Ernest Cox: A Fragile Symbiosis
EASTON MD – The Academy Art Museum is pleased to announce two compelling spring exhibitions now open at 106 South Street in Easton, Maryland. A Fragile Symbiosis: The Sculpture of Ernest Cox and Teddy Johnson: Window Views are accompanied by a season of special programming including a Members-only reception, an opening reception, an artist talk, and a hands-on painting workshop.
A Fragile Symbiosis: The Sculpture of Ernest Cox
The Academy Art Museum presents the most comprehensive exhibition of Ernest Cox's work in nearly thirty years, celebrating the distinguished career of the longtime Easton resident and sculptor (1937–2024). A Fragile Symbiosis brings together more than 20 sculptures that trace the full arc of Cox's artistic vision—from his early "Slab Series" of wall-mounted works fashioned from fabricated and salvaged metal, to his intricate later multi-part assemblages.
“Curating this exhibition offered me an opportunity to engage deeply with Ernest Cox’s sculptural practice. His extraordinary ability to transform disparate materials into cohesive and compelling forms is truly remarkable and unique,” said curator Brian J. Lang, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Academy Art Museum. “Whether visitors knew Ernie personally, or are encountering his work for the first time, I hope this exhibition brings renewed attention to the sophistication of his craftsmanship and his lasting contribution to the artistic community of the Eastern Shore.”
Organized by the Academy Art Museum, A Fragile Symbiosis is presented in conjunction with Rauschenberg 100: New Connections and illuminates the deep, enduring relationships formed among artists who came to call the Eastern Shore home. On view through May 24, 2026.
Teddy Johnson: Window Views
Teddy Johnson: Window Views presents a body of paintings drawn from two distinct but deeply resonant locations: the artist's home in Baltimore County and the sun-drenched hills of Chianti, Italy, where Johnson has been a frequent artist-in-residence at La Macina di San Cresci. The Italian works, with their weighty architecture framing centuries of agricultural landscape, stand in vivid contrast to the Baltimore paintings, in which Johnson sets his domestic interior in quiet dialogue with the life unfolding just beyond his windows.
With close observation at the core of his practice, Johnson uses windows and doors as compositional devices—simultaneously openings and barriers—that frame landscape as both fiction and documentation, as static interior and endlessly evolving exterior. The result is a body of work that rewards sustained looking: the more one lingers, the more fully one inhabits the threshold between two worlds.
Johnson is Academic Chair of Visual Arts and Associate Professor of Art at Anne Arundel Community College. His previous solo exhibitions include The American Poetry Museum, the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, and the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. His paintings have been featured in Baltimore Style Magazine and on Fox 45's Hometown Hotspot. On view through May 31, 2026.
Related Programs:
● Opening Reception & Artist Talk with Teddy Johnson
Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 2-3:30 p.m.
Join artist Teddy Johnson for an opening reception in celebration of his exhibition, Window Views. Stay for an in-depth artist talk in which he will discuss the ideas and processes behind Window Views—from his residencies in Italy to his walks through his Baltimore neighborhood, and the way close observation transforms an ordinary view into a charged pictorial space. This free event is open to the public
● Member Reception for A Fragile Symbiosis
Friday, March 27, 2026 | 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Museum Members are invited to an exclusive preview reception to celebrate A Fragile Symbiosis . Not yet a Member? Join today, membership benefits begin immediately. To become a member, visit: academyartmuseum.org/support/membership/.
● Painting Workshop: Navigating Change in Landscape Painting
April 25–26, 2026 | Two-Day Workshop with Teddy Johnson
In conjunction with his exhibition, Teddy Johnson will lead a two-day, hands-on painting Workshop. Drawing directly on the themes of his exhibition, Johnson will guide participants through the challenges and possibilities of painting landscapes in flux—capturing light, atmosphere, and the shifting relationship between interior and exterior space. Space is limited; early registration is strongly encouraged.
To register, visit: academyartmuseum.org/weekend-workshop-navigating-change-in-landscape-painting/
