Spotlight on the Arts
CAMP Rehoboth Puts Art at the Heart
of Our Community
In the CAMP Rehoboth Gallery
FEST ART 2022!
The arts are a key part of our vibrant community, and this month CAMP Rehoboth is thrilled to host FEST ART 2022! This exhibit is presented in conjunction with CAMP Rehoboth’s Women’s FEST and celebrates women in the arts and their supporters.
FEST ART 2022! is an outlet for creative expression via all art forms—painting, drawing, ceramics, photography, fused glass, and more.
Juror Rebecca Davidson (see Artist Spotlight) is a contemporary abstract expressionist painter who earned her BA in studio art from Delaware State University, and an MFA in painting from Savannah College of Art & Design. Their work has been shown in numerous juried and solo exhibitions across the US, including at CAMP Rehoboth.
Davidson stated, “We had over 100 submissions from nearly 40 artists. It was extremely challenging to narrow it down to just 40 works, especially with the caliber of some of the work we received. Since Women’s FEST is one of my favorite annual CAMP events, I feel really honored to have been selected to jury and curate this exhibition. I think it’s important for LGBTQ+ artists and organizations to support each other and work together.”
FEST ART 2022! is on exhibit April 7-30, with an open house reception on Friday, April 8 (3:00-5:00 p.m.).
Bronze Girl with Flute by Judy Olsen, print.
Billie by Taylor Gordon, print.
LOOKING AHEAD
Is it possible to capture the more than 30-year history of CAMP Rehoboth in 30 photos? Our May exhibit attempts to do just that. Carefully curated by Murray Archibald and three community members, this collection of photographic artworks has it all—Sundance, the Black and White Ball, early photos, the construction of the atrium that made CAMP Rehoboth a full-service community center, and more. This will be your chance to acquire a one-of-a-kind piece of CAMP history, with proceeds going to support CAMP Rehoboth.
CAMP Rehoboth highlights our community’s unique history and culture, and serves to further diversity, equity, and inclusion, by building unity and understanding. Exhibits may be viewed Monday-Friday (10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.) and Saturday (10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.). View and purchase art on the CAMP Rehoboth website under “SHOP.”
Doug is the Artistic Director of CAMP Rehoboth Chorus and Minister of Music at Epworth UMC. You can contact him at dougyetter@gmail.com.
artist SPOTLIGHT
Rebecca Davidson
Doug Yetter: You were just a kid at Clear Space summer camp when we met. Time to find out who you are as an adult artist.
Rebecca Davidson: When I was a teenager, I got involved in activism and the arts to channel some of my frustration about perpetual marginalization into creation. My art will always be personal and political. Substantial portions of my related research have been on queerness, intersectionality, and feminism, so it has been an absolute honor to have exhibited with CAMP Rehoboth over the last 13 years. Getting to jury and curate a show for a gallery you love, that coincides with one of your favorite events of the year, is thrilling.
DY: Where do you find inspiration?
RD: A considerable amount of my inspiration comes from synesthesia. It’s a neurological cross-wiring where an individual experiences one kind of sensory input and experiences a sensation that most people do not. For me, it presents as seeing colors and patterns when I taste different foods, experience the sense of touch, or am listening to music.
DY: Do you have a favorite time of day to create?
RD: Mornings are great for experimenting with materials and working in my sketch book. Afternoons are my best time for all the logistical stuff. Evenings tend to be when I am most productive in the studio. And occasionally, I get “artistic insomnia” where I feel compelled to work in the middle of the night. I have an internal need to simultaneously engage with and escape from the world at large. I’d lose my mind if I didn’t create.
DY: Does your art influence other parts of your life?
RD: I’d probably have a much busier social life if I wasn’t in my studio so often! Artmaking influenced my decision to obtain a terminal degree. I never wanted to work a “day job” that wasn’t art related and getting my MFA was a way to prevent that from happening.
DY: How have your interests and/or your style changed?
RD: I did paint figuratively at one point, mostly abstracted female nudes, but eventually my work became completely non-representational. I have also been working increasingly larger. My biggest piece to date is 68 by 100 inches.
DY: What’s your favorite part of being an artist? Your least favorite?
RD: My favorite thing is transforming complex non-tangible concepts into something beautiful. A lot of my work is about finding the freedom to embrace all of oneself, despite mainstream (i.e., racist, ableist, sexist, homophobic) society. My least favorite happens all the time—I cannot stand people trying to find recognizable subjects/objects in non-representational abstract work.
If you want to know more about Rebecca, visit rebeccadavidsonart.com or follow them on Instagram—@rebeccad_official.▼
Doug is the Artistic Director of CAMP Rehoboth Chorus and Minister of Music at Epworth UMC. You can contact him at dougyetter@gmail.com.