The 2013 KENNY Award will be presented as a double feature: awarded to one individual artist and one arts organization on Friday December 20th as part of a special concert event Jazz Up The Holidays with Sue Matthews & Stef Scaggiari. This presentation marks the 7th annual KENNY AWARD ceremony sponsored by the Hedgelawn Foundation. This year’s KENNY AWARD winners are artist and activist Marc Castelli and The Chestertown Jazz Festival.
Since its introduction in 2006, The Hedgelawn KENNY Award has honored those in Kent County, Maryland who have demonstrated superior excellence and service in the arts. Previous recipients include Chestertown RiverArts, Lester Barrett Jr. (2012), Keith Wharton (2011), Ben & Judy Kohl (2010), Carla Massoni, Andy Goddard (2009), Butch Clark (2008), Tom McHugh (2007), Vince & Leslie Raimond, and Senator Barbara Mikulski (2006). The award itself is sculpted by local artist Marilee Schumann, and is presented in conjunction with the Hedgelawn Foundation, The Kent County Arts Council and The Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre.
For close to two decades, Marc Castelli has been painting the Chesapeake Bay and the watermen who live on it. Considered a modern master by the Mystic Maritime Museum Gallery, he often accompanies the watermen in all kinds of weather to document their lives on the bay. The paintings that result from his hundreds of hours on the water portray something often absent from landscape paintings: the human ecology of the Chesapeake.
“There is a deep and profound magic in the light carried by the wind on the water,” notes Castelli, “It insinuates itself in certain people that will respond to water no matter where they are.”
Not only does Castelli capture the lives of the watermen in his paintings, he also works along side them as a passionate advocate for their livelihoods and the health of the bay. Through his art and activism, Castelli has helped shed light on problems that many others might prefer to ignore. Thanks to Castelli, a glimpse into the lives of our region’s watermen has been shared worldwide. Through the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies Program, his work has been requested for ambassadors’ residencies in Brazil, Qatar, and Madagascar. Through the U.S. Information Service he has exhibited his work in individual shows in Bombay, India, and Muscat, Oman. The quality of Castelli’s dedication to his craft is reflected in the numerous private and corporate collections of his work, both nationally and internationally. More information about Castelli and his work can be found online at www.marc-castelli.com.
The Chestertown Jazz Festival first debuted in Kent County in 1996, and gained momentum, enthusiasm and regional respect throughout its ten-year run through 2006. After a few years’ hiatus, The Chestertown Jazz Festival experienced a re-birth in 2012, and is now well poised to sustain itself as an annual event that promises to deliver a full day of high caliber jazz performances to invigorate the cultural life of our community. The Jazz Festival was established by founder and jazz enthusiast, Dr. Mel Rapelyea, who, along with a very dedicated Jazz Festival committee has laid a strong foundation to sustain the future success of this critically acclaimed, family-friendly out-door music festival.
The Kenny Award presentation will be the perfect compliment to the concert that concludes the 2013 season. Sue Matthews & Stef Scaggiari Jazz Up The Holidays with their incredibly talented friends Steve Abshire (guitar), Tommy Cecil (bass) and John Jensen (trombone). This show will engage your soul, enliven your spirit and energize your senses – just in time for the holidays! Jazz up your holidays with phenomenal musical talent and a celebration to honor two very special recipients of the 2013 KENNY Award – You’ll be glad you did! For ticket reservations or more information, contact the Garfield Center via phone at 410-810-2060, email [email protected] or visit The Garfield Center for The Arts at 210 High Street, Chestertown, MD. www.GarfieldCenter.org
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