February 2024 Exhibits

Featured in the Thaler Gallery:

Featured in the Sisson Galleria:

In Studio E:

• Yellowstone became the first US National Park on March 1, 1872. It took an act of Congress to permanently close to settlement an expanse of the public domain the size of Yellowstone “. . . as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” The wonders of Yellowstone had captured the imagination of Congress, in no small part due to the report of the 1871 Hayden Expedition, accompanied by Thomas Moran’s dramatic paintings, Henry Elliot’s practical sketches and William Henry Jackson’s incomparable photographs.
• This exhibit is the result of six avid amateur photographers – a financial planner, a bagpiper, a human services administrator, and three Ph.D. nutritionists – spending ten days in Yellowstone in February, 2022.

In the Spotlight Gallery:

• "Like the United States Congress, the barbershop is the place where ideas are discussed, decisions and directions are determined by the constituents of the barbershop. I believe the barbershop is still one of the few places in our community in which a black man is asked, “What do You Think?” Many times, black men are not asked what we think in schools, churches, places of business or sadly, at our homes. To be asked what we think, about a specific trend, way of life, or occurrence, and to be able to freely share our ideas without censorship or interruption is an invaluable experience to the modern black man and our manhood. These images seek to reveal both the Black Congress (the shop) and the Black Congressmen (the barbers)."
• Kennie L. Jones celebrates an educational career that has spanned almost 35 years. He received his Bachelor of Science in Art Education from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He is currently a non-matriculating student in the School Leadership program at Wilmington University. Jones is an instructor in Wicomico County’s VPA (visual and performing arts program). He is also a photography instructor at Parkside High School in Salisbury, Maryland.

In the Artisan Showcase:

Featured in the Staircase Gallery:

• "The illustrative faces that appear in my paintings are a reflection of myself; implications of fear, anxiety, and grief that often dance in my mind as I try to escape to find my authentic self and heal my inner child. The floating organic shapes are a representation of my ancestors guiding me through the narrative that often plague my mind. My use of bright colors is to indicate the intensity of healing during my awakening in Mexico. While I worked in my studio in Philadelphia, I encountered a neighbor on my floor who suffered from schizophrenia. Screams and self-negative talk were often heard through the thin walls. With no access to headphones, I tried my best to cancel the arbitrary noises. As I focused on my series of healing, I was unconsciously influenced by her mental disorder which altered yet amplified the nature of my story. I simultaneously intertwined my journey with hers throughout my pieces."
• Itzel is inspired with colors and drawing from a young age due to unfortunate circumstances in her family. Within time, she grew fond of experimenting with tangible objects which led to her maturity of her vision. Hand woven yarn from Mexico, industrial and organic material and a bright acrylic palette are some of the elements she creates to transform her emotions onto canvas. She often uses her signature spirit shapes which were amplified after the death of her grandmother. Itzel spent a year-long trip in Puerto Vallarta in 2020, during this journey she learned what it meant to experience life without supervision.

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