The Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House is a non-profit gallery located in Columbia, Maryland which features regional art exhibits and educates the public by presenting programs concerning the visual arts.
The Bernice Kish Gallery is operated by the Wilde Lake Community Association and includes two gallery spaces in the Slayton House Lobby and Conference Room. The gallery is free and open to the public during Slayton House operating hours (9:00 am – 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday). However, patrons are urged to call ahead for viewing times due to the use of the conference room for other planned activities. Art receptions are free and open to the public.
Download an application to exhibit at the Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House, along with our policies and information packet. Please call 410-730-3987 or email [email protected] for more information about current & future exhibits.
Upcoming Exhibition
“H-E-R: Art in Five Voices”
January 8, 2025 – March 2, 2025
Art Reception & Gallery Talk: RSVP HERE
Artist Biographies:
Anne Barney, formerly of Ellicott City and now in Rehoboth Beach, DE, is a pastel and white-
line woodcut artist. Her paintings are primarily of landscapes she photographs while hiking and
she particularly likes those that can be seen only by foot. She tries to capture and communicate
the sense of peace and awe she experiences while hiking. In 2021, she started making white-line
woodcuts, an artform begun in Provincetown, MA by a group of women artists in 1916. She has
exhibited in Rehoboth Beach, DE, Lewes, DE and Easton, MD.
Barbara Lawson, a former Howard County nonprofit executive and social worker for the Red
Cross, creates found object assemblages out of materials she finds on the street, in the garbage, at
yard sales and elsewhere. Many of her sculptures deal with societal issues, including racism,
poverty, refugees and incarceration, though some of her pieces have a whimsical side. Her work
has appeared in Howard County exhibits and she is a member of the Willowbrook painter group.
Bold like the streets of Santo Domingo, where she grew up, LUSMERLIN is a nationally
exhibiting multidisciplinary artist, based in Greater Baltimore while also holding a Philadelphia
practice. She has a professional background as a chemical engineer in textile and cement
manufacturing. LUSMERLIN’s practice explores her own womanhood and identity: the
presence of the body in space; the richness and baggage of her complex heritage—African, Arab,
Spanish, and Taino; and her metamorphic immigration experience since moving to the U.S. in
2016. LUSMERLIN’s approach “controlled chaos“, results in abstracted paintings, installations,
photography and impromptu performances full of whim and force. Beyond art, LUSMERLIN is
deeply committed to community engagement, volunteering with organizations that support
immigrants, disadvantaged groups, and arts advocacy.
Malynda Madzel is a former entrepreneur and dedicated nonprofit volunteer who served on
numerous boards in Howard County. Throughout her various careers and travels, she and her
husband developed a large collection of works by local, national and international artists. They
especially liked the works of local artists who were just beginning their careers. While always a
lover of vivid colors, she did not begin her own artistic career until 2020 when she started her
“COVID Career” of painting with bright acrylics to brighten what seemed to be an endless
winter. Since then, she has had her own exhibits in Columbia and Baltimore City.
Born and raised on the tropical island of Puerto Rico, Dora Diaz Strope grew up surrounded by
nature and appreciating the intensity of colors on that island, throughout her travels, and now in
Maryland where she lives. Her inspiration comes from observing Mother Nature and how it
unfolds in the subjects of landscapes, seascapes, flowers, trees, and other subjects. She has a love
for strong colors and remembers one teacher telling her that painting bold colors is in her DNA.
Watercolors are her chosen medium of painting because she considers watercolors a magical
medium and enjoys how the mixing of colors can bring unexpected results in her paintings. She
has exhibited at the Museum of Art, the Casa de Espana and the Palmas del Mar Gallery, all in
Puerto Rico, and in galleries in Howard County, Maryland.
Apply here: APPLICATION FOR ARTISTS
EMAIL APPLICATIONS TO [email protected]
