https://chestertownspy.org Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown Thu, 08 May 2025 13:34:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/08/spy-profile-john-waters-brings-the-naked-truth-to-the-avalon/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/08/spy-profile-john-waters-brings-the-naked-truth-to-the-avalon/#respond Thu, 08 May 2025 13:34:26 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/08/spy-profile-john-waters-brings-the-naked-truth-to-the-avalon/ Filmmaker, author, artist, and cultural icon John Waters has spent more than five decades daring people to look at what they usually turn away from. Known for cult classics like Pink Flamingos, Polyester, and Hairspray, Waters made a career out of unsettling, challenging, and, ultimately, delighting audiences. On May 9, he brings his latest one-man show, The Naked Truth, […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/08/spy-profile-john-waters-brings-the-naked-truth-to-the-avalon/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/01/avalon-spy-night-preview-poet-meredith-davies-hadaway/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/01/avalon-spy-night-preview-poet-meredith-davies-hadaway/#respond Thu, 01 May 2025 13:17:01 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/01/avalon-spy-night-preview-poet-meredith-davies-hadaway/ Over the last few years, Meredith Davies Hadaway has increasingly been seen as the region’s foremost eco-poet as she draws on her time on the Eastern Shore and her love for the Chester River. That is why Hadaway will be headlining the upcoming Spy Night at the Avalon on May 7th.  She will read from […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/01/avalon-spy-night-preview-poet-meredith-davies-hadaway/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/30/jazz-legend-don-vappie-returns-a-talk-with-phil-dutton/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/30/jazz-legend-don-vappie-returns-a-talk-with-phil-dutton/#respond Wed, 30 Apr 2025 13:00:25 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183916 http:// Between the Chestertown Jazz Festival, the National Music Festival, weekly performances at Rock Hall’s Mainstay, and special events at the Garfield Center for the Arts, music has become a bright light in Chestertown’s thriving arts scene. And it’s about to shine even brighter, thanks to local musician and founder of The Alligators, Phil Dutton. […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/30/jazz-legend-don-vappie-returns-a-talk-with-phil-dutton/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/spy-review-chesapeake-musics-series-ends-with-a-flourish/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/spy-review-chesapeake-musics-series-ends-with-a-flourish/#respond Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:52:01 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/spy-review-chesapeake-musics-series-ends-with-a-flourish/ On Sunday afternoon, at The Ebenezer Theater in Easton, the Hesper Quartet, a Korean-American string quartet based in New York City, charmed the audience with the music of Benjamin Britten and Bedřich Smetana. The quartet was then joined by Chinese pianist Ying Li for a piano quintet by Dmitri Shostakovich. The result: technical mastery, inspirational […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/spy-review-chesapeake-musics-series-ends-with-a-flourish/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/23/the-chesapeake-screen-a-chat-with-new-chesapeake-film-festival-president-irene-magafan/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/23/the-chesapeake-screen-a-chat-with-new-chesapeake-film-festival-president-irene-magafan/#respond Wed, 23 Apr 2025 14:36:49 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/23/the-chesapeake-screen-a-chat-with-new-chesapeake-film-festival-president-irene-magafan/ Editor’s note: The Spy has proudly supported the Chesapeake Film Festival since 2010. Over the past fifteen years, we’ve explored various ways to share with our Mid-Shore readers just how fortunate we are to have a festival that consistently delivers thoughtful, engaging, and artistically rich programming. This year, we’re expanding that commitment by co-producing a […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/23/the-chesapeake-screen-a-chat-with-new-chesapeake-film-festival-president-irene-magafan/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/19/spy-theater-review-man-from-earth-visits-oxford-by-steve-parks/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/19/spy-theater-review-man-from-earth-visits-oxford-by-steve-parks/#respond Sat, 19 Apr 2025 13:50:44 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/19/spy-theater-review-man-from-earth-visits-oxford-by-steve-parks/ To understand where a play entitled “The Man From Earth” comes from – aren’t we all men and women, etc. from Earth? – look to the author of the book on which the screenplay and subsequent stage drama was drawn as source material. The play evolved in stages from the mind of Jerome Bixby who […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/19/spy-theater-review-man-from-earth-visits-oxford-by-steve-parks/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/02/earth-music-two-painters-one-song/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/02/earth-music-two-painters-one-song/#respond Wed, 02 Apr 2025 15:14:53 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/02/earth-music-two-painters-one-song/ What if the earth could sing—and we stopped to listen? That’s the idea behind Earth Music, a new exhibit opening April 4 at Spiralis Gallery in Easton. It combines the work of Dane Tilghman and Larry Horowitz—two painters with very different styles and backgrounds but with something in common—a shared connection to land, memory, and story. […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/02/earth-music-two-painters-one-song/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/30/sci-fi-comes-to-oxford-a-chat-with-the-man-from-earth-director-cece-storm/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/30/sci-fi-comes-to-oxford-a-chat-with-the-man-from-earth-director-cece-storm/#respond Sun, 30 Mar 2025 15:10:50 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/30/sci-fi-comes-to-oxford-a-chat-with-the-man-from-earth-director-cece-storm/ Tred Avon Players (TAP) continues its 2025 season with The Man From Earth, a thought-provoking sci-fi drama by Richard Schenkman. Based on the book by Jerome Bixby and directed by Cecile Storm, the production runs from April 17 to 27 at the Oxford Community Center. Season passes and individual show tickets are available at www.tredavonplayers.org. […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/30/sci-fi-comes-to-oxford-a-chat-with-the-man-from-earth-director-cece-storm/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/29/cuban-links-in-cambridge-by-anke-van-wagenberg/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/29/cuban-links-in-cambridge-by-anke-van-wagenberg/#comments Sat, 29 Mar 2025 14:34:59 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183226 Sometimes the best art happens in your own back yard. In this case the Cuban Links exhibition at the Dorchester Center for the Arts, excellently guest-curated by Jon West-Bey. He is a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, and a curator, museum consultant, and owner of West-Bey Consulting in Washington, DC. For the Cambridge exhibition he […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/29/cuban-links-in-cambridge-by-anke-van-wagenberg/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/28/nightcats-kicks-off-sultanas-2025-first-friday-season/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/28/nightcats-kicks-off-sultanas-2025-first-friday-season/#respond Fri, 28 Mar 2025 11:00:09 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183265 On Friday, April 4, the Sultana Education Foundation kicks off its 2025 “First Fridays” season with a live performance by Nightcats, the latest musical project for Easton native Jimmy McGuire.  The parking lot at Sultana’s Holt Education Center (300 S. Cross St)  opens at 5:00pm, and in addition to Nightcats guests can look forward to […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/28/nightcats-kicks-off-sultanas-2025-first-friday-season/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/26/garfield-calls-for-playmakers-2025-counselors-and-interns/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/26/garfield-calls-for-playmakers-2025-counselors-and-interns/#respond Wed, 26 Mar 2025 15:00:17 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183190 Playmakers, the Garfield Center for the Arts’ annual summer theatre youth education camp, is gearing up for its 2025 edition. The camp will once again be overseen by director Kaitlyn Wright, this year’s Kent County Teacher of the Year. Every year, the camp is staffed with counselors and interns, many of whom were past participants […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/26/garfield-calls-for-playmakers-2025-counselors-and-interns/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/26/massoniart-showcases-collaborative-hostetler-and-crocetta-installation/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/26/massoniart-showcases-collaborative-hostetler-and-crocetta-installation/#respond Wed, 26 Mar 2025 14:34:38 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183208 What do you get when you combine Susan Hostetler’s sculpted birds, Jacqui Crocetta’s ocean paintings, and Carla Massoni’s commitment to showcasing the creative process? A collaborative installation that celebrates the fragility, beauty and interdependence of migratory birds and the ocean! “After telling Carla about our idea for a collaborative installation, she immediately suggested we present […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/26/massoniart-showcases-collaborative-hostetler-and-crocetta-installation/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/22/rembrandt-comes-to-america-by-anke-van-wagenberg/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/22/rembrandt-comes-to-america-by-anke-van-wagenberg/#respond Sat, 22 Mar 2025 13:10:37 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183115 I recently attended the opening of the exhibition Rembrandt: Masterpieces in Black and White—Prints from the Rembrandt House Museum at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in the United Kingdom, where it will be on view through June 1, 2025. A fellow Dutchman, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) is widely regarded as one of the […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/22/rembrandt-comes-to-america-by-anke-van-wagenberg/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/11/kcas-2025-resident-artists/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/11/kcas-2025-resident-artists/#respond Tue, 11 Mar 2025 11:00:23 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182927 The Kent Cultural Alliance is excited to announce the first class of artists  2025 SFW Resident Artist Program.  Working under the theme of FOOD, and in partnership with several local food providers, these artists will explore relevant topics like food production, “farm to table”, food insecurity and more during their six-week stay with KCA. Primary […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/11/kcas-2025-resident-artists/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/08/bookplate-author-event-rachel-kousser-and-alexander-at-the-end-of-the-world/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/08/bookplate-author-event-rachel-kousser-and-alexander-at-the-end-of-the-world/#respond Sat, 08 Mar 2025 15:00:29 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182885 The Bookplate are continuing their 2025 season of author lectures on March 19th with author Rachel Kousser for a 6pm event at Sultana’s Lawrence Wetlands Preserve. She will be discussing her new book; Alexander at The End of The World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great. Kousser’s book is a riveting biography of […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/08/bookplate-author-event-rachel-kousser-and-alexander-at-the-end-of-the-world/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/08/mark-dion-and-alexis-rockman-journey-to-natures-underworld/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/08/mark-dion-and-alexis-rockman-journey-to-natures-underworld/#respond Sat, 08 Mar 2025 14:00:54 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182879 I recently attended the opening of Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld exhibition at the Lowe Art Museum, at the University of Miami, FL, where it will be on view through July 20, 2025. This wonderful exhibition is the first two-person exhibition of these closely allied artists, offering a compelling tour through […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/08/mark-dion-and-alexis-rockman-journey-to-natures-underworld/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/01/art-food-and-identity-in-the-age-of-impressionism-by-anke-van-wagenberg/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/01/art-food-and-identity-in-the-age-of-impressionism-by-anke-van-wagenberg/#respond Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:19:37 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/01/art-food-and-identity-in-the-age-of-impressionism-by-anke-van-wagenberg/ Working at the American Federation of Arts is just about as exciting as an art curator’s job can be, with lots of, yes curating exhibitions, publishing catalogs, and related travel (while living in beautiful Talbot County). Bringing art to a wide public has been the AFA’s mission as the leader in traveling exhibitions internationally. A […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/01/art-food-and-identity-in-the-age-of-impressionism-by-anke-van-wagenberg/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/26/march-at-the-mainstay/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/26/march-at-the-mainstay/#respond Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:00:05 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182677 Nevin Dawson’s new chamber music group Nevin Dawson, the Eastern Shore’s favorite violist, will perform with cellist Denise Nathanson and flutist Ashley Watkins at The Mainstay’s next Classical Music concert on Sunday, March 9 at 4 PM. The show is made possible with support provided by the Hedgelawn Foundation in memory of Judy Kohl These […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/26/march-at-the-mainstay/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/24/spy-concert-review-jordan-tice-showcases-new-and-old-at-the-stoltz-listening-room/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/24/spy-concert-review-jordan-tice-showcases-new-and-old-at-the-stoltz-listening-room/#respond Mon, 24 Feb 2025 13:00:35 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182649 Jordan Tice, who launched his national tour at the Avalon Theatre’s Stoltz Listening Room last week, bridges the gap between old-time tradition and modern storytelling. Whether he discovered bluegrass icons like Doc Watson and ragtime guitarist Blind Blake before finding his way to Bob Dylan, Randy Newman, and Paul Simon—or the other way around—his music […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/24/spy-concert-review-jordan-tice-showcases-new-and-old-at-the-stoltz-listening-room/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/19/spy-concert-review-ellis-paul-at-the-stoltz/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/19/spy-concert-review-ellis-paul-at-the-stoltz/#respond Wed, 19 Feb 2025 14:25:40 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/19/spy-concert-review-ellis-paul-at-the-stoltz/ There was a moment near the end of veteran singer-songwriter Ellis Paul’s performance at the Avalon Theatre’s Stoltz Listening Room on Sunday night that perfectly captured why a sold-out crowd had braved the rain to hear live music. As Paul prepared to close out his set, an audience member called out a request for “Home,” […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/19/spy-concert-review-ellis-paul-at-the-stoltz/feed/ 0