The stories and connections between early 20th century carvers of the Chesapeake’s Susquehanna Flats will be told through artifacts, photographs, and decoys in the new Carvers at the Crossroads: Sharing Ideas, Techniques and Styles across the Chesapeake’s Susquehanna Flats exhibit opening April 12 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD.
The Chesapeake Bay’s Susquehanna Flats were a mecca for waterfowl hunting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the confluence of the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay, the rich bottom grasses and shallow open water provided the perfect habitat for millions of migratory ducks and geese that drew sportsmen and market hunters alike to the region’s small waterfront towns.
The Carvers at the Crossroads exhibit connects visitors with a period in Chesapeake history when the carving techniques and skills of the Susquehanna Flats were as abundant and nomadic as the canvasbacks, pintails, and blackheads they artfully rendered. The exhibit shares the stories of several carvers, including featured artist Leonard Pryor, a Chesapeake City carver whose elegant birds communicated influences both deeply local and surprisingly distant.
In these communities of Maryland’s Cecil and Harford counties, decoy carvers of all skill levels and walks of life worked to keep up with the demand for expansive decoy rigs to harvest the abundance of waterfowl. Although most carvers developed a unique, identifiable style, decoy construction or decoration styles had a way of flowing between counties, towns, and even states because of connections between different craftsmen—familial ties, friendship, and sometimes just fancy.
CBMM members will be invited to a preview of the exhibit on Friday, April 11 beginning at 5:30pm, with light refreshments served. The event is free for CBMM members, with space limited and pre-registration needed by calling Cheryl Miller at 410-745-4943 by April 7.
For more information, visit www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.