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Annapolitans know the cost of climate change, as do people in many coastal cities. This show will focus on the theme of rising water levels, the effect they have on the world, and solutions for or the disasters because of changing tides. Entries were open to all original 2-D or 3-D artwork. This all-media MFA exhibition will display the juror's selections in our Online Sales Gallery from August 15 – September 30, 2021. Exhibition Chairs: Richard Niewerth & Wil Scott.
, Waynesboro, VA
Steve Doherty was born in New Orleans, raised in Cincinnati, and educated in Illinois and New York. He currently lives with his wife, Sara, in the inspiring landscape of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Knox College and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from Cornell University. After teaching art in public schools, a community college, and a private college, Steve became editor of American Artist magazine. During his 31 year tenure, he launched several new art magazines, managed artist conventions, and exhibited his own artwork. In 2010 he became editor of PleinAir magazine and successfully managed that publication until his retirement in 2018. During these years, Steve also wrote a dozen books, including the new book The Art of Plein Air Painting. For more information and a review of Steve’s paintings, visit www.stevedohertyart.com.
Making a statement of a political, religious, environmental, or social nature is tricky business for an artist. There is always a risk that the finished artwork will essentially be a piece of illustration best suited for an editorial page. On the other hand, offering a totally free and enigmatic response to the theme might leave viewers perplexed. The aim, then is to strike a balance between the obvious and the profound, between the personal and the universal, and between the dated and the timeless. All of the work I selected for this exhibition strikes that delicate balance quite brilliantly. The photographers, in particular, did an amazing job of presenting the stark consequences of rising tides that are impossible to deny. I was also impressed with the way painters, printmakers, and three-dimensional artists used their considerable talents and expertise to present deeply felt ideas about changes in the environment. The selected pieces reveal something important both about the artists who created them and about the topic presented to the artists. I singled out several pieces for awards that I felt did an exceptional job on both aspects of the creative process. It was an honor to serve as judge of this exhibition and I thank Maryland Federation and the participating artists. M. Stephen Doherty