Art Among the Stacks - Calvert Library - Lib.md.us

Art Among the Stacks
March 26, 2012
Before Calvert Library Prince Frederick even opened, artists were approaching branch
manager, Marcia Hammett about displaying their works therein. Hammett said, “We were
pleased with the interest in the building and gratified that so many recognize the wide audience
that the library reaches. We wanted to live with the space for a little while before we committed
to which walls would be art rather than library materials. We are looking forward to this
initiative.”
Art Among the Stacks is designed to showcase the artists of Southern Maryland and/or artwork
with Southern Maryland themes and will premier in March at Calvert Library Prince Frederick.
Visitors should expect to see the works that display the talents of professional, emerging and
student two-dimensional artists and photographers. Calvert Library Director Patricia Hofmann
said, “When the Prince Frederick building was designed, it was described as a tribute to Calvert
County. You will find barns, fossils, the cliffs, the bay and even jellyfish represented. Art Among
the Stacks will extend the tribute and further enhance an already beautiful building.” Twin
Beaches Branch is also now hosting art in the same theme.
Rene Cunningham, Library Trustee with strong ties to the Calvert artist community, is serving as
the contact point for artists interested in displaying their work at Prince Frederick. She can be
contacted at rcbythebay@mris.com for detailed information and application. Barbara Bowman,
watercolor artist and teacher, is the Art Coordinator for Twin Beaches Branch and can be
reached at 301-855-2283. An exhibit may be that of an individual work, or that of a group. It
must be able to hang on the library's installed hardware, be appropriate for viewing by adults
and children, and be available for continuous showing for two months at Prince Frederick or one
month at Twin Beaches Branch. Artists will be chosen on a first-come-first-served basis.
Suzanne Shelden, local artist and member of CalvART Gallery and Artworks at 7th, will assist in
the installation and dismantling of all art at Calvert Library Prince Frederick.
Anne N. Buffington is the March Artist of the Month at Calvert Library Twin Beaches Branch.
She says she had the privilege of working with an artist who had close ties to Andrew Wyeth.
Through him she learned the Brandywine Technique of painting. According to Anne, “Painting
means different things to different people. To me, it represents a transference of that which was
a thought process into a tangible object. It is a journey that leads me down many different
paths. It is a journey that I truly enjoy and it is my hope that you, too, will enjoy the result of my
journey.”
John A. Schaffner and J. Luray Schaffner will be the first local artists to exhibit their works at
Calvert Library Prince Frederick. Ms. J. Luray Shaffner graduated from Columbus College of
Arts College of Art and Design, BFA 1962 and lives in St. Leonard. She is a Signature Member
of the National Watercolor Society, Watercolor Society of Alabama and the Kansas Watercolor
Society and the International Society of Experimental Artists. She is a member of the Allied
Artists of America, American Watercolor Society, to name a few and has been listed in Who's
Who In American Art since 1976. Her paintings have been juried into and have won numerous
awards in both national and international exhibits. Luray's work is included in numerous
permanent and private collections all across the country. Many art publications, the Splash
series, and the Best of Abstracts have included J. Luray's work. Ms. Shaffner said of her work,
“As a painter, I hear and see a bridge between the beauty of sound and that of abstract art. My
work reveals a natural beat, rhythm and melody of dark, light, warm, cool, color, mass and line
which creates an emotion that one can hear and see.”

John A. Shaffner retired from The May Company after twenty-eight years, working as a V.P. of
Store Planning and Merchandising, returning to the Washington, D. C. area in 1998. "Using a
natural material, a sculpture created of different types of wood, textures, forms and shapes bring
out the very best quality of this old, but contemporary material. Working with these materials has
a fascination for me in the way I can bend, shape, cut and mold them into a form, which is
natural or unnatural to its original means." John has had his work in many group and national
juried shows throughout the country and has won numerous awards in the Midwest and East
Coast. His work is in the collection of the Columbus College of Art and Design, The May
Company, Prather, Seegar, Farmer of Washington, D.C, FRE of Springfield, Virginia and
numerous other private collections. He is listed in "Who’s Who in the Midwest".
Guidelines and Agreement are available on the library website, calvert.lib.md.us.
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