DESTINATION NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW HAMPSHIRE
DESTINATION NEW HAMPSHIRE
Image courtesy of the New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism, 2012. © All rights reserved.
N
ew Hampshire’s White Mountains, which soar to the highest elevations in the northeast, have attracted artists since the early settlers. This fascination for their rugged beauty eventually led to a group of landscape painters known as The White Mountain Artists. With an aesthetic akin to that of the Hudson River School, the White Mountain Artists were spearheaded by Benjamin Champney, who was born in New Ipswich, NH, and trained in Boston and Europe. He purchased property and set up a studio in North Conway, inviting fellow artists to paint the scenery that had inspired his own work. More than 60 artists painted here around the turn of the 20th century, including: Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Church, Thomas Cole, Benjamin Shapleigh and George Inness. Their depictions of the majestic peaks and broad valleys inspired early tourism in the White Mountains, and several prominent artists had summer studios as guests of the grand hotels.
41 Art New England N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r
That early flourishing of art in New Hampshire spawned a climate where artists thrived, and art colonies developed attracting painters, sculptors and writers to spend summers working in Dublin and Cornish. To this day New Hampshire nourishes an active community of artists, fine artisans and galleries. Art schools flourish and art is an important part of the curriculum in the state’s colleges and private academies, most of which have notable galleries. You can see the works of the White Mountain Artists in several museums in the state, but perhaps the best place to begin exploring New Hampshire’s art scene is where the state itself began, on the seacoast. The first European settlements were around Great Bay, in Dover and Portsmouth, and the latter developed into a thriving port that rivaled Boston and Salem. Fine mansions from the Colonial era still line its streets, and you can step back through the four centuries of its history at Strawbery Banke, named for the original settlement here.
2016
Strawbery Banke Museum’s historical village has preserved and restored an entire neighborhood as a series of time capsules from its beginnings in the 1600s through World War II. Homes and shops from each period are decorated and furnished as they would have been in their time, drawing on the museum’s archaeological and decorative arts collections of more than 25,000 objects. Whenever possible these are items that have been traced to specific people at Strawbery Banke, or were made by local artists and artisans. Along with furniture by Portsmouth cabinetmakers, there’s work by Thomas P. Moses and John S. Blunt, whose painting of Ichabod Goodwin’s ship The Sarah Parker is considered one of his finest. In addition to the houses, the Rowland Gallery showcases decorative and fine art in themed changing exhibits. Don’t miss the annual Candlelight Stroll (December 3, 4, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18). Also in downtown Portsmouth, the New Hampshire Art Association is one of the
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
NEW HAMPSHIRE country’s oldest statewide art associations. Its more than 250 members include painters, photographers, sculptors, graphic artists and others working in the fine arts, who show in the association’s regular exhibitions throughout the year. Along with exhibits, the group brings art into the community, especially to nontraditional audiences. Upcoming exhibitions, held at the association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, include the 17th Annual Joan L. Dunfey Open Juried Exhibition (November 2–26) and the Holiday Show (November 30–December 31). The NHAA Silent Auction and Fundraiser (November 2–12), culminates in a Gala on Saturday, November 12. In Hampton Falls, South of Portsmouth and also right on I-95 not far north of Boston, Frisella Fine Art is the working studio and
gallery of Robin Frisella. This New Hampshire artist holds workshops and hosts an ongoing exhibit of her own work, along with original art and jewelry by other local artists. Among these are Doreen Boissonneault, Debby Frisella, Josee Severino, Patricia Gordon, Verne Orlosk, Andrea Guay, Peter Jeziorski, Beth McGavock, Sharon Price and Amy Vander Els. In addition to the gallery, there is a small shop with gifts and home accents. Frisella’s work, which has won a number of awards and accolades, is primarily still life paintings of evocative arrangements of traditional objects with flowers and fruits. Check out Open Studio & Artist Demonstrations (November 5 & 6) the Home for the Holidays exhibition with a reception (November 26 & 27). It’s a short trip northwest on Route 88 to
Exeter, smaller than Portsmouth, but also with an active arts community. The collections at the Lamont Gallery at Phillips Exeter Academy are diverse in style and medium, and include painting, prints, sculpture and artifacts. These are shown in the gallery and throughout the campus, which is in the heart of the beautiful old town. A highlight is Roy Lichtenstein’s 1965 Sweet Dreams Baby; another, Diego Rivera’s 1946 oil on canvas Irene Estella, is currently on loan to the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. Outdoor sculpture includes four by Gerald Laing, a Tony Smith bronze in the courtyard and a painted steel sculpture by Sir Anthony Caro. The current exhibit, 2016, A State of Mind is open through December 10; earlier exhibits this year examined the role of art as an agent of change and advocacy.
Bahar BehBahani: Let the Garden eram Flourish January 5–March 12, 2017 Hood Downtown’s second exhibition features the acclaimed Persian Garden series of Brooklyn-based, Iranian-born artist Bahar Behbahani. Behbahani’s stunning paintings explore the intersection of politics and poetics that defines these gardens as contested cultural spaces. Bahar Behbahani, The Decisions Are Made: Activity Begins (detail), 2015-16, mixed media on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Thomas Erben Gallery.
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
November/December 2016
Art New England 42
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Kyle Stuckey Fine Art
the 15th through the 21st century. Highlights include a recent acquisition, The Presentation in the Temple with the Angel, a 1630 etching that’s an early work by the Dutch Master Rembrandt van Rijn. Other recently acquired works are a large color lithograph by French post-Impressionist Édouard Vuillard and a woodcut from the Life of the Virgin series by the German Old Master Albrecht Dürer. The current exhibition is The Silent Heart: Modern Illuminations by Anne Connell, (through December 10). Manchester’s vibrant art scene isn’t all about looking; it includes chances to create, such as classes in fused glass art at Studioverne. Artist Verne Orlosk welcomes visitors to watch her work in her fine art fused glass studio and gallery as she creates ethereal under-seascapes where fish seem to float between the layers of
FINE ART FUSED GLASS
Opening November 3 and running through December 17, Joseph Wardwell - Soon I Will Be President features a painting style that incorporates text layered over landscapes that are inspired by the Hudson River School. Beginning in mid-January, the gallery’s New Acquisitions exhibit highlights photography, paintings and works on paper recently acquired for the gallery’s permanent collections. The Alva de Mars Megan Chapel Art Center is the fine art exhibition gallery at Saint Anselm College, located in the school’s former chapel. The space itself is a work of art, with a decorated vaulted ceiling, painted allegorical lunettes, and stained glass windows. The permanent collection of more than 400 works of art includes paintings, drawings, works on paper, sculpture and decorative arts from
studioverne
It’s another half hour to Manchester on busy Route 101, or a more leisurely drive through a rural countryside and quiet villages along Route 27. The state’s largest city is home to the Currier Museum of Art. Many of the White Mountain Artists are featured in its current exhibition: Mount Washington: The Crown of New England (through January 16). This is the first museum exhibition devoted exclusively to art featuring this region and it includes paintings by Bierstadt, Cole, Homer, Cropsey and Inness, among others. These and other works consider how art played a major role in the region and how [they] the White Mountains became a symbol of the American landscape. This exhibit of 146 works of art and related objects brings Bierstadt’s monumental painting, The Emerald Pool, to New England for the first time. The state’s oldest art college, The New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA) is New England’s third largest art and design college. Its programs serve over 2,000 students a year, offering BFA degrees in ceramic, fine arts, photography, design and illustration. Facilities are divided between downtown Manchester and the studio and exhibition spaces in Peterborough, with two galleries in Manchester mounting regular exhibits. The Emma Blood French Gallery showcases work by students, alumni, faculty and related outside artists, while the Roger Williams Gallery features regional, national and international art. The McIninch Art Gallery at Southern New Hampshire University mounts multiple shows a year in a diverse variety of art genres and media, representing the region and beyond.
Blue Hydrangeas 24 x 36’’
k yl es tu ckey.com i n fo@ k y l es t u c key. c om PEA038_artne_double.qxp 9/23/16 2:52 PM Page 1
www.studioverne.com 81 Hanover Street Manchester, NH 03101 603.490.4321 Verne Orlosk
2016,
ASTATE OF MIND Lamont Boston Printmakers
Gallery
603-777-3461 / www.exeter.edu/lamontgallery Hours: Mon: By appointment. Tue-Fri: 9-5. Sat: 10-4. Closed Sundays & between exhibitions. October 20-December 10, 2016
NOVEMBER 1 DECEMBER 10, 2016
Saint Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire www.anselm.edu/chapelart
CREDIT: Susan Jaworski-Stranc, Red Squirrels, Blue Squirrels, 2015 Reduction linoleum print on paper
Stem, 2010. Oil and silverpoint on panel. Courtesy Stephen Ongpin Fine Art.
43 Art New England N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r
2016
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
NEW HAMPSHIRE vibrantly colored glass. These three-dimensional works of art are made with powdered glass of varying textures, a method she mastered while teaching at the Currier Museum of Art before opening her own downtown studio. November classes include making holiday ornaments and creating “chocolates” and other faux food from fused glass. Studioverne is opposite a landmark in Manchester’s rich cultural repertoire, the historic Palace Theatre on Hanover Street, where the busy performance calendar includes ballet, opera, musicals and stage shows. The state capital of Concord, just north on I-93, is another New Hampshire city that nurtures the arts, with its own Capitol Center for the Arts and a busy performance calendar at the Concord Community Music School. In
AUCTIONEERS
AUCTIONEERS & APPRAISERS
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
the heart of the 19th-century brick architecture of Concord’s newly refurbished Main Street business district, McGowan Fine Art showcases the works of more than 75 contemporary northern New England artists. Three floors of galleries feature works in a wide variety of styles and media, and in all price ranges. A custom frame shop makes this a center for artists as well as art collectors. Currently featured in the gallery’s constantly rotating exhibits are Hikes & Travels, paintings by Catherine Tuttle based on her hikes in the White Mountains and from summer days spent on the shore in Maine. Following Hikes & Travels (through November 11), McGowan Fine Art will spotlight paintings by Melissa Anne Miller, whose local cityscapes include rooftop views from her downtown Concord studio.
Follow Route 202 (Hopkinton Road) west from downtown Concord to find Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden, where nature and art meet in a setting of gardens, meadows, ponds and woodland. The grounds are an openair gallery of original sculptures, and inside are three rooms displaying the works of more than 70 artists, most of them from New Hampshire and elsewhere in New England. The gallery includes original oil and watercolor paintings, sculpture, fine art prints, mobiles, pottery, granite ball fountains and custom-crafted furniture. The upstairs gallery has exhibits that rotate regularly throughout the year. The current show (through December 24), is the Reunion Exhibit— Rhode Island School of Design, Class of 1967 featuring works by Dudley Giberson, Rosalee Post, Bunny Harvey, Peter Dudley, Ingrid Peterson Apgar, Deidre Scherer and Pamela R. Tarbell, the founder of the gallery. I-93 continues up the center of the state, where you’ll find The Lakes Gallery at Chi-lin in the city of Laconia. In a beautiful 1780 farmhouse, Suzanne Lee offers workshops in calligraphy and handmade books, in addition to representing a small select group of contemporary New England and Asian artists. Artists represented are Irma Cerese, Andy Moerlein, Patricia Giebutowski, Rose Umerlik, Mary Graham, Henry Wo Yue-Kee, Margaret Lawrence, Alec Richardson, Lauren Olitski, Jan Roy, Susan Wahlrab, Sam Lawrence and Debra Weiss. Calligraphy workshops range from drop-in sessions to six-week courses, and custom calligraphy is also offered, along with custom framing. The small college town of New London lies to the west on Route 11, at the heart of the Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region. This area attracts many artists, writers and performers (there is an historic summer theater in New London), and at its core is The Center for the Arts. The Center’s mission is “To seek, support, and to celebrate the cultural richness in our region by bringing creativity and community together for the benefit of all,” and they fulfill this by supporting and promoting artists and arts organizations. They sponsor art exhibits at four CFA Micro Galleries, at the New London Inn, Lake Sunapee Bank, Whipple Hall and ZeroCelsius Wealth Studio, all on New London’s Main Street. Four new exhibits open with receptions on November 4, which is also the opening of the Annual Regional Juried Art Show at the New London Inn. This is part of the
November/December 2016
Art New England 44
NEW HAMPSHIRE monthly First Fridays program, which on the evening of December 2 holds a holiday concert. On December 3 the Center sponsors the Holiday Fine Arts & Crafts Fair in Whipple Hall. Dartmouth College provides a magnet for the arts in Hanover, a short ride north on I-89. The college’s Hood Museum of Art is undergoing a multimillion-dollar expansion project, and while it is closed its outreach mission continues at the Hood Downtown exhibition space around the corner on Main Street. The inaugural exhibition, Laetitia Soulier: The Fractal Architectures (through December 11), features the images and sculptures of contemporary French photographer Laetitia Soulier. Over the next three years of the Hood’s reconstruction, Hood Downtown will present an ambitious series of exhibitions featuring global contem-
porary artists in a variety of media. The reconstructed museum will include six new galleries and is expected to reopen for Dartmouth’s 250th anniversary in 2019. Not all of the mountains that inspired artists are in the northern part of the state. South of New London, in New Hampshire’s southwest corner, Mount Monadnock stands high above the rolling countryside. It inspired artists such as Abbott Thayer, George de Forest Brush, Alexander James and others who worked here during the 19th and 20th centuries. Known as the Dublin School, their summer colony attracted masters of other arts, including writer and humorist Mark Twain, who is credited with one of the most quoted observations about New England: “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.”
The Monadnock region is often called the Currier & Ives Corner, for its rural landscapes and post-card perfect villages with their white clapboard homes, graceful church spires and village greens. Throughout the region you’ll find studios of individual artists and craftspeople, as well as galleries filled with their work. Keene, the region’s only city, is a center for music, performance, cinema and the arts. Returning south from Hanover on I-89 a short distance to Grantham, follow Route 10 south through Goshen and attractive Marlow, with its white church reflected in a pond. Past Marlow turn left onto Route 123, continuing over the side of Pitcher Mountain to the village of Stoddard. Follow signs onto King’s Hwy to visit the studio gallery of artist Kyle Stuckey at Studio 11. Normally open only
The McIninch Art Gallery
Co ntemp o ra ry New Eng lan d & As i an A r t
THE LAKES GALLERY AT CHI-LIN
Joe Wardwell – Soon I Will Be President November 3 to December 17, 2016 Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Thursday, November 3; 5:00 to 7:00pm
From the “Collectibles” Rose Umerlik, Two #15 , oil and graphite on arches oil paper, 8 x 9”.
603 -5 56 -9 384
Joe Wardwell, Soon I Will Be President, 2016, 30” x 22”, oil on paper.
2500 North River Road Manchester, NH 03106 603.629.4622 | www.snhu.edu/art Gallery Hours: Mon. – Sat., 10 to 3pm; Thurs., 5 to 8pm
t he l a kes g a l l ery.com
Photo by R. Lee Post
Own Original Art by New Hampshire Artists
MILL BROOK GALLERY
& SCULPTURE GARDEN
236 Hopkinton Road, Concord, NH 03301 Themillbrookgallery.com | 603-226-2046 | Tu—Su 11—5
October 9—December 24
Reunion Exhibit Rhode Island School of Design Class of 1967
Peter Dudley, Bunny Harvey, Ingrid Peterson Apgar R. Lee Post, Deidre Scherer, Pamela R. Tarbell
45 Art New England N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r
www.nhartassociation.org • Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery • 136 State St., Portsmouth, NH • 603-431-4230
2016
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Mary Graham, Rising Before Dawn, triptych oil on linen, mounted on board, 24 x 36". At The Lakes Gallery at Chi-lin.
by appointment (603-395-1491), Studio 11 celebrates its Grand Opening and Holiday Show on December 3rd. This will kick off the opening of the gallery, which will at last be a place in New England to see the work of this highly acclaimed impressionistic realist painter. Born in New Hampshire and spending most of his life in New England, Stuckey credits the region’s natural beauty and art history as an inspiring place to learn to paint. Route 123 continues south through beautiful Hancock, whose brick church is reputed to be one of the most photographed in New England.
Supporting and Celebrating the Arts in the Lake Sunapee Region
www.CenterForTheArtsNH.org
S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
The road joins Route 202 into Peterborough, home of the studio and exhibition facilities of the New Hampshire Institute of Art. The 70th Annual Members Exhibition is shown in the Sharon Arts Center Galleries on Grove Street through November 20, featuring the wide range of media and artistic styles of the NHIA community, from painting to photography to fiber arts and more. The studio will show large-scale interior photographs by Glen Scheffer who from 2009 through 2011 traveled throughout the east coast, documenting and photographing iconic buildings, including the Boston Public Library,
the New Bedford Whaling Museum and locally, the Peterborough Players Theater (December 2–23). From Peterborough, Route 101 travels east to Milford, where you’ll find Turnwood Fine Art. William C. Turner is a realist artist whose oil paintings seem to turn old vehicles into living beings. In his depiction of dented and rusted metal, broken windshields and the sinuous shapes of vintage cars, trucks and farm vehicles, he captures their anthropomorphic nature. Many of his works hint at mythology and folklore themes demonstrated in the forgotten vehicles. Turner explains his vision best himself: “Symbolically, these machines take on a human-like quality: the bumper may be distorted into a crooked smile; the grill a bent outof-shape nose; the headlights, sometimes broken, resemble eyes… I try to give the vehicles I portray the dignity they deserve for service well done.” In addition to a solo show at the Jaffrey Civic Center in Jaffrey (near Peterborough) running through November 12, Turnwood Fine Art will participate in New Hampshire Open Doors (November 5 & 6). Whether it’s their vision of old cars, the patterns formed by urban rooftops and steeples or their skill at capturing the unique light of the White Mountains, New Hampshire artists and those who nourish and support their work are inspired by their surrounding landscapes. As you travel the state’s highways and back lanes, you will be, too.
—Barbara Radcliffe Rogers
Stroll across time, to meet the people and places of the waterfront Portsmouth neighborhood of Puddle Dock. November Weekend House Tours. 37th Annual Candlelight Stroll. Labrie Family Skate outdoor rink. 14 Hancock Street Portsmouth NH 03801 603.433.1100 StrawberyBanke.org
November/December 2016
Art New England 46