This Father’s Day weekend, more than 60 juried maritime artists and craftspeople from around the country will be showing and selling their beautiful works of art along the Miles River and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. The June 15-17 Arts at Navy Point is part of the 31st Annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival, and includes a number of marine tradespeople exhibiting and exchanging ideas at the event.
The Arts at Navy Point and the Antique & Classic Boat Festival are organized by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, and brings an era of by-gone days to St. Michaels, Md. as wooden and fiberglass classics, vintage race boats, and other antique and Chesapeake Bay-related boats take to the Miles River and are seen on exhibit on CBMM’s 18-acre waterfront campus.
The Arts at Navy Point features nautical- and maritime-related oil and watercolor paintings, maritime models, sculptures created from various media, photographs, wildlife carvings, jewelry, boat models, furniture, books, and more.
This year’s exhibitors include marine wildlife master carver Dave Newcomer of North Conway, N.H., who begins with interestingly shaped pieces of wood and turns them into dolphins, whales, mermaids, and entire schools of fish. Newcomer will be providing carving demonstrations throughout the three-day show.
Arts at Navy Point’s newest artists include carver Bob Bohannon; Chesapeake workboat model maker John Raeder; photographer John Ellsworth; author and regional paddling expert Jeff Lowman; ceramic artists Sonny Fletcher, and Bogan Pottery; painters Nancy Richards West, and Edwin L. Cook; and bag maker Kelley Gravenor.
Other marine artists include Chesapeake Bay native, carver, and author Don Parks; model boatbuilder Eddie Somers of Crisfield, Md., who specializes in Smith Island model boats; chrome plating marine artist Jim Wade of Philadelphia, Pa.; and Jim Torbert, of Felton, De., with his “Land Yacht,” a hard-to-miss bright yellow bus carrying an extensive array of special types and sizes of rope for marine, agricultural and industrial purposes, with knotting and splicing services performed on site. Fawcett’s Boat Supplies will also be on hand to help boaters with on-site sales of merchandise and boating advice.
Those returning to Arts at Navy Point include carvers William Veasey, Bill Hickson, Ed Jacobs and Ed Kuhn; painters Mary Lou Troutman, Dave Murphy, and Grover Cantwell; painter and furniture maker Steve Lucy; photographers Joan Orme, Ellis Underkoffler and Joe Gruver; blacksmith Nick Vincent, model-makers Chuck Willey, John Into, and Nancy Price; boatbuilders and restorers George Hazzard, Jerry LeCompte, Joe Reid, and Will Ruhland, and canvas and sail makers Scott & Shannon Simmons.
A complete and updated list of Arts at Navy Point marine artists and craftspeople is at bit.ly/maritimearts18.
“Boat owners love this show because they can often source supplies found nowhere else,” commented CBC-ACBS’s John Into. “Boats and art might seem like an odd mix, until you see the beautiful mahogany and chrome boats. As you learn about what was involved in restoring them to their original condition—sometimes from unrecognizable hulks—these boats, and their restorers, can also be viewed as art and artisans, respectively.”
CBMM’s 18-acre waterfront campus is located on what has been referred to as “Navy Point” since the mid-19th century, before seafood packing houses, bugeyes, and buyboats lined the working waterfront of St. Michaels. St. Michaels native and U.S. Navy Veteran Purser Samuel Hambleton named the area in honor of his service under Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.
Festival hours are Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Father’s Day, Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The festival includes two-day admission to all of CBMM’s special and permanent exhibitions, including the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, where guests can climb to the top for views of the Miles River and St. Michaels harbor. The event is $5 for CBMM adult members, or $18 for adults; $15 for seniors and students with ID; and $6 for children 6-17.
Scenic river cruises aboard CBMM’s 1920 buyboat Winnie Estelle will be offered throughout the festival, with boat rides and food an additional cost. For safety reasons, non-service dogs are prohibited at CBMM festivals. Festival parking for all three days and a Saturday shuttle service are free, with CBMM a short walk to specialty shops, restaurants, inns, bed & breakfasts, and other attractions in St. Michaels’ historic district. For advanced tickets and more information, visit bit.ly/oldboatscoolfun, or call 410-745-2916.
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~ Chesapeake Maritime Museum
About the Photo:
The Arts at Navy Point takes place June 15-17 at the waterfront Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. and features nautical- and maritime-related oil and watercolor paintings, maritime models, sculptures created from various media, photographs, wildlife carvings, jewelry, boat models, furniture, books, and more. It’s all part of the 31st Annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival