at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Spring Has Sprung

Written by Crystal Schelle

Springtime is a beautiful reminder of renewal and the awakening of things that have hibernated underground throughout winter. At City Park Lake, outside of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, we’ll soon be spotting goslings and the trees will be fully budding, to remind us that nothing stays the same.

In a way, spring reminds me of the museum. Just because you visited us when you were in elementary school or slipped in to use our restrooms while enjoying a day in the park, chances are many of the items you saw on display that day are not on display now. And that’s exactly why it’s time to schedule a day to come for a visit.

It’s also a reason to try new things. Did you always want to learn how to paint? We can help! Want your child to experience an art-based summer camp? We have a camp for that!

Here are just a few exciting things we have lined up for the next few months, so plan your trip accordingly.

Exhibitions

The Cumberland Valley Artists Exhibition and Cumberland Valley Photographers Exhibition are currently on display until April 23. This juried exhibition features 95 pieces created by 85 artists and photographers from the Quad State area. This is a chance to see the incredible creativity of talented people from our area in not only photography, oils and acrylic paints but also mediums such as sculpture and quilting, to name but a few.

In May, we welcome a longtime Washington County tradition — two exhibitions that feature the artwork of area students. The Washington County Public Schools Elementary Art Exhibition is May 6-14. Then from May 20-28, the work of middle and high school students will be featured in the Washington County Public Schools Secondary Art Exhibition.

We will also open a special exhibition with local ties, Landscapes & Legends of Norway: William Singer & His Contemporaries. William Singer, along with his wife, Hagerstown native Anna Brugh Singer, were the museum’s founders. They spent several years living in Norway, which became a second home for them both. This exhibition celebrates William Singer’s love for his adopted countryside with an exhibition of his paintings.

Classes

We are constantly adding new classes to our lineup, but we offer an array of activities.

On Friday, March 31, yoga instructor Christa Angelo and Stephanie

Flores of Alchemy Yoga and Soul Empowerment will host a Spring Renewal Yoga and Sound Bath in the museum’s Kaylor Atrium. We had a nice crowd for our last class with the ladies. Participants will be guided through a gentle yoga flow for all experience levels, followed by a sound journey.

Cumberland Valley Artist winner Nancy Kautz will lead a watercolor workshop Saturday, April 1, at the museum. Kautz will guide participants through various watercolor techniques to create a pastoral landscape. $60; $50 members.

Cumberland Valley Artist David Bottini will lead a class on traditional landscape painting. Instruction includes two videos and two in-person classes, Saturdays, May 20 and June 3, at 2 p.m. Prior to first class, students must watch an instructional/introduction video, as well as choose a subject, take photos, develop sketches and prep canvases. Class 1: work with tra- ditional layered approach, i.e. sketch, massing, underpainting. Second video covers the intermediate steps: color, glazing, building from the backward forward. Class 2: wrap up paintings, summary discussion/critique.

Event

Cumberland Valley Artists and Photographers Exhibition

Community Day will be Saturday, April 15. This free event celebrates the artists and photographers who are part of this special exhibition. The day will include an art vendor sale that features the work of those who were selected to be part of the exhibition. The event also features music and a beer tasting (for those 21 and older) by Thick-n-Thin Brewery of Hagerstown. The family-friendly event is open to everyone.

Summer Camp

Now’s the time to think about what to do with the kids this summer? We are hosting a Monday through Friday summer camp July 17-21, called Little Vikings: Explore Legends and Magic. Explore the exhibition, Legends and Landscapes, get inspired by the gods, legends and folk tales of Norway. The camp is open to ages 8 to 13.

To sign up for any of the classes or summer camp, visit wcmfa.org/ art-classes.

I encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, sign up for our newsletter to keep abreast of all the wonderful opportunities we have to offer. Come and experience something new at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts.

Crystal Schelle is director of marketing and communications for Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. To learn more about the museum, go to www.wcmfa.org. Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. It is closed Mondays and on major holidays. To become a museum member, contact Donna Rastelli at drastelli@ wcmfa.org or call 301-739-5727.

A Dream Of Summer

John Greenleaf Whittier

So, in those winters of the soul, By bitter blasts and drear

O’erswept from Memory’s frozen pole, Will sunny days appear.

Reviving Hope and Faith, they show The soul its living powers, And how beneath the winter’s snow Lie germs of summer flowers!