Description

Several times throughout the year, we select a Chamber member to speak about their organization during the mixer. We also feature work from artists affiliated with the Washington County Arts Council. 

Refreshments are provided monthly! 

Artist Statement:

My work is all about storytelling. Rather than conveying a specific story to the viewer, I create work with the goal of inspiring a new story within the viewer. All I can do is capture the images that inspire me and ask the viewer to sit with the work, think about what they are seeing, trust their feelings and become a Storyteller all their own.

I tend to be a private person, and am naturally less inclined to speak to the specific meaning of my work. I believe doing so may only work against any deeper meaning conveyed to you the viewer. In an effort to not box the work into something that you either ‘get’ or ‘don’t,’ I aim for the work to be expansive rather than finite in its "understanding".

Artist Bio:

Carl Yonder is a visionary surrealist who lives and works in Maryland. As a military brat, Yonder  and his family traveled around the country and eventually the world. With all of the relocating,  his parents and his artwork were the two biggest constants in his life. Over the years, his initial  love of art developed into a passion, which he continues today. Inspired by Transcendental Meditation and lifelong traveling, Yonder’s work reflects his own  journey through the subconscious serving as a conduit explorer discovering ancient cultures,  rituals from prehistory and esoteric beliefs. Yonder’s interest in art started at a young age, with  support and encouragement from his parents and his high school art teachers, he continued to  develop as more of a self-taught artist, always exploring new ideas and building upon them. 

This drive has led to Yonder’s successful career exhibiting work during the past few years, both  in Maryland and beyond. He won the Curator’s Choice Award in December 2020 for his work at  the Brooklyn, New York-based Greenpoint Gallery. He also had exhibitions with the I Like Your  

Work podcast, the Packard Group National Exhibition over the last several years, Virginia's  Torpedo Factory Art Gallery, and the Maritime Arts Museum in Solomons Maryland.  

In addition to several group exhibitions, Yonder has several solo exhibitions: Montgomery County Maryland in 2018, Brooklyn New York in 2021, Washington County Maryland in 2024 and Baltimore Maryland 2024. In early Fall of 2024 Yonder published The Storyteller a comprehensive book of his work over the last several years.    

Meet this Month's Chef from HCC's Culinary Incubator! 

There’s a science to this whole “jerky” thing. There are tons of flavors… styles… spices… hardness and softness levels… which separate each piece of beef jerky. I’ve tried almost every commercial jerky brand out there and one thing became obvious to me – they weren’t trying hard enough.

Making beef jerky became my passion. I would give out pieces of my own jerky to friends, family, or anyone who was curious enough to taste it. And people actually liked it – a lot. They even started to get mad at me when I couldn’t give them another batch of beef jerky fast enough. Flash forward five years later, I took a simple hobby and grew it into a full-fledged business.

We have 5 different mouth-watering flavors of jerky to choose from. Each one with its own unique blend of herbs and spices. And unlike commercial beef jerkies which are filled with “mystery meat,” chemicals, and other suspicious hormones, our beef jerky is made different. We only use ingredients you can trust, and the highest quality, USDA certified beef money can buy.

Tibbs Beef Jerky has no added nitrates or MSG in it either. Basically, this means we add zero stuff to our jerky which could potentially harm you. 

You can enjoy Tibbs Beef Jerky with beer or wine. You can eat it for breakfast or as a snack in the afternoon. No matter how you choose to enjoy it, we have a flavor for you. 

-Steve Tibbs, Owner/CEO