May 2024 Exhibits

Featured in the Thaler Gallery:

• Launched in 1979 by a small group of artists, Working Artists Forum (WAF) – with over 100 members – is today a thriving arts organization with many vital connections within our arts community. WAF members exhibit widely, win awards, teach classes and workshops, and actively participate in arts events throughout our region. Monthly member meetings promote camaraderie through discussion of upcoming exhibits and a lively demonstration by a well-known guest artist.
• Their summer juried exhibit Local Color (presented in partnership with the Avalon Foundation’s Plein Air Easton) attracts hundreds of patrons and enjoys excellent sales. Working Artists Forum also presents numerous group shows throughout the year, both on the Eastern Shore and in venues across Maryland/DC.
• In an effort to support student artists and their teachers, Working Artists Forum donates monies directly to elementary school art teachers for much needed classroom art supplies. Additionally, WAF helps support the Avalon Foundation’s After-School Art Program.

Featured in the Sisson Galleria:

In Studio E:

• Creative heARTs artwork has been shown at the OC Center for the Arts, Millsboro Art League gallery, Delaware State University, Gallery 50, the Delaware Museum of Art and at a variety of community events. There is a year round display featuring their artwork at Pat’s Pizza in Lewes, DE. Designs have been used by The Salvation Army for divisional Christmas cards and framed works are planned for installation at the recently completed Kroc Community Center in Philadelphia, PA. Local businesses in southern Delaware and Philadelphia continue to support the program in their local communities.
• The sale of the original artwork goes directly to the artist (minus the minimal cost of the mat and frame). The sale of the cards goes back into the program to purchase the needed supplies for the artists to continue to grow their craft. The group of 15 artists are empowered by their work and the relationships developed with members of the local arts community has further inspired the group. The future looks bright for this group of talented people. The ability to create is a gift. Offering the works for sale ensures that money is returned to the program and artists so that they can continue to grow.

In the Spotlight Gallery:

• Karen Lembo works primarily in acrylic and mixed media, although, as a veteran art educator, she also enjoys mixing things up, working in a variety of media and also writing about her work. Karen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from SUNY Oswego and a Master’s in Art Education from Syracuse University. In addition to spending extended time raising her family, Karen has taught every age, from preschool through University, and now enjoys dedicating time to her own art practice.
• "My current work blends realism with ambiguity, creating layers of texts and textures through mixed media that evoke memories, dreams, and my own spiritual journey. My work is often inspired by a fleeting moment so intriguing, I want to capture it, personalize it, and share it with others. Several of the works seen in this exhibit include pieces of Korean Hanji paper, in addition to tissue paper, sewing patterns and journal pages. The hearts in the series I refer to as “Hearts Set Free” come from a sheet of this Hanji paper, which I discovered on a recent trip to visit my daughter and granddaughter in Gwangju, South Korea. These hearts reference both to the joys and heartaches of setting my children free, as well as the exhilaration of setting my own heart free."

In the Artisan Showcase:

• Marisa's jewelry and sculpture is inspired by Assateague Island National Seashore and her interpretation of nature's effect on nature.

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.

Off-Site:

• Jennifer Carter is the Art League of Ocean City's 2024 Robinson Fellow for Contemporary Art and Community Engagement. In all media, Jennifer Carter’s art reveals wonder and beauty. Watercolor & oil paintings, photo explorations & beach portraits, and graphic design creations express her love of light, color, & life.
• Gail Wynn believes making collages is like solving a puzzle. “I enjoy painting my papers, playing with mark making, using vintage books and old sheet music, tearing, layering, and manipulating the papers to form something cohesive … like solving a puzzle.”

Online:

Click here to view the exhibition!