Category: Fairs & Festivals

Pumpkins of the Piscataquag

The Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off & Regatta returns

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20, is the weekend of Goffstown’s Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off & Regatta.

Tina Lawton is a volunteer of the organization and is currently the president of the board of directors. “It’s a two-day event. It’s been around for a long time. This will be the 23rd year,” Lawton said.

How did it get started? “We had some giant pumpkin growers and one of them had a great idea: ‘What if we turn it into a boat and race it down the river?’ And so that’s what they did. It was very popular so it’s kept on year after year,” Lawton said. This year’s theme is Pirates of the Piscataquag River. The length of the race when scaled to pumpkins is quite the journey for these nautical gourds.

“They go from where the dam starts to the bridge. They’re going up the river and there are a bit of escapades that happen where we have, you know, somebody coming out to challenge them, shoot them with water, try and get them off course. So it stretches the race out a little bit so it’s more entertaining for the people that are just all over the place trying to see this race,” Lawton said.

“This year we’ll have six boats, and that’s plenty because there’s not a lot of room. One time we had nine and it was very challenging,” Lawton said.

These pumpkin vessels are large, weighing in at “close to, if not over, 1,000 pounds,” she said, usually hailing from New Hampshire or Vermont.

“We have a tremendous amount of vendors throughout the village of Goffstown from Elm to Depot street and all the businesses are open and it’s a great time to highlight the charm of the village and to highlight the businesses and help people understand that it’s important to support the small-business owners for what they get to the community,” Lawton said.

Other competitions include a pumpkin cook-off, a dog costume contest and a pie eating contest, Lawton said.

“Then we have a pumpkin decorating contest this year,” she added. “There is a scavenger hunt that we have in the village, and that’s again to sort of get people to explore and discover some of the businesses.”

Apples do make a brief cameo. “We have ‘apple slingshots,’ which is very popular. So there’s these giant slingshots that we set up and there’s usually a very long line for usually kids and sometimes dads to slingshot apples into the river and try and hit targets.”

Especially for the kids there will also be bounce houses and some vendors will offer face painting, Lawton said.

Attendees will see a first this year. “One of my board members wants to do a parade, they want to parade the final pumpkin. So the pumpkins come down, the very early part of the first day, the giant pumpkins arrive, it’s sort of like a whole thing, they sort of arrive, unload, they weigh them, and that’s a contest in itself. Once that’s all over they take pumpkins all the way down to the other end of Main Street where they’re going to be placed to turn into pumpkin boats. People like to see the giant pumpkins moving up the street.”

What happens to all the pumpkin insides that are taken out? “That’s a big DPW sort of thing. They have a big truck. We have lots of trash cans and flat loaders. As soon as the pumpkin drops and it’s safe, the kids will run out and try and get some of the big seeds that are from that pumpkin that dropped. And then one thing is important, when they are carving the big pumpkins at the boat, those seeds from that particular pumpkin, they go back to the grower so that they can grow them next year.”

Spellbound
When: Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20
Where: Goffstown
Info: goffstownmainstreet.org/pumpkin-regatta

Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 19
8 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Rummage Sale and Bake Sale St. Matthew’s (5 N. Mast St.)
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Goffstown Congregational Church Yard Sale (10 Main St.)
9 a.m. – giant pumpkins arrive at the Common
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Touch a Truck (Depot Street behind Citizens Bank)
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Friends Of GPL Library Book Sale at the Library (2 High St.)
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Apple Slingshots (Mill Street)
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – vendor booths, concessions, bounce house, GMSP Scavenger Hunt (start at 4 Main St.), live music at Rotary Park
10 a.m. – giant pumpkin carving begins
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Art Show Off at Town Hall (16 Main St.)
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Annual Quilt Challenge voting at Night Owl Quilting (4 Main St.)
11 a.m. – Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Common
11 a.m. – Pet Costume Contest at Glen Lake Animal Hospital (15 Elm St.)
11:30 a.m. – Parading of the Pumpkin (starts at Elm & Main, ends at Main & Mill)
2:30 p.m. – Giant Pumpkin Boat Building on Mill Street; Pumpkin Cook-Off Contest (5 N. Mast St.)

Sunday, Oct. 20
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – pumpkin painting at Goffstown Ace Hardware
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – vendor booths, concessions, bounce house
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Art Show Off at Town Hall; Cars on Main (7 Main St.)
10:30 a.m. – Apple Slingshot on Mill Street (while supplies last); Pumpkin Decorating Contest judging (4 Main St.)
Noon – Giant Pumpkin Drop (Depot Street across from the USPS)
1 p.m. – Pie Eating Contest on Mill Street
2 p.m. – Mini Pumpkin Race for the 50/50 Raffle on the River
3 p.m. – Finale: Giant Pumpkin Regatta at the River

Featured image: Courtesy photo.

Autumn colors and a parade

Warner celebrates with its annual Fall Foliage Festival

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

Celebrate fall in Warner Friday, Oct. 11, through Sunday, Oct. 13, for the 77th Warner Fall Foliage Festival.

“The historical part of the festival, this is the 77th year that it’s been going on. It’s a festival to celebrate the fall, number one. It’s always on Columbus Day weekend on just Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday,” said Ray Martin, a former Festival president and trove of knowledge on the Festival and how it operates. “It’s historically always been volunteer-run, volunteer-staffed with townspeople, and it raises money every year for various organizations within the town …”

Besides the beautiful scenery, what is there for visitors to do?

“It is a festival with amusement rides, a lot, I think we have almost 100 craftspeople, various sorts. It has food, a lobster and chicken barbecue and other sorts of food. It has a grand parade, a road race, a children’s race…,” Martin said.

The Warner Fall Foliage Festival is also free. “There’s no admission charge, but we do charge for parking if you go out to one of the outlying parking areas. So it’s really just a celebration of fall with the typical festival type things of food, crafts, people, amusement rides, and an oxen pull and a woodsman’s contest. The oxen pull is all day Saturday. The woodsman’s contest is all Sunday, all day. And there’s a grand parade on Sunday…,” Martin said.

The parade will celebrate Warner’s founding with leafy floats. “Every year it has a different theme. And this year people put in floats involving foliage. And the main thing is how much foliage you can use or how you use it creatively. This year is Warner’s 250th anniversary of the founding or the chartering of the town in 1774.”

Martin expects 10 to 15 floats as well as “some old cars and tractors and marching band and the Highland Scotsman bagpiping group.”

Music is a major component in celebrating the harvest season in Warner.

“There’s music at a tent right beside the Reed’s North bar and restaurant that has music … and then they’ve got a stage behind, more of a main street stage, that has an outdoor amphitheater that has the same scheduled music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Martin said.

And then there’s the food.

“And then the other thing is the lobster or chicken barbecue that’s been going on for a long time and that drives a lot of people in. So those two things are great and consistent. It’s just one family that’s been doing [the barbecue] for 50 years, They’re on about the third generation,” Martin said.

The kids get involved too. “There’s a children’s parade, a children’s short run walk, and the activities for the kids are all the rides.”

How did Martin come to be involved with the festival in the first place? “If you live in town, you eventually will be asked to help. Most people always step up. It’s a very community-oriented event that does raise anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 a year to distribute.”

Since “foliage” is in the name, what types of tree leaves will visitors be able to view? “Oh, we have all the hardwood trees. It’s maple trees, then oak trees, maybe a few ash trees if they’re left, but all the hardwood trees will be most of it. There could be peak right, probably right about the time.”

“We usually get three or four thousand [visitors] a day. And the event is held, it’s right in downtown Warner, so it encompasses the village, the very downtown part of Warner,” he said “If you want to come enjoy a real community festival down to earth, small-ish, no admission charge, and very well-rounded in many different kinds of events that are happening,” Martin said.

Spellbound
When: Begins Monday, Oct. 7, with opening reception Saturday, Oct. 12, at 4 p.m.
Where: Mosaic Art Collective, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201 (second floor), Manchester
More: mosaicartcollective.com

Featured image: Music performance at a previous festival. Courtesy photo.

An artisans’ affair

League of New Hampshire Craftsmen celebrates return of its annual fair

After a year without an in-person fair, artisans from the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen overwhelmingly agree about one thing: They can’t wait to see the crowds and their fellow artisans at this year’s annual fair at Mount Sunapee Resort.

“The craftspeople are as excited to be back at the mountain as you can possibly imagine,” said Laury Nichols, a woodcarver from Chichester.

Lisa DeMio of Hampstead, who makes fiber wearables, echoed that sentiment.

“The artists are super excited to be back there,” she said. “It’s one of those places where I feel very at home. … This particular show has so many amazing artists. I’m looking forward to being able to see and touch and feel everything and connect with friends.”

The 88th Annual Craftsmen’s Fair is happening Saturday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 15, and is one of the few arts events of its scope and size this year, according to Miriam Carter, executive director of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.

“We’re in New Hampshire and we’ve gotten through Covid in a way that a lot of states haven’t,” Carter said. “I’m expecting a great response from the public.”

The fair will look a little different, with booths spaced farther apart and fewer artisans, and visitors are encouraged to buy their tickets online to get through the gate quickly. But beyond that, the fair should be everything it has been in past years — and then some.

“[The artisans have] had a year off to create work, so I’m really excited to see what they’ve done in that time,” Carter said.

She said she’s already seen some of the work that will be in the Art, Craft & Design Exhibition —‌ a gallery that’s set up in the middle of the fair —‌ and it’s some of the best she’s seen.

“I think they took advantage of their time off the road to … be creative and innovative,” Carter said.

There will be demonstrations this year, Carter said, following Covid precautions. Instead of the more intimate clay turning booth, for example, they will have precreated clay tiles, which people can use to create a textured piece that they can bring home and paint. Many of the demonstrations and hands-on activities are free, Carter said.

There’s also the Art, Craft & Design Exhibition and the Sculpture Garden, plus new food offerings, and, for the first time, alcohol will be available for purchase on the fairgrounds. The Adventure Park at Mount Sunapee Resort will be open, and the lift will be running for people who might want to ride up and hike down. But that’s all gravy.

“The best part of the fair is you get to meet the artists and you get to see what they’ve been up to,” Carter said.

Meet five of those artists, who talked about their work, what’s new this year and why they can’t wait for the fair.

Clay

Pottery by Michael Gibbons.

Michael Gibbons of Derry

What he makes: Functional stoneware for everyday use, like coffee mugs, bowls and teapots. “I’ve been making pottery since about 1980 and I love doing it,” Gibbons said. “I love the fact that it starts off as almost nothing and transforms into something nice and functional.” Gibbons’ work focuses on nature, with mountains adorning many pieces and a line of products made with white clay that look like birch bark.

What’s new this year: With a year off from fairs, Gibbons said he focused on producing, and he developed some new glazes. “My color palette is much broader than it was two years ago,” he said. “I have a red raspberry glaze, and I have a green glaze that I introduced. … I came up with a different glaze for my birch [products] too —‌ less shine and more matte.”

Why he can’t wait for the fair: “It’s the highlight of my year just being around so many talented, great people,” he said. “I’m also excited to see how well-received the new colors are.”

Fiber wearables

Lisa DeMio of Hampstead

Bag by Lisa DeMoi.

What she makes: Accessories, predominantly for women, like handbags, totes and cosmetic bags. They feature hand-printed linen, leather, cotton and waxed canvas. DeMio started sewing years ago, and as her four children got older, she became interested in fabrics and textiles. She found a handbag pattern and made one for herself, then was promptly asked by one friend after another to make bags for them. “It’s one of those things that everybody needs,” she said. “Everybody needs to [carry stuff], and you might as well look good doing it.”

What’s new this year: “I have some new hand-printed fabrics that I’m really excited about,” DeMio said. She said one of the artists that she admires has started to make hand-printed fabrics again, so she’s been able to create some of her products using those. “I have a very limited number of those bags,” she said.

Why she can’t wait for the fair: “Just seeing people again —‌ this is the first live event I’ll have done since February of 2020,” she said. “It’s one of those places where I feel very at home —‌ with my products in my booth and [on the fairgrounds].”

Fine jewelry

Kristin Kennedy of Concord

What she makes: One-of-a-kind jewelry pieces made with precious metals and gemstones. Her inspiration is based on nature and her outdoor experiences, like hiking the mountains and swimming in the ocean.

What’s new this year: Kennedy has a few new collections, including the Everlasting collection that features pieces with rose-cut emeralds and London Blue topaz, and a Nuevo Deco collection that features pieces with rose-cut aquamarines, step-cut chocolate diamonds and champagne diamonds.

Why she can’t wait for the fair: “I’m definitely looking forward to seeing lots of familiar faces, being able to celebrate being together, enjoying art together,” she said. “Most of my customers I’ve had for 20 years, so it’s fun to see them.” Kennedy said she typically checks out the fair herself on the last day. “It’s fun to get to know the artists and handpick some of their special designs,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to support local artists and appreciate some of the finer things.” This is Kennedy’s 20th year at the Craftsmen’s Fair, and she said it’s the only one she participates in. “I think it’s one of the most highly acclaimed art shows in the country.”

Wood carvings

Laury Nichols from Chichester

Badger by Laury Nichols.

What she makes: Whimsical woodland animal characters and custom woodcarving projects. The carvings are mainly characters she designs herself, and she has a few characters from children’s books like The Wind in the Willows and Beatrix Potter’s tales. With the carvings just inches tall, Nichols said she’ll be bringing about 500 of them to the fair.

What’s new this year: Nichols said she always has new carvings, and this year her booth itself is brand new. She took an online wooden puppet making class during the pandemic, so she’ll have a few puppets and will be taking orders for them. She has also created cards with pictures of her woodcarvings, but since she’s juried as a woodcarver, she’s not allowed to sell anything but woodcarvings. So instead, she’s giving away a free pack of “Celebrate” cards to anyone who asks.

Why she can’t wait for the fair: “I’m so excited to see everyone again, and I know the public is excited to be back to the fair,” Nichols said. “I [especially] love it when children come into my booth. They are so great. … I make free stuff for kids —‌ I was an art kind of kid, and talking to real artists was very inspirational and influential.”

Wood sculptures

Donna Zils Banfield of Derry

What she makes: Sculptural art made out of wood. “Most of my work will appeal to about 10 percent of the people who will be at the fair,” Zils Banfield said. “It’s sculptural art —‌ it’s not utilitarian, it’s not functional.” One example is her Wood Ffolkkes, a community of sculptural wood people that come in various shapes and sizes, with different moods, personalities, wardrobes, loves and hates, but all created from the same core. “At our basic core, we’re all the same,” she said. Zils Banfield started participating in the Craftsmen’s Fair in 2012 as a bowl turner. “I’ve slowly moved into the more nonfunctional artwork,” she said. “I knew early on that I had to be more than a bowl turner.” Zils Banfield said this kind of work is much more intricate, taking days, weeks or months to complete one piece, so she usually has several pieces going at a time. “Nothing is done quickly, which is unusual for the wood turning world,” she said.

What’s new this year: “I have a new sculptural piece that is going to be titled ‘Cityscapes,’” she said. It features 3D images carved into the wood with small particles of 24k gold leaves and silver leaves for the skyscrapers and the stars.

Why she can’t wait for the fair: “Seeing the people that I miss, both my fellow peers and the people who come to the fair to see me and to see my work,” Zils Banfield said. She said she loves showing her new pieces to past customers. “Every year I have at least one new idea that appears in my booth.”

More than a craft fair
Woodcarver Laury Nichols shared her recommendation for how to approach the fair.
“If you go to the fair only to buy stuff … you miss a huge amount. If you look for only acquisition you will miss the staggering artwork and craftwork. If you go with the mindset to just marvel … it is just amazing. … If you buy something and you’ve talked to the person who made it … there’s something about knowing that it’s handmade and knowing the face of the person who made it and having the conversation with that person.”

The 88th Annual League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair

Where: Mount Sunapee Resort, 1398 Route 103, Newbury
When: Saturday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, rain or shine
Cost: General admission for one day is $16 for adults, or $24 for two days. Seniors are $14, and children under 12 get in free. Online ticket sales prior to the event are encouraged at nhcrafts.org.

Featured photo: Wood Ffolkkes by Donna Zils Banfield. Courtesy photo.

This Week: Big Events, May 20, 2021, and beyond

Thursday, May 20

Get some music and some art during “Art After Work: Free Thursday Nights” at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester, 669-6144, currier.org). Admission is free from 5 to 8 p.m. (register for your spot online; the website recommends advance registration). Listen to Sold Under Sin, who will be performing tonight (next Thursday, it’s Alli Beaudry and Paul Nelson). Through June 10 you can also drop by the Open Studios to meet “Artist in the Community” Artist-in-Residence Omolará Williams McCallister.

Saturday, May 22

It’s a symphony of bird sounds in the forests these days. Get more information about local birds during a Saturday Birding with Dave Bechtel program from the NH Audubon (Bechtel is the NH Audubon president). The program is free and no registration is required for the hour-long walk starting today at 8 a.m. at the McLane Center (84 Silk Road in Concord), according to nhaudabon.org, where you can find details on this weekly event, which alternates between McLane and the Massabesic Center in Auburn.

Saturday, May 22

Buy some stuff! From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., head to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Manchester (669 Union St., uumanchester.org) for their spring plant sale featuring perennials, annuals, shrubs, houseplants, herbs and veggies, according to the website. (The sale will also run Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) From 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Friends of the Nashua Public Library will hold a pop-up book sale outside in the Library Plaza (2 Court St. in Nashua; nashualibrary.org). The outdoor sale will feature adult fiction and children and teens books, according to a press release, but Friends members (and you can buy or renew a membership on the day) can browse the selection of nonfiction adult books by going inside (sign up online for a time). From 1 to 3 p.m., the Bedford Garden Club will hold its annual May plant sale, featuring herbs, perennials and annuals, at the Bedford Village Common Bandstand (15 Bell Hill Road in Bedford; see bedfordgardenclubnh.org).

Sunday, May 23

Catch Stand By Me, the 1986 (R-rated) Rob Reiner-directed movie based on the Stephen King novella The Body, today at 3 p.m. during a special 35th anniversary screening at Cinemark Rockingham Park 12 (15 Mall Road in Salem; cinemark.com). The film will also screen at the Lowell Showcase Cinemas at 3 p.m.

Save the Date!

Sunday, June 6

The Capitol Center for the Arts Music in the Park series kicks off Sunday, June 6, with Joe Sabourin performing at 3 p.m. in Fletcher-Murphy Park (28 Fayette St. in Concord). Tickets cost $12, plus a $3 fee (if you can’t make it in person, you can also get an $8 ticket to a livestream of the concert), according to the website. The June schedule also features Jason Spooner on June 13 and Ms. Yamica Peterson on June 20. See ccanh.com for tickets.

Featured photo: Stand By Me (R)

Blast from the past

Robinson decries white supremacy, pays homage to the ’80s in Exo-Hunter

Science fiction, sociopolitical satire and 1980s nostalgia are the basis for Seacoast author Jeremy Robinson’s newest novel Exo-Hunter,released last month.

Exo-Hunter follows a Black Marine known as Dark Horse in 1989 who, after a mission gone wrong, is launched with his team a millennium into the future. In the year 2989, humans have abandoned Earth and expanded colonization throughout the galaxy under the rule of a white supremacist government called The Union. Separated from his team and now the only Black man in The Union, Dark Horse takes control of a space vessel and sets out to find his teammates, disguised as an Exo-Hunter, a space explorer seeking new planets for the Union to colonize.

Robinson said he had been contemplating a “sarcastic, fun, ’80s sci-fi” while also reflecting on the racial tensions felt throughout the country over the last few years.

“I thought I’d kind of just mash all of that together,” he said. “White supremacy … is a serious topic, but I wanted to address it with a sense of humor, similar to how the movie Jojo Rabbit did with Nazi Germany — funny but also moving and revealing.”

The humor in Exo-Hunter comes mostly in the form of sarcasm, Robinson said, with some sci-fi- and ’80s-related jokes thrown in.

“I think sarcasm can be helpful for us now as we look back at 2020 and all the bad stuff,” he said. “It’s a good way to deal with it all.”

The book also provides a comic look at the absurdity of a society without diversity.

“I wanted to kind of poke fun at how weird and strange it would be and how dull life would be,” Robinson said. “I guess the main moral of the story is, a world with diversity is just a better world.”

Readers who lived through the ’80s will get a healthy dose of nostalgia with references to ’80s pop culture, particularly sci-fi movies and new wave music. Additionally, Robinson created a playlist of the referenced songs as a musical companion to the book (available on his website) with hits like “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics and “Heroes” by David Bowie.

“A lot of the story hinges on these songs because they’re applicable to what is happening and are just perfect for the situation,” Robinson said, adding that pausing to listen to the songs as they are mentioned in the book can create a more immersive experience for the reader.

A New York Times and No. 1 Audible bestselling author, Robinson has written and published more than 70 books in a number of genres, including science fiction, action adventure, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, thriller and horror, as well as several comic books. Prior to writing novels he did primarily screenwriting, and he continues to write with the ultimate goal of getting his stories made into movies and TV series, he said. A couple of his books are currently in the process of being adapted for the screen, and a TV series based on one of his books has been in development for the last five years. (He is not yet at liberty to say which books, he said.) As for Exo-Hunter, Robinson said, he is “absolutely” envisioning it as an action-packed movie for the big screen.

“It was written with that intention, as most of my novels are,” he said. “[The production] would be really big and cost a lot of money, so [the book] will have to sell really well first for Hollywood to take the risk, but we’ll see.”

Exo-Hunter by Jeremy Robinson
Exo-Hunter is available now on Amazon and Kindle and locally at Jetpack Comics in Rochester. The audiobook is set for release on Audible and iTunes in February. To learn more about the book, visit bewareofmonsters.com/exo-hunter-dark-horse-rising, and check out the companion playlist at bewareofmonsters.com/playlist.

Art

Call for Art
• 35TH ANNUAL OMER T. LASSONDE JURIED EXHIBITION The New Hampshire Art Association seeks submissions of artwork from NHAA members and non-members. The theme is “Beyond the Boundaries.” Submit up to three pieces. Open to all artistic media. Deadline is Fri., Feb. 5, by 5 p.m. Submission form available online. Call 431-4230 and visit nhartassociation.org.

Exhibits
• “THE COLORS OF GREY” Theme art show presented by the Seacoast Artist Association. On display now through Jan. 30. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Visit seacoastartist.org or call 778-8856.
• “A NEW DAY” Exhibit features work by 35 new members of The New Hampshire Art Association. Viewable online, in the front windows at the NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) and at the gallery in person by appointment. On display now through Jan. 31. A virtual opening reception will be held on Thurs., Jan. 7, at 6 p.m., on Zoom. Call 431-4230 and visit nhartassociation.org.
• “BRAVE NEW WORLD: RESILIENCE IN THE TIME OF COVID” Outdoor public art display features paintings by 80 students from the Nashua School District that convey a message of hope and resilience amid the challenges of Covid-19. Amherst Elementary School (71 Amherst St., Nashua). On display now through Feb. 14. An opening reception at the exhibit location to celebrate the student and teacher artists will be held on Friday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m. Visit sites.google.com/nsd42.net/bravenewworld/home.
• “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.

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
• WHERE DO I BEGIN? New Hampshire Theatre Project’s SoloStage program presents. Fri., Jan. 22, and Sat., Jan. 23, 8 p.m., and Sun., Jan. 24, 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

Art adapts

2020 became a year of unexpected innovation for arts organizations

In 2020, we saw art galleries and performance venues closed, shows and festivals canceled and classes and programs suspended. But in the face of the many challenges brought about by Covid-19, the New Hampshire arts community did what it does best: It got creative.

“Many New Hampshire arts organizations and artists are finding creative ways to engage the public during the pandemic, reimagining events and activities in both physical and virtual spaces,” said Ginnie Lupi, director of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.

Performance venues erected new outdoor stages and spaces to welcome socially distanced audiences; theater companies, musicians and authors accommodated audiences at home through livestreamed and recorded shows and discussions, and educators in the arts carried on with classes and lessons remotely.

Now, as a Covid vaccine brings hope that a return to normalcy is on the horizon, artists and arts organizations are reasoning that the solutions they improvised to get through the pandemic may still have merit in a post-pandemic world.

“We expect many of these changes to become permanent,” Lupi said. “Many organizations are finding that online performances and activities are reaching more diverse and distant audiences.”

Living room theater

The Majestic Theatre in Manchester is one of many local theater companies that installed new video equipment to offer virtual performances.

“The virtual component has been a valuable tool to share our performances with those who are homebound,” artist director and CEO Rob Dionne said. “Now, a virtual component will be a part of most of our shows moving forward.”

Genevieve Aichele, executive director of New Hampshire Theatre Project in Portsmouth, said that purchasing new video, audio and computer equipment and hiring a part-time associate producer for media was an advantageous use of the CARES relief funds it received.

“The board and staff of NHTP views this as an investment for the future,” she said. “NHTP will be continuing to offer programs online for the foreseeable future.”

Though New Hampshire Theatre Project is presenting in-person performances again, it and many other theater companies that are able to do so are now using both formats, giving audiences the flexibility to experience theater in a way that meets their needs and comfort level. Aichele said the virtual option remains the most popular, noting that New Hampshire Theatre Project’s November production of The Adventures of Sleepyhead brought in 36 tickets for the in-person show and 245 tickets for the virtual one.

Matt Cahoon, artistic director of Theatre Kapow in Manchester, said the company’s “significant [investment in] time, energy and money” to offer virtual performances will “define this company for the next decade.”

“I would hate to see us just leave that behind,” he said. “I imagine that some of the technology will come back with us, and that we will find ways to meld together the live and virtual experiences.”

Unexpectedly, Cahoon said, the virtual format has given Theater Kapow the opportunity to enhance the theater experience for audiences by incorporating storytelling elements that aren’t feasible on a live stage. For example, the use of cameras allows him to draw the audience’s attention to small details that they might miss in person.

“The audience’s perspective of the actors was closer than ever,” he said. “It seems impossible to me to go back to a time where we say to audiences, ‘OK, you sit over there in the dark and we will be up here with the lights on us.’”

Art on screen

The visual arts have also found a new place in the virtual realm, with many arts organizations and art galleries shifting to an online format.

Lauren Boss, co-president of the Nashua Area Artists’ Association, said the Association moved its operations online when the months-long closure of its brick-and-mortar art gallery, ArtHub, limited members’ opportunities to sell their art.

“The pandemic forced us to figure out how to make e-commerce work for us,” she said. “This is something that will definitely remain after the masks are gone.”

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen made a successful transition online after Covid made it impossible for the League to host its annual Craftsmen’s Fair in-person. The nine-day arts and crafts fair held in August at Mount Sunapee Resort typically draws 20,000 paying attendees, provides 80 percent of the League’s yearly operating income and is the largest opportunity for more than 300 local and regional artisans to sell their work; canceling the event altogether, League executive director Miriam Carter said, was simply not an option.

The League held the fair virtually on its website by providing links to the artisans’ online shops as well as a virtual exhibition tour and exclusive video content including craft demonstrations, musical performances and guided try-at-home craft projects for all ages.

While the virtual fair was a success in that artisans were still able to sell their work, it also had some silver linings that extended far beyond the fair itself, Carter said.

“[It] inspired 80 of our craftsmen to create websites or online sales capability for the first time,” she said. “This is a significant and welcome culture shift in a membership that is generally slow to adopt technological innovation … [and gives] craftsmen online tools they need to sustain their business through the Covid era and beyond.”

Carter said the League plans to make virtual elements a permanent feature of the Craftsmen’s Fair moving forward.

Learning from home

During the pandemic, many local arts organizations started offering classes, lessons and educational programs remotely, with students and educators meeting over video conferencing apps like Zoom, and some plan to continue offering remote education as an option indefinitely.

New Hampshire Writers’ Project hosted its annual 603: Writers’ Conference, normally held in Manchester in the spring, remotely in October. The reimagined 603: Writers’ “Sit and Click” Virtual Conference featured most of the same activities as the in-person conference, including panels, classes and a keynote speaker, accessible live on Zoom and through recordings that were available to participants for 90 days following the conference.

“We also have become more creative with our programming,” New Hampshire Writers’ Project board chair Masheri Chappelle said.

Many of New Hampshire Writers’ Project’s regular programs are now offered virtually, which has increased membership and participation, including writers from as far as Utah and Australia.

Peggy Senter, president of Concord Community Music School, said there has always been a number of students who travel from out of state to participate in the school’s programs as well as students who discontinue their education after moving farther from the school. Remote classes and lessons have eliminated that barrier, she said, and have proven to be “a wonderful opportunity for people who live far away and otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate.”

“Going forward, we will most likely offer remote learning to those who would be unable to participate due to distance, illness or adverse weather,” she said.

Additionally, virtual student recitals have given students a chance to share their musical abilities with people who would not be able to attend the recital in person.

CCMS has produced 11 student recitals on YouTube since March, Senter said, the most recent of which featured 40 students.

“Going forward, we will look forward to in-person recitals again, but also having a recorded version is allowing friends and family to access these performances from around the country and the world,” she said.

Supporting the arts

Lupi said that while the creativity exhibited by the New Hampshire arts community to keep the arts alive has been “encouraging” and “speaks to the value of the arts,” local arts organizations aren’t out of the woods yet.

“The pandemic will definitely have an ongoing, long-term impact on New Hampshire’s arts sector,” she said. “Some organizations and businesses may not survive, and those that do will have a long financial and programmatic recovery. … More aid to the sector will definitely be necessary for 2021 and beyond.”

Featured photo: Peter Josephson in Theater Kapow’s virtual production of A Tempest Prayer in November 2020. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

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