The Deep Creek Blog

Metropolitan Opera Countertenor Andrey Nemzer and WV Native Courtney Fint Zimmerman Perform in Aurora WV on June 9th

Metropolitan Opera Countertenor Andrey Nemzer and Aurora WV native Courtney Fint Zimmerman will perform in concert at Mt. Olivet Church on Lantz Ridge Road near Aurora West Virginia on Sunday June 9 at 4 p.m.

The event is hosted by the Aurora Project, a non-profit organization that is restoring six late 19th century buildings in Aurora to house the state’s only full-time artists’ residency and education center.

Nemzer, a Moscow native, was a winner of the 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals and will appear in the Met’s new production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare this season.

Soprano Courtney Fint Zimmerman has studied classical voice and performed with the Charleston Light Opera Guild. She resides in Akron, Ohio, and is a member of the Akron Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Blossom Festival Chorus.

Pianists Preston Showman and Michael Broderick will accompany Nemzer and Zimmerman in their individual performances. The concert will begin at 4 p.m., with a light buffet following at the nearby Lantz Ridge Community Center. Cost of admission, including concert and buffet, is $45 and will benefit the Aurora Project.

The Aurora Project, located in a rural setting along US Route 50 in Preston County, will establish programs to accommodate artists, writers and scholars for short residencies and currently sponsors retreats and hosts educational and cultural programs for residents of the region.  Please check the website for program information.

For additional information and ticket reservations, email the Aurora Project at info@auroraproject.org or call 304-735-3620.

 

 

 

Old Time Jam at New Germany State Park

An Old Time Jam will be held at New Germany State Park on Friday, May 31st.  The Jam will take place inside the Lake House from 6:30 to 9:30 pm and admission is free.  Refreshments and gift items will be available for purchase.

Old Time Jams have become a unique tradition at New Germany State Park.  These informal gatherings provide an opportunity for musicians and spectators of all ages to share and enjoy traditional folk, bluegrass, and other “old-time” Appalachian music.

For more information, please call the Ranger Station at 301-895-5453.

Dancing With the Local Stars this Weekend!

"Finding the Nature in Painting Workshop with Robert Yonke

Join local artist and instructor Robert Yonke June 17-June 19 for a nature inspired art workshop:  "Finding the Nature in Painting".  This workshop is designed for experienced artists who are looking to enhance the use of nature in their work.

Being in the outdoors can lift your spirits and stoke your creativity, yet often the scale of a natural seascape or landscape can be so overwhelming that it can be hard to find a painting in it. Rather than try to copy some impressive vista, sometimes it is better to isolate a feature within and build a painting around it. Students will address nature this way and explore some simple design techniques as aids. Building on these found designs, students will work on overall page design and the employment of limited palette colors to create drama and maintain unity.

The 3-day workshop will be held at The Discovery Center at Deep Creek Lake State Park, Monday-Wednesday from 10am-3pm. Experience working with visual media such as watercolor, acrylics, pastel or oil is required. Class size is limited. Cost is $100 per student. To register or for more info, call 301-334-6580.

"Deep Creek Lake" by Robert Yonke

Maryland in the War of 1812- A Living History Event

The Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area in Garrett County and Garrett Lakes Arts Festival present a Star Spangled 200 sponsored event, Maryland in the War of 1812 - A Living History Event.  This project focuses on bringing the commemoration of the War of 1812 to Garrett County middle school students and also provides opportunities for western Maryland residents and visitors to participate in Maryland’s Star Spangled 200 activities.  This project is made possible by the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.

The first part of the project provides an interactive presentation by award-winning actress and Smithsonian Scholar, Mary Ann Jung, playing Rosalie Stier Calvert. Rosalie married George Calvert in 1799 and became mistress of his plantation, Mt. Albion. When Rosalie’s father died, he left his plantation in Bladensburg, "Riversdale Plantation", to his daughter Rosalie -- not her husband, which was the custom. Through Rosalie’s remarkable story, participants will learn what it meant to be in charge of two growing plantations in early 1800's Maryland.

The performance will also explain the importance of the War of 1812 and how this era affected the newly independent United States of America. Audience members will become the British versus the Americans to better understand this important war and re-live the dramatic Battle of Bladensburg --- and find out how close it came to Rosalie’s beloved Riversdale. The stirring creation of the Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key, who married Rosalie’s friend Polly, is included as well. Performances will be held at Garrett College for 4th, 5th and 8th grade Garrett County students on Friday, April 5, 2013.

In addition, educational resources will be purchased for middle school teachers relating to the War of 1812, including books, videos and a traveling trunk, created by the Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, for Garrett County middle school students. The trunk focuses on life during the war for all Marylanders and contains 11 lesson plans and many hands-on objects, including flint and steel kits, period clothing, time period games, and books.

The Maryland in the War of 1812 – A Living History Event will be the grand finale for the project providing interpretation and experiential learning opportunities for the students and the general public.  This free celebration, scheduled for May 17-18, 2013 at the Garrett County Fairgrounds in McHenry, Maryland, will include on-site War of 1812 speakers and re-enactors, period music performed by musicians & singers in period garb and displays & education information, including a United States Navy display covering their beginning and their involvement with the War of 1812.  This event is free and open to the public. Event hours are 5 pm – 8 pm on Friday, May 17 and 10 am- 5 pm on Saturday, May 18th.

Artist Boot Camp Set for Garrett County

An Artist Boot Camp will be presented by Becky Sciullo on Saturday May 4, 2013 from 10 am – 2 pm at the Deep Creek Lake Discovery Center.  The workshop is designed to help artists improve and build upon plans for a successful business.  Participants will work on creating a vision for business success, defining themselves to the market, avenues for exposure, goals setting and more.     

Becky has been presenting Artist Boot Camp in the Pittsburgh area for the past year.  Many Garrett County artists are familiar with her work with her father, local artist Robert Yonke.      

The event is appropriate for all visual artists, including but not limited to drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, print making, photography and fine crafts.  The cost is $49 per person.  For more information or to register visit www.artisan-advantage.com or email artisanadvantage@gmail.com

Maryland Public Television to Showcase Maryland Agriculture

Thirteen-Part Television Series to Air this Fall
 
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) in cooperation with Maryland Public Television (MPT) is co-producing a 13-part television series showcasing many facets of Maryland farming. The series of half-hour shows tentatively titled “The Maryland Farmer” will report on challenges facing today’s farmers and help to bridge the widening “understanding gap” between farmers and the Maryland consumer.  Funded with private contributions, production is now underway. The series will air this fall featuring diverse agricultural operations all across the state.
 
“We want this series to help people understand how diverse farming is, even in a small state like Maryland, and for viewers to learn about the process of farming,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “The series aims to put a human face on Maryland agriculture, and tell the stories of the industry that built this nation and continues to feed the world. We are very excited about the ideas MPT has presented and look forward to seeing this series take shape over the summer.”
 
MPT Executive Producer Michael English, former editor of Maryland Farmer newspaper, writer of Public Television’s Farm Day series, and producer of MPT’s long-running Outdoors Maryland series, is leading the project with Series Producer Robert Neustadt who has produced television for A&E, Fox, NBC, Discovery and other public television affiliates.
 
Most Americans once lived or worked on farms or had family and friends who did. With each generation, the nation has grown further away from its agricultural roots. The goal of the MPT series is to bring residents back to the farm and show them how their food is grown and harvested. The program will take viewers from the mountains of Western Maryland, to the rolling hills of the Piedmont, to the broad, flat fields of the Eastern Shore – to explain the complex story of growing food and fiber in Maryland. Each episode will include a series of short magazine-style segments about Maryland farmers, farms and agribusiness. Episodes will be produced on location at farms and agribusinesses throughout the state. Crews are on location now.
 
When the series is complete, it will be broadcast several times on MPT and available for viewing on several websites (including MPT, MDA and YouTube). It will also be distributed through libraries, schools and community groups.
 
Program sponsors include: Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, Maryland Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation, Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, Maryland Farm Bureau, Maryland Soybean Board, Maryland Department of Agriculture/Maryland’s Best, Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association, Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts (MASCD), Maryland Grape Growers Association, Harford County Government, MAR-DEL Watermelon Association and the Delmarva Poultry Industry.
 

GLAF Presents the Pittsburgh Chamber Players

Garrett Lakes Arts Festival (GLAF) presents their first concert of the season with the Pittsburgh Chamber Players on Saturday March 9th 7:30 pm at Garrett College Auditorium.  Doors open at 7:00 pm.  Adults tickets are $25 and students rae $5.  Children under five are free with a ticket.   Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.artsandentertainment.org.

 

Deep Creek Dunk this Weekend

This weekend is the 15th Anniversary MSP/NRP Deep Creek Dunk, where dunkers dip into Deep Creek Lake to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Maryland.   The event takes place on the beach behind Uno's and the Honi Honi.  

Grant Funds Available for Community Arts in Garrett County

The Garrett County Arts Council is now accepting applications from nonprofit and community organizations requesting funding support for public arts programs and projects scheduled in Garrett County between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014.

The annual deadline for organizations applying for funding support in amounts of $500 or more is March 21, 2013.  Applications must be mailed or delivered to the Garrett County Arts Council on or before the application deadline to qualify for funding consideration.

According to Karen Reckner, executive director, one of the primary purposes of the Garrett County Arts Council is to support community arts development and the public presentation of local arts programs through this grant program.  Funding support is provided by Garrett County government, the Maryland State Arts Council, and supporting members of the Garrett County Arts Council.

 During the current year, the Garrett County Arts Council provided $43,000 in funding support.  Grant recipients included Grantsville Lions Grantsville Days, Our Town Theatre, Highland Festival of Garrett County, Garrett Community Concert Band, Yough River Festival, TOTL Theatre Company, Little Yough Music Festival, Oakland’s Winterfest, Garrett Lakes Arts Festival, Kitzmiller Community Homecoming, Friendsville Fiddle and Banjo Contest, Spruce Forest Artisan Village, Garrett Highland Pipes and Drums, Garrett Solid Waste and Recycling and the Garrett County Board of Education.

 Copies of application forms, eligibility guidelines, and program requirements are available at the GCAC office located inside The Gallery Shop on Alder Street in Oakland or by calling 301-334-6580.  Additional information about the Garrett County Arts Council and scheduled community arts events is available online at www.garrettarts.com

 

Our Town Theatre's 6th Annual Christmas Market on December 1st

On Saturday, December 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Our Town Theatre's 6th Annual Christmas Market will be held at St. Peter's Catholic Church Parish Social Hall, as part of Oakland, Maryland’s “A Small Town Christmas.” Shoppers meet local artists, learn about their handmade work, and support Our Town Theatre's Backstage, which is the scenery, costume and prop shop on Center Street in Oakland, Maryland.

Market activities include shopping for unique, handmade gifts, savoring chili and Fair Trade coffee and tea at the Christmas Café, finding Christmas goodies at the Bake Sale, and enjoying live music with friends. Lynn Grimm, on hammered dulcimer, will open the Christmas Market at 10:00 a.m. Aurora Celtic will fill the hall with holiday spirit as they play their acoustic original and traditional tunes and sell their acclaimed CDs from noon to 2:00 p.m. Ron Rogers will follow with his faith folk-rock, from 2:00-4:00 p.m..

New to the market this year are local artists Jill Mazur, Josh Gambetta, Appalachian Milk Soaps, Barbara Englander’s Seeds for Dreams, and Mountain Heart Farm Soy Candles. Shoppers will find Sunnyside Wools with their new vintage-style women’s hats, jeweler Connie Quarrick-Hall’s Wirestorm Creations, Karen Yoder’s hand sewn purses and aprons, and Robert Yonke’s award-winning watercolor paintings and cards.

Our Town Theatre is grateful to announce that several artists will participate in the Christmas Market for their sixth year. Pamala Snyder will be selling her handmade fine stoneware, Caroline Blizzard will sell her unique photographs and cards of the natural world, Julie Turrentine will sell her art glass jewelry, ornaments, and bottle stoppers. Carolyn Collen-DuBose’s crocheted, hand-knit and felted gifts, animals, and dolls will be featured again as well. Pleasant Valley Woodcrafts’s clever wooden puzzles, baskets, cutting boards and the Gortner folk art and Amish cookbooks sold by the owners of Sugar and Spice Bakery will grace the hall for their sixth year. Fair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolates will be priced for sale at the Bake Sale this year. Information for supporting local farmers through purchase of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares will also be found at the market.

Reggie’s Favorite Dog Biscuits, a popular item, may be pre- ordered by November 20 by visiting OTTs website www.ourtowntheatre.org and selecting the “Fundraisers” tab. Pre-orders must be picked up and paid for at the Christmas Market. Reggie’s Dog Biscuits come in several varieties. For $3 you can purchase a bag of biscuits in designs of either three large squirrels or three large bones, or a dozen small bones. Additional bags of biscuits will be sold at the market, only while supplies last!

OTT’s Board of Directors encourages all to come and support local artists and community theatre at OTT's Christmas Market. For more information, contact OTTs website at www.ourtowntheatre.org and visit the websites of these wonderful artists.

Fred Peacock Featured in Oakland's Gallery Shop

Garrett County Arts Council announces the latest one-man exhibit in the Backroom of The Gallery Shop in downtown Oakland.  “Illumination:  The Transition from Light to Dark” is the title of a collection of paintings by artist Fred Peacock.

At age 15, Peacock watched a scene from the movie Lust for Life where Vincent Van Gough forcefully squeezed paint onto a pallet and used it to capture the light around him.  Thinking, “I need to do that,” he occasionally painted during high school.  Putting the painting aside, he pursued an academic degree and career before revisiting his passion to paint.

Light is a theme that flows through much of Peacock’s work.  He draws inspiration from nature, particularly the Youghiogheny River and the woodlands surrounding the Oakland area home he shares with his wife Erin.  His images range from flowing rivers and pristine beaches to studies of apples, peaches, lemons, and onions.


The artist has had exhibits at the Slayton House Gallery in Columbia, Maryland, and Garrett College in McHenry.  Several of his landscapes and a large installation of pears and peaches are in the permanent collection of the Western Maryland Health System Regional Medical Center in Cumberland.  He regularly displays at the Discovery Center at Deep Creek Lake State Park as well as The Gallery Shop.

“Illumination:  The Transition from Light to Dark” is on exhibit, and works available for purchase, through November 16th at The Gallery Shop, 206 E. Alder Street, Oakland.  The artist will be honored at an open-to-the-public reception on Friday, October 19 from 5-7 pm.  For more information, or to become a supporting member of Garrett County Arts Council, call 301-334-6580.

Two Artists Together as "Friends - Pots and Paintings"

The flow of glazes, both earthy and crystalline, on Josh Brown’s pottery echoes the bold and ephemeral colors in Sue Arnson’s paintings.  This visual experience awaits you at the current exhibit “Friends – Pots and Paintings” at The Gallery Shop in downtown Oakland.

Over the past 20 years, Josh and Sue have participated individually in numerous art shows and exhibits in Garrett and Allegany Counties, and beyond.  This is their first joint exhibit.

Josh has been inspired to work with clay nearly his whole life.  After high school, he explored the United States by hitchhiking to 49 of our 50 states. He then pursued an academic degree in ceramics at the University of Minnesota.  His apprenticeship experience, which included living in a cold, drafty room attached to an old barn, taught him harsh realities about life as a working artist.  He changed direction, earned a degree in electronic technology, and toiled in that field for a decade.  Eventually, Josh left to travel in Central and South America and ultimately landed in Frostburg, Maryland, where he soon returned to his artistic love – pottery. Josh became a professional potter in 1991.

When working with stoneware clay, Josh throws unique functional pots for everyday use.  He has also perfected the challenging process of creating porcelain pots encased in jewel-like crystalline glazes. Crystalline glazes are mesmerizing, often evoking an explosion of iridescent petals, shimmering clouds of snowflakes, or colorful, icy ‘Jack Frost’ patterns. When the technique is mastered, crystals form spontaneously in the molten glazes and grow as the pieces cool in the kiln.

In 1986, after a teaching career in the Montgomery County Public Schools, Sue Arnson and her husband, Alan, realized their dream of living full-time at their idyllic getaway property in Bittinger, Maryland.  The following year, they converted their rustic barn into The Loft Shop, a venue for local artisans to display and sell their handcrafted work.

During a vacation trip to southern Mexico, an impromptu silk painting workshop kindled Sue’s desire learn more about watercolor design and techniques. Back at home, she took several watercolor painting workshops including a class with Garrett County artist Jim McNeil.  Jim’s sage advice was, “If you want to become a painter, paint every day for 5 years.” Sue adopted that as her mantra -- and an artist was born!

The barns, rural landscapes, and natural beauty of Garrett County are a constant source of inspiration. Over the years, Sue has expanded her artistic expressions to include monotypes and collages. 

In addition to being an award winning artist, Sue shares her artistic talents, as well as her skills as an educator, by teaching watercolor techniques to aspiring beginners and mentoring fellow artists. A passionate supporter of the arts in Garrett County, Sue has served on the Garrett County Arts Council (GCAC) Board of Directors for 15 years, including 4 years as president. She played an instrumental role in establishing The Gallery Shop and continues to serve in a leadership role, guiding its exhibits and events in support of local artists.   Sue also serves on the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival (GLAF) Board of Directors, and is an active member of the Allegany Arts Council and the Western Maryland Watercolor Society. In 2009, the Arnsons were awarded the Friends of the Arts Award by GCAC for their “exemplary support” of the arts in Garrett County.

Sue and Josh’s exhibit “Friends – Pots and Paintings” will be on display and these works available for purchase through September 28^th.  The artistic duo will be honored at an open-to-the-public reception at The Gallery Shop, 206 E. Alder Street, Oakland, Saturday, August 25 from 5:00-7:00 PM.  For more information, contact 301-334-6580. 

Garrett County Artist Studio Tour Weekend

Artists of Garrett County, in conjunction with the Garrett County Arts Council, invite the public to visit their working studios on Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29.  Studios will be open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Sunday.  The tour will encompass a broad section of the county and includes 21 artists at 7 separate locations.  Artists will provide demonstrations and artwork for sale, as well as the opportunity to talk with them about their artistic process and the business of art in the region.

The Artist Studio Tour is free.  An array of work will be featured including pottery, jewelry, fused glass, furniture, photography, wood crafts, painting, sculpture, recycled folk art and handmade paper artwork.  This is the fifth annual event.  “This is a chance for the community and our guest to really make contact with the variety of talent we have locally. Some of the locations are not generally open to the public.” said an Arts Council spokesperson.

A brochure of the studios is available at a number of area locations including The Gallery Shop, the Visitors Center in McHenry, Ruth Enlow Libraries, and various businesses throughout the area.  There will also be directional signage along the tour route to guide drivers to the sites. 

For more information, contact the Garrett County Arts Council at 301-334-6580.