OC Center To Focus On Young Artists In June

OCEAN CITY — The Art League of Ocean City, located within the Ocean City Center for the Arts on 94th Street bayside, will be bringing a diverse young group of artists presenting contemporary themes and subject matter to the resort next month.

The galleria, in keeping with the theme of bringing in a variety of artists, will feature the work of six "artists to watch" in the future. The talented group consists of artists who previously studied with Professor Jinchul Kim at Salisbury University. Many of them went on to receive their Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees and some no longer live in the area. Their artwork is powerful, dynamic and explores current social themes. The artists featured for this show will be Chris Hill, Jordan Koehler, Christy Jones, Nick Dobrodey, Leah Lewman and Evan Fitzgerald, the son of well-known artist Kevin Fitzgerald who recently completed his MFA degree at James Madison University.

Throughout June, the main gallery will feature a mixed media show by local and regional artists, many of whom are Art League members. Mixed media is a term that is used when a variety of mediums are combined to form one piece of art. Examples of mixed media can include painting and collage, pen and pastel, and watercolor and acrylic. Mixed media has become popular as artists continue to break down the walls of traditional artwork.

To even further enhance this celebration of the arts, during the month of June, the Brown Box Theatre Group will perform "The Nina Variations", a modern classic play based on Checkov’s "The Seagull". The Nina Variations is a fast paced romantic entanglement of characters and it has gotten rave reviews where it was playing in Boston.

The performance is directed by Brown Box Theatre group co-founder Kyler Taustin, a bright young actor and director who is an Ocean City native and is committed to bringing live theatre to Ocean City. The performances, slated as an intimate night of the arts, will take place in the main gallery area. Seating is limited to 50 seats per show. There will be performances on Saturday, June 8, Sunday, June 9, Monday, June 10 and Tuesday, June 11. Doors open at 6:30 for gallery viewing and performances start at 7:30. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.brownboxtheatre.org

The artist in residence for June is watercolorist Gerilyn Gaskill, a rising star in the field of watercolor. She has a passion for capturing the beauty of Delmarva’s varied scenery. Even though she got a late start in the career of professional fine arts, she now completes a painting a day or pretty close. When she’s not painting, she is teaching others to paint. Gaskill volunteers a great deal of time educating youths in the arts.

Tinsel Hughes will also be joining the gallery as a resident artist in Studio A with her lovely oil paintings, watercolor portraits and sculptures. Tinsel’s work is well collected in the area and has won many awards. She is a member of the Art League of Ocean City, Oil Painters of America, and the Baltimore Watercolor Society. She was also one of the original founding partners of Gallery One located in Ocean View, Del.

The spotlight artist for June is Nancy Katz, who will be showing her beautiful watercolors and acrylic painting. In addition, studio artists Faith Lord, Dorothy Harrison Braun and Potter Erik Hertz will also be creating and selling their artwork in their studios.

The June exhibit opens Friday, June 7 with an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. and hors d’oeuvres provided by Galaxy 66. The exhibit will run through the month of June.

The gallery and artist studios at the Ocean City Center for the Arts are open daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

About The Author: Steven Green

Alternative Text

The writer has been with The Dispatch in various capacities since 1995, including serving as editor and publisher since 2004. His previous titles were managing editor, staff writer, sports editor, sales account manager and copy editor. Growing up in Salisbury before moving to Berlin, Green graduated from Worcester Preparatory School in 1993 and graduated from Loyola University Baltimore in 1997 with degrees in Communications (journalism concentration) and Political Science.