Artists Kevin Fitzgerald and Patrick Henry have joined together to create scholarship fund for students from Stephen Decatur High School in Worcester County, Md., who plan to pursue a fine art career.
“Patrick and I wanted to create something that would recognize and reward achievement in the arts, something to encourage students to pursue their passion, to take a non-traditional career path,” explained Kevin Fitzgerald.
Patrick Henry added, “When Kevin and I began talking, we spoke of the many helping hands we had received along the way that had permitted us to continue on our chosen paths. We are both at a time in our careers when we are able to give back some to the community that nurtured and supported us. This scholarship is an ideal way to give back to the community.”
Both artists agreed that the creation of the scholarship was particularly important not only because it underlined their belief in the impact of art in society, but also gave recognition to the importance of the arts in public education.
“It is imperative that we do all we can to strengthen our schools, to strengthen the diversity of education within our schools, we are excited to be able to do our part in this,” stated Fitzgerald.
How to best raise funds for the art scholarship? In addition to direct contributions, the artists agreed that a benefit art show would be most appropriate. Coordinating with the Water’s Edge Gallery in Berlin, Md., they are preparing a benefit to open on Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. and run until the end of the month. The show will feature new works by both artists. Included will be a silent auction, as well as selected artist prints.
“We are very excited to have the work of two nationally recognized artists on display together for the first time,” commented Gail Lewis, owner of the Water’s Edge gallery. Gallery Manager Crystal Viens is working hard on show preparations.
“It seems as if there is quite a bit of time, but actually there is quite a bit to do. We are dedicating the entire gallery to Kevin and Patrick’s work and we want to make sure that as many people as possible are able to come in and see the show,” Viens said.
Viewing the work could be a real treat for locals. While work by both artists can be seen on display in galleries around the region, and across the country, they have never been shown together in a dedicated show in the area where they both live. Their work is truly inspiring, different and unique, while sharing a quality and poetry of light and substance that binds them together, organizers said.
Kevin Fitzgerald has been painting for more than 30 years. A graduate from the Maryland institute, Fitzgerald studied under Raoul Middleman, eventually becoming his studio assistant. In the 1970s, he took off across on a trip across the country, stopping for awhile in Custer South Dakota, to work under Korczak Ziolkowski on the Crazy Horse Memorial, before continuing on, exploring and painting the landscapes that have become the focus of so much of his work.
Fitzgerald’s work, rooted in the masters of the 15th to 20th centuries, with his own poetic interpretation, is held in major collections throughout the United States and abroad, and can be found in galleries throughout the country. He moved to the Eastern Shore early in his career and has watched as each of his four children have attended and graduated from the Worcester County, Md., public school system. He is currently affiliated with Salisbury University.
Patrick Henry was born and raised on the Eastern Shore and, like Kevin Fitzgerald, has shown an interest in and talent for art from an early age. After receiving a bachelor’s degree, Henry returned home to teach art at Stephen Decatur High School, as well as the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.
Henry’s work, he said, depicts the beauty of life on the Eastern Shore, from its people to its buildings to its wildlife to its landscape. He depicts a life as it has always been: hard, rugged and rich in tradition and values, from its Pentecostal churches to its watermen, to its children, its sunrises, shorelines and towns.
There is a simple beauty in Henry’s work, organizers said: a beauty recognized by his many collectors and supporters around the world. Recently, Henry’s work was honored in an exhibit currently on display at the Reginald Lewis museum in Baltimore. His daughter, Stephanie, is a junior at Stephen Decatur High School.
The Berlin Fine Art Scholarship benefit show will run from Feb. 15-29 at the Water’s Edge gallery in Berlin. For further information or to arrange group tours of the show, contact the Gallery at (410) 629-1784 or e-mail watersedgegallery@yahoo.com.