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Welcome to Artist Alley,
Washington County Arts Council's electronic newsletter.
We hope this publication will engage you with the arts in your community.
WCAC welcomes your ideas and support as it continues to take the lead in bringing together the community's art organizations to strengthen our region's arts culture.
For artist information, arts events, calls for art, and more visit WCAC's web page...
www.washingtoncountyarts.com.
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The Washington County Arts Council Gallery hosts its February 2023 exhibit, “The 13th Annual Washington County Art Educators.” The exhibit runs through March 7, 2023. The exhibition is sponsored in part by the Mary K. Bowman Fund for Historical Preservation and Fine Arts. | |
New Exhibit---Coming in March | |
St. Maria Goretti High School presents
Little Shop of Horrors
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One of the longest running Off Broadway shows, Little Shop Of Horrors, the charming tongue in cheek comedy has been produced worldwide to incredible success! A deviously delicious sci-fi smash musical, Little Shop Of Horrors has devoured the hearts of theatre goers for over 30 years. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, and Aladdin are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world. Do not miss your chance to see this wild ride of a musical produced on the Maryland Theatre stage! | |
Our Box Office Location is:
The Maryland Theatre
21 South Potomac Street
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Contact Our Box Office
301-790-2000
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The Maryland Theatre
Box Office Hours
Tuesday 12 PM - 6 PM
Wednesday 12 PM - 5 PM
Thursday 12 PM - 6PM
Friday 12 PM - 5 PM
The Box Office is Open
+1 Hour Prior to Showtimes
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FRESH ACADEMICZ URBAN ARTS ACADEMY
TO HOST GRAFFITI ART GALLERY
Fresh Academicz Urban Arts Academy invites the public to attend a Graffiti Art Gallery on Saturday, February 25, 2023. The event will take place at 7:00 p.m. at Hub City Vinyl located at 28 E Baltimore Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740. The gallery will feature art from Fresh Academicz graffiti students and staff that will be for sale. Attendees are encouraged to bid on the artwork throughout the evening.
Owner Peter Arizmendi says, “Come experience hip hop culture influenced from New York City’s Lower East Side (LES). Students are learning how to spread the culture of LES using it as a building block to become future leaders.”
In addition to the graffiti art gallery, there will be performances from Fresh Academicz dance classes featuring hip hop styles of popping and breakdancing. The emcee team from Smile Back Records will also be performing new original music. This is a family-friendly event that is free and open to the public.
For additional information or questions, please contact Owner Peter Arizmendi at freshacademicz@gmail.com or 240-291-1631.
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Celebrate Black History Month with A Night of Comedy
Saturday, February 25, Doors open 8:00 pm
Thick-N-Thin Brewery Co,
18330 Spark Drive, Hagerstown
Join the Friends of the Doleman Black Heritage Museum, Thick-N-Thin Brewery, and SMU ENT LLC for a night of comedy with Big Chuck The landlord and friends for a fundraiser for the Doleman Black Heritage Museum. For this event, doors open at 8 pm. The show starts at 9:30 pm. Tickets are $22 online, and $25 at the door. Our guest will hear the update on the progress of DBHM as it prepares for its new home at 465 Pennsylvania Avenue in Hagerstown, MD. We are humbled by the generosity of Thick-N-Thin Brewery Co. and SMU ENT, LLC, for helping us with the fundraising efforts for this project. If you have any questions, please contact the DBHM Secretary, Ms. Janice Kelsh, at 301.797.5019.
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Amazing Tablescapes
KEEP VOTING ONLINE!
Through Feb. 28, 2023.
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Choose your favorite table and vote with your dollars. Watch our social media for updates on the top five tables, and keep voting for your favorite! Visitors can vote in person with cash or card (by calling 301-739-5727). Or go online at https://wcmfa.org/amazing-tablescapes/ to see photos of the tables and to vote.
The designers and their themes are: Denny Warrenfeltz, Church Picnic Celebrating 190 Years; Sukey Rankin, Oink, Moo, Cock-a-Doodle-Doo; Cindy Downs, Diana of the Chase; Sarah Hall and Jamie Gruzska, Garçon! More fur; Naomi Byler, Valentine Serenade; Barbara Pengelly, Dinner with Poseidon; Bob Morgan, Winter Midnight; Kandy Douglas, Vikki Beyer, and Doris Hoopengardner, Which Came First?; Hana Malone, On Deck; Laura Chalupka, A Homage to Marie; Sherry Cramer, Miss Havisham’s Wedding Breakfast; Dayna Gregory, Buzz Worthy; Brenda Reynolds, Dave Ryan of Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, and Rachel Thomas of BISFA Foundation, A Bikini Bottom Brunch, inspired by SpongeBob the Musical; Weaver’s Roundtable, Fiber Fantasy; Tammy Staley, Teeny Tiny Tables and Donna Staley, Teddy Bear Picnic.
Amazing Tablescapes is generously supported by Blackie and Ginny Bowen, Dr. Robert & Marjorie Hobbs, Mr. & Mrs. James N. Holzapfel, David and Louisa McCain, Paul & Lotta Mellott, The Hershey Group of RBC Wealth Management, Visit Hagerstown-Washington County, MD, William Pitzer, Roger Fairbourn, Dr. & Mrs. George Manger, Mr. & Mrs. Lee E. Stine, Jr. and Dr. & Mrs. Hugh Talton. Designer sponsors are Susanne Beckwith, Vikki Beyer & Jack Parkin, Emmet & Mary Anne Burke, Sherry Cramer, Adair Eves, Royce Faddis, Doug Mills & Beth Beckner-Mills, Dean & Ashley Notabartolo, Kent & Kathy Oliver and Charles & Cheryl Strong.
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Hagerstown Community College Annual Art Show
at Wilson College
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HCC art students to exhibit work at Wilson College
Wilson College, of Chambersburg, Pa. will host an exhibition of artwork by students of Hagerstown Community College’s Department of Visual Arts, beginning February 1. The exhibition will continue through March 3, in the Bogigian Gallery, which is located on the second floor of Lortz Hall on the Wilson campus.
The exhibition features works of art from current visual arts students at HCC, and includes drawings, paintings, sculpture, and photographs. HCC and Wilson are partnering to provide opportunities to students seeking growth in their disciplines and an exhibition venue outside of Hagerstown. The exhibition also provides a professional experience for those students wishing to transfer to Wilson or other four-year institutions. Both programs offer degrees in visual art, graphic design, and web design, and are well suited for those students wishing to complete a bachelor’s degree.
The Bogigian Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Admission is free. For additional information or an appointment, contact Wilson Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey at 717-264-2783, or philip.lindsey@wilson.edu.
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Congratulations!
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts opened its 90th year of the Cumberland Valley Artists and Photographers Exhibitions with an assortment of new works by Quad-State creators.
An annual tradition since 1933, the Cumberland Valley Artists and Photographers Exhibitions showcase, celebrate, and support artists of the Cumberland Valley region. This juried exhibition accepts work from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. The exhibitions will be on view through April 23, 2023.
Congratulations to The Cumberland Valley Artist Winner of the Washington County Arts Council Inc. Award for the Outstanding Entry for a Washington County, Maryland Artist was Hunt Prothro of Keedysville, Maryland, for “Anatolian Jar.”

Congratulations to the Cumberland Valley Photographers Winner of the Washington County Arts Council Inc. Award, for the Best Photograph by a Washington County, Maryland Photographer was to Douglas Zaruba of Hagerstown for “Four Red Dots.”
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Hunt Prothro of Keedysville, Maryland,
for “Anatolian Jar”
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Douglas Zaruba of Hagerstown, Maryland, for “Four Red Dots” | |
Live On Stage, Inc. and
the Hagerstown Community Concert Association announce
Divas3
to perform in Hagerstown, MD on March 11, 2023!
Powerhouse pop vocal trio, Divas3, will be performing all of your favorite hits by some of the most famous female singers in music history in a live concert at The Maryland Theatre on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Maryland Theatre Box Office or on their website www.mdtheatre.org, $30 for adults and $10 for Students age 4-17. Lobby doors open one hour prior to the show. Theatre seating starts 45 minutes prior to the show for season/individual ticketholders, and 30 minutes prior to the show for reciprocity ticketholders. General seating, there are no assigned seats. For additional ticket information, visit the association web site at www.communityconcertshagerstown.org.
Divas3 consists of powerhouse Las Vegas vocalists performing your favorite chart-topping hits. This unparalleled vocal trio has held multiple residencies in Las Vegas and has performed on many popular cruise lines for audiences all around the world. Their three-part harmony arrangements joined by piano and tracks pays tribute to some of the biggest divas in music history including Cher, Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, and more! Spanning four decades of chart-topping music, this high-energy, high caliber talent show will entertain audiences of all ages! Click Here To View A Video of Divas3.
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St. Patrick’s Day Printmaking
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
03/17/2023 from 11:00am until 1:00pm
Elementary-aged students will make their own cards everything from their fingertips, to leaves, feathers and shoes, to take home. Homeschool students welcome. $15. Register by contacting Donna Rastelli at 301-739-5727 or drastelli@wcmfa.org. Or go online.
Fee: $15
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HCC announces seminars
for annual Flower & Garden Show
The Hagerstown Community College Alumni Association will hold its 27th Annual Flower and Garden Show on Saturday, March 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the ARCC.
More than 150 vendors will take part in the show, named as one of the area’s premier events. Show participants include experts in nurseries, lawn and garden equipment, pottery and statuary, landscaping, tree services, stone products, pools, spas, outdoor furniture, flowers, wild bird products, and natural gourmet gifts from the garden.
Seminars and demonstrations on a variety of gardening topics will be held continuously throughout both days of the event.
Saturday seminars include:
- 9:30 a.m. “Adapting Your Garden to Climate Change” Annette Cormany, University of Maryland Horticulture Educaion
- 10:30 a.m. “The Astonishing Behavior of Honey Bees!” Charles Schwalbe, Washington County Master Gardener
- 11:30 a.m. “Berry Basics,” Ed Higgenbottom, Washington County Master Gardener
- 12:30 p.m. “Maryland’s 5 Million Tree Initiative,” Anna Twigg, Tree Planting Specialist, Department of Natural Resources MD Forest Service
- 1:30 p.m. “Five Fascinating Fungi You Could Grow in Your Backyard,” Laura Robertson, Associate Professor of Biology, Shepherd University
- 2:30 p.m. “Gifts of the Earth, An Introduction to Essential Oils,” Tammy Spitzer, doTERRA Representative
- 3:30 p.m. “Where the Wild Things Are with a Make and Take for Adults,” Mo Theriault, and Susan Stull, Washington County Master Gardeners
Sunday seminars include:
- 11:30 a.m. “Monarch Migration and Creating a Monarch Way Station,” Rick Lowman, Master Gardener, Naturalist, and Composter and Becky Gutherie, Master Gardener, Naturalist, and Monarch Alliance Board Member
- 12:30 p.m. “Composting Myths,” Rick Lowman, Master Gardener, Naturalist, and Composter and Melanie Files, Master Gardener, Naturalist, and Composter
- 1:30 p.m. “Right Tree, Right Place,” Evan Brumfield, Maryland Branch Manager, Cumberland Valley Tree Service
- 2:30 p.m. “Climate Change, Rethinking Your Lawn,” Dusty Graham, Washington County Master Gardener
Show admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 12. Enjoy unlimited seminar presentations with paid daily admission. Proceeds benefit the HCC Alumni Association. Lunch and snacks will be available for purchase at the Garden Café. Free parking and garden-themed children’s activities will be available.
For information about the Flower and Garden Show, contact Lisa Stewart at lsstewart@hagerstowncc.edu, or call 240-500-2346.
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Our History Restored:
The Williamsport Banking Mansion
Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 1:00 PM
135 West Washington Street - Hagerstown, MD 21740
Join the Washington County Historical Society at the Miller House for a lecture on Sunday, March 19, from 1:00-3:00 PM, as Tom & Ben Freeman-Tinsley speak about their journey of restoring the Banking Mansion in Williamsport, MD.
Sundays in the Parlor: Our History Restored, shares the history and restoration of historical homes in Washington County. An individual ticket includes a Sunday lecture at the Miller House parlor and a tour of a historic house on the following Saturday.
The Williamsport Banking Mansion, also known as The Steffey Mansion or Conococheague Banking-House, was built c.1814 as the grand banking house for Washington County’s second state-chartered bank. The Williamsport Banking Mansion became a private residence in 1846 and has remained one ever since. Thomas Freeman, an architect, and Benjamin Tinsley, a project manager in 2021. Since purchasing it, they have carefully overseen extensive restoration and modernization of the home, respecting its past and assuring its future!
Then on Saturday, March 25, join Tom & Ben at the Banking Mansion for an in-person tour of the property and house at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM or 2:00 PM. The historic home's address will be provided following the lecture, and guests can register for tour times following the purchase of a ticket.
(1) Ticket Includes:
• Lecture: Sunday, March 19, 2023; 1:00-3:00 PM
• Tour: Saturday, March 25, 2023; 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM or 2:00 PM
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COMING OF SPRING
Get your tickets now for Art in Bloom as the Museum has challenged floral designers to interpret works of art on view in the museum through floral arrangements. The results are often stunning, beautiful, whimsical, amusing, and always a delight. Opening is Friday, March 24, 2023, (costs is $55). The event continues Saturday, March 25, 2023 and Sunday, March 26, 2023. To purchase tickets for the opening, call Donna Rastelli at 301-739-5727 or drastelli@wcmfa.org.
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Tickets on sale NOW!
One of Washington County's most anticipated events, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra’s 2023 Gala will take place on Saturday, March 25th at the historic Maryland Theatre. Featuring a “Northern Lights: music of Nielsen, Szymanowski & Sibelius” concert with violinist, Nick Kendall, the MSO Gala will be unlike any other in our region offering an evening of incredible experiences with world-class music.
Guests will enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, unique photo opportunities and the ability to bid on auction packages before heading upstairs to the Maryland Theatre Ballroom for a delicious Scandinavian inspired dinner. After dinner, guests will attend the performance by the MSO and return after the concert to the Ballroom for the Post-Concert Experience featuring a toast by Music Director Elizabeth Schulze, additional photo opportunities, dessert, live music & dancing.
For more information, please contact Emily Christine Socks, Director of Development, at 301.797.4000 or esocks@marylandsymphony.org.
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VALLEY ART ASSOCIATION CLASSES | |
ONLINE WORKSHOP
"Draw Your Pet"
Instructor, Nicole Troup
Sponsored by General’s Charcoal
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- Date and Time: Wednesdays, March 8, 15, 22, 29, 2023, 6:30PM-8:30PM Eastern Standard Time
- Location: Zoom, United States
- Registration: Material list and zoom link will be emailed to students after they register. Registration deadline is March 4 , 2023.
- Details: Minimum of 3 students. If the minimum requirement is not met, the class will be canceled 48 hrs. before, and students will have the option of a full refund or credit towards a future class. * Class will be recorded each week to allow students to work on their drawing.
- Cost: $235 for 4 classes. Registration deadline March 4, 2023.
- Contact: Nicole Troup, 717-331-1003 or nfntroup6@gmail.com
CLASS DESCRIPTION:
Instructor, Nicole Troup, will teach students how to draw their pets using General's charcoal pencils and Pan Pastel. As a working pet portrait artist in the field, completing many commissions for clients over the years, Troup will teach the fundamental skills needed to draw an animal portrait through step-by-step instruction. Students will learn many valuable art principles including: proportions, light and shadow, form, fur technique, charcoal and pan pastel techniques, blending and shading, value scale and more. Students are asked to bring in a photo reference of either their pet or other animal of choice (students will need to print a black and white photo in 8x10" or 11x14" size. Animal can be cropped to a head and shoulders view or full figure).
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Pam Wenger:
“Quick Sketch Portrait in Watercolor” Workshop
March 20 deadline to register for Monday, April 3, 2023, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. one-day workshop with award-winning artist Pam Wenger. Cost is $80 for VAA and Museum of Fine Arts members and $90 for non-members. All materials are included. Lunch is provided. Minimum 7, maximum 12 artists. Contact Elaine Wolfe at valleyartinfo@gmail.com or call 304-261-9583 (no text).
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Call for jurors! Maryland Art Place , in collaboration with MSAC, is seeking jurors for the 3rd Maryland State Artist Directory Triennial exhibition. For more information & to apply, visit https://msac.org/about/ways-get-involved.
Deadline to apply is Tuesday, February 28th!
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Did you miss the info session on our Grants for Artists program? We've added an FAQ section here (msac.org/programs/grants-artists) along with a recording of the info session so you're prepared for the Round 2's deadline: April 1st! | |
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Opportunities for Artists
Explore MSAC grants and opportunities available to independent artists, click here for details.
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The Washington County Arts Council, Inc. is funded by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), an agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development. | |
The Washington County Arts Council is a proud member of
County Arts Agencies of Maryland,
Maryland Citizens for the Arts, and Americans for the Arts
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The WCAC facility is wheelchair accessible! | |
Thank you for providing your email address to the
Washington County Arts Council. Your information was obtained from
at least one of the following methods: signing our guest book,
becoming a member, donating, entering a contest, or exhibiting with us.
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