“Everything good, everything magical, happens between the months of June and August.” — Jenny Han, from “The Summer I Turned Pretty”

The middle of summer is the magical sweet spot, with a combination of lazy days and exciting fun. If you’re out and about and you need a break from the sun and heat, slipping into an air-conditioned art gallery is like discovering an art oasis. You get to cool off and enjoy a complete change of scenery.

You are in for a treat this month. Each exhibit has a powerful voice. Some of the skillful artworks of new, exciting media and traditional masterful works are soul stirring. Find that spot in your house that needs a new painting and venture out to the Annapolis galleries for a mini summer vacation that will add to your memories.

Today is the last day to catch “Some Light Reading” at the Elizabeth Myers Mitchell Art Museum. This beautifully installed exhibition intersperses poems and texts by Emily Dickinson, Audre Lorde, Eileen Myles and Virginia Woolf, with art by five artists.

If you miss it, the museum is presenting another exhibition at the Greenfield Library through Sept. 8. Titled “Two Art Books: Louise Bourgeois and Fischli/Weiss,” it pits two efforts to make sense of the human experience against each other.

Gallery 57 West will feature virtual art talks by two Annapolis Arts Alliance members, Kathryn Westward and Mary Shultz at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, which will appear on Gallery 57 West’s Facebook page.

Westgard will talk about partnering with a blank canvas and the medium by listening with sight, touch and imagination. The pieces are a collaborative communication of the animate and inanimate. Shultz will talk about her transition from stringing beads to creating whimsical, elegant and storytelling creations (including jewelry, suncatchers, belts, and framed art) from seed beads and other manmade and natural components. Watch for videos of the talks on Gallery 57 West’s social media.

MFA at Maryland Hall presents two exhibitions that will appear in both the Earl and Martino galleries, opening Friday and running through Aug. 15. The opening reception for both exhibitions are free and open to the public, and will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on July 18:

• “Art in Abstraction” — The abstractions and non-objective works in this exhibition demonstrate a variety of ways artists use the familiar concepts of form, color, composition and texture to express their visual voices. Juror Felipe Assunção has a strong visual language and has selected a dynamic and engaging show of abstract works. Join us at Maryland Hall for the opening reception for both.
• “Off the Wall” — A unique exhibition of free-standing 3D work of all forms of sculpture that can be displayed on the floor or on a pedestal. Canadian artist, education and art activist Cher Pruys juried this wildly varied selection of sculptures made from media that spans from traditional to the unexpected, including glazed clay, porcelain, stainless steel, wood, assemblage, 3D printed paper, wire, hologram, photographic dust and more.

The Banneker-Douglass Museum continues “Revisit/Reimagine: The Civil Rights Era in Maryland and Parallels of Today” this month. Curated by Thomas James, this exhibition remembers the legacies of civil rights leaders and their effect on Black Marylanders and the United States.

In collaboration with Afro Charities, images of nationally and locally recognized civil rights leaders from the AFRO American Newspapers Archives will be on display accompanied by the work of thirteen contemporary artists living and working in the Maryland area. Expand your understanding and appreciation of Black film in America at the Revisit/Reimagine Summer Film Festival on July 20. Visit bdmuseum.maryland.gov for details. Enjoy curated conversations with Baltimore-based cultural workers Diamon Fisher and Joy Davis, along with James, curator and executive director of The Last Resort Artist Retreat.

MFA Circle Gallery presents a collaborative exhibition between MFA and The Black Art Today Foundation entitled “Voices of Our Ancestors,” exploring everything our ancestors have left behind for us. Beyond inheriting their physical and personality traits, they have left us with all sorts of stories — hardship and prosperity, failure and success, servitude and freedom, relocation and settlement, and all the various aspects of the human experience.

The traditions and ancestral knowledge passed down influence our world views and values we will pass on to future generations. Artists shared works that give voice to the enduring values and experiences passed down to them through community and family. See this show at Circle Gallery through July 27. Join them for a closing reception from 4 to 5 p.m. on July 27 to celebrate the art and the artists.

West Annapolis Artworks proudly presents Charles Lawrance, an Annapolis artist whose paintings and prints celebrate the marvels of nature. His artwork fuses accurate depictions of animals and fish, and their habitats, with a flamboyant imagination culminating in a surrealistic style that bends the mind and offers a new reality.

Long inspired by his love of fishing, fish are signature icons in Lawrance’s artwork. Lawrance is also a well-known mural artist and a fixture in the Annapolis art scene. Be sure to stop by the gallery this summer to view this artist’s imaginative and finely rendered alternate universes.

Jo Fleming Contemporary Art presents “Coastal Landscapes” with works by a variety of new artists: Tinam Valk, Meg Dickerson, Suzanne Shelden, Dorothy Banzon and Magii Sarfaty, as well as gallery regulars: Lisa Sheirer, Geo McElroy, Allen Bentley, Sigrid Trumpy, Jeremy Jernigan, Sally Rhudy and Jo Fleming. The gallery will be closed now through July 12, and then the exhibition will open July 13, running through Aug. 31. The Meet-the-Artist Reception is scheduled for the Annual Annapolis Art Walk in August.

McBride Gallery is hosting a special exhibit to commemorate its 44th anniversary, “44 Years of Artistry: A Celebration of Creativity.” This show is not only a celebration of McBride Gallery’s enduring dedication to the arts, but also a tribute to the community and its loyal patrons. It stands as a testament to the gallery’s commitment to showcase high quality art and its mission to provide support for both emerging and established artists.

Artists include Jorge Alberto, Jacalyn Beam, Christopher Best, Rita Curtis, Ronaldo Dorado, John Ebersberger, Lois Engberg, Michael Godfrey, Ken Karlic, Maria Marino, Lynn Mehta, Terry Miller, Sam Robinson, Bill Schmidt, Carol Lee Thompson, Sarah Wardell, Paula Waterman and more. Let’s be sure to stop by and congratulate Cynthia McBride on her an amazing 44 years.

The Galleries at Quiet Waters Park present “The Collage Experience,” on display through Aug. 11. The Chesapeake Collage Guild is an informal group of art friends who, for years, have shared diverse creative ideas, media expertise and artistic visions. Last year, they agreed to a joint pursuit-collage expression.

Each Guild member, professional or serious amateur, has brought unique personality to this broad and dynamic medium. Because collage defines itself, this exhibit showcases a variety of innovative and classic techniques that is grand scale to contemporary charm. The galleries are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

This month Annapolis Marine Art Gallery is focusing on Delaware-based artist James Madison. Not to be confused with the fourth U.S. president, however his resume includes being an official artist for the U.S. Coast Guard. Madison’s watercolors and oil paintings have been for sale in the gallery for more than 20 years.

MFA Curve Gallery presents “Portals.” A portal can be a large entrance, a grand and imposing doorway, or a futuristic passageway to another world. Besides being an opening to new places, portals can also serve as openings to new experiences and sensations.

MFA asked artists to share their interpretations of portals — whether literal or metaphorical, and to share their artistic perspectives and representations of the concept of portals. Works selected by juror Giulia Livi will be on display in MFA’s online gallery, Curve Gallery, through July 31. Visit the MFA website to see the work online.

Local by Design is at 49 West through July 31. This exhibition features selected works from some of the local artists who show and sell through Local by Design’s various venues.

MFA at Paul’s continues “Oil + Water,” the exhibition of work by MFA members Alexandra Treadaway-Hoare and Jessica Joern, running through the end of July.

Treadaway-Hoare has a healthy respect for the effects of the passage of time on man-made and natural structures, portraying the effects and the fleeting nature of time through her watercolors. Joern creates paintings of pottery, animals and flowers that look like they could be picked from the canvas. Her subjects are simple and the results are straight forward, requiring no explanation.