Brightside: History Of Crisfield Exhibit
CRISFIELD, Md. – Locals know Crisfield as a city in Somerset County best known for their crabs, and life on the water. However, the arts and entertainment district is diving deep into Crisfield’s history to show it’s so much more than that, and always has been. “The history is just as important as any new idea that can be brought to town. I think it’s really when you find the proper balance between the two, that you have a thriving small town.”
Telling Crisfield’s story is the recent mission of the Arts and Entertainment district, a history they say is worth remembering to preserve and grow the city. “A lot of times at the end of the day we do come together and were able to pull off really great things when we all work together such as exhibits like this,” says Meredith Lehan, Crisfield Arts, And Entertainment Coordinator.
The recent push to dig up more of Crisfield’s history stems from the city’s 150th anniversary. Storyboards like the ones showcased at the exhibit show a whole new side to Crisfield, which many have yet to see. “So much work had been put into them and they just cover such an extensive period so we said let’s make it a whole exhibit at our gallery here,” says Lehan.
47 ABC got a tour of the exhibit, for a little history lesson. “First and foremost, we started with the native people of this land because that is something that we have to remember and respect,” explains Lehan. She goes on to say, “The kind of culture of watermen, how certain vessels came to evolve over the years, like skipjacks and such. We’ve just really we’ve tied in all kinds of elements of the history of the area with a little bit of a focus on life on the water, just because you can’t escape that in an area like this.”
However, bringing some of these stories to life wasn’t easy. We’re told the arts and entertainment district received some help from a local historian to better tell the true story. “There’s also boards highlighting a great deal of piracy in the area that occurred for a certain period.” Lehan adds, “So I think it’s really cool that we can actually pull from legitimate history in this area and say hey this is what actually did happen here, it’s not just fiction, it’s not just what you see on TV shows, it’s something that’s based on real stories from an area like this.”
ach storyboard represents an aspect of Crisfield that still holds value, even today and for the future. “As long as we focus on both of those things going forward there’s pretty much no stopping it,” says Lehan.
On September 9th, the arts and entertainment district is hosting a Q and A with the local historian who helped create the exhibit. We’re told community members can come and ask questions about Crisfield’s history, as well as the exhibit itself.
The exhibit is held at the Corbin Studio Gallery which is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 to 3 p.m. You can also check out the artist co-op’s artwork who helped create the exhibit.
