Category: Art & Theater

The Art Roundup 24/09/19

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Series wrap-up: Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen; 975-0015, twiggsgallery.org) will host “Building Creative Communities,” the final discussion in a series with Concord Makerspace, on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event is free and will “highlight leaders and volunteers from Concord Makerspace and Twiggs Gallery, focusing on their efforts to build creative communities and the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way,” according to a press release from Twiggs.

• Color in the garden: The Manchester Garden Club will meet at St. Hedwig Church Hall in Manchester on Thursday, Sept. 19, at noon. Willa Coroka, a UNH Master Gardener known as “The Magpie’s Apprentice,” will speak about “Container Gardening for Color and Cuisine” and will share her joy of knowledge of herbs, ecology, gardening and sustainable practices, according to an email from the club.

• Start the season with Paris: The Majestic Theatre kicks off its season on Friday Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21, at 6:30 p.m. with “Paris! City of Lights,” its fundraiser featuring music and theatrical performances at the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester). The event will also feature raffles, refreshments and silent auctions, according to majestictheatre.net. Tickets for the performances cost $20. The Majestic is selling season tickets for its 2024-2025 season, which will include mainstage performances of Murder’s in the Heir(Nov. 22 through Nov. 24), SH-BOOM:A Christmas Miracle (Dec. 6 through Dec. 8), Last of the Red Hot Lovers(Feb. 14 through Feb. 16), Jack of Diamonds (April 25 through April 27), George Washington Slept Here (June 20 through June 22), Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat(July 11 through July 13 at the Derry Opera House) and Living Together (Aug. 8 through Aug. 10). Season ticket holders also can pick from a selection of other performances and two planned 2025 movie matinees, according to the website.

• On display now: You have about another month to catch “Lou Breininger & Erin M. Riley: Understory” on display now through Saturday, Oct. 19, at Outer Space Art Gallery (35 Pleasant St. in Concord; outerspacearts.xyz). “Riley’s intimate tapestries depicting specific childhood memories are intertwined with Breininger’s abstracted stained glass works, complemented by her floral works on paper and carpet throughout this exhibition,” according to a description of the exhibit on the gallery’s website. The gallery is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• On display now in Dover: The Art Center (1 Washington St., Suite 1177, in Dover; theartcenteronlinegallery.com) will display “Beneath the Colonial Sky,” a new art series by Rebecca Klementovich, featuring “evocative depictions of historical landmarks in southern Maine and the seacoast of New Hampshire” through Thursday, Oct. 31, at Center, according to a press release. An artist reception will be held Saturday, Oct. 5, from 6 to 9 p.m. “Drawing from natural subjects such as flowers, mountains, and seascapes, Klementovich infuses her work with a sharp, contemporary edge that transcends time. Her unique approach creates a dynamic tension between abstraction and semi-realism, evoking nostalgia while pushing the boundaries of traditional landscape painting,” the release said.

Also on display now at The Art Center is the exhibition “Across America,” its first photography exhibition, according to a release about the exhibit, which will run through October. “This visually captivating show features the work of 28 photographers from Maine to California, offering a unique collection that captures the diverse beauty and stories of America,” the release said. The reception on Oct. 5 will also showcase this exhibit, which is sponsored by Photosmith — the Complete Imaging Center, Dover, and guests can meet the photographers, the release said.

From “Beneath the Colonial Sky” at the Art Center.

• September exhibit: The Lakes Region Art Gallery (Suite 300, 120 Laconia Road in Tilton; 998-0029, lakesregionartgallery.org) will present “Fur & Feather Fine Art Exhibit,” a show featuring “an array of artworks that celebrate the beauty and intricacy of wildlife,” according to a press release. The show is on display through Sunday, Sept. 29; on Saturday, Sept. 21, the gallery will hold an artists reception from 2 to 4 p.m. with local chainsaw artist Jim Luckern, light refreshments and more, the release said. The gallery opens Thursday through Sunday at 10 a.m., according to the website.

• Button art: Artist Patty Frasier will present a class called “Intro to Dorset Buttons” at the League of NH Craftsmen Meredith Fine Craft Gallery (279 DW Highway in Meredith; 279-7920, meredith.nhcrafts.org/classes) on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dorset buttons were introduced in the 1600s and were “used to add decor to clothing and to cover small damages and imperfections in clothing,” according to a press release. “Weaving around a small ring with multiple fibers you create buttons that are used for clothing accents, upholstery accents, jewelry, hair accessories, magnets, Christmas ornaments and even framed art,” the release said. Tuition for the class costs $40 plus a $15 materials fee paid to the instructor. Pre-registration is required; call to sign up.

• Notes to the homefront: The Wright Museum of World War II (77 Center St. in Wolfeboro; wrightmuseum.org) will host a lecture and book signing by David Chrisinger about his book The Soldier’s Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of WWII on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. Admission costs $10; reserve spots online at wrightmuseum.org/lecture-series or by calling 569-1212.

• Observations from fair Verona: Nurse!, described as “a closer look into Romeo and Juliet’s love story,” will come to The Players’ Ring (105 Marcy St. in Portsmouth; playersring.org) Friday, Sept. 27, through Sunday, Sept. 29, according to a press release. Shows on Friday and Saturday start at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by an informal meet and greet; the show on Sunday is at 2:30 p.m. and will be followed by a talk-back with the artist, the release said. “Written and performed by Ayun Halliday and directed by Spencer Kayden, Nurse!is delivered in a bawdy mix of modern English and Fauxlizabethan. It is a mostly comic meditation on love, death, aging and teenagers,” the release said. Tickets cost $18.

• Save the date for artisans and crafters: Henniker Handmade & Homegrown will take place Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Henniker. The event will feature 88 local artisans, crafters, farms and food makers as well as food trucks (including Colombian street food from Cali Arepa, Somali-inspired food from Batulo’s Kitchen, Taco Beyondo, DeadProof Pizza and a Chicago-style hot dog cart) and live music, according to a press release. The musical line-up will include Peabody’s Coal Trail, the Danny Savage Band, Free Range Musicians, Walker Smith and Collin Nevins, the release said. The event will take place at the Henniker Community Center and Park at 57 Main St. and will feature vendors indoors and outdoors with parking at the Henniker Community School and a shuttle bus, the release said.

• Master public speaking: New Hampshire Theatre Project will present a “Public Speaking Master Class with Artist Laureate Genevieve Aichele” on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 959 Islington St. in Portsmouth. The class is “for all those interested in polishing their public speaking and communication skills, overcoming anxiety and nerves, presenting their best self with confidence, practicing public speaking in an encouraging environment, and engaging their audiences,” according to a press release. “Participants must be prepared to present a memorized three-minute speech or story on the topic of their choice,” the release said. The cost is $60; register at nhtheatreproject.org.

• Art of flowers: The Atkinson Garden Club will feature floral designer Maureen Christmas at the club meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 1 p.m. at the Atkinson Community Center, 4 Main St. in Atkinson. Admission costs $10 and the event will feature light refreshments.

• Spooky season begins: A Haunting in Venice(PG-13, 2023), arguably the best of the Kenneth Branagh Hercule Poirot movies, will screen at the Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway in Derry; derrypl.org) on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. Register online.

• Write your song: Center for the Arts (centerfortheartsnh.org) will hold a songwriting workshop with Tom Pirozzoli on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m. at 428 Main St. in New London. Tuition costs $95 for both days, according to a Center For the Arts newsletter. Go online to register.

• Wicked celebration: Tickets are on sale now for the 2024 annual celebration of the New Hampshire Humanities, which has its 50th anniversary this year. The celebration will be Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry) and feature keynote speaker Gregory Maguire, author of the novel Wicked. Tickets start at $35.

• 100 Years of “Rhapsody in Blue”: Tickets are on sale for the kickoff to the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2024-2025 season. The first show will feature the New Hampshire premiere of “Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue,” a new composition by Peter Boyer, on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. (when livestreaming is available) at the Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive in Salem), according to a press release. Steinway artist Jeffrey Biegel will be the guest soloist, the release said. Tickets cost $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, $10 for students and $5 for Salem students, the release said. See nhphil.org.

Jeffrey Biegel.

• Get loud in 2025: Recycled Percussion will return to the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) for 15 shows between Tuesday, Dec. 31, and Sunday, Jan. 12. Tickets cost $39 to $49 and are on sale now.

—Zachary Lewis

Art is an open door

Bookery talk fosters appreciation

By Michael Witthaus
mwitthaus@hippopress.com

Visual artist and critic Franklin Einspruch will appear at an upcoming Bookery Manchester event to discuss Aphorisms for Artists: 100 Ways Toward Better Art. Edited by Einspruch and written by the modernist painter Walter Darby Bannard, the book is a guide to seeing as much as a source for creating, and Einspruch’s talk will also appeal to non-artists.

Anyone who’s ever stared blankly at a wall of paintings in a gallery, or puzzled over an article packed with critical terms, will be relieved by the book’s simplicity. “Good art is good art. Period.,” it begins, followed by an explanatory page; this format continues for the rest of its 240 pages.

“Way down deep we are all the same,” Bannard writes. “Taste, if we have it, is what takes us down to where art lives.”

In a recent Zoom interview, Einspruch explained that his discussion at Bookery is a way in for anyone who’s had an unpleasant experience looking at art.

“This is for folks who’ve gone into a museum and just felt bewildered,” he said. “The refreshing message is you’re allowed to have your own experience. You must learn to trust that … because it’s yours.”

The inspiration to collect Bannard’s Aphorisms for Artists was born in the early 2000s, when Einspruch was a writer for Artblog.net, one of the first blogs about visual art. His old professor frequently responded to his articles, using an alias.

“He left all these jewels of wisdom in the comments section; I said, ‘We ought to assemble this into readable form.’” Over the years, “we went back and forth developing the aphorisms. It was all his creation, but I would give feedback on some of them and advice … once he was done, I wrote a foreword.” Sadly, Bannard, “Darby” to his friends, passed away in 2016 and wasn’t able to witness the first edition of his book sell out in 2022.

Bannard, whose works are in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art, was integral to Einspruch’s growth as a painter. He came to the University of Miami in the early ’90s with a newfound interest in abstract painting, sparked by seeing a Willem de Kooning work in a New Orleans museum.

“I tried to figure out what was going on by making abstract paintings in this very de Kooning mode,” he said. “Darby, who with Frank Stella was thrown out of de Kooning’s studio as a young painter, knew this material very, very well. I’d make a bunch of paintings, and he’d say, ‘OK, well, that’s your best one, and that one’s OK, the one next to that is no good, and

the fourth one will be fine if you rotate it 90 degrees.’”

He was right every time, Einspruch added. “The manner in which Darby could troubleshoot paintings was unbelievable.”

Those who don’t spend their days with a brush in hand shouldn’t be intimidated by the depth of this knowledge, however.

“Art is,” he declares early on, and it’s for everyone. One of the book’s key aphorisms is, “An ivory tower is a fine place as long as the door is open.” By that, Bannard meant that, like all specialties, art is elitist. “There’s nothing wrong with that,” he wrote. “Art may be for the privileged few, but they have earned the privilege and deny it to no one.”

A passion for helping others find their “eye” — a conduit to beauty — drove him as a teacher and creator. “There is no way to specify what good art is or how to create it,” he wrote in the book’s introduction. There was a caveat, however. “Certain principles, like gold in a pan, eventually wash clear enough to express in a few words.”

The many nuggets sprinkled on the pages of Aphorisms for Artists are a treasure for anyone hoping to connect with art.

“This is a book written by someone who knew very well how to make art, and he knew it so well that he could help other people,” Einspruch said. “That turns out to be a very rare skill, partly because his talent was of such extraordinary degree, but also he was able to articulate what he was doing.”

Franklin Einspruch discusses Aphorisms for Artists
When: Friday, Sept. 20, 5 p.m.
Where: Bookery Manchester, 844 Elm St., Manchester
Tickets: Free; register at eventbrite.com

Featured image: Franklin Einspruch. Photo from Zoom call by Michael Witthaus.

New Twist

Palace reimagines Oliver!

By Michael Witthaus
mwitthaus@hippopress.com

Musical theater season opened at the Palace Theatre on Sept. 6 with a timeless Tony winner, Oliver! With an ensemble cast significantly drawn from the Palace’s youth program, it was also a continuation of a summer effort that included “Jr.” productions of Willy Wonka, Little Mermaid and Moana at the downtown venue.

The Palace’s annual slate of musicals — this year’s include Jersey Boys, Piano Men, Escape to Margaritaville, Jesus Christ Superstar and A Chorus Line — is a shining example of quality professional theater, and the city of Manchester deserves to be proud. The first production continues their winning streak.

The story of an orphan’s travails in Victorian London was given a makeover by director Carl Rajotte, a steampunk motif with shiny colorful costumes designed by Jessica Moryl. Some of the inspired touches included a coat worn by villain Bill Sikes (Jacob Medich) festooned with cogs and gears, along with a top hat wrapped in goggles.

Avery Allaire is brilliant in the title role, quite a feat for the young actress, who was present in nearly every scene. Her heart-rending performance of “Where Is Love” was a show highlight, setting the tone for the rest of the evening. Another young actor delivering a star turn was Chris Montesanto, most recently seen in The Prom, as The Artful Dodger.

Oliver! has some difficult moments, touching topics like human trafficking and domestic violence, but its book is packed with enough joyous songs like “Consider Yourself” and “It’s a Fine Life” to rise above it. There are enough moments of peril for its various characters for the audience to know the source material comes from Dickens.

The undeniable star of the show is Palace veteran Jay Falzone in the role of Fagin, the irascible ringmaster of the young pickpocket gang that Oliver is recruited into after being discharged from an orphanage and sold to an undertaker he later escapes from. Falzone balances Fagin’s avarice with his love for the kids in his sway, delivering plenty of laughs along the way.

The love/hate relationship between Mr. Bumble (Cody Taylor) and Mrs. Corney (Jill Pennington), who run the orphanage, provides ongoing hilarity. Longtime Palace alum Michelle Rajotte also shines as Nancy, navigating her brutal relationship with Sykes and delivering one of the show’s best vocal performances, “As Long As He Needs Me.”

Most impressive are the young actors in the cast, who handled challenging choreography assignments flawlessly and performed as a chorus with the skill of professionals. Also remarkable are on-stage musicians who augment the orchestra with violins and horns played with both precision and attitude.

Director Rajotte said after the opening night performance that a new group of kids will be on stage each weekend, through the show’s closing Sept. 29, noting that all of the PYT actors began rehearsing in mid-August. “On Wednesday, we do their costume fittings and get them up on stage to rehearse again,” he said.

Rajotte chose the steampunk costume and staging direction after re-reading Dickens’ Oliver Twist.

“Everyone should read a Dickens novel,” he said. “I found myself wondering what an 11-year-old would think reading this. That pushed me to sci-fi, and that’s what steampunk is about in the Victorian age. I thought that a child’s imagination would go that way if they were reading it chapter by chapter. That’s when we went full throttle.”

Oliver! is special, Rajotte continued. Like Phil Collins, the Monkees’ Davy Jones and Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits, each of whom played the Artful Dodger in their teens, he experienced it as a springboard. “It was my first professional show as a kid as a performer,” he said. “I was the understudy for Oliver and Dodger, and I was a pickpocket. I just love it so much. This is my fifth time; I’ve directed it three times.”

Oliver!
When: Through Sept. 29. Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 & 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
Tickets: $45 and up at palacetheatre.org

Featured image: Photo by Michael Witthaus.

The Art Roundup 24/09/12

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

•New sculpture for the park: The International Sculpture Symposium at the Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline, andresinstitute.org, 673-7441) kicks off Saturday, Sept. 14, with an opening ceremony at 1 p.m. Sculptors Morton Burke of Alberta, Canada; Jim Larson of Portland, Maine, and Adrian Wall of Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico, are this year’s artists. There will be a reception with an opportunity to meet the artists on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 5 p.m. The closing ceremony will be Sunday, Oct. 6, at 1 p.m. See andresinstitute.org for a look at the artists’ past works as well as a trail map.

•Last regular market: Concord Arts Market, an outdoor artisan and fine art market, has its final Saturday market of the season on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Rollins Park (33 Bow St., Concord). The Market will also be at Intown Concord’s First Friday on Nov. 1 in Bicentennial Square from 4 to 8 p.m. Visit concordartsmarket.net.

•Artisan market: Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, shakers.org, 783-9511) will hold its annual Artisan Market on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free to this event featuring handcrafted arts, music and family activities.

•Happy birthday: “Full Circle: The Speed of Light” at Mosaic Art Collective (66 Hanover St., Manchester, mosaicartcollective.com) will run through Tuesday, Oct. 1, with an opening reception and birthday celebration to celebrate the collective’s second anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 4 to 8 p.m.

•Weekend in Wonderland: The Powerhouse Theatre Collaboration (powerhousenh.org) will be putting on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on Sunday, Sept. 15; Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22, with performances beginning every 20 minutes from 1 to 4 p.m. Join Alice on an interactive theater adventure as she journeys through Wonderland, aka the beautiful grounds of Prescott Farm. Tickets cost $10.

•Meet Da Vinci: Inside The Mind Of A Genius: Leonardo Da Vinci Film Premiere and Conversation with Ken Burns will take place on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu, 641-7700). Tickets cost $100, or $250 for a pre-show reception with Ken Burns.

•New exhibit: “Constructs” is described as a “group exhibition exploring distinct visual languages through geometric abstraction and sculptural works” and featuring the work of Damion Silver, Eric Katzman, Don Williams, Jenny McGee Doughery and Trevor Toney. It’s on display at the Pillar Gallery (205 N. State St., Concord, pillargalleryprojects. com) through Sept. 15. The gallery is open Sunday, Tuesday and Friday, 3 to 7 p.m.

—Zachary Lewis

Emerging art

Pop-up exhibition at Manchester space

An upcoming pop-up art event at Factory on Willow in Manchester will feature the work of two distinctive artists. At “Art in Motion: A Photo & Sculpture Showcase,” attendees can experience their creations and ask them questions. The exhibit will be held in the Factory’s 5,000-square-foot event space on the south end of the restored mill building.

Adeyemi Adebayo is a photographer who chronicles the lives of people in the city, often bringing them out of the shadows to be seen, for what may be the first time. Ray Chang makes kinetic art, motorized sculptures and animated designs that employ shadow and light that cause observers to see them anew multiple times.

Therein lies the divergence. Adebayo’s photography is a moment of a life captured and cataloged. The image is static, unlike the impression it leaves, which may evolve with reflection. Chang’s creations, though, are ever changing. Each second spent with them can be different. One term he uses in his biography to describe his work is “proto-cinematic.”

Adebayo and Chang are part of their Artists in Residence (AIR) program. Liz Hitchcock, who owns The Factory, along with Bookery Manchester and Manchester Distillery, explained the program’s origins in a recent phone interview. “Three times a year for three months, we have two artists on site that are charged with working on their art form, whatever it is,” she said.

They’ve hosted podcasters, light sculptors, painters, and artists who work with recycled materials. “It’s kind of all across the board. The only real requirement for the program is that you’re an emerging artist. You’re not trying to go into the MacDowell Colony for a couple of weeks and really hone your current craft. You’re actually figuring out what your craft will be in the future,” Hitchcock said.

David Hady, a Factory artist who works with Hitchcock on AIR, sent a press release explaining that the upcoming show “offers a rare opportunity for the community to engage with the traveling artists and explore the full body of work and areas of study they have developed during their residency in Manchester. Adeyemi’s evocative photography and Ray’s dynamic kinetic sculptures come together to create an immersive experience that celebrates both art forms.”

Engagement is vital, Hitchcock stressed. “Ray and Adeyemi will be having some conversations about their artwork, which I think is really important for everybody to hear,” she said. “Adeyemi has a very special perspective on what he’s seen in Manchester because everyone’s been so open to him coming into their community. I hope he speaks a little bit about his experiences.”

The event will be Adebayo’s first public showing of his work. Some insight into how he goes about getting his photos can be gleaned from his online work log at paakanni.com. In what sounds like a credo, a photo of two people on a motorcycle turning from Pine Street onto Hanover includes this question:

“What is it that really makes a city?

Is it what or who you find in its corners?

He’s disarming and fearless in engaging his subjects, like a 55-year-old GED instructor who cautions him to “be careful” after he takes her picture. “She tells me this just the way my mother would,” he writes.

Chang has done multiple shows. The work he’ll display at this event will explore an industrial past through renderings of factories that use movement, light and shadow to evoke how they used to work, Hitchcock said. “He is in his own right a magical creator of things.”

Asked if there was anything to ponder before coming to the show, Hitchcock responded that some might feel challenged. “It might rub people the wrong way, some of it. It might say that Manchester can be a little gritty sometimes, but you know what? I love it when people talk about art, even if they don’t like it, even if they disagree with it, because they’re talking about art. I hope that people come and talk about the art.”

Art in Motion: A Photo & Sculpture Showcase
When: Thursday, Sept. 5, 5 p.m.
Where: The Factory, 252 Willow St., Manchester
Tickets: Free; reserve at eventbrite.com

Featured image: Sculpture by artist Ray Chang. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 24/09/05

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Art of autumn: Celebrate the “Harvest of Arts” exhibit with a reception at the Massabesic Center on Saturday, Sept. 7, from noon to 3 p.m. Guests can meet the artists, enjoy the art and explore the center, according to the event website. Presented by the Manchester Artists Association and the Massabesic Audubon Center, this is an exhibit to celebrate art and nature’s beauty with 15 artists who have gathered original paintings and photographs that capture iconic images and colors of autumn in New England, according to the website. The exhibit runs until Friday, Nov. 1, and all artwork at “Harvest of Arts” is available for sale. Visit nhaudubon.org or call 668-2045.

• Call for art: PILLAR Gallery + Projects is excited to announce two open calls for artist submissions. The first, for “Sound & Color,” is an open call for sculpture with a Sunday, Sept. 15, deadline and the exhibition dates will be from Friday, Oct. 18, until Saturday, Jan. 25. In collaboration with the City of Concord and numerous art organizations in Concord, the Sound and Color Festival is seeking sculptural works, both mid-sized work and larger-scale public art. All media is accepted, but works submitted as public art must be able to withstand weather conditions and interested artists should see further details in submission requirements, according to the release. After the festival the works will be leased for an exhibition period of three months in public indoor and outdoor spaces, and the outdoor exhibition and installation will be juried by panelists including curators from Outer Space Gallery, PILLAR Gallery + Projects, and members of the community, according to the press release. The next open call is for “NANO” with a submission deadline of Tuesday, Oct. 15, and the show running from Sunday, Nov. 10, until Wednesday, Dec. 18. “NANO” is a juried exhibition focused on smaller works. The press release describes the exhibit thusly: “In a fast-paced culture perpetually interested in bigger, NANO showcases the impact of works that are intimately-scaled.” The exhibition will be installed salon-style to highlight the range of processes and thematic exploration and they are accepting 2D and 3D works in all media. 2D works must be no larger than 6 x 6 inches (8 x 8 in. framed) and 3D works no larger than 4 x 4 x 4 inches. Visit pillargalleryprojects.com

• Show opening: An opening reception for “Bill Childs at 90: A Retrospective,” a show of more than 40 paintings by Exeter artist Bill Childs, will be held on Friday, Sept. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m at the Town Hall in Exeter to celebrate his 90th birthday and many years of creating and teaching art, according to a press release. Most of the paintings will be for sale and there will be music provided by jazz musicians Cinnamon Blomquist on flute and guitarist Gary Smith. The event is presented by the Seacoast Artist Association with a portion of art sales going to their scholarship fund. The show will run for two weekends: Saturday, Sept. 7; Sunday, Sept. 8; Saturday, Sept. 14, and Sunday, Sept. 15, from noon to 5 p.m. each day. The exhibit will also run on Friday, Sept. 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. The Seacoast Artist Association’s gallery on Water Street will be hosting its regular Second Friday reception on Sept. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. with refreshments and music by Carol Coronis on cittern and vocals. More of Childs’ work can be seen at the Seacoast Artist Association and at A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words, both on Water Street in downtown Exeter; the SAA is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m as well as on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., according to the press release. Visit seacoastartist.org.

—Zachary Lewis

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