Kent County Arts and Entertainment Events- February 2018

Natalie Diaz was born and raised in the Fort Mojave Indian Village in Needles, California. She is Mojave and an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Tribe. Her poetry collection, When My Brother Was an Aztec, was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2012. Her work has also appeared in Narrative Magazine, Gwarlingo, The Rumpus, and Ploughshares. Her poetry has garnered the Nimrod/Hardman Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry, the Louis Untermeyer Scholarship in Poetry, the Narrative Poetry Prize, the Holmes National Poetry Prize from Princeton, and numerous other prizes and fellowships.

Artist Sarah Hutchison Focht joins us to lead a painting experience! Participants will be led through the process step-by-step recreating a fantastic fish-filled scene.

Spaces are available for individual adults AND adult/child pairs. Children ages 8-12 may participate as part of a pair. Teens 13+ may participate as individuals or as part of a pair.

Registration is required and space is limited!

On First Friday in February, The Artists' Gallery invites you to a reception from 5-8 p.m. in celebration of Valentine's Day. The Beatles once sang, "All you need is love," but a beautiful, handcrafted piece of jewelry from the Artists' Gallery never hurts. Come see the sterling silver jewelry creations by Michele Armitano, delightful earrings and necklaces in argentium silver, beading and stones by Roseannette Cooper, artfully designed neclaces made with found objects by Carol Casey and crocheted wire, freshwater pearls, stones and glass beads by Jeannette Silva.

African-American Poet Robert Earl Price will read from his work and speak of the events that have shaped his career as a black cultural worker in America. Mr. Price is a veteran of the Black Arts Movement that influenced and was influenced by the recent Civil Rights movement. His poetry strives to capture the visceral impact of the heroism of survival in an oppressive society, often incorporating the lyricism and rhythm of Jazz and Blues.

Every Monday night pianist Joe Holt hosts an evening of diverse music. Joe’s special guest for this evening is Saxophonist Paul Carr, Executive and Artistic Director of the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival. His long resume as a performer, presenter and educator includes Howard University’s “Benny Golson Jazz Master Award” and performing nationally and internationally, sharing the stage with many of the greatest names in jazz. Tonight, he shares the Mainstay stage with Joe. Admission is $10. Use the Buy Tickets link on the Mainstay website or call for reservations 410-639-9133.

Kim Zarins has a PhD in English from Cornell University and teaches medieval literature and children's literature at Sacramento State University. Her debut novel, Sometimes We Tell the Truth (Simon and Schuster, 2016), retells Chaucer's Canterbury Tales with modern teens, transforming the fourteenth-century collection into contemporary genres and tackling issues relevant for today's teens.

Join us for a community celebration of African-American authors! Come to listen or bring a selection you'd like to share and take part as a reader.

10am - Readings that are family-friendly for all ages
11am - Readings may contain more mature themes

After the readings, stay for a slice of pizza and conversation.

Questions about the program or interested in being a reader? Call 410.778.3636 or email awoodall@kent.lib.md.us

The National African American Read-In is the nation’s oldest event dedicated to diversity in literature. It was established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English in order to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month.

Every Monday night pianist Joe Holt hosts an evening of diverse music. Joe’s special guest for this evening is Tom Dove, described as having "a voice like silk." Tim has long been active singing and leading music in church, but has also performed and recorded with Joe, and other local favorites including Sue Matthews, Karen Somerville, John Schratwieser and Beth McDonald. Tonight, with Valentine's Day in view, Tim joins Joe to sing some of his favorites, and yours. Admission is $10. Use the Buy Tickets link on the Mainstay website or call for reservations 410-639-9133.

Elena Deanna-Camacho is Associate Professor of Spanish and Director of the Black Studies Program at Washington College. She studies transatlantic Spanish literature from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment in Spain and New Spain. She has published recent essays and articles on Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and Teresa de Cartagena.  

Mainstay Founder Tom McHugh celebrates his 80th year with a concert by one of his very favorite groups, The University of Delaware Jazz Ensemble. This is the top Jazz group at the University of Delaware and they are 18 strong for this show focusing on classic big (big!) band sounds. Guest soloist will be saxophonist Todd Groves. You may hear some Basie, Ellington, May, Kenton and some great jazz originals. The concert is free with a donation but please make a reservation online at the Mainstay website or call 410-639-9133.

Every Monday night pianist Joe Holt hosts an evening of diverse music. Joe’s special guest for this evening is Keith Thompson, a familiar voice to Kent County as a longstanding on-air personality at WCTR radio. He also has a long history as a musician, having performed on guitar and vocals with classic local rock bands and as a singer/songwriter, and a solo performer at the Garfield Center's open mic night. Tonight, in a duo performance with Joe, genres will meld, and fun will be had. Admission is $10. Use the Buy Tickets link on the Mainstay website or call for reservations 410-639-9133.

Organ Recital by Dexter Kennedy He has performed through North America and Europe
while serving as Assistant Organist at Christ Church, Grosse Pointe, Michigan. This will be his second performance on the the church's Harrison and Harrison organ .

The event will be held at the SULTANA building on Cross Street, Chestertown, Md. and will feature the art of students and faculty of Kent County Public Schools.

There will be silent and live auctions of the art.
Entertainment provided by a variety of arts groups from Kent County Schools.

We will be joined by some of the student artists, and faculty artists as well as distinguished graduates of Kent County Schools arts programs.

Tickets are $40 and the funds will go to support the Arts in our schools.
Food, Drink, Art, Kids,: What more can you ask?

Unique handmade arts and crafts including furniture, folk art, knitting, crochet, jewelry, gourd birdhouses, quilts, wall hangings, placemats, linens, wreaths, lamps, garden flags, wood bowls, cutting boards, glass bottle art, etched glass, shell crafts, paper crafts, notecards, machine embroidery, miniature house plaques, soaps and lotions, wildflower honey, fishing lures, fish carvings, etc.

The Hedgelawn Classical Music Series presents The L'abri Trio, the collaboration since 2012 of three outstanding young musicians at the Peabody Conservatory: saxophonist Kenny Baik, cellist Mauricio Rey Gallego, and pianist Bonghee Lee, dedicated to usine their unique instrumentation to reimage classics from Bach, Schumann, Poulenc, and Piazzolla, while commissioning new works from some of today’s most imaginative composers. Admission is $15. Buy tickets online at the Mainstay website or call for reservations.

Every Monday night pianist Joe Holt hosts an evening of diverse music. Joe’s special guests for this evening are John Ewart, sax and clarinet and Mike McShane, drums who along with Joe on keyboards form the instrumental nucleus of Shore Jazz, a fixture at the Delaware shore and beyond. Tonight John and Mike join Joe to perform a wide variety of jazz classics. There will be casual seating, tables so you can bring your own snack or dinner and a cash bar.Admission is $10. Use the Buy Tickets link on the Mainstay website or call for reservations 410-639-9133.