Cooking Group
For its fall show, Main Street Gallery in Cambridge is excited to present “Cooking Up Some Art”, a collaborative show of 11 guest artists who are friends and have been members of a 30-plus-year-old cooking group. The artists work in a variety of media that include painting, book art, photography, digital art, printmaking, collage, sculpture and fiber art and while their subjects vary widely, at least one creates delicious oil paintings of food. The guests will show alongside the gallery’s eight member artists.
The group formed in the DC area when its founder, the late Michael B. Platt, a renowned artist and art professor at Howard University and Northern Virginia Community College, suggested to a few of his artist friends and art students that they all get together and cook. In those days a cooking event took an entire day as the group gathered early to shop at area markets, groceries and specialty stores and then went to one or the other’s homes and spent the rest of the day cooking and enjoying their feast. The group sometimes traveled as well to members’ summer houses on the Shenandoah and the Choptank River, where swimming, kayaking, fishing, and sailing were also on the menu. In those early days there was a rule, set forth by Platt, that they cook only food they’d never had before. This resulted in some dinners with wild game, game fish and exotic side dishes. While the group no longer holds steadfastly to that rule their dinners are reportedly still very creative. For their last gathering they created dishes from their individual travels. The food sparked lively dinner conversations about places they had visited, the art scene in DC and remembrances about past dinners. “There is always lots of food and laughter at our dinners” says member artist Randi Trinka. “Over the past 30-plus years, we’ve had so many crazy, memorable times together, and it’s always great fun to reminisce about them. And of course, we always remember Mike Platt, the creative guy who got us all together.”
Cooking Group artists who are exhibiting at MSG are Washington DC artists, Carol Beane, Barbara Frank, Michael Platt, Lynn Sylvester, Ernestine Martin Wyatt and Donald Wyatt, Cambridge MD artist Theresa Knight McFadden, Takoma Park MD artist, Stephanie Sove Ney, Laurel MD artists, Debra Mathews Tyler and Dwight Tyler and Springfield VA artist Randi Trinka.
“Cooking Up Some Art” will open on Friday, September 6, and run through Sunday, October 27. The gallery will host two artist receptions on Second Saturdays, September 14 and October 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. The receptions are free and open to the public, and all are welcome. Light refreshments will be served. There will also be a brief artist talk at the September 14th reception.
Main Street Gallery is located at 518 Poplar St. in Cambridge, part of the vibrant Arts and Entertainment District. Gallery hours are Friday through Sunday from 11 to 5. The gallery requests that an adult accompany children under 18.
The gallery is currently reviewing work from prospective members and guest artists. If interested, please contact MSG through its website @mainstgallery.net or by phone at 410-330-4659.
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