be a Zoom Meet-the-Artists event at 11:10 a.m. Sunday.
The Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College continues its online exhibition “A. Aubrey Bodine: Our Town,” which is a collection of mid-20th century photographs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. Bodine, a staff photographer for the “Baltimore Sun” was known for his artistic images that appeared in the “Brown Pages” in the Sunday “Sun Magazine.”
This exhibition showcases Bodine’s discerning eye and darkroom expertise. Ordinary subjects are employed for nostalgic, contemplative, or dramatic reflections, as seen in “Tobacco Wagon,” a testimony to the African American and tenant farmers that grew over one-half of the tobacco grown in Anne Arundel County, and the 1951 erection of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which changed transportation and daily life on both shores of Maryland.
The Pictorialist Photography Challenge “Reveal,” an open photography juried exhibition by Robert W. Madden and Wilford Scott, will be held at 3 p.m. today. Exhibition images and lectures may be found in the Mitchell Gallery website: sjc.edu/ mitchell-gallery. The exhibition remains online through Mar. 21.
Gallery 57 West is hosting a Facebook Live Event at 7 p.m. Thursday. Listen as Elizabeth and Constance Ramirez walk the streets of Annapolis in 1878 as mapped by G.M. Hopkins.
Thanks to high-quality equipment, they make old maps come alive again for your pleasure or historic research by eliminating stains and tear marks and printing on acid-free paper to ensure a long life for your map.
Next, local photographer Audrey Fanjoy will talk about the Stack Pots at Smith Island — a remembrance of the crab industry of this windless island in the middle of the Chesapeake. Lastly, Atalante Shay will explain her acrylic work. “I have always found the octopus to be an absolutely fascinating creature! In this piece, I wanted to focus on the Octopus’s tentacles by using bright colors, layering paint for texture.”
MFA’s biggest fundraiser, “Collector’s Choice” is going digital, and it’s happening this month!
This fast and fun art lottery gets every ticket holder a unique piece of art. The spring edition of Collector’s Choice is part in-person and part virtual. Work up for grabs will be on display Wednesday through March 20, both online and in Circle Gallery, so collectors can come check out the work and pick their top pieces in person in advance of the event.
Tickets are still on sale and can be purchased at mdfedart.com or in the Gallery. Visit mdfedart.com/collectors-choice/ for details, including the opportunity to upgrade your experience and participate in the on-going March Madness voting; a party within a party! The event will be held live over Zoom at 6:15 p.m. on March 21.
MFA Online Gallery continues the exhibition “Street Scenes” through March 31. Whether something paved in a large city, or made by animals out in nature, streets bring us to new places and tell the stories of communities.
What we see on the streets is a snapshot of what those places are like. This online exhibition is all about the sights and scenes of this world’s roads. The selected artworks may be viewed on MFA’s Online Gallery: mdfedart.com/portfolio/211/
MFA presents the annual “Hospice Cup Poster Competition” in the MFA People’s Choice Gallery.
Hospice Cup, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 to help local and regional hospices raise funds for patient programs. In collaboration with MFA, the organization hosts an annual competition for a piece of artwork to serve as the backdrop for their yearly poster.
The voting for this People’s Choice Exhibition will be open from March 17 through March 31, when the winner will be selected and announced. The exhibition will be available to view online through April 8 at https://mdfedart.com/portfolio/219/
MFA People’s Choice Gallery opens “Love is Airborne” Mar. 18. Throughout the pandemic, we have found ourselves navigating an unprecedented interpersonal landscape. The nature of our relationships has changed, whether trying to maintain a commitment from six feet apart, or looking for love on the Internet while quarantined. This People’s Choice Exhibition examines the ways romance has prevailed through isolation. Works from this all-hang exhibition are online at mdfedart.com. Mar. 18 through Apr. 30. Make sure to vote for your favorite piece before Apr 16.
The Arts Council of Anne Arundel
County presents the What’s Up? Media exhibit, “Unity.”
2020 has been a difficult year for all of us. “Unity” reminds us that we are in this together, adapting and navigating this new ‘normal’. Artists were encouraged to think about what unity means to them and to showcase work that represents this past year of shared experiences. This exhibit will be on display through June 7, and is located on the second floor of the What’s Up? Media office building at 201 Defense Highway in Annapolis. To view online: acaac.org/whats-up-media-exhibit-12unity/
The council’s BWI exhibit, “Achromatic & Monochromatic” continues through Mar. 15. This exhibit gave artists an open subject matter while they experimented with using either of these color themes to influence their art. Exhibit s located between Concourses C and D in departures (pre-security). To view it online: acaac.org/ bwi-exhibit-29-achromatic-monochromatic/
Jo Fleming Contemporary Art presents “Color and Structure in the Abstract” through March 31. Abstract oil paintings by Georganna Lenssen Interpret structures and secrets within. Sally Rhudy presents atmospheric representations and hidden messages in mixed media and acrylic. Jo Fleming’s paintings are abstracted landscape about movement and energy.
Also on view are glass sculpture works by Tim McFadden as well as cut steel and painted forms by Brian Kirk, representing color and structure.
Maryland Hall will be exhibiting a new exhibition in the Chaney and Martino Galleries this March, “In Search of Meaning: Memory Becomes Us” by Patricia Moss-Vreeland, on display beginning Wednesday through May 21. An exhibition illuminating the role memory plays in relation to who we are. Patricia Moss-Vreeland’s paintings, prints, artist books, poetry, and videos are metaphoric responses and reside in concert with the interlacing of science texts, connecting the personal to the universal. Guests (with masks required) are invited to visit us during gallery hours, Wednesdays and Fridays, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.