Monday, September 3, 2007
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – Shameke Diane Barley of Washington, D.C., earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in applied design from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) recently; and in recognition of her artistic accomplishments, she was awarded the $250 Dennis Williams Award for Excellence in Fine Arts.
A great supporter of the arts, Williams, a Princess Anne town commissioner, chose two pieces from the 2007 Senior Student Exhibition, hung in the UMES Mosely Gallery, for which to financially award the artists at a closing reception.
“I realized it was an end of the year event before graduation, and that parents would be there to share in it,” said Williams. “Two friends attended the reception with me, one being an artist, and both were very impressed with the way the reception was handled and the quality of the students’ art.”
“Dennis Williams’ gift to the students was tremendously encouraging to the Fine Arts faculty and staff, and it was a great incentive to our students, who now know that their hard work may be rewarded in the future,” said Dr. Anke Van Wagenberg, Mosely Gallery director. “It is the first private donation of this kind, and we are grateful to Commissioner Williams.”
Barley’s work shows her interest in digital photography. She did her senior year internship at Kelton Fine Arts in Manhattan and is looking to possibly open her own studio in the near future.
“Ever since I can remember, I have always loved photography. Photographs allow me to capture any moment in time, and at a time when it matters most. When looking through the lens of my camera, I feel confident and powerful knowing that I am in control of the subject matter,” said Barley.
The Mosely Gallery is located in the Robert H. Thomas & Theodore Briggs Arts and Technology Center on the UMES campus. Art exhibitions are hung and presented throughout the year. Free and open to the public, the Gallery is open from 9 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The public may enjoy free parking during events in Parking Lot I. Follow signs, from U.S. 13 and UMES Boulevard, to the gallery.
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Suzanne Waters Street, director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355, sstreet@umes.edu.
Photo Caption: LtoR: Dennis Williams; Shameke Diane Barley, award recipient, UMES; Dr. Anke Van Wagenberg, director, Mosely Art Gallery, UMES. — Danielle White Photo —
