RAL exhibitions to open with reception June 14

The Rehoboth Art League will kick off summer with its 51st Annual Members’ Fine Craft Exhibition as well as a display of Jennifer Hudson’s unique cut-paper art.

The art league will host opening receptions from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, June 14, inviting visitors to the Corkran, Tubbs, Ventures and Homestead galleries to see the displays. All run through Sunday, July 14.

The Members’ Fine Craft Exhibition is a signature RAL summer show featuring works created by member artists in a wide variety of media, including baskets, ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, wood and more. The show will take over the Corkran and Tubbs galleries, with awards given for distinguished pieces. Artists and the public are invited to hear from Hazel Bradshaw-Beaumont, this year’s exhibition judge, during a free gallery talk at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 15, in the Corkran Gallery.

Bradshaw-Beaumont is director of the visual art program at Delaware State University, where she is a professor and serves as the assessment fellow for the art department. She earned a doctorate in art education from Ohio State University, a master in art education with a concentration in art therapy from Buffalo State University, and a bachelor of art education, textile printing and weaving from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Jamaica, West Indies.

The Ventures Gallery will display whimsical hand-cut creations from Maryland-based artist Jennifer Hudson. The Paper Forest: Paper Art by Jennifer Hudson will let viewers explore artwork that features foxes, birds, deer and other creatures native to north-central Maryland. Hudson creates these works by layering sheets of hand-cut paper together to achieve delicate, lace-like images that display movement and texture. Hudson has always been an avid animal lover and enjoys documenting the natural world in her work, which is mostly inspired by the landscapes and wildlife around where she lives. In her work, it is her hope to capture the movement and spirit of the animals she portrays.

Continuing are two unique curated shows on display to highlight pieces from RAL’s permanent fine art collection. The historic Peter Marsh Homestead is displaying the exhibit Self-Taught, which features pieces from artists who are considered to be self-trained. While some may have taken art classes at RAL, the majority have never attended a formal art school and began creating art out of an internal desire to express themselves.

Sitting Pretty, a showcase curated by RAL exhibition committee members Le Rowell and Denise Clemons, is on display in the DeWitt Gallery. The most prominent feature of a portrait is the person who sits for the artist creating the work. The same can be said for an object that serves to inspire a piece of sculpture. In this show, viewers can find a unique ensemble of works from the Rehoboth Art League’s collection that illustrate the notion of sitting pretty, whether whimsical or serious, abstract or representational.

The exhibitions are free and open to everyone during the regular gallery hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m., Sunday.

The Rehoboth Art League is located at 12 Dodds Lane, Henlopen Acres.

For more information, go to rehobothartleague.org.