Meet the Maker: Najla Alradwan
Growing up in the Middle East and additionally traveling extensively in Europe, Najla Alradwan was afforded the opportunity to be exposed to a vast array of historic artistic styles from an early age. As a teenager her interest in learning and working with different forms of Islamic geometric designs was awakened. After spending many years of her adult life as a lawyer in Kuwait and the U.S., Najla longed for artistic expression. She obtained her associates degree from Corcoran College of Art and Design in the fields of ceramics, sculpture and graphic design. This is where she discovered her passion: tile making. She continued to research Islamic art and history for inspiration and developed NAR Creation, her home-based studio specializing in Islamic handmade tiles.
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In the Studio with Instructor Lauren Lowell
Meet the inspiring individual behind the scenes! With a lifelong love for dance and singing, Lauren Lowell found her purpose in teaching and directing theater. Hailing from Maine, she now calls Baltimore home along with their family and playful cats. Guided by mentors in her youth, Lauren went on to lead CAC's CAC’s Musical Theatre program, nurturing young talents and offering guidance the way she was. Her advice to aspiring theater enthusiasts: embrace all aspects of the craft. Recently, Lauren wrapped up production of "The Prom" with the STAR Ltd. Young Adult program, and "Finding Nemo Jr.".
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In the Studio with Artist Janelle Washington
Janelle Washington is a paper-cut and silhouette artist from Richmond, VA. Using paper as a medium, Washington unearths forgotten or untold stories that highlights the struggles and perseverance of Black people in America. She explores themes of history, identity, family, and feminine beauty in Black culture.
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In the Studio with Instructor and Dancer Abigail Carter
Abigail Carter began dancing when she was three years old, here, at CAC. Nearly 17 years later, she is now an instructor in our dance department. With a rather impressive resume for someone her age, Abigail has danced at the Washington School of Ballet as well as the City Dance Conservatory and Charm City Ballet.
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In the Studio with Instructor and Artist Maks Prykhodko
Originally from the Ukraine, Maks emigrated to the US in the early 2000’s. He pursued a BFA in Music Composition & Technology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He joined the Milwaukee Makerspace to extend his skills in electronics and rapid prototyping technologies, and learned how to laser cut. After moving to Baltimore in 2018, he attended UMBC to acquire his MFA In Intermedia and Digital Arts. Now, he manages the MakerSpace here at CAC and teaches courses in digital fabrication. Here’s some of his story:
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Glen Burnie, MD Playwright is Winning in Writing, Producing and Directing to Being Published Internationally
Angela Wilson's critically acclaimed stage play, Tears of the Soul, which premiered at the Chesapeake Arts Center in 2018 and has been very well received by audiences, has recently been published and licensed by Heuer Publishing. Angela Wilson is also a State Regional Award winner for literary arts awarded by the Maryland State Arts Council.
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In the Studio with Artist Seth Ellison
The color; the depth; the symbolism; the enormity. Your breath may skip as you enter the Hal Gomer Gallery at first glimpse of Seth Ellison’s work. Massive canvases almost completely cover the walls, every inch, saturated with vibrant color. Sketchy, yet quite detailed line work is reminiscent of early satirical cartoons. Each piece of work leaves your brain reeling in an attempt to capture and decipher the copious amounts of symbolism in his compositions. Each piece varies in subject matter, but are all tied together with a common thread of southern culture.
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CHESAPEAKE ARTS CENTER PRESENTS 8th Annual Arts In The Park FREE Festival
Chesapeake Arts Center’s (CAC) 8th Annual Arts in the Park Festival is scheduled to take place Saturday, October 8th from 10 am to 3 pm. This free event will be held on the CAC campus in front of Hammonds Lane Theatre and in the parking lot of Brooklyn Park Middle School. Enjoy family-friendly arts activities, live performances and music, art and community vendors and food trucks.
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In the Studio with Artist Jo Coyle
From contemporary portraits with with loose yet intentional strokes, to gritty, abstract mixed media pieces, to fine line inked or printed pieces, Jo Coyle’s body of work displays her unwillingness to stay in one place artistically. Driven by curiosity and enthusiasm to challenge her own creative boundaries, Jo’s newest collection of paintings is her Siren series. A visual commentary on the stigmas surrounding mental health issues for women (in the most inclusive definition of the word), and how it affects them and their lives. Jo hopes for the Siren exhibit to exist as a safe place to discuss these struggles in the open while assuring other women on their own mental health journey that “it’s okay to be in the dark, and they’re not alone”.
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CHESAPEAKE ARTS CENTER PARTNERS WITH ENCORE CREATIVITY
Chesapeake Arts Center (CAC) announced a new partnership with Encore Creativity, the nation’s largest choral organization for adults 55 and older. Encore is launching a choral group at Chesapeake Arts Center to serve residents in Brooklyn Park and Northern Anne Arundel County. The group will meet at CAC on Tuesdays from 10:30 am to noon beginning September 6. The cost to join the choral group is $190/15 week semester. Scholarships are available to ensure all local residents have access to the group.
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In the Studio with Artist and CAC Instructor Eric Birkin
Meet Eric Birkin, a CAC Visual Arts and MakerSpace instructor and new Gallery Coordinator. Originally from rural Utah, Eric’s exposure to the vast world of the arts was limited. Growing up in a remote location, far from suburbia or even neighbors, Birkin spent his youth in his own introspective worlds. He spent his time developing creatures and environments that he imagined, drawing for hours. It was not until he entered college that his arts education truly began, and all that independent development started coming together. Eric received his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the University of Utah in 2016 and continued his education here in Baltimore at the Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art where he attained his Master’s degree in Fine Arts. He has spent the last two years as an instructor at CAC and has recently taken on a new role as Gallery Coordinator. When he is not working at CAC, Eric is traveling the country with his fiancé and their new little helper, selling their artwork at conventions.
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In the Studio with Artist Lexi Arrietta
A collection of foraged and found, naturally occurring and manufactured. Lexi’s work relies heavily on her connection with nature and her ability to construct these delicately balanced sculptures that elicit curiosity and familiarity simultaneously. There is a graceful harmony in the pairing of elements she uses in each piece, transforming what they once were into a visual language she uses to process and understand her own innermost workings. Lexi grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, laying the foundation for her connection with her natural surroundings.
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In the Studio with Artist Colleen Harkins
Connecting the senses and giving form to that which has none. Colleen Harkins work is a record of lived experience, driven by process and ritual. Based on connecting the senses and her environment, her paintings as she describes them “are form given to the formless inner experience”. Abstract shapes and organic forms take shape on her canvas as visual markers, evidence of a lived moment in time and space. Colleen’s appreciation for the natural world and connecting with her environment took root growing up near Pennsylvania forests.
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In the Studio with Artist Dasha Kalumuck
Dasha has been creating art since she was very young. For her, art has been a safe outlet for her to express her feelings. Dasha’s illustrations take the form of a comic-like style, coupling witty humor with characters that she has developed over the years. She works in a variety of mediums and enjoys taking an idea and putting her own personal spin on it. Dasha has been a member artist of Make Studio since 2015. When she is not illustrating, she likes going on “crazy adventures”.
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In the Studio with Artist Margie Smeller
Margie’s illustrations are a delightful combination of whimsy and color. She draws inspiration from pop films and National Geographic. Margie develops and composes her drawings into these wonderfully vibrant patterns that dance across the page. When she is not working on commissions or exhibiting her work, Margie is an accomplished athlete who competes in snowshoeing, skiing and kayaking.
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In the Studio with Artist Amy Holt Cline
California native, Amy Cline, channels sunshine and good vibes in her artwork. Much of her work is inspired by the ocean, nature and the rhythms of life which is evident in the vivid color palette that sprawls across her canvases. Amy’s brightly colored pieces emanate happiness and positivity. Much of her work is also set at a larger scale, making them very inviting to view and experience the pigment, textures and patterns.
Cline studied art at the University of the Arts and receive her M. A. in Art Education. She went on to develop a method of teaching science concepts utilizing art theory in her classroom. She also completed an apprenticeship under Philadelphia based artist, James Dupree and has exhibited her work in both Philadelphia and Brooklyn art spaces.
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In the Studio with Artist Jiwoo Shin
Looking at Jiwoo Shin’s work is an experience. There is so much color, life and movement within each one. She utilizes bold brush strokes combined with intense color that create these individual abstract worlds. By layering, adding, removing, and blending her medium, you can see each paintings’ history, bringing you on a journey through her process.
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In the Studio with Artist Lexi Arrietta
Lexi Arrietta’s works of art rely heavily on nature, both in subject matter and foraged materials. She utilizes these organic forms, growths and findings and sculpts them into creations that are a visual guide and interpretation of emotion. Many of Lexi’s pieces draw from internal struggles and issues not openly discussed in our society; drawing comparisons from these feelings within herself to the natural world around her.
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In the Studio with Artist Stephanie Smith
Stephanie Smith’s portraits are filled with color and deliberate, expressive brush strokes resulting in highly emotional depictions of her subjects. Though her works are not realistic, there is a reality to them that you can feel in the way she paints them. There is movement in her strokes and depth from layering. Her use of natural light and highlighting gives her subjects an almost angelic appearance. Her work captures the essence of who she is painting.
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In the Studio with Artist Caitlin Gill
Upon initial inspection, Caitlin’s work can catch you off guard; Chicken feet, cicadas, grubs, decaying birds. But you can’t stop looking. The subject matter and the manner in which she captures them is graceful. She utilizes a soft color palette and delicate materials to create a juxtaposition with the sometimes jarring nature of the subject. Her work represents the struggle between balancing the ideas of femininity in culture and in nature.
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