Mother Nature must have been happy since she was smiling down on Rock Hall on June 11, 2019 when the town’s Main Street organization held an Artist Reception for the artist who created three new murals.
Shortly after Main Street Rock Hall was formed, they began looking at the Murals throughout the town. They discovered that a couple of them were beyond repair and decided to create new murals at three locations.
A call went out to Artists. Three Artists were selected to redesign and recreate the murals.
Chestertown artist Ken Castelli’s mural at Bayside Foods mural depicting the lives and traditions of Chesapeake Bay watermen who continue to ply their trade and have played a significant role in shaping Rock Hall;
Wye River Upper School (in Centreville) Art Teacher Katie Lillard and Language Teacher Karen Gilbert, in consultation with Hagopian Arts on the back wall of the Mainstay to depict the natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay. Plants, fish and birds are the focus of the mural;
Kirk Seese of BB Murals, in collaboration with Jen Jasper of Cecil County behind Java Rock depicting the lives and traditions of Eastern Shore farmers.
Students from Wye River Upper School, Rock Hall Elementary School, Kent County Middle and High School, Galena Elementary and Garnett Elementary and their teachers Katie Lillard, Karen Gilbert, Teresa Jetton, Aimee Boumiea, Stephanie Spenser and Janet McCormick participated in the project and learned about the the town’s heritage and importance of art in the community.
The project could not have been completed without financial support by the Kent County Arts Council, Maryland State Arts Council and donations from many individuals, business and organization sponsors.
Photographs by SG Atkinson More Photos from the reception can be seen on Facebook