Visit artists at work at Nashua International Sculpture Symposium
Three artists have spent the past two weeks carving merriment out of metal and stone as they work toward their final creations for the 15th annual Nashua International Sculpture Symposium.
The theme this year is merriment — in part to honor Meri Goyette, a major Nashua arts supporter who inspired the event — and you can still watch the artists bring that theme to life at their worksite outside the Picker Artists building, where they’ve been since May 12, for about 14 hours a day every day.
“This is all for the sake of the public, for accessible public art,” said Jim Larson, the event’s artistic director. “The art produced is not a luxury object that you would see in a gallery — it is everyday artwork that is impactful and powerful. [It shows] we need artwork in our life every day, like food.”
As it has been since the pandemic started, the artists this year are all from the U.S.: Anna Miller is from Connecticut, Brent Howard is from New Jersey and Corinna D’Schoto is from Boston.
“We usually have international sculptors,” symposium president Gail Moriarty said. “[But it’s] really cool that they speak the same language.”
That makes for a different atmosphere than some past years, when artists have needed interpreters or have spoken limited English.
“They have amazing chemistry and a lot of dialogue,” Larson said. “The definition of symposium … is a gathering of people to converse, drink and share ideas [and they’re] really leaning into that.”
The artists are chosen not necessarily for their past sculptures, but for their potential.
“Two of our artists had never carved a piece of stone in their life, and they’re absolutely killing it,” Larson said.
One artist hasn’t worked with either metal or stone, he said, and it’s not unusual for the symposium board to choose artists who don’t have experience with large-scale sculptures and materials. Larson likened it to hiring someone for a job who has a great resume and the right attitude and is a good fit even if they don’t have the specific experience of that position.
“My job as the director here is to kind of make that leap,” he said. “You end up with a new take, a fresh perspective, and it shows in the finished work.”
Once they saw the site and the materials and tools they have to work with, the artists spent their first days in Nashua planning and sketching.
“We let them do whatever they want — it depends on the creative process of the artist,” Moriarty said. “It’s different for everybody, and we welcome that.”
Part of the purpose of the symposium, Larson said, is to give artists the support to try something new, including access to tools and materials.
“[The event] allows them to make work that they couldn’t or wouldn’t otherwise make,” he said.
Larson, who has a background in structural metal fabrication and structural stone masonry, sources the materials for these projects.
“[Some of] this year’s stone came from a small family quarry operation in West Rutland, Vermont,” Larson said. “It’s some of the nicest white marble in the world, and it’s a delight to carve.”
One artist is using Lake Champlain black marble that’s full of fossils and is from the oldest known reef on the planet, Larson said. Because of his background, Larson said, he knows what materials are best for carving, and where to find them. But part of his role is teaching these sculptors the art of sourcing their materials.
“An artist that has a really fruitful, creative practice, who is a widely creative person … should be able to creatively source their material as well,” he said.
The artists will be at the Picker building until about June 1, when they’ll start transporting their pieces to the installation site. Sculptures from years past can be seen throughout the city; this year, they’ll be at one site on Commercial Street, Moriarty said, next to the old bridge.
“They’ll be in the middle of the big push to get their work done,” Larson said of the artists’ final weekend of sculpting. “It’s the most exciting time.”
Visitors are encouraged to stop by the site while they’re finishing up the final touches.
“It’s such a rare thing to be able to see an artist working through these tangible things,” Larson said. “They’re working in front of a huge brick wall that becomes [like] a stage. It’s a pretty absurd look.”
Nashua is the only city in the country to host an international sculpture symposium, and both Larson and Moriarty emphasized the importance of the community in being able to host the event. Residents host the artists in their homes, bring meals as they work and provide transportation.
“The public is what keeps us going every year,” Moriarty said.
15th annual Nashua International Sculpture Symposium Where: The Picker Artists building, 3 Pine St., Nashua, until June 1, when they’ll start moving their pieces to the installation site near the old bridge on Commercial Street When: Visit the artists at the Picker building from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day until they start transporting their pieces to Commercial Street, where will be a closing ceremony on Saturday, June 4, at 1 p.m. More information: nashuasculpturesymposium.org
Featured photo: Corinna D’Schoto is sketching details to make cuts/curve out contours of a clavicle bone (suspended by gantry). Courtesy photo.
Get two weekends of swords, ladies and lords, music and more at the NH Renaissance Faire
Knights, archers, jousters, pirates — you’ll find them all at the New Hampshire Renaissance Faire, back in person and happening over the course of two weekends, May 14 and 15 and May 21 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
“We’re very excited,” said Marc Bernier, general manager and president of the Board of Directors for the Renaissance Faire. “There have been a lot of changes because of Covid, and it’s been a lot of work. … Some of our acts and vendors have had to shut their doors either because of their health or [for financial reasons] … [but] we have a number of new acts.”
There are also new food vendors and new interactive activities for kids, including ax and knife throwing. And the whole fair has moved across the street to a bigger field.
“People will be parking in the same parking lot but just walk in the other direction,” Bernier said.
Traditional favorites will be back, including archery demos and practice shooting with the Junior Olympic archery division, as well as the Brotherhood of the Arrow and Sword and the jousting demos.
Bernier said about 30 percent of the people who attend dress in full Renaissance “garb,” which is what they call costumes, and about 20 percent come in partial garb.
“A lot of people will build their costumes as they go to fairs, so they might start with a tunic and then add a cloak [at the next fair] and then add footwear,” he said.
Each day of the fair has a theme, and visitors are encouraged to dress up based on the day’s theme: There’s Wizards and Fairies Day the first Saturday, and Heritage Day the first Sunday, then Pirates and Barbarians Day the second Saturday, and the last day is Literature, TV and Movies.
“Ren faires have probably gotten a little bit of an odd or bad rap — a bunch of nerdy kids running around in costumes,” Bernier said. “But thousands of people come in [and are able to] let their inner nerd out a little bit, because everyone is doing it.”
The Hippo reached out to some of this year’s entertainers, who shared via email their techniques for getting into character, their favorite part of the New Hampshire Renaissance Faire and more.
Marc Bernier as MasterMarcus Bowyer, archer
Bernier is also the general manager and president of the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Renaissance Faire.
Marc Bernier. Photo by Triple-G Photography.
Tell me a little bit about your background.
I am the general manager of the Faire and I have been involved in ren faires for over 20 years in one capacity or another. I have worked in nearly every aspect of Faire except food service.
What’s your process for getting into character?
I play a variety of characters. The process depends on which, but most of them are primarily based on the garb (costume) the character wears.
What do you do to psych yourself up for performances?
I don’t generally have to. I slide right into the role.
What does your character/act bring to the ren faire?
This also relates to the character. I try to fit the theme for the day unless I have a specific role. I like being available for pictures with people and improvised interacting.
Aside from your own act, what’s your favorite part of the faire?
The charity donation we raise is my reason for putting in the work.
J.D. Lauriat as pirate Avery Meritt
Lauriat is the Village Cast Director and Combat Director for New Hampshire Renaissance Faire and one of the members of the musical act The Penniless Jacks.
J.D. Lauriat. Photo by Triple-G Photography.
Tell me a little bit about your background.
Well, I have been working/performing at various renaissance faires since 2006. I started out as part of a village cast that focused on patron interaction and mixed in a bit of singing and sword fighting. Fast forward to today and I’ve been director at a few events, I’ve been part of several stage shows and performances, and [I have] traveled throughout New England doing everything from acting to fight performance to music shows to directing cast to teaching stage combat.
What’s your process for getting into character?
It ultimately depends on the character that I am playing, but I always tell my cast, especially those who are new to this, to use a piece of your costume as a sort of catalyst for getting into character. It could be your hat, or a doublet, or even something mundane like a pin or brooch that you wear. I’ve played several very different characters over the years, from Pirate to Grave Digger to Nobility. This year, I am simply the owner of a local tavern. For me, it’s often the hat. The main process for getting ready, for me, is to silently role-play or act out a scene that my character might be in. It’s often a variation of the same scene each time, but it’s something that really encompasses the mindset and characteristics of the person I’m going to be playing for the day.
What do you do to psych yourself up for performances?
As I mentioned, I will often play out a scene that the character could be in, but that doesn’t work for all situations. Some shows, when I’m just performing with The Penniless Jacks, don’t lend themselves well to being a character because we spend so much time on stage. So the start of the day is typically a bit of panic with a dash of fear. I’ve been doing this for over 15 years and a stage show still terrifies me, and I suspect it always will. I had a wonderful director years ago tell me that it’s a good sign to have a bit of fear before a show, because it means you care.
What does your character/act bring to the ren faire?
My character, Avery Meritt, brings a sense of protection to the rest of the village. Many of the locals are unaware of his past, but they know he isn’t to be trifled with. Still, he runs the local tavern and inn, and keeps the doors open as a sort of hospitality house for his neighbors. For the patrons attending the faire, he brings a warm welcome, a bit of conversation, and music to remember.
Aside from your own act, what’s your favorite part of the faire?
Honestly, aside from the fact that it’s a charity event, I would say the music. Throughout the years, I have seen so many amazing musicians and acts pass through, and many of them have become good friends. I love that it’s a rare moment that you don’t hear wonderful songs echoing throughout the grounds.
Ilkka Eskelinen as Lord Sheriff Alistair Fynne
Eskelinen performs with the Shimmynanigans, belly dancers at the Faire.
Ilkka Eskelinen. Courtesy photo.
Tell me a little bit about your background.
My regular day-to-day work is as a job superintendent for a commercial construction company, as well as the safety officer and equipment trainer. I’m 52, born in Fitchburg, Mass. I have been a performer since 2010, originally as a villager. I sang shanties with a pirate crew for a few years. I also perform as a Viking, and recently had the honor to lead a service for a Viking-style funeral.
What’s your process for getting into character?
My process for getting into character: It all starts as soon as I wake on the day of faire. Getting my gear together for the day, sorting through and choosing what particular accouterments I’ll wear that day. While my costume stays fairly constant, I’ll adjust my outfit based on the temperature and weather outlook. My mindset, I go through a mental checklist of what’s lined up for the day, meet up with my fellow castmates and confirm everything is set. If doing stage combat, doing a few dry runs to make sure my partner and I have things in order.
What do you do to psych yourself up for performances?
I remind myself of some of my favorite memories from previous faires. One story in particular stands out, and I’ll try to keep it brief but I’d like to share it so you have the mental picture. Around 10 years ago, I spent some time chatting with a woman at faire, and was about to head off to a show. I asked for her hand, kissed it gently, and wished her a good day. She started crying! I asked what was amiss, and she told me (paraphrase) that no man ever pays her as much attention as I did that day. I still remember what I said to her (paraphrased of course): “Miss, you are very lucky! You have avoided being stuck with some idiot who doesn’t appreciate you! You are now free for an intelligent man to see you for who you really are, and be who you deserve.” I saw her again the following year at faire, and I didn’t recognize her at first. She had lost a lot of weight, changed her style, and introduced me to her boyfriend of several months. How wonderful is that?! The thought of making someone’s day even a little brighter, bringing a smile, a laugh, a shared moment — it brings me back year after year.
What does your character/act bring to the ren faire?
I am a wandering performer. I travel around the site, greeting people, engaging in conversations, perhaps joining a wandering singing group to sing a song. … This year we are introducing stage combat, and I will be doing a fight with one of the villagers. I love to make folk laugh. We never know what kind of day someone is having when they set foot onto the faire site. If I can bring a smile, a laugh, and give them a pleasant memory to take away from the day, it is all worth it.
Aside from your own act, what’s your favorite part of the faire?
Aside from my wanderings, my favorites are watching full-contact fighting in armor, such as The Brotherhood of the Arrow and Sword, or listening to the various singing groups and their stage performances, like The Penniless Jacks, The King’s Busketeers, and Myschyffe Managed.
Brian Caton as Sir Brian de Caton, Brotherhood of the Arrow and Sword
Caton formed the historical reenactment group at the Faire that demonstrates combat.
Photo courtesy of Brian Caton.
Tell me a little bit about your background.
Well, I started in the ren faire scene roughly about 26 years ago as a merchant but joined a reenactment group that performed at the New Hampshire Renaissance Faire in 2007. In 2015, several educators in the group and I formed the Brotherhood of the Arrow and Sword.
Our primary focus is educational reenactment of the medieval time period. Our goal is to show the difference between real history and Hollywood. We present at ren faires and schools throughout New England. At faire we will set up a hands-on medieval encampment where patrons can come in and see people performing period chores and also try on armor and weapons.
We also perform several types of presentations. One being our weapons presentation/life on the battlefield presentation. Another, and our most popular, is our fully armored, full steel fight show where we demonstrate fighting styles of the time period and modern-day tournament fighting in full-speed, full-contact combat.
What’s your process for getting into character?
My character, Sir Brian de Catton, portrays a knight from 1475 Yorkshire England. My armor and garb are all patterned off examples from the time period and are all handmade. At NHRF, I am also the Queen’s Champion.
What do you do to psych yourself up for performances?
I’d say that I start psyching up for the faire or getting into character by putting the garb on in the morning and our fighters, myself included, start psyching up for the fight show with the process of putting the armor on. Which can be a pretty involved process.
What does your character/act bring to the ren faire?
My favorite part of a faire is experiencing the crowds and especially the children when they see our fighters in armor and when they themselves get to try the armor. The making of memories is very important to us.
Aside from your own act, what’s your favorite part of the faire?
At NHRF, my favorite part is the Faire family that has come together to put on the charity event. From performers, merchants to volunteers and staff. There is a real sense of family at the event.
Danny Scialdone as Lord Aspergillius Gleekman
Scialdone is also the entertainment director of the Faire.
Photo courtesy of Danny Scialdone.
Tell me a little bit about your background.
I have been performing as a variety of characters at renaissance faires for 15 years now and found my way to NHRF in 2011 as their first official court jester, Aspergillius Gleekman, joining the rank of the royal court. In 2012, I took on the role of entertainment director for NHRF as well as Treasury Senior Officer for the Three Maples Renaissance Corp (a 501(c)3 charity organization). As for my character, Aspergillius is an energetic, spontaneous silly man that tends to do just the thing you don’t expect him to … he likes to keep people on their toes. A trusted advisor to Queen Catherine and a compassionate soul that ensures that there is a smile on everyone’s faces.
What’s your process for getting into character?
Put on my garb, simple as that. Aspergillius is really just my own everyday goofball personality, which makes it very easy for me to get into character … put on my costume (or “garb” as we call it), flip the switch, and off I go … 40 jingle bells and all!
What do you do to psych yourself up for performances?
Honestly, nothing really. Just like I said, flip the switch.
What does your character/act bring to the ren faire?
Happiness, smiles and laughter
Aside from your own act, what’s your favorite part of the faire?
That is a tough one, there are so many … if I had to pick one, I would say the interaction with patrons, especially the kids. Kids really soak up the whole renaissance faire experience like no other, you can actually see the magic in their eyes and smiles. The best ones, though, are those that are only at the faire because they got “dragged along” by friends or family. When they come through the gate they arrive with an obvious disinterest, but by the end of the day, they end up having the time of their life and can’t wait to come back!
Brian Weiland of the Misfits of Avalon
The Misfits of Avalon will perform the second weekend of the Faire.
Photo courtesy of Brian Weiland.
Tell me a little bit about your background.
My group is called the Misfits of Avalon, and we are a Celtic music act based in Massachusetts. Since our founding in 2009 we have at one time or another performed at pretty much every renaissance faire in New England, including performing at the New Hampshire Renaissance Faire every year since 2011. The core of the group is two lifelong best friends — myself on the hammered dulcimer and mandolin, and Max Cohen on guitar and vocals. All three of my children have also performed in the group over the years, and currently my youngest son, Aiden, is our fiddler. When I am not at faire I am a public school music teacher, and Max is a full-time professional musician.
What’s your process for getting into character?
Our characters are basically street musicians, which in renaissance terms means that we are definitely among the lower-class inhabitants of the realm! We therefore mostly wear simple peasant garb, though when we want to look a little fancier we sometimes wear full kilts. My mindset as a renaissance musician is actually not dissimilar to my mindset as a modern musician: I am there to hopefully gladden the hearts of all who hear me, from the humblest peasant to the queen herself!
What does your character/act bring to the ren faire?
Hopefully what the Misfits of Avalon brings to the faire is a little bit of beauty, a little bit of history, and maybe even a little bit of magic. I have for my entire life believed that music is a form of magic, and we do our best to cast good spells! We play several stage shows each day, but we actually spend the majority of our time — pretty much every moment when we are not on stage — busking around the fairgrounds, so that as visitors wander around throughout the day, the delicate ethereal tones of the hammered dulcimer playing beautiful Celtic melodies transports all within the realm back to a more mystical and beautiful time and place!
Aside from your own act, what’s your favorite part of the faire?
My favorite part of faire is the friendships and camaraderie. The people who work at ren faires are some of the most wonderful creative talented quirky people I know. We all have our own mundane lives and jobs and burdens, and we all live in this great big complex world, but we have all chosen to invest a pretty serious amount of time, effort, preparation and money in order to occasionally get together and create this little alternate world whose entire function is to share and inspire joy. I love being part of a community that does that!
New Hampshire Renaissance Faire
When: Saturdays and Sundays, May 14 and 15, and May 21 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Where: 80 Martin Road, Fremont
Cost: Adults $18; kids over 4 $12 and kids 4 and under get in free. Tickets available at nhrenfaire.com or at the faire, and proceeds support the New Hampshire Food Bank and Rockingham Meals on Wheels.
Event is held rain or shine; check nhrenfaire.com in case of extreme weather.
Activities
Information according to the schedule at nhrenfaire.com.
Children’s Glen: Games, crafts and fun activities for the kiddies! Let them test their coordination on Jacob’s Ladder.
Archery Range: Archery at the Three Maples run by JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development). Free to play, but donations to JOAD are encouraged!
Craft Demonstrations: Many merchants will be demonstrating their craft at their booths, such as weaving, leather work and jewelry making.
Encampment Demonstrations: Visit the knights from the Brotherhood of the Arrow & Sword in the backfield and check out their camp, armor and weapons. Or visit our pirates and gypsies and see what trouble they’re up to!
Charity Wench & Lad Auction: Bid on goods donated from vendors and modeled by strapping lads and lovely wenches.
Bellydance Lesson: Learn to bellydance with the Shimmynanigans.
Entertainment
See performance schedule and map atnhrenfaire.com.
B.O.N.E.S. – New England Pirate Guild sings songs of the sea
Brother Sylvan – Poetry and readings from the traveled wandering bard
Duchess of Yorkshire Pudding – Whimsical tales, stories and songs of the heartwarming Duchess of Yorkshire Pudding
Gibbon The Troubadour – The minstrel plays a wide array of Irish-Celtic, nautical and folk songs
Guy Todd, Wandering Harpist – Enchanting music that will take you to another place and time
IJA – A group of jousters from all over brings the thrill of the “Game of Kings”
Medieval Music Jam – All of the faire’s talented musicians and musical performers come together for one big musical performance
Michael OJ Magician – Magic and illusions
Phoenix Swords – Medieval performance troupe demonstrates sword and weapon combat, fire breathing and flame handling
Primrose Pirates – Sword fighting and live black powder
Shimmynanigans – Bellydancing gypsies
Sir Timothy the Enchanter – The first-ever bullwhip act at the faire
The Brotherhood of the Arrow & Sword –Historical reenactment group demonstrates fully armored live steel combat
The Corr Thieves – Action and humor-filled show
The Dirge Queen – A musical queen
The Foxy Bard – PG13 – Roving bard playing folk-rock, Celtic rock and medieval songs
The Harlot Queens – PG13 – Acapella singing queens
The Harper and The Minstrel – May 14 & 15 only – Historically inspired performances of Medieval, Renaissance and Celtic Music
The King’s Busketeers – Band of musical bards with Irish pub songs, shanties and more
The Longshanks: Stilt Walkers & Storytellers – A storytelling duo wandering about the shire on stilts
TheMisfits of Avalon – May 21 & 22 only – Duo of minstrels playing contemporary and traditional Celtic songs on the harp, guitar and hand dulcimer
ThePenniless Jacks – Old-style pub music trio singing shanties and rousing rebel songs
The Pillage Idiots – Silly stories, songs and tales from a crew of comedic pirates
The Shank Painters – May 21 & 22 only – Sea-shanty singing trio
Two and a Halfwits – Improv comedy group
Queen’s Tea – Bring the wee ones for lemonade and cookies with the Queen herself
Featured photo: J.D. Lauriat, left, and Andy Prete, right, of the Penniless Jacks. Courtesy photo.
After two years of schedule changes, Free Comic Book Day returns to its first Saturday in May spot on the calendar this year with several local shops participating in the May 7 event.
The event, which began in 2002, has handed out millions of copies of special issues of comics created for Free Comic Book Day to people looking to find new stories or rediscover old favorites. Each shop has individual policies regarding how many releases one may take, and which books are available. (This year, there are more than 45 different issues scheduled to be available for Free Comic Book Day, according to freecomicbookday.com, where you can see covers and previews for 2022 comics.)
The day is intended to commemorate each shop and celebrate small businesses and their love for the art of comic books.
Double Midnight Comics, with stores in both Concord and Manchester, is hosting a couple of well-recognized guests to help celebrate this day and intrigue enthusiasts statewide. Its Manchester store will celebrate 20 years in business this July; the Concord store opened eight years ago, relocating from Main Street to Loudon Road this past October.
“[For] our Manchester store, we bill it as a big … extravaganza,” store owner Chris Proulx said. “We had people, pre-Covid, who would line up on Wednesday. There’s people [who] will camp out for a few days ahead of time. … It almost turns into a block party in our parking lot.”
Proulx has high hopes that this FCBD will enter back into the realm of normalcy, as the pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020 and rescheduling to the summer last year. Unfortunately, this led to a much smaller turnout compared to previous years. Proulx said that the Concord location will be for customers looking to simply stop by and look around at their own pace. It is more of an ideal location for younger kids in need of more of a relaxed browsing scene. Proulx looks forward to the release of The Electric Black, which was produced by New Englanders Joseph Schmalke and Rich Woodall, both of whom will appear at the Manchester store that day.
Comics for… Five comics for kids • Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra • The Best Archie Comic Ever! (limited-edition issue) • Disney Masters: Donald Duck & Co. (special-edition issue) • Pokemon Journeys and Pokemon Adventures XY • Sonic the Hedgehog Three comics for Marvel lovers • The Amazing Spider-Man/Venom (issue No. 1) • Avengers/X-Men (issue No. 1) • Marvel’s Voices (issue No. 1) Three comics with action • Tex in The Land of the Seminoles • The Year of the Valiant • Bloodborne (issue No. 1)
Jetpack Comics & Games in Rochester is another local shop anticipating a substantial turnout for FCBD this year. Store manager Rich Brunelle described the event as a citywide attraction, saying that they look to help promote other small businesses by hiding comics at various locations.
Double Midnight Comics in Manchester and Concord. Photos by Jack Walsh.
“We have a ton of businesses around town that are involved in it as well,” Brunelle said. “We basically treat it like a scavenger hunt, where you can go to each one of the businesses, and at each one they give you more free comics.”
Brunelle said those who take part in the scavenger hunt and pick up a comic from each business are eligible for special prizes once the search is complete. In addition to this day-long scavenger hunt, there is a cosplay contest, a mini convention hall at Governor’s Inn, food trucks and more. A couple of guests include legends Steve Lavigne and Jim Lawson, best-known for their work in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. Brunelle added that this particular location once held the largest FCBD in the country.
After battling some hardships FCBD is back, and fans statewide should plan on attending fun events with no limitations on any of the festivities planned throughout the day.
Free Comic Book Day
When: Saturday, May 7 Where: Various participating stores statewide More info: Visit freecomicbookday.com
Participating local stores See freecomicbookday.com for a look at the 2022 line up of comics.
• Chris’s Comics (919 Lafayette Road, Seabrook, 474-2283, chriscardscomics.com) Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Free Comic Book Day.
• Double Midnight Comics (245 Maple St., Manchester, 669-9636; 341 Loudon Road, Concord, 715-2683; dmcomics.com) Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Manchester and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Concord on Free Comic Book Day. The Manchester store will host its annual “Free Comic Book Day Extravaganza,” featuring a tent sale, a costume contest, comic creator signings, door prizes and more.
• Escape Hatch Books (27 Main St., Jaffrey, find them on Facebook @escapehatchbooks)
• Jetpack Comics & Games (37 N. Main St., Rochester, 330-9636, jetpackcomics.com) Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Free Comic Book Day. The shop is the nexus of a citywide festival featuring a comic scavenger hunt, a cosplay contest, a mini convention hall at Governor’s Inn, door prizes, food trucks and more.
• Merrymac Games and Comics (550 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 420-8161, merrymacgc.com) Open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Free Comic Book Day, featuring appearances from a variety of local, independent comic creators.
• Stairway to Heaven Comics (105 Gosling Road, Newington, 319-6134, stairwaytoheavencomics.com) Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Free Comic Book Day, featuring sales on bagged and boarded comics, creator signings and more.
Featured photo: Double Midnight Comics in Manchester and Concord. Photos by Jack Walsh.
How the Currier used the pandemic pause to revamp its galleries and make art more accessible
With a new focus on global art and a stronger emphasis on immersive experiences and community outreach, the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester has spent the past couple years revamping its galleries, enhancing its programming and planning for the future.
“Our new goal is to make sure that people know we have more than just art on the wall,” Currier Director Alan Chong said. “We have two Frank Lloyd Wright houses which are worth visiting, we have art classes … [along with] the permanent collections and exhibitions.”
The museum was able to continue running in some capacity even in the beginning of the pandemic, Chong said, and has continued to add back old programs and start new ones since then.
“We’ve had very strong support from the community,” Chong said. “The government has kept us going [with funding]. … We really depend on a whole network of support.”
PPE funds meant the Currier staff could keep working, and other grants helped support online programming and expanded museum offerings.
“Our audience has responded well,” Chong said. “Our numbers are pretty much recovered. We’ve been close to full capacity for a couple of months.”
Here’s a look at the Currier’s new mission, latest exhibitions and current efforts to make art more accessible to the entire community.
Going global
Though the Currier Museum of Art had to shut down during the pandemic, museum staff solved the immediate problem of accessing the community with online programming. The museum’s curators, in the meantime, saw their scope of work change a bit — instead of traveling the globe to acquire work, they looked inward at what they already had.
“In some ways when we were closed it gave us a lot of time to focus on the collection and reimagine [what it could look like],” Senior Curator of Collections Kurt Sundstrom said. “We all sat around on a Zoom call and talked about how we could use this opportunity.”
The Currier’s mission, he said, is to become more global, to visually show the connections between America and Asia, Europe and other parts of the world. For the Currier, that meant shifting around some of its collections. The second floor of the museum was reinstalled and looks completely different, Sundstrom said, with works from around the world paired together.
“We broke down those walls,” he said. “You can come to the museum now and see American art in the European gallery. … You look at things differently depending on where they’re hanging.”
For example, a Dutch painting that features a rug now hangs with Persian rugs from the museum’s collection, allowing for a new perspective.
“It was interesting to reinterpret how the collection could [work together],” Sundstrom said.
The Currier is also acquiring new pieces and planning exhibitions that will help it tell more of a story of global art, Sundstrom said, like an Islamic rug show, and the current exhibition that features the work of Iranian artist Arghavan Khosravi.
“When I first came here 25 years ago, there wasn’t any work here from African American artists, and there was very little from women,” Sundstrom said. “I think audiences, when they come in now, they’ll see themselves represented. You’ll have Asian art and Mexican art and works by women and everything that you would expect in a multicultural community.”
You can visit a museum many times and still never see the extent of its collection. Sundstrom said that museums typically have 2 to 7 percent of their collections on view at any given time. Paintings and sculptures can stay out longer, but photographs and watercolors will deteriorate over time when exposed to light. Because of this, a visit to the museum one year could be an entirely different experience than a visit the next. And with the pandemic giving the Currier time to make more significant changes, the overall vibe is different too.
“I think it’s much more fun,” Sundstrom said. “It’s not so static anymore. It’s not what you would expect — it’s not stuffy.”
Community connections
Programming at the Currier made strides during the pandemic too, with strong efforts to make art more accessible to the community — something it had been doing in recent years anyway.
“We do a lot more online,” Chong said. “We were already moving in that direction. … We had designed a new website in late 2019, so we were ready to launch a more user-friendly experience.”
Chong said that government grants were key in helping the Currier stay connected to the community and provide an online museum experience when it had shut down, and even after, when its hours and programs were limited.
The Currier already had its entire collection online — most museums had been looking at the digital world very intently, Chong said — but a National Endowment for the Humanities grant allowed the museum to put its two Frank Lloyd Wright homes online, including photo galleries, drawings and plans, 3D tours and historic documents.
Grants also allowed the museum to pass out kits to do art projects and enhance some of its supportive arts programs.
“Our curators and educators really worked hard on how we can respond to [the pandemic] and the racial tension,” Chong said. “[For example], a lot of people were feeling that hybrid learning wasn’t a very good way of going to school, so we formed a teen anxiety group.”
Sundstrom runs that group, using art to initiate conversations, like looking at a painting made after World War II, another difficult time in history.
“We talked about how to get through those anxious moments,” Sundstrom said.
Those groups started back in person last semester, which Sundstrom said has been an even better experience.
Chong said the museum was also able to hire an art therapist.
“I think we’ve been able to develop core strengths to support the community,” he said, noting that the Currier was the first museum in the country to offer an art therapy group for families of people suffering from opioid use disorder.
The Currier also launched a new veterans program during the pandemic, expanding what had been a small program with war photography to supportive art groups in new classrooms.
Diverse exhibitions
The Currier’s newest exhibition, Arghavan Khosravi, opened April 15 and will be on view through Sept. 5. The show features more than 20 works from Iranian artist Arghavan Khosravi, whose techniques range from using printed textiles from Iran as a canvas to creating three-dimensional components on painted surfaces, with a focus on depth and texture.
“We’re really committed to showing global contemporary artists, artwork that is innovative and interesting and sparks conversations,” said Samantha Cataldo, senior curator of contemporary art. “Her work is surrealism. … There’s almost always a woman at the center of the work and then the images themselves kind of capture memories or dreams. … She paints in a way that when you’re looking at it you can’t really tell if something is real.”
The images explore themes like exile, suppression and empowerment, which Cataldo said is drawn from the duality that Khosravi has experienced in her life, having lived in both Iran and the United States.
“The culture where she grew up, you were allowed to be a little more free with your family, but in public [you were] more restricted,” Cataldo said. “A lot of the themes [in the exhibition] are a form of restriction, [like] people being boxed in or existing on two different planes of reality. … The works don’t have a specific narrative, but there’s a symbolism and there’s clues and ideas. … [They] are really approachable and acceptable.”
A duality also exists between the works’ first impressions and their more closely scrutinized images.
“At first glance, things are colorful [and] and really inviting because they feel warm and happy,” Cataldo said. “But [what’s happening] in the scene is not so bright and cheery.”
She said the exhibition so far has been well-received, both in its themes and in its visual appeal.
“[The paintings] are exquisitely made,” she said. “They’re also quite poetic in terms of how they look and how they’re composed.”
Also on view now (through July 3) is Warhol Screen Tests, which features 20 of Andy Warhol’s black-and-white short films that he made in the mid-’60s of his friends — some famous, like Bob Dylan and Salvador Dali, and others who came to his studio in New York City.
“He filmed essentially a moving portrait,” Cataldo said. “A single subject would sit in a chair and he would run the camera on them until the film ran out, [about] 4 minutes. … You have people who are extremely aware of the camera, some who try to be totally still, some [who act] playful.”
The films are unscripted and played in a loop in slow motion, and they’re projected large-scale, which Cataldo said can be a bit unsettling.
“It feels too close to a Zoom meeting,” she said,” watching people feel like they have to present themselves in a certain way.”
Warhol’s prediction that “everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” seems to have come to fruition to some degree, with regular people becoming TikTok or YouTube famous. And his repetitive screen prints that feature the same face over and over are reminiscent of today’s selfies.
“Everything he was doing was so far ahead of his time, so the idea of a selfie wasn’t a thing,” Cataldo said. “But the exhaustion of looking at a screen and looking at yourself — people can [now understand] that scrutiny.”
Looking ahead
While the Currier is mostly back to its pre-pandemic level of offerings, Chong said they’re proceeding with caution.
The first floor of the Chandler house. Photo courtesy of Currier Director Alan Chong.
“We feel a responsibility to the public, so we’re cautious,” he said. “History has taught us that it’s not over. We need to be flexible; we’re not going to pretend it doesn’t exist. There’s been a recent surge, so we follow all that.”
One of the upcoming projects that Chong is looking forward to is the renovation of a “new” old building.
“We took over the Chandler House during the pandemic,” he said. “It was a historic house … and it has the most beautiful interior in Manchester.”
Chong said the Currier had been looking to buy the building from the Catholic Diocese for years but hadn’t been able to make a deal because it was too expensive.
“I suspect that the pandemic pushed along that whole process,” he said.
Now the Currier will be working on finding funding to turn the building into a community center that will include offices for museum staff as well as classrooms for public programming, with the hopes of having it open by the fall of 2023.
In the more immediate future, the museum is planning to bring back its annual block party on a to-be-determined Saturday in July after a two-year absence. Chong called the day of free fun the museum’s signature event.
ARTSY OPPORTUNITIES
The Currier offers all kinds of classes and programs, both in person and online. Here are some of the offerings, according to currier.org. Visit the website for more details and the latest classes and events.
Ongoing programs
Making Art Accessible
This program is for teens and adults with developmental disabilities. The multimedia studio art class allows students to make works of art inspired by the Currier’s collections, and to visit the Currier’s galleries. The Currier regularly holds Making Art Accessible classes, and it is open to the public. Email [email protected] for more information.
Creative Connections for Teens
This program supports students suffering with anxieties related to the pandemic and related stressors. Each session provides students opportunities to connect through art-viewing, art-making and social time, and they’re led by Currier educators and curators with the support of a school counselor.
The Art of Awareness
Strangers from different backgrounds gather for a 30-minute awareness exercise and discussion to build connections with each other and art. Each week features one piece of art, chosen based on a theme. General admission is free on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m., and this program starts at 6:30 p.m. Upcoming classes are May 5, with the discussion centered on Arghavan Khosravi’s “The Black Pool,” and May 19, featuring John Marin’s “Movement in Red.” Register online.
Art of Hope
An in-person support group for loved ones whose family members suffer from substance use disorder. It takes place on Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m., with the next groups meeting May 9, May 16, May 23, June 20 and July 18.
Art for Vets
This art-focused program offers free opportunities for veterans, active service members and their families to enjoy the Currier. Veteran Creative Cohorts allows veterans to connect through art-viewing, activities and guided conversations, with an emphasis on personal development, respite and mindfulness. Studio Art Tutorials has professional teaching artists launching online or in person art tutorials for veterans and active service members, including drawing, watercolor painting and bookmaking. The classes are for all skill levels and focus on the therapeutic nature of art. Art for Vets Family Days are offered on the third Saturday of the month, with free access to the galleries, art activities and a complimentary lunch. Veterans, active service members and their families get free admission every day, and the Currier also offers all of its art classes and vacation camps free of charge.
Immigrant and refugee programs
The Currier provides after-school art instruction for children of immigrant and refugee families during the school year and extends their learning into vacation weeks by offering free enrollment in art camps. During camps, children are given 30 hours of instruction each week and are provided free breakfast and lunch each day.
Looking Together
Explore one work of art in detail for 15 minutes with a Currier docent. Sessions are informal, interactive and focused on a different object each day. It’s offered every Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and noon.
Art After Work Tours
Every Thursday, enjoy free admission, live music and drink specials in the Winter Garden Café (open until 8 p.m.). The 30-minute adult tour is free of charge. Participants meet in the lobby.
Art Conversations from Home
Join the Currier Museum of Art’s education team for a live facilitated conversation over Zoom about the Currier’s collection and exhibitions. Sessions are informal, interactive and focused on a different work each week. Open to all, these free 30-minute adult programs run every Wednesday at 1 p.m. Register online.
Frank Lloyd Wright house tours
The Currier is the only art museum in the world with two Frank Lloyd Wright homes, and the only Wright buildings open to the public in New England. The Usonian Automatic and the Zimmerman House were both built in the 1950s. The two-bedroom Zimmerman House showcases Wright’s Usonian architectural concepts, with a compact design that contrasts narrow passages with dramatic, open spaces. It includes its original furniture and garden, both designed by Wright. The Kalil House, which was acquired by the Currier in 2019, is one of only seven Usonian Automatics constructed, dubbed “automatics” by Wright because they were easily and quickly built. Public tours of the Wright houses last two hours and are offered Thursdays through Sundays at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., as well as an evening tour on Thursdays at 6 p.m. (spring and summer only). To schedule a private tour, email [email protected] or call 603-518-4956.
Classes
The Currier regularly offers art classes for all ages and abilities. Here are some of the museum’s upcoming offerings.
Drawing from Presence with Norma Hendrix (Adult)
Online five-week class, Tuesdays, May 10 through June 7, 1 to 3 p.m.
Painting with Pastels: Finding Beauty in the Urban World with Janet Schwartz (Adult)
Online five-week class, Fridays, May 13, through June 10, 2 to 4 p.m.
Learn to Draw: Structure and Volume with Shading with Martin Geiger (Adult)
Online five-week class, Thursdays, May 26 through June 23, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Earn and Learn Teen Program
Teen volunteers will be involved in classroom assistance, art-making activities, mentoring younger students, facilitating museum visits and other organizational tasks, and they will receive tuition remission for classes at the Currier. Admission to the program is based on a review process. Each applicant must be willing to commit to two weeks minimum of summer camp. Camps run Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Apply by May 14; for more information, email Lauren Steele at [email protected].
Vacation camps
The Currier offers camps throughout the summer: Art Camp for ages 6 to 10 and Art Ventures for ages 11 to 14. The camps include classes in drawing, painting, collage, printmaking and sculpture. Every Wednesday, an inspirational tour of the museum is conducted to discover the works of art in the galleries. Weekly full-day programs run Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. All art-making materials are provided. Camps have a maximum capacity of eight to 10 students, and students, instructors and camp assistants are required to wear masks. The schedule is as follows; see currier.org for prices, updates and other information.
June 27 to July 1
Art Camp: Down the Rabbit Hole (ages 6 to 10)
Art Ventures: Fun with Fibers (ages 11 to 14)
July 11 to July 15
Art Camp: Music Makers (ages 6 to 10)
Art Ventures: Drawing Outside the Box (ages 11 to 14)
July 25 to July 29
Art Camp: The Moody Currier School of Magic (ages 6 to 10)
Art Ventures: Drawing and Painting exploration (ages 11 to 14)
Aug. 8 to Aug. 12
Art Camp: Space is the Place (ages 6 to 10)
Art Ventures: Mixed Media Painting & Printmaking (ages 11 to 14)
Aug. 15 to Aug. 19
Creatures Large and Small (ages 6 to 10)
Art Ventures: The Moving Picture (ages 11 to 14)
Events
Gregory Pierce, curator of the Warhol Museum, will be at the Currier for an ARTalk to complement the “Warhol Screen Tests” exhibition. He will discuss the impetus for Screen Tests and how they’re relevant almost 60 years later and take a deeper dive into Warhol’s creative process. The talk will be held Sunday, May 8, from 2 to 2:45 p.m. in the auditorium. The cost is $20 and includes museum admission.
Featured photo: Arghavan Khosravi. Photo by Andrew T. White
If you love your local bookstore, this Saturday, April 30, is your chance to support it — and get some good deals, exclusive merchandise and prizes — during national Independent Bookstore Day.
“Independent bookstores are the hearts of the communities they serve,” Michael Herrmann of Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord said. “We’re glad for this opportunity to thank everyone who makes it possible for us to be here.”
At Gibson’s, thank-yous will come in the form of raffle prizes and the chance to earn discounts and a tote bag of Advanced Reader Copies.
The Bookery in Manchester is celebrating the day with games, contests and giveaways.
“I think there’s been more of an awareness even in the past few years about the importance of local businesses,” Bookery events coordinator Lily Foss said. “People think we’re a dying breed but we’re still very much vibrant. … We have the pleasure of bringing in authors and [hosting] other special events.”
Saturday will bring a performance from magician DaSean Greene at 11:30 a.m., and Foss said they’re thrilled that he’s coming back.
“The kids absolutely loved him,” she said. “They were all crowded around him.”
The Bookery will also have a special Indie Bookstore Day tote bag and special merchandise for sale, and they’ll be giving away small prizes with the “very popular prize wheel,” which people can spin if they purchase a certain amount, Foss said.
“People get so excited,” she laughed. “No one has ever refused to spin.”
Toward the end of the day, Foss — a former Jeopardy! contestant — will be hosting a literary trivia event that she said is a combination of Jeopardy! and pub trivia, with people playing on teams. She said she went through the online “J-Archive” and compiled an entire game’s worth of literary trivia from various shows throughout the years.
“It has been tested by customers and booksellers to make sure the questions aren’t too hard or too easy,” she said.
Foss is also including one question from her own stint on Jeopardy!. She said she was the youngest contestant that night by at least 10 years, and she was at a disadvantage with categories like “90s Pop Culture.” But it was worth the experience: “It was my 15 minutes. … And I got $1,000.”
“I’ve been wanting to bring trivia here for a while,” she said, “so I’m really looking forward to that. And we do serve libations … coffee, tea, beer, wine and canned cocktails, so it will have that pub trivia [atmosphere].”
Independent Bookstore Day is one of the biggest days of the year for local booksellers, as they thank their customers and their customers thank them for offering a bookstore experience that you can’t get at chain stores.
“As we struggle to return to something that looks like normalcy, it’s more important than ever to celebrate community,” Herrmann said.
“It’s such a fun day,” Foss said. “It’s just a big party, celebrating our customers [and] thanking them for choosing us.”
Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day
The Bookery, 844 Elm St. in Manchester, will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with prizes, games and exclusive Independent Bookstore Day merchandise. Magician DeSean Greene will perform at 11:30 a.m., and Literary Trivia will be held at the end of the day.
Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St., Concord, will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will be doing double stamps all day (two stamps for every $10 on your Frequent Buyer Stamp Card), a tote bag of Advanced Reader Copies for every $100 spent, and a raffle ticket for every book purchased, with raffle items that include a Gibson’s Bookstore merchandise bundle, a Personalized Shopping Experience and an Indie Bookstore Day merchandise bundle. Bonus: If you wear any Gibson’s Bookstore merch (shirts, hats, pins, etc.) now through April 30, you will get a full stamp card, good for 20 percent off an entire transaction.
Toadstool Bookshop, 375 Amherst St., Nashua, will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will be celebrating with cake and refreshments, according to the store’s Facebook page. There will also be an Advanced Reader Book Table set up for people to browse and select books for $1 each, which will be donated to the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter.
Featured photo: This aluminum shovel is lightweight and good for cleanup. Courtesy photo.
When Tracey Dahle Carrier of Bedford created her first illustrations for a kids’ booklet for Bedford Presbyterian Church, it never occurred to her that two decades later those illustrations would be back at the church for a whole different purpose — raising money for Families in Transition via an art auction.
The auction is being held online and in person now through April 30, featuring nearly 50 of Carrier’s original illustrations and artist proofs from her children’s books — she’s illustrated five, including Digby in Disguise.
But the project that started it all was the small booklet she created for the church at the request of her friend and co-author, Ruth Boling.
Copyright and courtesy of Tracey Dahle Carrier.
“The Bedford Presbyterian Church was merging their church service to include children [and the church wanted to create] a booklet to help kids understand the service and what to expect,” said Carrier, who at the time was working from home doing freelance work, illustrating for different companies. “I ended up donating the illustrations and the design.”
Carrier said she wanted to make the booklet attractive to kids, and relatable.
“Kids are squirmy and they’re wiggling around in their seats and making noises,” she said. “I wanted to take the child’s perspective into account.”
So she created characters that have similar qualities: mice.
“Mice are seldom welcome and are squirmy and hard to manage,” Carrier said. “They were the perfect spokespeople for this job.”
The booklet was picked up by Geneva Press, and after it was published, John Knox Press asked for more, similar children’s books from Carrier and Boling.
“It was quite a successful little venture,” Carrier said.
The pair decided that when the first JKP book was released, all proceeds would go to Families in Transition, an organization that the church as well as Carrier and her husband support.
Copyright and courtesy of Tracey Dahle Carrier.
Fast forward 20 years to when Covid hit. Carrier — who is the membership manager at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester — started working from home.
“We had to work extra hard to stay connected to the art-loving community,” she said.
During her lunch breaks, she and her husband would talk about how there were so many in the community who were devastated by Covid, some even unable to pay their rent.
“When I was thinking about what to do [to help], it was hard to know because I couldn’t really get out and about,” she said.
But then she thought back to the donations that she and Boling had made to Families in Transition so many years ago and figured it wouldn’t hurt to approach the church to see if there was a way to help FIT with support from Bedford Presbyterian.
“There are people who might still have some feelings for these mice,” Carrier thought.
The church agreed and suggested they include some of Carrier’s other pieces that she’s illustrated over the years. There’s a poster that she created for the NH Reading Program when its theme was “treasure reading,” so it features mice scrambling off a pirate ship to find books. There are also pieces from Digby in Disguise and Digby Finds a Friend; those books feature a little bear.
There are other animal illustrations too: “There’s a lot of fur in these drawings,” she laughed.
One is a drawing of a black lab, and as with all of her animals, Carrier said she tried to capture its personality and spirit.
“I had a Bernese mountain dog for 12 years, and I was asked by Silent Moon Press to illustrate a book about Bernese mountain dogs,” Carrier said. “I knew [my dog] wasn’t going to be around much longer, so it was a tribute to her.”
Carrier stopped illustrating in 2012, as she was juggling work at the Currier — part-time, at that point — and doing commissioned work for McGowan Fine Arts Gallery in Concord, and teaching at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. When the Currier offered her a full-time position, she took it, and she has been there ever since. She’s thinking about retiring soon, though, and might go back to doing some artwork.
For now, the best chance to see Carrier’s work is at the church or online. One hundred percent of the proceeds of the auction will go to Families in Transition.
“If anyone wants to take a look at the art and see if there’s anything that appeals to them … or if they don’t have a lot of wall space and just want to make a donation, that would be great,” Carrier said.
Art Auction Bidding for Tracey Dahle Carrier’s artwork runs through April 30. All items are on display and can be viewed in person at Bedford Presbyterian Church (4 Church Road in Bedford) during regular office hours Monday through Friday, or find the auction link online at bedfordpresbyterian.org. Call ahead at 472-5841 to arrange viewing times. There is a “Buy Now” option for all pieces to bypass the bidding process, and 100 percent of proceeds will benefit Families in Transition.
Featured photo: Copyright and courtesy of Tracey Dahle Carrier. Courtesy photo.
