Art League of Ocean City Celebrates Women Through “Feminessence” Exhibition and Community Events

OCEAN CITY, MD — October 8, 2026 — The Art League of Ocean City celebrates the strength, creativity, and caring spirit of women throughout October with “Feminessence,” a building-wide exhibition on display through Oct. 31 at the Ocean City Center for the Arts. Feminessence is made possible through a grant from the Women's Fund of the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.

Curated by Deborah Rolig, the exhibition features artists exploring different aspects of the feminine experience through their chosen art form. The resulting collection offers a range of personal and thought-provoking perspectives on women, femininity, and the events that shape their lives.

The month-long celebration goes beyond the gallery with two special community events focused on the stories, experiences, heritage, and traditions of women on the Eastern Shore.

Eastern Shore Stories on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 6–8 p.m.

The Art League will host “Feminessence: Eastern Shore Stories,” an evening featuring local female authors Stephanie Fowler, Gwen Lehman, Dr. Clara L. Small, Cathy Schmidt, and Joan Cooper.

The authors will discuss their experiences as writers, their creative journeys, and the stories that have inspired their work. The panel will also explore writing from the female perspective and the events that have influenced each author’s work.

After the discussion, attendees can ask questions, purchase books from participating authors, and have books signed.

The event is free, and registration is encouraged but not required.

Our Kitchen, Our Stories on Sunday, Oct. 25 from 1 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

The second community event, “Our Kitchen, Our Stories,” will explore the connections between food, family, heritage, and community through storytelling, conversation, and a tasting showcasing dishes and food narratives shared by community members.

The event will open with Sandra “Betty” Jones and her son, Paul Jones.

Affectionately known as “Miss Soup Kitchen,” Betty spent nearly three decades cooking for community kitchens and using meals to bring people together. She passed that tradition on to Paul, who carried her recipes and her spirit into his own culinary path and opened Betty’s Bar & Grill in her honor.

Betty and Paul will share their family story and discuss the role food has played in bringing family and community together.

Community Members Invited to Share Family Recipes

As part of Our Kitchen, Our Stories, female-identifying community members are invited to submit a treasured family recipe and a short narrative about family, heritage, or the ways food brings women together. Optional artwork may also be submitted.

Selected contributions will be compiled into a community storytelling cookbook to be published this winter.

The submission deadline is Oct. 11, 2026.

Apply here: https://form.jotform.com/262605057891058

Through Feminessence, the Art League highlights the many ways women create, preserve, nurture, and share—through visual art, literature, food, family recipes, and stories.

The exhibition and events are part of the Art League of Ocean City’s ongoing mission to bring the visual arts to the community through education, exhibitions, scholarships, programs and community art projects.

For more information about Feminessence and upcoming Art League programs, visit OCArt.org.

The Art League of Ocean City is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the visual arts to the community through education, exhibits, scholarship, programs, and community art projects. Funding for the project is made possible through a grant from the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.