From April 2–5, 2012, Darrow School welcomes artist and environmentalist Marc Castelli as part of the School’s Visiting Artist Series.
Castelli’s visit comes as Darrow debuts a public exhibition of a collection of his paintings titled, “Art and The Chesapeake Watermen,” in the Joline Arts Center. The exhibition will be on display throughout the month of April and is free and open to the public during school hours, 8:45 am to 3:30 pm. While at Darrow, Castelli will also meet and dine with faculty, lecture, lead master classes with students and teachers and host a question and answer session.
Castelli will present a lecture about his work on Tuesday, April 3, at 7 pm. The lecture is free and open to the public, and will be held in the Darrow School Theater. The public is also invited to a free reception with the artist, to be held in the Joline Arts Center, on Wednesday, April 4, from 6 to 8 pm. Members of the public wishing to attend are asked to RSVP to Geoff Miller, Alumni Relations and Special Events Coordinator, at 518-794-6555 or millerg@darrowschool.org. The Artist’s Reception is made possible through a donation by Gilbert Brownstone ’56.
During his visit to Darrow, Castelli will also conduct master classes and work with students studying drawing, digital photography, ornithology, environmental science, 3D design and printmaking.
Castelli paints in watercolor on paper, working from photographs that he takes himself. “Art and The Chesapeake Watermen” is a series of 23 paintings that capture the lives and vocations of fishermen and workers on Chesapeake Bay from their vantage point. “I first started painting the workboats of the Chesapeake from the dockside views that were the only angles available to me at the time,” Castelli said. “Now I spend hundreds of hours each year out on the water with the watermen.”
Through the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies Program, Castelli’s work has been requested for ambassadors’ residencies in Brazil, Qatar and Madagascar. Through the U.S. Information Service, he has exhibited his work in individual shows in Bombay, India and Muscat, Oman. Sailing magazine has regularly featured his articles and paintings on log canoes and traditional workboats of the Chesapeake. His America’s Cup paintings from the last four defenses and challenges have also been featured. The prestigious Mystic Maritime Museum Gallery has recognized him as a Modern Marine Master for several years. The quality of his dedication is reflected in the numerous private and corporate collections of his work, both nationally and internationally.