A new online library catalog was introduced on Monday, February 13.  The new COSMOS catalog has a clean and modern look, is easy to use and offers many new features.  The site will continue to show materials available from all libraries in Southern Maryland.  It can also be used to find and renew library items, as well as request items be placed on hold and sent to a local branch for pick-up.  Library users can also continue to use COSMOS to check their personal library accounts.  A link to the COSMOS site is available from your library's home page at ccplonline.org, or you can find COSMOS online at cosmos.somd.lib.md.us.

Click here to view our new "how to" videos!

Calvert County Citizens Green Team invites regional businesses, vendors, & performers to participate in 2012 event

 The Calvert County Citizens Green Team invites regional businesses, non-profits, government agencies, entertainers and performers to submit an application to participate in Calvert County’s 4th Annual Green Expo on Saturday, April 28, 2012, 10am-5pm, at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center in Solomons, Maryland.  The Green Expo is a free annual event that will feature the latest eco-friendly, green, and environmentally-friendly products, services, information, activities, demonstrations, and entertainment. 

 If you have something to share about going green, then you are invited to submit an application. Major themes of the Green Expo include:  greening your home, greening your garden, green building and sustainable development, energy, conservation and recycling, food and agriculture, sustainable education, transportation, community action and involvement, green lifestyles, and more.  

To download a vendor application form or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.calvertgreenexpo.org/ or emailcalvertgreenexpo@gmail.com. 

To download an entertainer application or a food vendor application, visithttp://www.annmariegarden.org/annmarie2/content/eco-weekend or email info@annmariegarden.org.  

For general Green Expo information, visit www.calvertgreenexpo.org/.  

Calvert County’s 4th Annual Green Expo will take place Saturday, April 28, 10am-5pm at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center; admission and parking is free.

 

 Quality Printers and QP2 Creative would like to announce the second open house gallery show this Saturday, February 18th from 6:30-9:30pm. This open house is yet another event showcasing their current exhibit by local artist, Lorina Harris, in their Southern Maryland Creative Cultural Center.Lorina, a visual artist and instructor at Art Smart Studio, has a love for all branches of the arts. She is regularly seen supporting the arts in Southern Maryland many times through her position on the board of directors at the Charles County Arts Alliance.

Born and raised by parents who emphasized the importance of the arts, Lorina began studying art and design from an early age. Her vigor for creativity and artistic expression was cultivated even further when she studied art in the Netherlands at the Amsterdam School of the Arts. After living and studying in the Netherlands for over a decade, Lorina and her family moved to the US and settled in the DC area in 2005.

Lorina continues to create and instruct here in Southern Maryland through her private studio, Art Smart Studio, in Bryans Road, Md. Her pupils range from children to adults at all skill levels.Her exhibit titled, Eclectic Journeys: A Visual Account of Life, on display at the Southern Maryland Creative Cultural Center is reflective of a range of times and places throughout Lorina's artistic exploration and career. The exhibit is reflective of everything from figurative to abstract artworks that all wrestle with the dilemmas of connecting a physical world with numerous abstract ideas.

Eclectic Journeys: A Visual Account of Life, by Lorina Harris is on display at Quality Printers and QP2 Creative's Southern Maryland Creative Cultural Center Monday through Friday 9:00am - 4:30pm from now through March 31st with special open house events (light refreshments will be served) this Saturday, February 18th from 6:30pm - 9:30pm and March 17th from 6:30pm - 9:30pm.

For this Saturday, February 18th, Lorina will also be teaching a couples Valentines painting class prior to the open house from 2:00pm - 5:00pm. The cost per couple is $45.00 and reservations must be made by emailing: lorinaharrisart@gmail.com by 4:30pm on Friday, February 17th. 

The Southern Maryland Creative Cultural Center is located in Quality Printers and QP2 Creative's office at 10485 Theodore Green Blvd in White Plains, Md, and is also a drop off location for the Southern Maryland Food Bank. It is requested that you bring a nonperishable food item with you as you visit the exhibit. 

Patuxent River Appreciaton Day, Inc. (P.R.A.D, Inc.) is pleased to announce the opening of the 2012 grant round. Non-profit organizations that provide educational programs or conduct research activities about the importance of the Patuxent River or Patuxent River Basin are eligible to apply. 

The grant recipients for 2011 were the Friends of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum to assist in the annual Bernie Fowler Wade-In, Calvert Marine Museum for programming, Southern Maryland Oyster Cultivation Society for on-going efforts and the Orphaned Wild Life Rescue Center.

Awards are made on a competitive basis by the P.R.A.D., Inc. Board of up to $1,000 per organization in any one calendar year. The P.R.A.D., Inc. Board includes members of the Calvert Marine Museum, Calvert Artist Guild, the Pa-Po-Peake Shrine Club, SMILE, and the Calvert County Waterman’s Association.

To request an application for a P.R.A.D., Inc. grant, please call Melissa McCormick at 410-326-2042, ext. 41 or emailmccormmj@co.cal.md.us.  You must provide the name of the non-profit organization, a contact person’s name, a complete mailing address and a daytime telephone number or email address. Deadline for receipt of completed applications is March 19, 2012. For more information, go to www.pradinc.org or to www.calvertmarinemuseum.com.

Committee to Recast Program for Launch with New Building

The fourth annual Southern Maryland Piano Competition to be held April 28 and 29 at the College of Southern Maryland’s Prince Frederick Campus has been canceled due to low enrollment.

“We are disappointed with having to postpone this year’s competition, but we are eager to re-build this high-level juried competition and are looking to launch a vibrant program to coincide with the celebrations of the new Prince Frederick building now under construction,” explained Committee chair and CSM Professor Dr. Stephen Johnson. “The committee is enthusiastic about this opportunity to reassess the competition and believes that a hiatus will allow us to build an advisory group and add improvements to the program.”

Previously the competition, presented by CSM and ArtLinks, has been an opportunity for talented, young artists within Southern Maryland to showcase their level of musical expression and technical excellence as they perform on the college’s handcrafted Bösendorfer, located in the flagship building of the Prince Frederick Campus.

For information on the Bösendorfer and the Ward Virts Concert Series which features this instrument, visit
http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/WardVirts/index.html.

New public art project invites people to submit Chesapeake Bay-inspired designs to decorate fire hydrants in Solomons & Dowell
February 6, 2012, Solomons, Maryland – Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center announced a new public art project that invites members of the public to submit designs and compete for the privilege - and fun - of painting a fire hydrant in the Solomons-Dowell community.  Anyone can submit a design – individuals and teams, young to old, beginner to professional.  All designs must be inspired by life in and around the Chesapeake Bay.  

The application deadline is March 31, 2012.  The application and hydrant design template can be downloaded by visiting  www.annmariegarden.org.  Interested designers can also call the Annmarie office at 410-326-4640 or email exhibits@annmariegarden.org to obtain a copy of the application packet.  

All design entries will be posted on Facebook and the public will be invited to vote for their favorite designs.  A panel of judges will choose the winning designs; winners will be announced on April 20, 2012 at a reception at Annmarie.  Artists with the winning designs must paint their hydrant between June 1-17, 2012.  All the hydrants will be included in a special Solomons Splash Scavenger Hunt brochure that will be available at the Solomons Visitors Center and other locations in the area.  There will also be an online exhibit of Solomons Splash with photos and information about each hydrant. 

Important Solomons Splash Dates:

Facebook - Gallery of Entries,  February 14-April 15          ALL entries posted on Facebook; public voting period

Application Deadline:   March 31                                      Final deadline to submit a design is March 31, 2012, 5:00pm

Notification of acceptance by:  April 15                            Artists will be notified by email on or before April 15, 2012

Annmarie After Hours Reception: April 20, 6-9pm         Display of ALL entries; announcement of winning designs


Paint Fire Hydrants:       June 1-17                                                       All hydrants must be completed by June 17, 2012

Solomons Splash Scavenger Hunt:   June 17-October 8                             Pick up a brochure & find all the hydrants!

Awards Presentation:     August                                                     Awards for Best Hydrants will be presented in August
               

Solomons Splash is a collaborative project of Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center and the Calvert County Department of Public Works.  To learn more, emailexhibits@annmariegarden.org, call 410-326-4640, or visit www.annmariegarden.org.                 
About Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center

An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, Annmarie is located in scenic Solomons, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay.  The sculpture garden features a walking path that meanders through the forest past permanent and loaned sculpture, including more than 30 works of art on loan from the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art.  The garden also presents a variety of award-winning special events, gallery shows, and engaging public art programs.  Annmarie’s Studio School offers creative classes for all ages and abilities taught by a talented faculty.  The garden is conveniently located just off Route 2-4, on Dowell Road in Solomons, Maryland.  Annmarie is open 9am-5pm daily; the Arts Building and Gift Shop is open 10am-5pm daily.  Admission is $3 for adults; $2 for kids 5-11; $2 for seniors; free for kids 4 and under; and free to members.  To learn more, call410-326-4640 or visit www.annmariegarden.org. 

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.

Students Garner Recognition for Stage, Back-Stage Competitions

The College of Southern Maryland theater department led by Technical Director Keith Hight competed in the 34th Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Jan.
11-15. The festival included student performances, competitions and workshops.

“It was incredible to watch our students stay focused throughout the entire competition. Our students rocked the place,” Hight said of the group of Southern Maryland students who competed with students from Carnegie Mellon University, James Madison University, The Ohio State University, Penn State, Rutgers, Villanova University and other colleges and universities.

The region 2 theater competition of 1,400 students represented colleges and universities in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. CSM students
attending the festival included Danielle LeDoux of Indian Head; Jeremy Hunter, Alex LaClair, Victoria Anastasi and Rusty Hrabe of La Plata; Alyshia Bradley of Lexington Park; Jamie Burroughs, Dana DiGregorio, Paul May, Devon Pettie and Samantha Zanelotti of Mechanicsville; and Ryan Armstrong, Kristen Carlsen, Rami Essa, Kyle Janschek and Eid Brian Taylor of Waldorf.

The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Audition began with 700 students competing for awards provided through an endowment created by Ryan, an actress who worked in radio, television, movies and stage for the education of actors. One male student, one female student and two alternates are selected to represent their region in the national competition held at the Kennedy Center in April. “Hrabe was one of 32 students to reach the semi-finals—quite an honor,” said Hight.

"It was definitely a feeling that I will always remember,” said Hrabe of being chosen to advance to the semi-finals. “I was speechless. It's like that first sip of soda after struggling to get the top off—it tastes so good yet there's still so much left to enjoy."

DiGregorio received a certificate of merit as a national state manager contender.

Anastasi, Carlsen, LaClair and Taylor were awarded roles in various new works as part of the National Playwriting Program. These plays were then presented at the festival. Burroughs was chosen to stage manage one of these plays, working with a professional playwright and professional director.

CSM students received a certificate of achievement in devised theater for their performance of “Welcome Home,” which was written by Hunter during the competition. The Project for Devised Theater was a new initiative this year which required students to write a 20-minute play to include random elements pre-selected by competition organizers. The script had to incorporate an interview, a moment of silence, the building or making of something, and the inclusion of a poem by Walt Whitman.

Backstage competition was challenging as well. Armstrong, Janschek, LeDoux, May and Taylor competed in the Tech Olympics. Costumers were required to change the wardrobe of a live model—in total darkness—and then change the model back to the original costume—again in total darkness. Based on a photo, set designers had to assemble a set in total darkness. Light designers were timed on their ability to assemble lighting apparatus and have it focused on a subject—again, in total darkness.

“They made connections with other actors at colleges all around the region and they had opportunities to work with professional actors, set and light directors, stage managers and playwrights,” said Hight. “We arrived on a Monday at 3:30 p.m. and did not stop until Saturday at 11 p.m. We saw 25 plays while we were there,” said Hight.
“They returned to CSM with a greater respect and appreciation of their chosen crafts.”

“I want to hear my name announced from stage next year,” said Hrabe. "First of all, I have to get nominated again. I still have to put as much work into my auditions and my roles as I did last year, and push myself even harder to better myself as an actor."

For information on CSM’s theater program, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Academics/ .

To see a listing of upcoming performances, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/.