In the Studio with Artist Catherine Mapp
My art explores the human experience, especially in relation to music, and how it has the ability to foster a sense of connectedness. My involvement in the DMV electronic music scene as well as experiences growing up in the subtropics have shaped my uniquely vibrant personal aesthetic. Listening to music is often the jumping-off point in the studio that induces a trance-like focus on mark-making and color layering, where the hand is directed through painting to interact with different performative mythologies (rituals) and healing practices. My work speaks to the viewer through the symbolic language of color, memory, ancestral connection, and hieroglyphics.
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In the Studio with Artist Becky Borlan
Becky Borlan is a Baltimore-based public artist known for her large-scale installations that use light and color to inspire wonder and playfulness. She approaches her art with childlike curiosity, experimenting with various materials and color theory to create vibrant and whimsical works. With a background in public art dating back to 2009, including collaborations with artists like Janet Echelman and Steven Weitzman, she has developed a passion for large-scale sculptures and suspended artworks
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In the Studio with Artist Maria Paula Rodriguez
Maria Paula Rodriguez is a multi-disciplinary artist born in El Salvador in 1998. When she was 15 years old, she and her mother moved to The U.S to pursue a better life. She started painting at a young age, and continued to do so all throughout highschool. She attended The Savannah College of Art and Design, and earned a B.F.A in Fashion Design in 2021. After college she moved back to Maryland, where she is now based and works as a Print Designer. Maria loves blending her painting skills with fashion. Her art ranges from paintings, to clothing, to pottery; all focusing on themes of identity, emotions, and storytelling. Maria’s artwork inspiration roots from her childhood in El Salvador, losing her sister to gang violence at an early age and her life as an immigrant. She paints with acrylics, and makes use of bright bold colors that symbolize hope and courage in her life. Painting has helped Maria heal her inner child and hopes that her artworks provide happiness and comfort to the people who see them.
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In the Studio with Artist Camila Leão Lopes
Camila Leão is a visual artist specializing in illustration, painting, public art, and graphic design. Originally from Brazil, Camila recently moved to Baltimore and has been active in the local art community, participating in a number of projects. Her art style features vibrant colors, mixed textures and fluid elements. Most recently, she was featured in Baltimore Magazine and designed the artwork for the largest sculpture in the city of Essex, Maryland. Camila's art depicts her connection to the surrounding nature and world, as is inspired by her South American origins. Her work is featured on various surfaces, including canvases and street/ city structures.
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In the Studio with Artist and Instructor Chris Potts
Chris Potts, a burgeoning watercolor artist painting for the past four years, wields color and brush with finesse. His sweeping landscapes evoke a private serenity in his works. His pieces have graced galleries and shows regionally and in Annapolis, earning acclaim from both peers and enthusiasts. A new educator at Chesapeake Arts Center, Chris shares his learned skills, nurturing budding artists.
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In the Studio with Artist Aynex Mercado
Aynex was born in 1978 in Puerto Rico and now lives in USA. She came to the US in 1996 to go to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In 1997 had a car accident and suffered a spinal cord injury. Before the accident, Aynex was right-handed and after the accident, she couldn't control her right hand very well so she learned to be left-handed. Some people say that that left-handed people are more artistic. Aynex was creative before the accident but now she is very interested in art. She has been self-taught in her art and works intuitively.
Aynex moved to Frederick, MD in 2008 to start a new stage in her life and re-invented herself. Went back to school obtained a degree in Digital Design. Now she is a web designer and developer at the National Institutes of Health.
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CHESAPEAKE ARTS CENTER PRESENTS 9th Annual Arts In The Park FREE Community Festival
Chesapeake Arts Center’s (CAC’s) ninth annual Arts in the Park Free Festival will take place on September 30, 2023 from 10 am-3 pm (rain date October 1, 10 am-3 pm). This FREE community event will be held in front of CAC’s Hammonds Lane Theatre (adjacent to Brooklyn Park Middle School). The event will feature fun, creative, and interactive activities for all ages, live music and performances, over 60 art and community vendors, and local food truck favorites.
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In the Studio with Artist Jesse Raudales
Internationally acclaimed artist Jesse Raudales was the first Latino artist to be commissioned to commemorate the US Olympic team in 2006. Since then, his work and career have continued to grow exponentially, and he has been using his influence to ensure that he will not be the last. Jesse’s work is highly socially and politically relevant, painting a picture specifically about the struggles of being part of a minority group in the United States. His work can be found in museums, galleries, and private collections across the country and around the world.
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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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