Weekend Receptions Celebrate Maryland Artists and a Unique "Arts-History" Partnership

The Charles County Arts Alliance and Thomas Stone National Historic Site are launching this weekend their unique five-month statewide juried art show partnership in Port Tobacco.  It opens February 4-5 with receptions at the Thomas Stone Site's new Visitor Center Gallery.  The public is invited to attend, and there is no charge.

Entitled, "Habre de Venture:  Dwelling Place of the Arts," the upcoming show features 33 juried artworks from 23 talented Maryland artists, displaying a wide variety of subject matter and media. Opening weekend receptions will take place on Saturday and Sunday, February 4-5, from 3:00 - 5:00 pm each day.  On Saturday, the reception will include a brief ceremony, an opportunity to "meet the artists" in person, period colonial music performed on violin and viola, and complimentary refreshments.  Also during the Saturday reception, a "surprise" very special guest will also make an appearance.  On Sunday, the reception will be informal.  On both days, students from the National Honor Society of Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf will serve as volunteers to assist with the receptions.  Guided tours of the beautiful and unusual curved five-section Tidewater manor home of Thomas Stone will be offered as well.

The show kicks off a year of special events planned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Arts Alliance, whose mission is to promote all the arts in Charles County:  music, visual art, drama, dance and music.  It is the first statewide juried art show in the Arts Alliance's history.  

It is also the inaugural exhibit of the new Visitor Center Gallery at the Thomas Stone National Historic Site, complete with museum-quality track lighting and other amenities which will showcase the artworks to maximum advantage.  The Visitor Center is part of the 322-acre "Habre de Venture" plantation once owned by Thomas Stone, one of Maryland's four signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.  "Habre de Venture" means "dwelling place in the winds."  The property is located at  6655 Rose Hill Road in Port Tobacco, approximately 5 miles west of La Plata.

The unique "arts-history" partnership in the upcoming show has benefited both organizations, complementing their missions of promoting the arts and promoting history, respectively.  

The exhibition also launches the first partnership between the Charles County Arts Alliance and the Federal Government in the Alliance's history.  The Thomas Stone National Historic Site is owned and operated by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

The 23 Maryland artists whose artwork was selected for the five-month display are:

-- Theresa Alo
-- Cindi Barnhart 
-- Patricia Valdes Biles
-- Jane Bush
-- Jack L. Dennis
-- Cecilia Mary Dunay
-- Jan Garland
-- Ruth Greenlee
-- Mark T. Hayes
-- Shanese V. Hirmas
-- Charles FM Hughes
-- Gary Jameson
-- Mary Kercher
-- Vicki L. Marckel
-- Gene McCandless
-- Raymon Noble
-- Jason Powell
-- Brandon Romero
-- Barbara Stepura
-- Milton Tierney
-- Vickie Tierney
-- Gerry Wood 
-- Andie Younkin

For further information on the upcoming opening weekend receptions or the five-month art show, contact the Charles County Arts Alliance at 301-392-5900 or info@charlescountyarts.org.  The Thomas Stone National Historic Site in Port Tobacco may be reached at 301-392-1776.  The historic site is open Wednesdays - Fridays from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.