Author: Michael Witthaus

Nashua International Sculpture Symposium offers access to artists

In front of a revitalized Civil War-era cotton mill, four sculptors are doing something unique: creating their work in full view of the public. Through early June, Pauline Berger of Germany, Margaux LaSalle of France, Anna Moultoni of Italy and Sean Williams of Barre, Vermont, are shaping stone into permanent public sculpture.

For close to two decades it’s been a rite of spring, and the longevity of the Nashua International Sculpture Symposium has changed the scope of the event’s debt to the city. This year the organization behind it has a new name: the Nashua Sculpture Project. It’s a subtle but telling shift in identity.

“We had 56 sculptures as of last year,” Executive Director Gail Moriarty said in a recent phone interview. “When I looked at them, it became pretty clear to me that we need to change our focus from just being three weeks in May to the care and preservation of our collection.”

So much outdoor sculpture, spread across Nashua’s parks and public spaces, represents an enormous civic investment and an equally large maintenance responsibility. The new organizational framework puts stewardship of its legacy alongside the annual event itself.

The Symposium remains the same, Moriarty continued, but what’s different is a focus on care and restoration for the rest of the year. It means expanded programming, including fundraising events, family classes, stone-carving workshops and the like.

“Art is everything,” she said. “The Nashua Sculpture Project is about art in every form.”

Annual sculptor selection was a peer-driven process, led by Artistic Director Jim Larson. It began with last year’s artists recommending sculptors for the current year. From a compiled list, the board considered individual portfolios, along with what Larson called “less quantifiable considerations.”

Speaking by phone recently, Larson explained what that meant. “We try to consider what Nashua needs, how these artists might enmesh into our community, and how they’ll serve Nashua. We try to create a group that will work well together … have similar perspectives in some ways, but also varying perspectives.”

This year’s guiding theme for the four sculptors is “Gathering Momentum.” It was chosen as a principle, not a prescription. Artists are free to interpret the phrase wherever their instincts lead them. For Larson, though, they are impactful words that reflect his convictions about art’s role in the present age.

“I and many other sculptors share this idea that artists today should be working at a scale that matches the level of destruction we see in the world right now,” he said. “If we are going to keep up with that, we need as much momentum and as much power and forward movement as we can muster. That’s what it’s about.”

All four sculptors this year will work in stone. It’s a deliberate choice and, for Larson, also philosophical for a symposium that requires materials built to last. A hundred-year maintenance-free lifespan is their stated goal, but the reasoning goes deeper than durability, Larson believes.

“We’re not making luxury objects for Nashua, we’re not trying to boost property values,” he said. “We are trying to make livable, meaningful artwork for people. That means we have to work with humble materials that are accessible, and stone is the most humble material we have. It’s just a piece of the ground.”

Larson encourages the curious to come out to see it happen, to experience what he considers a rare opportunity.

“It’s so hard to just have a conversation with an artist, because they’re not out in public working, and this is the chance,” he said. “If you want to go talk to an artist, just show up and they’ll talk to you. If you really want a long conversation, bring a meal and sit down and have dinner with them.”

For details on buying a meal for a sculptor, visit the Project’s website, or contact the organization for information on other ways to support the effort. Larson offered a final thought on why watching enduring art come to life is a valuable and truly enlightening experience.

“In America, manual [and] demanding labor is really rare to see. The widespread view of hard physical labor right now is that it’s an unfortunate byproduct of having to afford an expensive American life. But for these artists, this version of work is one of the most joyous things that they get to do.”

19th Nashua International Sculpture Symposium
When: Mondays through Saturdays, through June 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Picker Artists Studios, 3 Pine St., Nashua
More: nashuasculpturesymposium.org
Closing ceremony – Saturday, June 6, at 1 p.m.

Featured photo: Clockwise from top left Sean Williams, Pauline Berger, Margot Lasalle, Anna Multone. Courtesy photos.

Amoskeag Quilters Guild gathers for biennial bash

Every other year the Amoskeag Quilters Guild holds a two-day event to showcase the creative skills of its 160 members. On May 16 and May 17 at Manchester’s Memorial High School, 220 quilts will be on display, ranging from heirloom-quality masterworks to the earnest first efforts of brand-new quilters.

The latter aspect is important. It’s not a juried show — every skill level is welcome, among participants and viewers. This is a celebration of a community and its shared passion, according to the event’s chairperson; a joyous occasion for an organization that formed back in 1988.

“We’ve encouraged every member to put in a quilt,” quilter Kristi Parker said by phone recently. “We’ve got some people who’ve been quilting for 40-plus years and are very skilled, and there are others who’ve only been quilting six months. We’ve welcomed all levels of ability.”

That intentional inclusivity is part of what sets a Guild show apart from prestigious competitions. “When you go to a juried show, it’s like going to a professional basketball game,” Parker said. “You appreciate the players, you love being there, but most people aren’t ever going to attain that level.”

A Guild event, she continued, is an experience grounded in the possible. “You see amazing works and think, ‘I can aspire to that,’ and you also see someone who’s only been quilting six months. They’ve put their heart and soul into something, and it’s encouraging. Because you think, ‘I can do that.’”

Parker came to quilting in a roundabout way. Growing up in a rural town, she kept busy making clothes. In her teens she decided to make a quilt with collected fabric scraps.

“I had no idea there were rules or guidelines,” she said. “Traditional quilts are made from cotton, but my first one has everything from polyester and double knit to velvet.”

The hand-stitching of her childhood has given way to high-tech equipment like a long-arm quilting machine, a computer-guided, large-format device that’s transformed quilt-making in recent years. It was used to make this year’s raffle prize, a quilt that began as paper pieced blocks that individual Guild members worked on prior to assembly.

Speaking of high-end, a big-ticket prize at this year’s show is a $1,800 Bernina 335 sewing machine from Pintuck & Purl in North Hampton, a donation that wowed Parker.

“When they offered us that machine to raffle off, my jaw dropped to the floor,” she said. “If somebody wins it … they’ve hit the jackpot.”

Proceeds from the show benefit the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Mass. However, the raffle for the “Tastefully Tula” collaborative quilt raises funds in support of Kidneys for Kindness. The nonprofit organization advocates for organ donation, supports donors and raises awareness about kidney health.

Other Guild charitable efforts include Cases of Caring, with members making and donating pillowcases to local groups to bring to children, veterans and shut-ins. Every other year, the Guild hosts a workshop to mass produce them, and kits can be picked up at monthly meetings and returned.

There’s also the Quilted Gift program. Members receive pre-batted and backed kits for quilting and bouncing, along with other completed tops and quilts that members have finished and wish to donate. The Committee then distributes them to people in need. More than 850 quilts have been donated to various programs and charities in the past five years.

This cohesiveness is a big part of what draws Parker to the organization, and it has less to do with fabric than with people.

“One of my favorite parts of quilting, besides the creativity, is the community,” she said. “Having the chance to meet people, to develop friendships — that’s really what drives me.”

Amoskeag Quilters Guild Show
When: Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17), 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Manchester Memorial High School, 1 Crusader Way, Manchester
Tickets: $10 at the door, free for ages 12 and under
More: amoskeagqg.org

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.