Dancing in the Rain by Lana Frey
Faces for Us
The Zebra Gallery, Easton; Through March 31st; Thezebragallery.com
During Black History Month, the Zebra Gallery opened, Faces of Us, a poignant exploration of humanity through the lens of human faces. Each piece in the show captures the subtle complexities of emotion, identity, and connection, inviting viewers to reflect on the shared experiences that unite us all. Artists included in the show include Bondu Deji, Tobi Adebisi, Lana Frey, April Claggett, Quadri Afis Enitan, Victor Popoola, Adam Himoff, Susan Fay Schauer, Gabriel Lehman, Jack Knight, Adam Henderson, Ula Buka, and Joanna Jago. These artists use diverse mediums and styles to depict faces that transcend individual boundaries, revealing universal expressions of love, longing, joy, and vulnerability. Whether abstract or realistic, these portraits remind us that behind every face is a story, and regardless of background or circumstance, all people are bound by the same fundamental humanity.
Scholar’s Rock, Collection of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, DC. Photo by Stephen Voss.
Collection of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. Photo by Stephen Voss.
Nature’s Readymades
Mitchell Art Museum at St. John’s College, Annapolis; Through April 6th; Sjc.edu/mitchell/exhibitions
Nature’s Readymades presents an extraordinary selection of gongshi (scholars’ rocks or viewing stones) drawn from the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington, D.C. Carved by nature and relished by Chinese literati as early as the Tang dynasty (7th c.), these paradoxical objects are worlds in miniature, presenting the vital energy of the universe in a hardened, static form. Not sculpted in the conventional sense, they predate Marcel Duchamp’s readymades by more than a millennium, and in many ways pose an even greater challenge to long-held definitions of art: they are unauthored and typically undated yet have long been understood and appreciated in artistic terms. Government officials steeped in poetry, literature, and art displayed them prominently in their studios, alongside brush and ink paintings. In addition, the exhibition includes contributions from a range of scholars—a geologist, a novelist, an observational painter, two poets, a political scientist, a religious studies professor, and a sculptor—who each offer thoughts on a rock or stone in their personal possession. The participants include artist Ellen Altfest, who has spent the last eight months looking at and making a painting of a rock, and Ugo Rondinone, whose sculpture has been inspired, in part, by gongshi.
Cuban Links: A Three-Artist Exploration of Cuban Culture
Cuban Links: A Three-Artist Exploration of Cuban Culture
Dorchester Center for the Arts, Cambridge; March 7th through April 26th; Dorchesterarts.org
This exhibition explores Cuban history and culture through the lenses of three contemporary artists: Lázaro Batista, Ulysses Marshall, and Samuel “Sami” Miranda. The exhibition offers a nuanced and engaging understanding of Cuba’s rich heritage, ongoing social and political transformations, and the enduring spirit of its people.
50 Years on the Chesapeake
50 Years on the Chesapeake
Annapolis Maritime Museum, Annapolis; Through March 16th; Annapoliswatercolorclub.org
The Annapolis Watercolor Club celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025 with a series of exhibits and events, including a kick-off exhibit at the Annapolis Maritime Museum that showcases a variety of watercolor paintings that relate to the Bay, its tributaries, surroundings and activities.
