Airport art exhibition via iPhone

There’s an augmented reality app for that

In the early 1990s, Tom McGurrin crafted a brooch from gold and a single pearl. The brooch’s design is organic in nature, almost resembling that of a caterpillar on a branch. He hammered the gold against granite and folded it until he was satisfied with its texture. Then he sold it. But he never imagined that someday anyone with a smartphone would be able to open an app and see that brooch in a virtual art exhibition. In fact, he didn’t even know what a smartphone was.

Today, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen is using technology to make items like that brooch viewable beyond the walls of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, where the physical collection is currently on display. The League partnered with Aery, an augmented reality app, to bring its museum collection to Apple devices.

“It’s a great way to bring forward what’s happening in technology and how it relates to the world of craft and art,” said Miriam Carter, the executive director of the League of NH Craftsmen. “Everyone loves technology these days, so it advances the possibilities of what we can do to show beautiful, handmade crafts.”

The Augmented Reality Exhibition includes pieces ranging from carved birds and lamps made of jade to the gold brooch crafted by McGurrin.

Objects in the League of NH Craftsmen’s collection were photographed from all angles in order to create complete 3D images, which were then uploaded to Aery.

“You can then see the entire [object] as it exists,” Carter said.

The app also allows viewers to manipulate the objects; they can have some fun by placing them in front of scenic backdrops or changing their size. For example, a carved bird that’s only a few inches tall can be made eight feet tall and positioned to tower over a backdrop of cars.

The project was spearheaded by the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts, of which the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, League of NH Craftsmen and Aery are all members.

“We are working to create partnerships between our members that allow us to demonstrate the creative economy at work,” said Tricia Soule, executive director of the committee.

Originally, the exhibit was only going to be on display at the Manchester airport.

“The airport is an access point for people coming to New Hampshire, so we wanted to have this featured there,” Carter said. “We’re a large, iconic New Hampshire organization and we wanted to let people know about us and all the wonderful cultural entities in the state itself.”

Soule also had a clear vision going into the project: “To bring artwork into the airport to showcase arts and cultural organizations in the state of New Hampshire … [and to] showcase New Hampshire as a destination for people to enjoy arts and culture.”

And then the airport closed.

Now, though the exhibition has been on display at the airport since December, even people who are not traveling can access it through the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts’s channel on Aery. Karina Mitchell, vice president of Aery, describes it as “an augmented reality app that allows guests to view augmented reality art in their home as a curated collection.”

Carter said she’s excited for a time when the League’s Exhibition Gallery in Concord can reopen and the permanent collection can be experienced in person again; the Gallery has been closed for about a year because of the pandemic.

“That’ll be our opening, celebratory event when we reach some form of normalcy,” she said with a laugh. “At that time, we’ll actually have folks on hand to show the app as well. So you’ll see the live objects, but you’ll also see what this app can do.”

As for McGurrin? “Nothing really replaces looking at something in person.” On the other hand, he adds, “It’s kind of a lot of fun.” – By Sadie Burgess

Augmented Reality Exhibition
When: All day, every day through May
Where: Aery AR app (iOS compatible)
More info: nhcrafts.org/augmented-reality-exhibition

Featured photo: Image from Aery. Courtesy of Tricia Soule.

Art

Call for Art

NHAA SPRING JURYING The New Hampshire Art Association accepts new members. Jurying takes place on Mon., March 22. For a prospectus and application form, visit nhartassociation.org and click on “Become a Member.” Applications and application fee payment are due by Thurs., March 18, and can be submitted online or in person at the NHAA headquarters (136 State St., Portsmouth). Instructions for dropping off and picking up artwork will be emailed after an application and payment is received. Call 431-4230.
MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CONTEST Kids in grades 5 through 12 may submit creative may submit a short film (2 minutes or less); an original essay or poem (1000 words or less); or a design in another artistic medium such as a painting, song or sculpture that expresses their experience or observations of mental health in New Hampshire. Art pieces will be showcased to help raise awareness, decrease stigma and discrimination, and affect change to ensure socially and emotionally healthy growth for all children in New Hampshire. Submission deadline is March 31. Prize money will be awarded for grades 5 through 8 and grades 9 through 12. A celebration will take place in May, date TBD. Email [email protected].
ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce are seeking professional sculptors for year-round outdoor public art exhibit set up in Concord’s downtown. Must be age 18 or older. Submit up to two original sculptures for consideration. Submission deadline is March 31. Sculptors will be notified of their acceptance by April 30. Installation will begin on May 21. Exhibit opens in June. Selected sculptors will receive a $500 stipend. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

Classes & lectures

“NORMAN ROCKWELL AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT” Jane Oneail presents a lecture. Part of Concord’s Walker Lecture Series. Virtual, via Zoom. Wed., March 17, 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

Exhibits

“THE VIEW THROUGH MY EYES” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by pastel artist Chris Reid. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through March 18. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
“ON THE BRIGHT SIDE” New Hampshire Art Association features works by multiple artists in a variety of media. On view now through March 28, in person at NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) and online. Gallery hours are Monday and Tuesday by appointment, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Online opening reception to be held on Friday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m., via Zoom. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.
“TRANSFORMATIONS: NATURE AND BEYOND” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by digital artist William Townsend. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display March 23 through June 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Tours

NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

Theater

Auditions

HAMLET Video auditions for post-apocalyptic reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, produced by Manchester-based theater company Cue Zero Theatre Co. Open roles include Gertrude, Laertes, Guildenstern/Bernardo and ensemble characters. Performers must be at least 16 years old by opening night. To audition, submit a one-minute video of yourself performing a Shakespearean monologue that showcases your theatrical abilities by 11:59 p.m., on Sun., March 21. Callbacks will be held in person on Thurs., March 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. Visit cztheatre.com or email [email protected].

Shows

A TEMPEST PRAYER New Hampshire Theatre Project’s SoloStage program presents. Fri., March 19, and Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., and Sun., March 21, 2 p.m. Performances held virtually and in-person at 959 Islington St., Portsmouth. In-person show tickets cost $30, and virtual show tickets cost $20. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.
FIFTH ANNUAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL New Hampshire Theatre Project presents. Five storytellers tell traditional and personal tales inspired by NHTP’s 2020 – 2021 MainStage theme “What Are You Waiting For?” Sat., April 10, 7 p.m. The Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. Tickets cost $36. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

Drawn in

New community art classes come to Manchester

Manchester has welcomed a new creative space to its growing art scene on Hanover Street.

Art House Studios, owned and operated by Manchester artist and art instructor Jason Bagatta, provides small, in-person drawing and painting classes and workshops for all levels.

“I’ve been in Manchester for a while and … I’m always looking to create something new, to make this town a better place to be,” Bagatta said.

Bagatta, who holds a master’s degree in fine art and interdisciplinary art with a focus on drawing, painting and conceptual art, has been teaching art at the college level for more than 20 years. He also teaches youth and community arts and decided to open Art House Studios, he said, after noticing an increasing demand for community arts education opportunities.

“The community and continuing ed classes I was teaching would almost always fill up,” he said. “There are many people who are not pursuing a degree [in art] but are interested in the arts and want to develop their skills further, or they’re just looking for a way to express themselves and focus their creative energy.”

The 1,200-square-foot studio has high ceilings and multiple windows and is “totally suitable for adhering to social distancing and safety protocols,” Bagatta said.

Art House Studios currently offers four courses. They run for six or seven weeks, starting whenever there is enough interest, with classes held once a week.

The “Drawing Fundamentals” course explores techniques of observational drawing, beginning with simple shapes and lines. Students will work with a variety of media, including graphite, chalk pastel, charcoal, pen, brush, ink and colored pencil. The “Painting in Acrylic” course covers the basics of color, line, shape, texture, light and shadow as well as the color-mixing and texture-building possibilities and limitations of acrylic paint. Students will sketch, then paint subjects or scenes from observation, memory or a photograph. “Drawing Fundamentals” and “Painting in Acrylic” are geared toward novice and intermediate level students.

In “Drawing: Observation to Abstraction,” intermediate and advanced level students will use their knowledge of fundamental drawing techniques to deviate from visual reality while maintaining clarity in their artistic vision. They will work with pencils, charcoal, stick and pencil pastel, colored markers, colored pencil, watercolor, paint pens, ballpoint pen and black ink pens.

“Exploring Mixed Media,” open to all levels, will include a study of the concept of mixed media and experimentation with a variety of 2D and 3D media to create symbolic meaning within the context of a theme.

More courses may be added in the future, depending on what people’s interests are.

“I’m pretty versatile,” Bagatta said. “The more people talk to me about what they want, the more inclined I am to open things up and gear a class toward them.”

Bagatta said students will receive individualized attention to help them set and achieve their own goals for what they want to get out of the class.

“My intention is not to teach people to do things my way,” he said. “It’s to guide people in the direction that they need to go in. I want them to take the tools and techniques and processes that I’m showing them and interpret those in their own way.”

As of now, classes are limited to six students but can have up to 12 students once it’s safe to do so, he said. Masks will be required at all times, and the studio will be disinfected after each class.

Art House Studios School for Drawing & Painting
Where
: 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester
When: Courses run six or seven weeks. Classes run two-and-a-half hours and are held one day a week. Start dates and schedules vary, depending on interest.
Cost: $165 for six-week courses, $190 for seven-week courses
More info: arthousestudios.org, [email protected]

Featured photo: Inside Art House Studios. Courtesy photo.

Art

Call for Art

NHAA SPRING JURYING The New Hampshire Art Association accepts new members. Jurying takes place on Mon., March 22. For a prospectus and application form, visit nhartassociation.org and click on “Become a Member.” Applications and application fee payment are due by Thurs., March 18, and can be submitted online or in person at the NHAA headquarters (136 State St., Portsmouth). Instructions for dropping off and picking up artwork will be emailed after an application and payment is received. Call 431-4230.

MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CONTEST Kids in grades 5 through 12 may submit creative may submit a short film (2 minutes or less); an original essay or poem (1000 words or less); or a design in another artistic medium such as a painting, song or sculpture that expresses their experience or observations of mental health in New Hampshire. Art pieces will be showcased to help raise awareness, decrease stigma and discrimination, and affect change to ensure socially and emotionally healthy growth for all children in New Hampshire. Submission deadline is March 31. Prize money will be awarded for grades 5 through 8 and grades 9 through 12. A celebration will take place in May, date TBD. Email [email protected].

ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce are seeking professional sculptors for year-round outdoor public art exhibit set up in Concord’s downtown. Must be age 18 or older. Submit up to two original sculptures for consideration. Submission deadline is March 31. Sculptors will be notified of their acceptance by April 30. Installation will begin on May 21. Exhibit opens in June. Selected sculptors will receive a $500 stipend. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

Classes & lectures

• “NORMAN ROCKWELL AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT” Jane Oneail presents a lecture. Part of Concord’s Walker Lecture Series. Virtual, via Zoom. Wed., March 17, 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

Exhibits

• “THE VIEW THROUGH MY EYES” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by pastel artist Chris Reid. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through March 18. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.

Theater

Shows

A TEMPEST PRAYER New Hampshire Theatre Project’s SoloStage program presents. Fri., March 19, and Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., and Sun., March 21, 2 p.m. Performances held virtually and in-person at 959 Islington St., Portsmouth. In-person show tickets cost $30, and virtual show tickets cost $20. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

Fresh paint

Restored furniture store to open in Plaistow

Kerri Durkee of Atkinson is taking her upcycled furniture business to the next level with a new storefront, opening Saturday, March 6, in the Plaistow Commons strip mall. Better Than Before Home Furnishings & Design will feature used furnishings and home decor, restored and repainted by Durkee.

“It’s just amazing what a coat of paint will do for an ugly or scratched up or water-stained piece of furniture,” Durkee said. “It just brings it right up to date.”

It all started at a yard sale, she said, where she fell in love with a bench that was “old and dirty and kind of a mess,” but too unique to pass up. She took it home and cleaned it up, repainted it and replaced the fabric on the seat cushion.

“I posted a picture of it on social media, and somebody said they wanted to buy it,” she said. “I think that’s when I caught the bug.”

She started picking up more pieces at yard sales, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, estate sales and from anyone she knew who was looking to get rid of a piece of furniture.

“I ended up filling my whole garage with them,” she said “I haven’t been able to get my car in my garage for years now.”

Now a certified decorator and home stager, Durkee did home design and furniture painting as a side gig for 10 years before quitting her job in marketing four years ago to pursue it full time.

“A switch went off in my head, and I was like, ‘What am I waiting for, to do something that I love? Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed,’” she said.

Durkee ran her business online but kept an eye open for a retail space where she could showcase her furniture to customers in person. When she came across the space in the Plaistow Commons strip mall, she had some concerns about opening a store during the pandemic but was reassured by the success her business had seen over the last year.

“With people being at home more, a lot of them are adding new home offices and workspaces or are just generally sick of their furnishings and want to make some changes,” she said.

Customers will find a mix of traditional, coastal, farmhouse, floral and shabby chic styles as well as unpainted furniture for which they can choose a color and style. The storefront will also serve as a hub for Durkee’s home design consultation and custom furniture restoration and painting services as well as furniture painting workshops for people who want to learn the craft themselves.

“I think a lot of people have pieces at home that they want to use that need a little update, and they’d like to be able to do it themselves but don’t necessarily know the process,” Durkee said.

Durkee said she hopes Better than Before and the furniture painting workshops will raise awareness about the benefits of upcycling and encourage more people to think twice before tossing their old furniture or home decor.

“If something is still functional, I think it’s great to be green and give it a new coat of paint rather than filling up the dump sites with it,” she said.

Better Than Before Home Furnishings & Design
Address
: Plaistow Commons strip mall, 160 Plaistow Road, Unit 3, Plaistow
Hours: Grand opening Saturday, March 6. Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m., and Monday and Tuesday by appointment
More info: Call 479-3041 or visit betterthanbefore.co

Featured photo: Better Than Before Home Furnishings & Design in Plaistow. Courtesy photo.

Art

Call for Art

NHAA SPRING JURYING The New Hampshire Art Association accepts new members. Jurying takes place on Mon., March 22. For a prospectus and application form, visit nhartassociation.org and click on “Become a Member.” Applications and application fee payment are due by Thurs., March 18, and can be submitted online or in person at the NHAA headquarters (136 State St., Portsmouth). Instructions for dropping off and picking up artwork will be emailed after an application and payment is received. Call 431-4230.

MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CONTEST Kids in grades 5 through 12 may submit creative may submit a short film (2 minutes or less); an original essay or poem (1000 words or less); or a design in another artistic medium such as a painting, song or sculpture that expresses their experience or observations of mental health in New Hampshire. Art pieces will be showcased to help raise awareness, decrease stigma and discrimination, and affect change to ensure socially and emotionally healthy growth for all children in New Hampshire. Submission deadline is March 31. Prize money will be awarded for grades 5 through 8 and grades 9 through 12. A celebration will take place in May, date TBD. Email [email protected].

ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce are seeking professional sculptors for year-round outdoor public art exhibit set up in Concord’s downtown. Must be age 18 or older. Submit up to two original sculptures for consideration. Submission deadline is March 31. Sculptors will be notified of their acceptance by April 30. Installation will begin on May 21. Exhibit opens in June. Selected sculptors will receive a $500 stipend. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

Classes & lectures

• “NORMAN ROCKWELL AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT” Jane Oneail presents a lecture. Part of Concord’s Walker Lecture Series. Virtual, via Zoom. Wed., March 17, 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

GENERAL ART CLASSES In-person art classes for all levels and two-dimensional media. held with small groups of two to five students. Private classes are also available. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Students are asked to wear masks in the gallery. Tuition costs $20 per group class and $28 per private class, with payment due at the beginning of the class. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.

DRAWING & PAINTING CLASSES Art House Studios, 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester. Classes include Drawing Fundamentals, Painting in Acrylic, Drawing: Observation to Abstraction, Exploring Mixed Media, and Figure Drawing. Class sizes are limited to six students. Visit arthousestudios.org.

Exhibits

• “THE VIEW THROUGH MY EYES” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by pastel artist Chris Reid. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through March 18. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “ON THE BRIGHT SIDE” New Hampshire Art Association features works by multiple artists in a variety of media. On view now through March 28, in person at NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) and online. Gallery hours are Monday and Tuesday by appointment, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Online opening reception to be held on Friday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m., via Zoom. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Tours

NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

Theater Shows

GIDION’S KNOT Theatre Kapow presents. Virtual, live streamed. March 5 through March 7, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit tkapow.com.

A TEMPEST PRAYER New Hampshire Theatre Project’s SoloStage program presents. Fri., March 19, and Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., and Sun., March 21, 2 p.m. Performances held virtually and in-person at 959 Islington St., Portsmouth. In-person show tickets cost $30, and virtual show tickets cost $20. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

FIFTH ANNUAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL New Hampshire Theatre Project presents. Five storytellers tell traditional and personal tales inspired by NHTP’s 2020 – 2021 MainStage theme “What Are You Waiting For?” Featuring Diane Edgecomb, Pat Spalding, Simon Brooks, Sharon Jones and Maya Williams; with special guest host Genevieve Aichele and musical accompaniment by Randy Armstrong. Sat., April 10, 7 p.m. The Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. Tickets cost $36. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

ZOOM PLAY FESTIVAL Presented by Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative and Community Players of Concord. Features short original plays by New Hampshire playwrights. Fri., April 16. Virtual. See Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative on Facebook or email [email protected].

THAT GOLDEN GIRLS SHOW: A PUPPET PARODY at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Sat., April 24, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

ROTARY PARK PLAY FESTIVAL Presented by Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative and Community Players of Concord. Features short original plays by New Hampshire playwrights. Sat., May 29, and Sun., May 30. Outdoors at Rotary Park, 30 Beacon St., E. Laconia. See Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative on Facebook or email [email protected].

TRUE TALES LIVE Monthly showcase of storytellers. Held virtually via Zoom. Last Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., January through June, and September through December. Visit truetaleslivenh.org.

Classical

CONCORD COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL FACULTY CONCERT Part of Concord’s Walker Lecture Series. Virtual, via Concord TV (Channel 22, or stream at yourconcordtv.org). Wed., April 21. 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

Distanced discourse

Walker Lecture Series goes virtual

After canceling its events in 2020, the Walker Lecture Series will return for its 124th spring season with weekly virtual events every Wednesday from March 3 through April 21.

The Concord-based series, traditionally held at the Concord City Auditorium, features free performances and lectures on history, travel, art and science topics. This spring’s virtual events will be hosted by Concord TV, some pre-recorded and aired on the city’s public access TV channel, and some livestreamed over Zoom.

“[When Covid hit,] we were thrown for a loop just like everyone else [was], and we didn’t know what the future would hold,” Walker Lecture Series trustee Jon Kelly said, “but we’re dealing with that reality now. We’re embracing it with a spirit of experimentation.”

The series kicks off with “Banjos, Bones, and Ballads,” where local musician and historian Jeff Warner will perform and discuss traditional New England tavern music, hymns, sailor songs and more.

“He plays old-time music on the banjo, the spoons, the washboard and the bones, just like people did in the 19th century,” Kelly said. “He’s a lot of fun.”

The following week, mentalist and author of Psychic Blues Mark Edward will present a lecture, “Psychics, Mediums, and Mind Readers: How do they do it?”

“He talks about the fraudulence of people who pretend they can talk to the dead and encourages people to use critical thinking to examine the trick nature of it before they believe that someone has magical powers,” Kelly said. “I think our audience will be really interested in that.”

Other programs in this spring’s Walker Lecture Series will include an art lecture on Frank Lloyd Wright and Norman Rockwell; a history lecture on New Hampshire revolutionaries John Stark and Henry Dearborn; an author event with Michael Tougias, discussing his memoir The Waters Between Us; a nature program about bears; travelogues about Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska and the deserts, coastline and safari parks of Namibia; and a faculty concert by Concord Community Music School.

“We try to choose programs that will be edifying for the audience, but we also want it to be fun,” Kelly said. “We want [the topics] to be things that people will enjoy and like.”

The Walker Lecture Series has also planned and released the schedule for its fall season, which will run Sept. 22 through mid-December. Though it remains to be seen whether the series will be held virtually or in person, Kelly said he is hopeful that in-person events will be possible.

“People have done well with socialization over Zoom, but I am nostalgic for the days when people would all pile in the City Auditorium and get there early and talk with their neighbors in the lobby,” he said. “I’m choosing to be optimistic that we’ll be able to have that in the fall.”

Walker Lecture Series spring season
When: Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., March 3 through April 21
Where: Virtual, on Concord TV (Channel 22, or stream at yourconcordtv.org), YouTube and Zoom, depending on the program
Cost: Free and open to all; no tickets or reservations required
More info: Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org

“Banjos, Bones, and Ballads” with Jeff Warner
March 3 on Concord TV

“Psychics, Mediums, and Mind Readers: How do they do it?” with Mark Edward
March 10 on Zoom

“Norman Rockwell and Frank Lloyd Wright” with Jane Oneail
March 17 on Zoom

“Autumn in Denali” and “The World of the Bear” with Tom Sterling
March 24 on Concord TV

“Two New Hampshire Men from the American Revolution: John Stark and Henry Dearborn” with George Morrison
March 31 on Zoom

“Growing Up Wild in the ’60s and ’70s” with Mike Tougias
April 7 on Zoom

“The Road to Namibia” with Rick Ray
April 14 on Zoom

Concord Community Music School Faculty Concert
April 21 on Concord TV

Featured photo: The Walker Lecture Series opens with “Banjos, Bones, and Ballads” by Jeff Warner on Wednesday, March 3. Courtesy photo.

Pandemic puzzles

Mother and son create interactive kids book about Covid-19

Deer orienteer Stephen Stagg is on a new kind of hunt in The COVID Paper Chase, a special edition title of Windham children’s author E.A. Giese’s Stephen Stagg Series that Giese wrote and illustrated with her adult son B.G. Sullivan during the pandemic.

The books in the series feature interactive puzzles for young readers to do as they follow Stephen Stagg on his orienteering adventures. In The COVID Paper Chase, Stephen is looking around his neighborhood for an item of great importance that is in short supply due to the pandemic. It includes hidden images and pandemic-related vocabulary words to find, mysteries to solve and a special activity.

“It’s meant to be more like a workbook,” Giese said. “Educational for children as well as entertaining.”

Giese and Sullivan said they have talked casually about collaborating on a book together for years but could never seem to find the time, so when Sullivan was laid off from his full-time job last March due to the pandemic, they decided to finally give it a go.

“Being laid off had significantly freed up my time at that point,” Sullivan said, “and I really wanted to do something productive with that time … and do something that would be able to help other people.”

Sullivan said he has “always been an artistic person,” having an interest in illustration since he was a child, and going on to attend and receive his certificate from a graphic design school.

“I homeschooled my two sons through middle school and high school, and we were very creative during that time,” Giese said. “We’ve been lifelong creatives, all of us.”

In Giese and Sullivan’s collaborative process, Giese came up with the story and developed the storyboards while Sullivan worked more on the script itself, which is written in rhyming verse. Giese did the hand drawn illustrations, outlined in pen and colored with colored pencils, and used a rubbing technique to give the illustrations texture. Then, Sullivan used his graphic design skills, he said, to add “the finer details, more realism, and really bring her illustrations to life.”

The idea for a children’s book about Covid-19, Giese and Sullivan said, came from seeing parents they knew struggle with explaining the pandemic to their young children. They wanted to create a book that could help parents “broach the subject” in an honest, but comforting way, Sullivan said.

“It’s psychologically soothing for children without being too heavy and grim,” he said.

“There was kind of a fine balance between giving [the book] some lightheartedness to make it palatable to children while still paying respect to the weight and seriousness of the issue,” Giese added.

Giese and Sullivan said they plan to team up for more children’s books for both the Stephen Stagg Series and other series.

“We’re really starting to see a future in our collaborations together,” Sullivan said.

“We have a lot of fun doing this together,” Giese added, “and I think that really comes across in the book.”

The COVID Paper Chase
The book is available at the authors’ website, regalbeepub.com, and will be available on Amazon by the end of February.

Featured photo: E.A. Giese and B.G. Sullivan. Courtesy photo.

The dream reimagined

Local musician creates new version of “America the Beautiful”

What started as a song for a children’s choir to sing at Hancock’s Martin Luther King Day celebration last year has become an ongoing collaboration of musicians and music groups across the country.

As a member of the planning committee for the event, Hancock singer-songwriter Steve Schuch had taken on the task of organizing a musical performance. At the time, he had been reading about the history of the patriotic anthem “America the Beautiful,” originally written as a poem by American author and poet Katherine Lee Bates in 1892, and studying the life and writings of American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

“Then, I thought, what would happen if we took the opening lines of ‘America the Beautiful’ that everyone knows and added a chorus and new verses that reflected Martin Luther King’s wider dream for all of America?” Schuch said.

The reimagined version of “America the Beautiful,” titled “America the Dream,” received such a “strong response” at the celebration, Schuch said, that he decided to keep expanding on the project.

He teamed up with another local musician, Mike Bradley, to write more lyrics and reached out to Shelbie Rassler, a senior at Berklee College of Music at the time, who had produced a viral YouTube video of a virtual choir of students singing “What the World Needs Now,” to assist with the musical arrangement and assembling a virtual choir to perform the piece.

Rassler was “all in,” Schuch said, and has produced three virtual performance videos of the song so far, with more on the way, including a contemporary country version out of Nashville.

“I hope that with each passing year, different singing groups around the country will want to do it,” he said. “It would be neat if someday Keith Lockhart wants to do this with the Boston Pops for the Fourth of July, or, hey, in my wildest dreams, maybe Beyonce would sing it at the Super Bowl.”

Late last year, Schuch and his collaborators launched the “American Dream Project” website where people can find the performance videos as well as sheet music for six different arrangements of the song, sound samples of the different choral parts and a piano accompaniment track for singing groups to use for rehearsals or performances if they don’t have access to live musical accompaniment.

“[The arrangements] run from really simple ones that are appropriate for elementary schools or children’s choirs up through ones for accomplished high school and college choirs and adult community choirs,” Schuch said. “There is enough variety that any music director or conductor could find a version that’s right for their group and their setting.”

What makes “America the Dream” especially unique, Schuch said, is that it’s an open source piece; not only can people access the sheet music and sound samples for free, but they also have permission to create and perform their own versions of the song with different musical arrangements and different or additional lyrics for non-commercial use.

“We encourage people to keep adding to it and would love for them to submit their recordings to add to the website,” he said.

The website also includes a list of suggested reading material and resources for groups or individuals who want to use the “American Dream Project” as “a springboard for discussion,” Schuch said.

“It’s more than a song,” he said. “It’s a chance for all Americans to think about what we hold in common for the dream of our country and what our country can become.”

Featured photo: “America The Dream” virtual performance by Berklee College of Music students, Shelbie Rassler Orchestral Arrangement. Courtesy photo.

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