The Gallery @ Thacher & Rye opens this week, sculpture garden to come

Lauren LaRocca, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
Updated ·2 min read

May 8—Before Volt became Thacher & Rye, its ground level space was utilized as an art gallery, Artique Underground. Exquisite work was displayed regularly in public exhibitions, curated by Nancy Pascale.

Fast forward to 2023, and the space will once again become home to art exhibitions, the first of which feature work by husband and wife artists Michael A. McCullough and Sharon Pierce McCullough in a show curated by Carrie Delente.

Rebranded as the The Gallery @ Thacher & Rye, the new space will open to the public for the first time on May 11. A reception for its first exhibition will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. that day.

Michael A. McCullough is an artist from Gettysburg, Pennsyvania, who has worked in various mediums throughout his career — furniture making, photography, printmaking and painting among them. Most recently, he focuses on abstract work in acrylic on canvas or linen in an intuitive, abstract expressionist style. His work is based on the interactions and connections he has with the world — as he sees it, remnants of fleeting glimpses of past interactions or remembrances. His work has been displayed in numerous museum and gallery exhibitions and is included in national and international collections. He resides with his wife, Sharon Pierce McCullough, in the foothills of Pennsylvania.

Sharon Pierce McCullough is an ecologically conscious painter and sculptor from Cashtown, Pennsylvania, who experiments with recycled and natural materials. Works include geometric, minimal and figurative abstracts, and her sculptures range from representational to conceptual. Her paintings are created using acrylics, enamels and house paints, while her sculptures use various materials, such as plaster, found objects, cement and textiles. She has received numerous awards, and her artwork has been exhibited in many museums and galleries and is held in national and international collections.

This initial show will remain on view through December.

On the horizon, Gaslight Gallery will once again partner with Thacher & Rye to curate a sculpture garden in the restaurant's courtyard. Selected pieces by area artists will be installed later this month, and the new work can be seen on June 4 at an artist reception hosted by Thacher & Rye celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio, which runs from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

The Gallery @ Thacher & Rye is at 228 N. Market St. in downtown Frederick.