News & Blog

Executive Director Jackie Coleman sat down with John Frenaye for an exciting interview. Catch up with the Hall and discover what's ahead.

Art of Activism Artist Talk

Laura Brino is the Outreach Coordinator at Maryland Hall. She is the lead teaching artist for the Jovenes Artistas (Young Artists) program, an outreach program that has been at Maryland Hall since 2013. The program was developed as a comprehensive arts program for at risk youth. It provides a safe environment for self-expression, confidence building and motivation to stay in school.

Maryland Hall was founded in community and collaboration. In honor of our 40th anniversary celebration, we dug into our Archives. Thanks to the dedicated work of several volunteers over the years, we have notebooks filled with news articles and clippings from the the last four decades. Enjoy one of our favorites.

During this time of social distancing, we want to keep sharing the arts however we can. As we pause our in-person programming, we've compiled artist interviews from our archives to share with you, all in one place:

Mary’s favorite part of teaching dance is, “helping people find another means of expression and an outlet, creating a sense of joy in their life.” Now surpassing three decades at MD Hall, Mary says, “I’ve continued here because I like the feeling the minute you walk in the door. You see the artwork, you hear the music, you see the young and old all enjoying the arts. I think it’s wonderful that we can make the arts possible for all, not just the ones who can afford it,” she says.

My favorite thing about teaching is the feeling I get when someone lights up and says, ‘Oh, I get it.’ To share that with someone else and see them feel joy over creating something beautiful; that’s why I do it. The joy and understanding of how you got there is what it’s about.” For the 30 years Andrea Olney-Wall has taught art classes at Maryland Hall, she’s ended every class the same way: with an art show. “It’s really important to reward kids for their work,” she says and so on the last day of class she hosts a reception with food and a display of the students’ self-selected best work.

For nearly 40 years John Ebersberger has had a home at Maryland Hall, his favorite places being rooms 213 and 214, the two north-light studios. Despite the fact he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Ebersberger’s artistic abilities took shape at Maryland Hall, first as a student then as a teacher.

Maryland Hall's Exhibitions Coordinator, Emily Kohlenstein, talks with Tom Stoner about collecting time-based media and incorporating it into his home. Tom explains the relevance of nature, both, in his video-art collection and his foundation Nature Sacred (TKF Foundation) which supports green spaces in urban areas.

H.C. Porter hosted students from the Bates Liberal Arts Band and PVA (Performing and Visual Arts) classes for her traveling exhibition Blues @ Home: Mississippi's Living Blues Legends. Her exhibits were showcased in both the Chaney and Martino Galleries. Porter explained the culture of Blues music and its heritage from the state of Mississippi, the background of the Blues @ Home project including interviews and oral histories of each living legend. She also shared the process and techniques of her work - starting as a photograph, transforming into a high-contrast silk-screen image, and finally becoming a mixed media painting with acrylic paint and prisma-color pencil.