My Little Studio & Island Arts

Joan I. McWilliams, proprietor of "my little studio," with much help and encouragement from a friend, conceived the idea for what she likes to call a shared-space gallery. After much thought, work, and many calculations, she took a huge leap of faith, and Island Arts was born. Here artists and crafters rent space in her gallery to show and sell their work. Classes ranging from jewelry making to quilting are taught, as well.

Joan had always marveled at how so many talented and creative people live on the Eastern Shore, and wanted to give them an opportunity to make their work available to a large audience. People are always looking for special gifts - for themselves and others - many of which reflect the local area, and Island Arts meets their needs with excellent art and crafts at reasonable prices.

First Press Release:

It started with a vision of many and the efforts of one local Stevensville, Maryland artist and merchant. For years local artists and art groups have pondered just how to make Stevensville a more art friendly community. When Joan McWilliams, artist and owner of "my little studio" saw the opportunity to get things moving in that direction, she ran with it. Stevensville lends itself to an art community. "People who visit intentionally, and others "who just happen to 'trip' upon this great area, fall in love with it," Joan says. So, when she discovered that a local business right next to hers was moving out of its large space, she not only wanted to move her existing shop there, but she pondered the idea of renting out the extra space to her fellow artists. "We have so many talented artists and artisans in this area, each having his or her own special way of expressing and sharing their gift with the world. Bringing their work together has brought a wonderful, positive energy to an already very cool physical space, and to our fantastic historic downtown area. It is a real treat for people to come see all the different types and styles of work, and actually find a variety of shopping solutions all in one place. We hope this new gallery, named 'island arts,' will enhance the 'art community' feeling, as well as give all the surrounding businesses a boost by attracting additional customers to the area that we can all benefit from."

McWilliams and other artists offer classes in art of many forms, including painting, quilting, silver jewelry, and photography, to name a few.

Our classes and events are sponsored in part by the Maryland State Arts Council; Queen Anne's County Centre for the Arts with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council; Kent Island Federation of Arts.