Art and Music Fusion Returns to Kentlands Mansion

[Howard Hartman]

City of Gaithersburg Press Release
For Immediate Release          April 6, 2012

Art and Music Fusion Returns to Kentlands Mansion

Gaithersburg, MD – (April 6, 2012) “Art After Dark,” a cutting-edge art show featuring progressive visual art fused with up-and-coming music, returns to Kentlands Mansion on Friday, April 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is $10 per person, payable at the door. A cash bar and complimentary snacks will be available. This show features abstract acrylics by visual artist Jaree Donnelly and three full sets from indie rock band E.M. Spencer.

Gaithersburg artist and Kentlands/Lakelands resident Jaree Donnelly has had a lifelong creative calling. Her passion for the arts began at an early age, enjoying two and three-dimensional art and music. Donnelly enjoys the exploration of the creative process and has studied studio art, art history, photography, and graphic and jewelry design. She works in a variety of media, but has recently returned to her roots in painting, working in acrylic on canvas. Her large, abstract paintings have an ethereal quality, focused on the interplay of color and texture. For Art After Dark, Donnelly will feature several of her paintings and may also share a few of her experimental silver jewelry pieces.

Hailing from Towson, Maryland, E.M. Spencer is an indie rock band whose origins can be traced back to 2002. Existing in several previous incarnations, the band has played together for several years and features Allen V. McCallum, Jr. on bass and vocals, Kurt Shriner on guitar and vocals, Greg Silver on keyboard and vocals, and Jerry Fields on drums. E.M. Spencer has recorded three albums, The Suburban Baltimore Songbook, Who is Spencer? and Breathe, with the latter being released at this Art After Dark event. Influenced by Fleetwood Mac, Ben Folds, Metallica, and others, the band looks forward to creating and playing more music together in the future.

Kentlands Mansion is located at 320 Kent Square Road in Gaithersburg. For more information and directions visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov/kentlandsmansion.