The Y Art Center Launches New Artist in Residence (AIR) Studio Program with Two Local Artists
Karin Birch and Lisa Sheirer begin one-year residency on October 1.
FREDERICK, MD – The YMCA of Frederick County, the Y Art Center, officially launches its Artist-in-Residence Studio Program on October 1 with the addition of two local artists, Karin Birch and Lisa Sheirer.
The AIR Studio Program at the Y Art Center gives residents private studio space, micro-gallery exhibit, along with marketing and professional support.
Karin Birch has been using hand embroidery and hand-stitched beadwork combined with acrylic paint as a medium for making art for 35 years. The act of hand stitching thread and beads is a slow and repetitive process that affords the space for uninterrupted thought. The act of painting is spontaneous, in the moment, physical movement. Combining these two opposite states gives form to endless exploration in to the mystery of being. Birch works intuitively, mining personal experiences, energy, movement, nature, and the occasional external interruptions of politics. Karin Birch has exhibited nationally and internationally with works in the permanent collections of the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the Renwick Gallery in Washington DC, and the United States Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Her work is represented by Gravers Lane Gallery in Philadelphia, PA, where her work will be in a featured exhibition in October 2021 and NOMA Gallery in Frederick, MD. Karin received a grant for her studio. This Air stuido is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org)
Lisa Sheirer is a retired art and design professor living in Frederick, Maryland. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Printmaking from West Virginia University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from the University of Notre Dame. Ms. Sheirer has been creating artwork for more than 40 years.
Although Lisa is primarily known as a printmaker, she works in various mediums, including pixels, clay, wood, glass, found objects, and iron casting. Her current series “Stratum” shows land and flowerscapes painted on paper.
Lisa’s public art projects include a ceramic mural at Baltimore Washington International Airport commissioned by the Maryland Department of Transportation and a glass mural installed in the new Western MD Health System lobby. In the recent past, Lisa has had many solo shows & was a featured artist at the Hillyer Art Space Gallery in Washington DC. Ms. Sheirer is a board member of the Frederick Book Arts Center, and her work is represented by Jo Fleming Contemporary Art Gallery in Annapolis.
The Y Art Center is located at 115 East Church Street. Visitors can view the latest exhibit in Gallery 115, Monday through Friday, 10 am-4 pm; Saturday, 10 am-1 pm; and Sunday Noon-3 pm. AIR artists will have their first open studio and micro-gallery exhibit on first Saturday, November 6 from 7-9 pm.
For more information on the AIR Studio Program email gallery115@frederickymca.org.
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About the Y: The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Y’s engage 21 million men, women, and children – regardless of age, income, or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise but also to deliver lasting personal and social change. www.frederickymca.org
