Author Speaker Series Luncheon

The Mistress of Bhatia House

Author Sujata Massey

August 4th, 2023 at noon

Arrive at noon, chat, then eat. Indian-themed meal provided (vegetarian option also available). Please sign-up and purchase tickets online on the OCC website www.oxfordcc.org under Events.

Luncheon $25

Luncheon and Book – $54.63 (tax included for book)

OCC Happy Hour Concert Series

Rosewood

OCC Happy Hour Concert

August 5^th, 5-7p

Tickets $10

From Country to Blues to Contemporary Rock, Rosewood has their own unique approach and arrangements to the great standards from the 60’s to present! Come enjoy! Please sign-up and purchase tickets online on the OCC website www.oxfordcc.org under Events.

Rising Tide

OCC Happy Hour Concert

August 12^th, 5-7p

Tickets $10

Playing an eclectic mix of folk, rock, country and Americana. Come enjoy! Please sign-up and purchase tickets online on the OCC website www.oxfordcc.org under Events.

The Oxford Community Center (OCC) will host a celebration of Native American history and culture on June 15, 2023 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. The event will feature guest speakers Captain William Dial, Chief Donna Wolf Mother Abbott, and JoAnn Brown.

Captain Dial, a retired Navy captain with a deep passion for history, will kick off the event with a captivating presentation on Oxford’s Native American legends and lore. Dial has served 31 years in the Navy, including as a special assistant to the Navy surgeon general. He brings a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge to the subject.

Chief Wolf Mother Abbott, the first woman to lead the Nause-Waiwash Indians, will share insights into the tribe’s rich history and cultural heritage. She will explain how she has dedicated herself to preserving their history, enhancing their culture, and maintaining their traditions. In 2022, Chief Wolf Mother Abbott was also honored as one of the twelve women featured on the notable Dorchester Women’s Mural, in Cambridge.

JoAnn Brown, owner of Justamere Trading Post in Easton, will provide a fascinating discussion on Native American medicinal herbs and their historical use. A Seneca descendent with over 35 years of experience, Brown’s expertise and passion for sharing indigenous knowledge will undoubtedly captivate the audience.

“This will be a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and learn about the rich history and vibrant culture of Native Americans in our region,” said Liza Ledford, Director of Oxford Community Center. “We invite everyone to join us in this celebration of learning, inspiration, and cultural appreciation.”

Native artifacts will be on display at the event provided by the guests and the Oxford Museum. This immersive experience will allow attendees to appreciate the beauty and significance of local Native American culture firsthand.

This event is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 5:00 PM, and cocktails and other refreshments will be available for purchase. Produced in partnership with the Oxford Museum.

For more information and to reserve your space, please visit the Oxford Community Center’s website at www.oxfordcc.org or contact the center at 410-226-5904.

This program is funded in part by Talbot Arts with revenues provided by the Maryland State Arts Council and the governments of Talbot County, Easton, Oxford and St. Michaels.

Ongoing Weekly Classes

Mon, 1-2:30pm; Yoga with Suzie Hurley, Advanced beginners, $20/class, 10 classes $150

Sat, 9:30-11am; Yoga w Suzie Hurley, Intermediate, $20/class, 10 classes/ $150

Tues-Thurs, 10am; Steady & Strong w/ Janet Pfeffer, $10/class 10/$80

June 2023

Saturday, June 3, 8:30-10:30am

Cars and Coffee, free, Sponsored by Prestige Auto Vault, Eat Sprout & Doc’s Sunset Grille. Come enjoy the incredible array of automobiles!

June 15th, 2023 – 5:00 – 7:00 PM

A Celebration of Native American History and Culture:

Presentations by Captain William Dial and Chief Donna Wolf Mother Abbott

Explore artifacts, legends and historic facts of the Oxford Native American tribes with Captain Dial and dive deeper into the life of the theNause-Waiwash tribe with Chief Donna Wolf Mother Abbot.This event is supported in part by Talbot Arts (talbotarts.org) with revenues provided by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) in partnership with the Oxford Museum. RSVP required at oxfordcc.org

June 17th, 2023 – 7:30 PM

Sumer Solstice Celebration

Featuring Ocean Celtic with Special Guests Slavya

Event produced by Carpe Diem Arts.

The OCEAN Celtic Quartet play music packed with pure pan-Celtic pizzazz, putting their unique spin on traditional songs and Cutting’s original compositions, from soaring ballads and stirring sea chanteys to blazing fiddle and accordion tunes. The group has won over 25 Washington Area Music Awards, a #3 spot on the national Folk DJ Charts, and a triumphant appearance on NPR’s “Mountain Stage.” They have a history of sold-out concerts at such venues as The Birchmere and The Kennedy Center.

Fairport Convention’s Simon Nicol says they “get right inside the spirit of the folk music of the British Isles,” Steeleye Span’s Maddy Prior calls their songwriting “stunning,” and the Washington Post calls them “Nothing short of spellbinding.”

The OCEAN Celtic Quartet is led by composer and ethnomusicologist JENNIFER CUTTING (accordion and keyboards), a Washington Area Music Association “Musician of the Year” and “Songwriter of the Year.” OCEAN features the stunning vocalist CHRISTINE NOYES (formerly of the maritime music group Crab Alley), folklorist/vocalist/percussionist STEPHEN WINICK, and U.S. National Scottish Fiddle champion SEÁN HEELY. OCEAN is known for getting audiences up on their feet to dance to their electrifying Jigs and Reels; and, in the next moment, raising goosebumps with their soaring vocals and otherworldly Celtic beauty. Add a penchant for deep research and scholarship, and a great sense of humor, and you have a band that will captivate all ages.

This program is funded in part by Talbot Arts with revenues provided by the Maryland State Arts Council and the governments of Talbot County, Easton, Oxford and St. Michaels.

Suggested donation $10-25 per person, 16 and under free.

July 2023

Saturday, July 1, 8:30-10:30am

Cars and Coffee, free, Sponsored by Prestige Auto Vault, Eat Sprout & Doc’s Sunset Grille. Come enjoy the incredible array of automobiles!

July 16th, 2023 – Oxford Paint Out – A Plein Air Easton Event

All Day with Art Exhibition and Sale from 5-6:30pm

Presented in partnership with the Oxford Community Center and the Oxford Business Association.

Join the Plein Air Easton artists and spend the day getting to know Oxford, a small town with a huge personality and water on three sides. Despite the pull to bow to modern-day trends and high-volume housing, Oxford has consistently retained its colonial charm. Oxford sits just 8 miles from Easton and 7 miles from St. Michaels (if you take the oldest private ferry that crosses the Tred Avon River).

In addition to fine inns, boatyards, shops and terrific restaurants, you’ll find some of the country’s best ice cream—so says TripAdvisor—at the Scottish Highland Creamery. Artists will be easy to spot around town, too.

An exhibition and sale of the day’s work at the Oxford Community Center is the perfect capstone to a memorable art-filled day.

August 2023

August 5, 2023, 5-7pm – Happy Hour Summer Concert w/Rosewood

Based on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and led by the dynamic and lush vocals of Sandy Ryder, Rosewood draws deep and wide from traditional Americana music. From country to blues to contemporary rock, Rosewood has developed their own unique approach and arrangements to the great standards from the 60s to present. Sandy Ryder’s lead vocal style is reminiscent of a complex mix of Bonnie Raitt, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Sheryl Crow and Allison Krauss.

August 12, 2023, 5-7pm – Happy Hour Summer Concert w/Rising Tide

Playing an eclectic mix of folk, rock, country & Americana

The Oxford Community Center is pleased to announce the Oxford restaurants will showcase their culinary talents for the 39^th Annual Oxford Fine Arts Gala Preview Party Friday, May 19^th 6-8 PM. The Robert Morris Inn, Oxford Inn/ Pope’s Tavern, Doc’s Sunset Grille and Capsize are designing elegant appetizers for this evening of art and culture. The Oxford Garden Club is creating centerpieces to reflect the beautiful featured image by artist Susan Shauer Johns as well.  The Steinway comes alive with the musical stylings of the Julie Parsons Project to add that final touch of entertainment for the evening.

Oxford Fine Arts Gala preview party has become the talk of the art community.  Each year a new juror curates an exhibition and sales show that can only be seen in its entirety on that first night. Collectors travel from all over the region to meet the artists and bring home a unique, original masterpiece. The juror for the 2023 show is Bernard Dellario.  Bernard is the current President of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters, the First-Place winner at Winslow Art Center’s 2021 Winter Exhibition and Best in Show winner from the Academy Art Museum 2019 Annual Member Exhibit. His selections include multiple mediums and many of the thirty-six juried artists have never shown in the show before. This year the featured artists’ medium is fabric art which is truly fascinating to see. No tickets to the Gala can be sold at the door.

The Friday night gala is especially exciting with the award ceremony. The judge this year is John Brandon Sills. John Brandon Sills received his BA In Fine Art at Towson State University in 1984, while a student at Towson State John studied Renaissance Art in Florence, Italy. John then attended the Schuler School of Fine Art in Baltimore, Maryland, graduating in 1988. His paintings are in numerous collections in the United States as well as collections in Canada, England, France, Jamaica, Grand Cayman B.W.I. and Australia.

On Saturday and Sunday, the exhibit is open to the public from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The raffle of beautiful artwork donated by the artists happens at the end of the show Sunday afternoon. Lunch items are available onsite for purchase on both days. The famous strawberry shortcake is not to be missed!

The juried exhibition and sale have supported the work of Oxford Community Center (a non-profit 501(C-3), since the early 1980’s to provide the region with a year-round schedule of free or reduced educational, cultural and recreational programs and events.  This event supported in part by Talbot Arts (talbotarts.org) with revenues provided by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org). For more information and to buy your ticket, please visit the Oxford Community Center’s website at www.oxfordcc.org or contact the center at 410-226-5904.

The Oxford Community Center is pleased to announce that on March 30th, Bridget Cimino, the talented muralist behind the Dorchester Women’s Mural, will be giving a talk about her work and experiences in the art world. The event is open to the public and will be held at the Oxford Community Center, 200 Oxford Road, Oxford, MD, 21654.

Bridget Cimino is a renowned muralist whose work can be seen in public spaces throughout the state. She is known for her ability to capture the essence of a community through her art, and the Dorchester Women’s Mural is no exception. The mural, which depicts important women from the county’s history, has become a beloved landmark in the community since its unveiling in 2022.

During the event, Cimino will share her inspiration for the mural and her creative process. She will also discuss her experiences as a muralist and offer insights into the challenges and rewards of creating large-scale public art. Attendees will be able to ask questions and engage in a discussion with the artist.

“We are thrilled to have Bridget Cimino join us for this event,” said Liza Ledford, the Executive Director of the Oxford Community Center. “Her work has had a significant impact on our community, and we are excited to hear about her creative process and the stories behind the Dorchester Women’s Mural.”

The event is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 5:30 pm. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Donations to support the Oxford Community Center’s ongoing programs and events will be gratefully accepted.

For more information and to reserve your space, please visit the Oxford Community Center’s website at www.oxfordcc.org or contact the center at 410-226-5904. The event is free to attend and open to all ages.

Join the Oxford Community Center for a Truly Out of this World Experience.

At 5:30 PM on Thursday, March 23^rd, Darshan Kakkad, PhD, astrophysicist, and a fellow at both Oxford University, as well as the Space Telescope Science Institute, in Baltimore, will present and discuss images currently being received from the James Webb Space Telescope.

Launched from Kourou, French Guiana on Christmas in 2021, the first images from the Webb Telescope were released to the public on July 11, 2022. Designed primarily for near-infrared astronomy, the Webb Telescope can detect objects up to 100 times fainter than the Hubble Telescope, giving the Webb Telescope the capacity to conduct investigations into the formation of the first stars, the first galaxies, as well as potentially habitable exoplanets. Named after James E Webb, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1961 to 1968, the Webb Telescope is operated by the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Dr. Kakkad has a special interest in the presence of supermassive black holes in the center of galaxies and after his presentation, he will address questions from the audience.

For more information and to reserve your seat, please RSVP at www.oxfordcc.org. For more details on the Webb Telescope visit https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-101.html

The program is free, with donations welcomed. OCC’s mission is to provide the region with a year-round schedule of free or reduced-fee educational, cultural and recreational programs and events.

The 39^th annual three-day Oxford Fine Arts Show is set for May 19-21, 2023. The prestigious juried exhibit draws a wide selection of regional collectors as well as from major cities along the Eastern Seaboard. The much-anticipated annual show is well known throughout the area and celebrated as the season’s “kick-off” for art lovers. Submissions open October 1st, 2022.

One of the reasons the exhibit stays fresh year after year is the juror.  All submissions are sent anonymously to the juror who selects the exhibitors and announces the much-anticipated list of artists for the year. The juror also selects a “featured image” to be the subject of the poster and is the honored “Featured artist”.

The juror for the 2023 show is Bernard Dellario.  Bernard is the current President of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters, the First-Place winner at Winslow Art Center’s 2021 Winter Exhibition and Best in Show winner from the Academy Art Museum 2019 Annual Member Exhibit. Bernard Dellario earned a bachelor’s degree from Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, PA with emphasis on finance and art history.  He studied Art at the Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia and attended several workshops with nationally known artists.  He has been a member of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters since 2003. Fondly known as WSLP, one of the oldest active artist organizations in the Washington area, Bernard currently serves as President. He teaches painting classes through several venues, has won national awards and exhibits throughout the Maryland Eastern Shore and Washington, DC regions.

Bernard Dellario and John Brandon Sills

The distinguished role of judge, who selects the award winners at the preview party, May 19, 2023, is John Brandon Sills. John Brandon Sills received his BA In Fine Art at Towson State University in 1984, while a student at Towson State John studied Renaissance Art in Florence, Italy. John then attended the Schuler School of Fine Art in Baltimore, Maryland, graduating in 1988. His paintings are in numerous collections in the United States as well as collections in Canada, England, France, Jamaica, Grand Cayman B.W.I. and Australia.

The juror is tasked with keeping a high-quality measure while also curating a diverse number of mediums, while the judge is charged with honoring winning artists with “best of” awards in various categories for the year.  Karen Walbridge, Event Chair, says, “We are very excited to welcome our new juror, Bernie Dellario, who will bring his skill as a talented and renowned artist, as well as his discerning eye when it comes to selecting our group of very talented artists and craftsmen for this year’s Oxford Fine Arts. We are also thrilled to announce that John Brandon Sills will be our judge for our special awards this year.  It is going to be an exciting time and I look forward to seeing who this year’s group of artists will be!”

The schedule of events for the weekend begins with the Friday Preview Party. It provides attendees the chance to “Meet the Artists”, view the exhibit and buy art! This has always been a fun evening where attendees mingle with the artists and enjoy cocktails as well as delicious hors d’oeuvres while getting first looks at the art. Tickets sell fast, so save-the-date for May 19^th, 2023. There are no tickets offered at the door on Friday night.

On Saturday and Sunday, the exhibit is open to the public from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The raffle of beautiful artwork donated by the artists happens at the end of the show. Lunch items are available onsite for purchase on both days. The famous strawberry shortcake is not to be missed!

The juried exhibit and sale have supported the work of Oxford Community Center (a non-profit 501(C-3), since the early 1980’s to support OCC’s mission to provide the region with a year-round schedule of free or reduced educational, cultural and recreational programs and events. For more information, and to apply as an exhibiting artist, visit oxfordcc.org Submissions open October 1^st until Dec. 31^st, 2022.

For more information, please visit www.oxfordcc.org, or call 410-226-5904.