Discover Delmarva: Academy Art Museum
EASTON, Md- The Academy Art Museum in Easton houses impressive artwork and offers specialized classes to the community across the Eastern Shore. Director of Education and Interpretation Daedelus Hoffman showed us around a few of the exhibitions and introduced us to some of the instructors you’ll find at the Museum. We started on the first floor, where a Bugatti car was on display. Hoffman tells us “Right now we have an exhibition entitled Buggati Reaching Perfection. And that looks at the Bugatti family. Bugatti is most commonly known as a car manufacturer, but this story tells a story of family creativity.”
The impressive collection is truly eye-popping and tells the history of the family’s innovative outlook that they shared. This shared value for the family drove their creativity, which aligns with the museum’s mission. According to Hoffman, “I think it displays to folks that they can be a part of it you know. Often, when I’m teaching in the galleries, people will say to me, “Anybody can do that,” and I think that the point of art is that anybody can do that.
A great way to learn how to make art is through one of the many classes the Museum offers. They have a star-studded team of teachers who are eager to share their knowledge and talents with us. We got to meet Bernie Dellario, who was working with acrylic paints. He’s one of the instructors here and says this painting is perfect for the outdoors and painting landscapes. Right next to Bernie was Naomi Clark-Turner, who was working on an impressive portrait piece. Using just a graphite pencil, she was able to bring this image to life. She says simple shading can make all the difference in a piece. Hoffman says their instructors cover all mediums of art. “It’s one of the gifts that we have here, is we have such a diversity of media. From painting, acrylics, oils, and pastels, to printmaking, to ceramics, wire sculpture, and photography.”
Mary Pritchard was working on a snowy pastel piece and showed us a few tricks. She says you’ll want to do the dark colors first, then work with the lighter ones to prevent any muddying of the work. We noticed some artwork that was springing to life. Seriously, Stephen Walker showed us the sculptures he created using just his hands and some pliers. The wires were formed into life-like animals, making something out of almost nothing! Meg Nottingham’s piece was upside down? She says this helps the positioning of the subject and is one of the many techniques she teaches. The best part about what you’re seeing is that all of them teach this to the public!
Hoffman says these classes help intertwine the museum viewers to actively engage in their creative side, “In the studios upstairs here at The Academy Art Museum. You can become more than just an audience member, you can become an artist.” We finished off with a more hands-on experience with Loretta Lowman. throwing the same clay and getting her hands dirty, bringing her vision to life. One of the most impressive things was seeing how a small mistake can be transformed into a beautiful final product.
Hoffman says all of these experiences come full circle for visitors. “I think what’s most rewarding for me to see is the cycle between folks being inspired by art downstairs in the galleries. And then coming upstairs and being able to participate in art making. That cycle of seeing something, being inspired by it, and making your own mark.”
Now the museum has classes are people of all ages, regardless of your membership. They offer a variety of programs after school and after work. For more information on their classes, exhibitions, or their hours of operation, check out their website.
