Montgomery County Artists Featured In Silver Spring Gallery

SILVER SPRING, MD — Four sculptors from Montgomery County will have their work featured at a contemporary art exhibit in Silver Spring starting on Thursday.

Curated by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, The Shape of Things to Come will showcase the works of Shelley Picot, Gretchen Schermerhorn, Amare Selfu, and Vidya Vijayasekharan. Their sculptures — which will be on display through April 15 — were inspired by today's politics, environment, and attitudes, according to the AHCMC.

"We are excited to kick-off 2019 with inventive new work by local artists in Montgomery County," said AHCMC CEO Suzan Jenkins. "It will be interesting to see how each sculptor's unique perspective of current affairs sparks constructive dialogue among members of our diverse community."

Art enthusiasts can check out the exhibit on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Shape of Things to Come is located in the Silver Spring Civic Building at One Veterans Place.

To celebrate the exhibit's debut, the AHCMC is also hosting a public reception at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room. The free event will take place on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.

About the Artists

Per an AHCMC press release:

Shelley Picot
Shelley Picot's sculptures and drawings blend narrative, autobiography, magical realism, and comics. Born in Alexandria, Virginia, she received her BA in studio art from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She has shown her work in DC, Massachusetts, and Vermont, and will be part of a three-person show at AUTOMAT Collective in Philadelphia in May 2017. Other career highlights include a grant-supported month-long residency at the Vermont Studio Center and participating in Sharon Hayes' Ricerche: three for the Venice Biennale. She currently works and resides in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Gretchen Schermerhorn
Ms. Schermerhorn is currently the Artistic Director at Pyramid Atlantic, an art center dedicated to the contemporary creation of hand printmaking, papermaking and the art of the book, in Hyattsville, Maryland. She received her MFA in Printmaking from Arizona State University, and since then has completed artist residencies at Women's Studio Workshop in New York, Columbia College Center for Book and Paper in Chicago, Seacourt Print Workshop in Northern Ireland, California State University and is excited about her upcoming residency at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Her prints, installations, and works on paper works have been exhibited in New York, Boston, and Washington DC and her work was purchased by the Montgomery County Public Trust, Anne Arundel Community College's print collection, and the Janet Turner Print Collection. She has received individual artist awards from both the Maryland State Arts Council and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. 

Amare Selfu
Amare has exhibited his work nationally and internationally. After graduating in 2004 from Addis Ababa University School of Fine Arts and Design (SFAD) with SFAD’s highest honor (known as the “Gold Medal”) he began teaching at SFAD and become a lecturer and taught Painting and Drawing. In 2010, he was appointed Chair of the Painting Department and Curator of SFAD’s Art Gallery. He also co-founded Point Fine Arts and Design Studio P.L.C. During this time, as general manager he oversaw and worked on several high-profile design and fine art projects, including a large scale mosaic work located at the main building entrance of the National Museum of Ethiopia. In March 2012, he moved to Maryland to pursue an MFA in Studio Art at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and graduated in August 2015. He currently teaches an undergraduate course at MICA and Montgomery College.

Vidya Vijayasekharan
Vidya Vijayasekharan is an artist, art historian and educator, whose work is informed by both history and mythology. She has been teaching Art History at Montgomery College since 1993. She lives and works in Maryland.

PHOTO: Bird of Peace by Vidya Vijayasekharan