This Weekend! Muddy Creek Artist Guild Show at Criswell Auto in Annapolis
May 22, 2012 
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To participate in the Muddy Creek Artist Guild, there are two things you need: First, you have got to be some kind of artist who creates original works (painter, photographer, textile crafter, sculptor, jewelry maker, glass blower, stained glass work, pottery, etc.). Second, you had to live south of the South River in Anne Arundel County.
Those rules still apply today, although the artists are decamping from South County for three days in early June to have a show in Annapolis, hosted by Criswell Audi.
When Bea Poulin, MCAG president, first dreamed of the guild a half dozen years ago, she hoped she’d get enough interest for some artists to meet regularly and have a few shows at different venues in South County throughout the year. They’ve had shows in vacant commercial spaces in South River Colony Main Street and in Deale, and they’ve hosted shows at Galesville Memorial Hall and Greenstreet Gardens.
Poulin’s dream took seed and grew. And boy did it grow. The guild now has over 100 artists, plus a contingent of student artists and patrons who offer support. For awhile, MCAG stopped taking on new members so that they could make sure their processes and procedures would work with a larger contingent of artists.
Their shows have become regular “must see” events in South County. Their artist receptions during shows are ‘standing room only’ events that help artists get recognized.
But this spring—for their annual “Artists on the Half Shell” show—they’ve decided to step across that South River boundary to hold their show in Annapolis at the Criswell Audi dealership on West Street. (It has happened before when they held a show at the West Annapolis Artworks and Fine Framing shop owned by MCAG mosaic artist Su Lasher).
The Artists on the Half Shell show at Criswell will open on Friday, June 1 from 3 to 8 p.m. and run until Sunday evening. Both Saturday and Sunday, the show will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, visit www.muddycreekartistsguild.org.
I am predicting a much weaker turnout for this event due to the connection with Criswell . George Criswells’ planned Fiat dealership at the entrance to south county will be a blight on the beauty of this area that many of these artists capture in their works. Maybe he should have opened up the vacant former police station as a venue or is it possible that he sees this as an opportunity to sell some cars? Actually wouldn’t it be nice to turn the vacant building into rentable studios for artists and have some gallery space? I always love MCAG’s events but will not be attending this one, I just can’t support the growth and commercialization of south county.