Category: Art & Theater

Local arts experts talk about 2024 and what’s getting them excited for 2025

Compiled by Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

I asked members of the local arts community what they were most proud of in 2024 and what they were looking forward to in 2025.

• Fallon Rae, co-founder and owner of Pillar Gallery + Projects,205 N. State St., Concord; pillargalleryprojects.com, 657-8111: “We are so proud of our last juried open call exhibition, “NANO’”… where we included over 60 artists and over 100 works of art in our 200-square-foot space…. We worked on showcasing our maximalist curatorial approach with concurrent themes that reflect, express and relate to the larger conversations in artists’ worlds and how they mirror one another….”

“The next exhibition we are excited about is “Currents” (Feb. 9-April 2, with a reception on Feb. 23). This show focuses on contemporary interpretations of the ocean, waterways, and reflections on the changes we are facing as a collective. … Some of the artists include Mary Mead, Jackie Brown and Hannah Perinne Mode, amongst others, with 5 percent of sales going to Blue Ocean Society…”

• Dan Pelletier, Artistic Director, Cue Zero Theatre Company, cztheatre.com:“Personally, most proud work this year had to be our June production William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged). We were blessed with three incredibly talented performers taking on over 12 characters each, a wonderful costumer, a fanatic stage crew, and we created something truly special. We had a rehearsal environment of everyone wanting to give better than their best, and audiences left dying of laughter.”

“Assuming my upcoming wedding doesn’t count as a production, then I’ll have to say my 2025 production which I am most excited for is People Like To Be Scared: an Exploration of Fear. This piece is scheduled Oct. 3 through Oct. 5 and will be our third main stage devised piece. The actors will come into the beginning of the rehearsal process with no script, only a concept of wanting to explore fear from many different angles …”

• Zackery Betty, Artistic Director, NSquared Dance, nsquareddance.org: “NSquared Dance’s The Lavender Scare, June 27 at The Rex Theatre. This was a pinnacle moment to share the story of The Lavender Scare, a mass firing of federal government workers due to their sexual orientation as a threat to America in the 1950s. …We paired with New Hampshire Dance Collaborative and Manchester True Collaborative for this performance.”

“[For 2025,] NSquared Dance’s return to The Rex Theatre on May 4, 2025!”

• Elizabeth “Betsy” Craumer, Creative Ventures Gallery,411 Nashua St., Milford, creativeventuresfineart.com, 672-2500: “The performance I’m most proud of is our ability to get the students into the right class to start or continue their art journey. This includes networking with others in the art field to help with their next step. I’m also proud to help students progress in their artwork.”

“For 2025, I guess my goal is to get a little more involved with town activities …”

• Jen Sakash, Member of the Granite State Choral Society (20 Allen Street, #1431Rochester; gschoralsociety.org): “We are currently celebrating our 50th anniversary of the choir. This December we had our first concert as part of that year-long celebration: “Winter’s Embrace: Celebrating 50 Years of Peace and Joy.” …

“ In the spring (May 2025) we will complete our anniversary year by performing more popular pieces from over the years, such as Broadway show tunes and patriotic pieces.”

• Matt Cahoon, Artistic Director, theatre KAPOW,66 Hanover St., Suite 101, Manchester, tkapow.com: “While 2024 has been a very productive one for theatre KAPOW, I think the show we are most proud of is our September production of Aaron Posner’s play Life Sucks. …Our cast was full of longtime collaborators and that made every rehearsal feel extra friendly and comfortable.”

“I am really excited for Every Brilliant Thing. I love that play and all of Duncan Macmillan’s plays! It’s a one-person show that we will be presenting in February at the BNH Stage and the Winnipesaukee Playhouse. I think it is exciting for theatre KAPOW fans because it is probably the most audience-interactive piece we have ever produced and we are doing it with two of theatre KAPOW’s most stalwart performers, Carey Cahoon and Peter Josephson. …”

• Meme Exum, owner, Glimpse Gallery,Patriot Building, 4 Park St., Concord, theglimpsegallery.com, 892-8307: “Each exhibit is special in its own way so that’s a super hard question to answer. Tied six ways for favorite, of the six shows we had in 2024.

“I’m looking forward to the Feb. 9-March 9 show.”

• Irene Cohen, President, New Hampshire Theatre Alliance,nhtheatrealliance.org: “We had our first Awards show after the pandemic with over 800 people in attendance!”

“We are gearing up for our 20th Anniversary award show for Saturday, Feb. 1!”

• Jason Hackler, manager and co-owner, New Hampshire Antique Co-op,323 Elm St., Milford, nhantiquecoop.com, 673-8499:“So my favorite exhibit of 2024 is this one [‘Light & Brush: Luminous and Tonal Paintings from the 19th Century ​to Present’].”

“In 2025 we are going to be working on an exhibit called ‘Selections 25,’ which will be 25 works that will showcase the curated collection of 25 paintings and sculptures spanning the 19th through 21st century. We believe it’s going to probably launch in June.”

• Amy Fortier, Director, Ballet Misha, 84 Myrtle St., Manchester, balletmisha.com, 668-4196: “Ballet Misha really enjoyed our collaboration with theatre KAPOW last July for an outdoor performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of the Dana Center’s Shakespeare on the Green Series at Saint Anselm College. It is always fun to perform outside, and the performances coincided with a stretch of really lovely summer weather. The experience gave my dancers some unique challenges as some of them had lines, and typically dance is an artform that expresses itself without spoken words. Theatre KAPOW was really great to work with and I loved watching the dancers and actors get increasingly comfortable with each other…”

‘In 2025, Ballet Misha will start its 17th year of bringing professional dance in New Hampshire. We are bringing back our March concert after a one-year hiatus, so I am excited about that. It will be at the Audi in Concord on Saturday, March 29, and I love that theater. “

• Margherita Giacobbi, Executive Director, The Players’ Ring, 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, playersring.org, 436-8123: “I think the production I will pick as the one that has made us most proud is America America, written and directed by Joan Bigwood. It’s the story of a Colombian house cleaner, Modesta, who enters the life of the wealthy (but dysfunctional) Porter family in Palo Alto and creates an unexpected and all but straightforward friendship with the other female character, Jane Porter…. the playwright realized how critical it was that the play be written in two languages, English and Spanish (as Modesta speaks barely any English and a lot of the misunderstandings, humor and drama indeed come from this linguistic and cultural disconnect), … we embarked in the thrilling experiment of incorporating subtitles in the play, which ended up looking almost like operatic supertitles projected on the walls of the stark and fancy Porters’ house.”

“For 2025 … I am very excited about Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph, running Feb. 28 through March 16.”

• Elizabeth Pieroni, Volunteer Executive Director, Mosaic Art Collective, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, Manchester, mosaicartcollective.com, 512-6209: “My favorite show from 2024 is a tie between our ‘Full Circle Speed Of Light’ in September and our Halloween show ‘Spellbound.’ Both of these two shows exceeded my expectations on the quality work that came in and really knocked my socks off from a curatorial perspective. All of the work spoke to each other in such incredible ways.”

“I’m most looking forward to our next show in February, titled ‘Illusions.’ It’s going to be a different show for us in general because it will be art that deals with optical illusions or blacklight reactive glow. But also further out we have a really exciting show planned for the summer called ‘Pallets to Palates’ that I’ve been working on in the wings with John Fladd from the Hippo. It should be a tasty treat for the eyes and the tummy!”

• Amy Regan, owner and operator, See Saw Art, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, Manchester, seesaw.gallery:“In 2024, See Saw Art produced 13 exhibitions, worked with 140 artists and exhibited 668 pieces of art. I am really proud of ‘Heatwave,’ our February 2024 exhibition, which featured both regional and international artists and was a really beautifully installed and interactive exhibition. ‘Group Effort,’ our annual August community-focused open call, … Lastly, ‘Threads,’ our July exhibition focusing on textile artworks, was very well-received and very fun!”

“In 2025, I am excited to continue to produce monthly exhibitions that highlight local talent and bring incredible fine art to Manchester … January will feature selections from Brunswick, Maine-based artist Ian Trask’s ‘Strange Histories,’ which are vintage slide viewer artworks — simply stunning!”

Featured image: Ryan Swedenborg Winks Series from See Saw Art. Courtesy photo.

Sounds of a handbell choir

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

Experience what a bell can do at upcoming performances by one of the two quartets from the Granite State Ringers, the Garage Bell Band.

“The Granite State Ringers were founded in 2007 as an opportunity for ringers around the state of New Hampshire to ring at a higher level. At that time, many of our ringers were involved with church hand-held choirs, and they wanted a little more challenge in their music. So that was how the group was founded,” said Joan Fossum, Music Director and co-founder of the Granite State Ringers.

“We began with just inviting people from all over the state to come and ring with us and then what evolved is we are now an auditioned handbell choir and we offer auditions usually in the summer before we begin the fall to winter programs,” she said.

The organization has two performing quartets as well as the choir. “We are based in Concord. We have a studio in Concord, New Hampshire, and people come from all over the state and Maine and Massachusetts to ring with the group.”

The other quartet in the organization is the Rainy Day Ringers. “Those are names that were self-selected by the group, they fall under the auspices of the Granite State Ringers.”

Fossum explained how a collection of bells can produce songs: “The full choir plays on five and a half octaves of handbells. We have five and a half octaves of Malmark handbells and we have three octaves of Schulmerich handbells; we also have six octaves of hand chimes and that’s what the full choir plays on. The quartets vary for the music that they play. And again, the music is selected by the individual group.”

The audience at the Park Theatre in Jaffrey can expect holiday favorites to ring throughout the night. “We range from … a very rhythmic arrangement of ‘Up on the House Top’ to a series of pieces that we hope, the guiding light this year, that they would bring peace and comfort to people this time of year. For example, one of the pieces is the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria. Another is one written specifically for solo handbells and piano called ‘At Peace’ by Brian Childers.

The crew always keeps their handbell skills up to speed.

“We have rehearsals two to three times a month for three hours each time we get together. The quartet practices at least once a week for two to three hours. So that gives you an idea of the kind of time investment we have. If you’ve never seen us, you should come to one of the concerts.”

The chimes and bells vary in size and shape depending on their octave and note.

“Hand chimes are aluminum and they look, from the side, a lot like a tuning fork…. The biggest hand chime we have is about 6 feet tall and it sounds very much like one of the big pipes on a full-size organ, down to the smallest ones, which are about 4 inches long…. The longer the pipe the deeper the sound,” Fossum said.

The bells follow a similar pattern.

“Small bells are about 2 inches. The bell casting itself is about a little over 2 inches, all the way up to probably, I haven’t actually measured one, close to 12 to 14 inches from the rim of the bell to the bottom of it.” Each bell is like a key on a piano. “You have your natural notes or your regular notes, if you will, and those on the piano are usually the white keys, and then the accidentals are usually the black keys…. So if you have middle C, an accidental that would go with it would be C sharp, so that would be that black key that’s up and next to C, between C and D. So each finger in a full choir then is responsible for two notes and the accidental.”

If this talk of hand bells has awakened something inside you, you are in luck.

“We have auditions in the summertime and we’re constantly looking for people that would be interested in being part of the group. The commitment level is pretty high, so you’ve got to really want to do it.”

Granite State Ringers even have an option for those looking to learn the craft as well as an option for younger handbell ringers. “[The] non-auditioned learning choir [is for those who] have been interested … but don’t have the skill and/or the time to be part of the big group.”

An open house for prospective ringers will be held on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon.

“So if you’re interested in learning more about bells I would encourage you to come visit the studio on the 11th of January,” Fossum said.

Granite State Ringers: Garage Bell Band
When: Friday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m.
Where: The Park Theatre, 19 Main St., Jaffrey
Tickets: $20. Children 12 and under $15.
theparktheatre.org or call 532-9300
granitestateringers.org

Granite State Ringers Open House
When: Saturday, Jan. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon
Where: 2 Industrial Park Drive, Building 2, Concord
granitestateringers.org

Featured image: Granite State Ringers. Courtesy photo.

Where to make your own one-of-a-kind gift

Compiled by Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

Not sure what to give? Make an original gift of your own or give a gift certificate for someone to make their own something special.

• Manchester Craft Market (Mall of New Hampshire, 1500 S. Willow St., manchestercraftmarket.com) On Friday, Dec. 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. “In My Cookie Decorating Era” Cookie Decorating Class will be presented by Sweet Treats by Emilee. Included in the ticket price is everything you need to fully decorate six professionally baked sugar cookies, according to the website. Tickets are $65. On Saturday, Dec. 14, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Dash of Creativity will present Macrame Yarn Gnomes. Tickets are $50. On Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 10 a.m. to noon Fluid Art will be presenting their Ornament Class. Tickets are $35. On Friday, Dec. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sweet Treats by Emilee will be hosting a Christmas Cookie Decorating Class. Tickets are $60. Also Dec. 20, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Fluid Art will hold their Fluid Art Christmas Ornaments Class.

• Studio 550 Art (550 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5597, 550arts.com) Participants who make three crafts will receive a $15 digital gift card. This applies to mosaics, paint-your-own, and any of the art-at-home-kits.

Art at Home Project Kits include Watercolor Bundles, which lead purchasers step-by-step through three paintings in a themed bundle with an introductory tutorial video and guided exercises; Open-Ended Clay, which includes a 1 1/2-pound ball of clay and basic tools; Mosaic Coasters, and Paint Your Own Pottery.

The Maker’s Lounge service offers a making session with the final cost to be based on the pieces chosen. Base shapes range from $7 to $80 but most are between $20 and $30, according to the website. All youth must be accompanied by a responsible and watchful adult, and while directions for the steps will be provided, this will be unstructured making time without a guided lesson or teacher, according to the website.

Studio 550’s Handmade Holiday Market will run the week of Monday, Dec. 16, through Monday, Dec. 23. Participants will find pottery, stained glass, ornaments, and more from noon to 8 p.m. The Studio will be closed Sunday, Dec. 22.

• You’re Fired (25 S. River Road, Bedford, 641-3473; 133 Loudon Road, Concord, 226-3473; and 264 N. Broadway, Salem, 894-5456; yourefirednh.com) Walk-ins are always welcome at this pottery painting studio and various daily promotions are held, such as Mini Mondays (half off from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. they provide half off studio fees for children 12 and under), Ladies Night on Tuesday and Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m, Senior Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (seniors receive half off their studio fee) and Teen Fridays (from 5 to 9 p.m. when teens get half off studio fees).

• The Canvas Roadshow (25 S. River Road, Bedford, thecanvasroadshow.com, 913-9217) Workshops include sea glass art, canvas painting and wood crafts. Registration is typically required and closes a few days before the project date. Upcoming projects include: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.: Cozy Knit Blanket Workshop, $95; Wednesday, Dec. 18, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Pick Your Project, $45 to $75; Thursday, Dec. 19, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Resin Art Ocean Wave – Trays and Shapes, $55 to $75; Friday, Dec. 20, 6:30 to 9 p.m.: Tumbled Sea Glass Holiday Tree, $58 to $72; Saturday, Dec. 21, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Open Studio/Walk-in (no registration required, kid-friendly); Saturday, Dec. 21, 6 to 8 p.m.: Crushed Glass Ornaments, Snow Globes & Trees, $35 to $60; Sunday, Dec. 22, 2 to 4 p.m.: Sea Glass Creations, $50 to $60; and Sunday, Dec. 22, 6 to 8 p.m.: Resin Art Ocean Wave – Trays and Shapes.

• Creative Ventures ( 411 Nashua St., Milford, 672-2500, creativeventuresfineart.com) Creative Ventures offers multi-session art classes and workshops for all ages, taught by professional artists and art teachers. Call or check the website for the current schedule.

• Currier Museum of Art ( 150 Ash St., Manchester, 669-6144, currier.org) On Saturday, Dec. 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the workshop Tantalizing Textures with Rachel Montroy allows participants to “take a deep dive into the rich textures found within the realm of fiber arts,” according to their website. Inspired by the Currier’s current exhibition, “Olga de Amaral: Everything is Construction and Color,” the class will explore a variety of textile media, including fabric, wool and yarn, to create a dimensional wall hanging, and students will be introduced to basics such as hand sewing, weaving and felting, and then be given the option to focus on one technique or combine them all. No experience is necessary and those with fiber/art knowledge will be creatively challenged. All materials and tools will be provided. Cost is $144 for members, $160 for non-members.

Featured image: Courtesy photo.