Category: Visual Arts

The Art Roundup 21/06/03

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

“Along the Marginal Way,” a watercolor by Frederick Dobrowolski, on display at Creative Framing Solutions. Courtesy photo.

• NHAA comes to Manchester: The New Hampshire Art Association has partnered with Creative Framing Solutions, located across from the Palace Theatre at 89 Hanover St. in Manchester, to provide an additional venue for members to exhibit and sell their work. “After the city reopened last year, I moved … to this larger venue [in Manchester], with plenty of wall space,” Grace Burr, Creative Framing Solutions owner and NHAA member, said in a press release. “I was thinking it would be great to expand the [NHAA] group and have a presence in Manchester.” NHAA artists are now able to rent two 12×12-foot walls in the frame shop and gallery, rotating on a monthly basis. June exhibitors include watercolor artists Claudia Michael and Frederick Dobrowolski, sharing one of the walls, and photographers Dennis Rainville and Nicki French, sharing the other wall. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• Sculptures in progress: The 14th annual Nashua International Sculpture Symposium is happening now, with three renowned sculptors in Nashua creating three outdoor sculptures for permanent installation in the city. This year’s sculptors, all coming from the U.S., are Gavin Kenyon from New York, Sam Finkelstein from Maine, and Nora Valdez from Boston, Mass., originally from Argentina. They’re working Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., outside The Picker Artists studios (3 Pine St., Nashua) now through Friday, June 4, and then at the sculpture installation site in the courtyard at the corner of Church and Court streets from Saturday, June 5, until the closing ceremony on Saturday, June 12.During those times, the public is invited to watch the sculptors work and interact with them during their breaks (masks and social distancing required). The closing ceremony, at which the finished sculptures will be revealed, will take place at the installation site and will be available for the public to watch online. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.

• Last chance to see “Retablos”: The “Retablos Reconsidered” exhibit at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) will remain on view through June 6. It features works by 12 artists inspired by retablos, the honorific art form of devotional paintings that relate to miraculous events. “[The works] reveal themes that personally, socially and politically affect [the artists’] lives,” the gallery stated in a press release. “Some reflect traditional religious themes within a contemporary context. Others are non-religious but are created to draw awareness to broad issues in our times and some reveal deeply personal stories.” Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• A prince’s tale: The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents Pippin at its home theater (125 Bow St., Portsmouth) from June 10 through July 17, with showtimes on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The musical, based on the book by Roger O. Hirson, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, is the story of a young prince searching for meaning in his life, as told by a traveling theater troupe led by the mysterious Leading Player. Tickets cost $32 to $50. The show is also available to livestream. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

• Live classical: The Rockingham Choral Society returns from its Covid hiatus with a spring concert, “In Meeting We Are Blessed,” on Saturday, June 5, at 7 p.m. at Christ Church Episcopal (43 Pine St., Exeter). It will feature Mozart’s Missa Brevis in d minor with a chamber orchestra, as well as some shorter selections by composers Elaine Hagenberg and Troy Robertson. “As a way of maintaining our connection to each other and the choral music we love, we’ve spent the last year enriching and expanding our understanding of choral music and composers [and] learning new music,” Alex Favazza, the group’s director, said in a press release. “I’ve been impressed with the dedication and commitment of the choral society members over the past year, and it will be so satisfying to showcase their talents and passion for choral music for a live audience.” The concert is free and open to the public. Visit rockinghamchoral.org.

Art

Exhibits

• “RETABLOS RECONSIDERED” Exhibit features works by 12 artists inspired by retablos, the honorific art form of devotional paintings that relate to miraculous events. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). On view now through June 6. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• “GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION THROUGH CUT AND PASTE” City Arts Nashua and The Nashua Telegraph present an exhibition featuring the works of Meri Goyette, including statement collages and collectible greetings cards that she crafted from paper, fabric and glue during the pandemic. On display in the windows and lobby of the Telegraph offices (110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua). Now through June 11. Visit cityartsnashua.org.

• “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 now through June 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “THE BODY IN ART: FROM THE SPIRITUAL TO THE SENSUAL” Exhibit provides a look at how artists through the ages have used the human body as a means of creative expression. On view now through Sept. 1. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “ROBERTO LUGO: TE TRAIGO MI LE LO LAI – I BRING YOU MY JOY” Philadelphia-based potter reimagines traditional forms and techniques with inspiration from urban graffiti and hip-hop culture, paying homage to his Puerto Rican heritage and exploring his cultural identity and its connection to family, place and legacy. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view now through Sept. 26. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY” Exhibit features immersive large-scale drawings by Larissa Fassler that reflect the Berlin-based artist’s observations of downtown Manchester while she was an artist-in-residence at the Currier Museum in 2019. On view now through fall. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• 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.

• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce present a year-round outdoor public art exhibit in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. Opens in June. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

Fairs and markets

• CONCORD ARTS MARKET Outdoor artisan and fine art market. Every third Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June through October. Rollins Park (33 Bow St., Concord). Visit concordartsmarket.net.

Special events

• 14TH ANNUAL NASHUA INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE SYMPOSIUM Three renowned sculptors will spend three weeks in Nashua creating three outdoor sculptures for permanent installation in the city. The public will be able to watch the sculptors work and interact with them during their breaks (masks and social distancing required). Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., now through Fri., June 4, outside The Picker Artists studios (3 Pine St., Nashua), and Sat., June 5 through Sat., June 12, at installation site. A closing ceremony and sculpture reveal will take place on Saturday, June 12 and will be recorded for the public to watch online. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.

• “FIRED UP!” OUTDOOR CERAMICS SHOW AND KILN OPENING Hosted by Kelley Stelling Contemporary at the studio of NH Potters Guild artist Al Jaeger (12 Perry Road, Deerfield). Sat., June 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit kelleystellingcontemporary.com.

Theater

• JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH JR. Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) June 4 through June 12, with showtimes on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday at 7 p.m., except for Sunday, June 12, which is at noon. Tickets cost $12 for children and $15 for adults. Visit palacetheatre.org.

• QUEEN CITY IMPROV The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Fri., June 4, and Thurs., June 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

• CONCORD DANCE ACADEMY ANNUAL RECITAL Livestream presented by The Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. Sat., June 5, 1 p.m. Tickets cost $20. Visit ccanh.com.

• COMEDY OUT OF THE ’BOX The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Sat., June 5, and Thurs., June 24, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

• THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE The New Hampshire Theatre Project presents. Virtual. Thurs., June 10, through Sat., June 12, 8 p.m., and Sun., June 13, 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20. Visit nhtheatreproject.org.

The Main attraction

Two new sculptures to be installed in downtown Concord

Downtown Concord becomes an open-air art gallery through Art on Main, an initiative by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Concord committee to commission public outdoor sculptures by professional sculptors from around New England for installation along Main Street.

Now in its fourth year, Art on Main is bringing in two new sculptures to be installed this month.

Both were created by Chris Plaisted, a Connecticut-based artist who was born and raised in Alstead, New Hampshire.

“This will sort of be a homecoming for me,” Plaisted said. “I still have many friends and family in the area, so part of the intent in participating was the hope that they will get to see my work.”

Plaisted’s large-scale, welded steel sculptures have appeared in dozens of outdoor art exhibits across the country. He described his work as being “primarily abstract, but often with figurative elements.”

His Concord-bound piece “Into the Wind” is a 12-foot-tall, 5-foot-wide and 5-foot-deep red steel sculpture that was prompted, Plaisted said, by a conversation he had with his friend about their shared sailing hobby and summer plans.

“I got to thinking about making a piece inspired by our boats, so this piece is an abstract of a sail cutting the wind,” he said.

At 9 feet tall, 32 inches wide and 32 inches deep, “Sunflower from Mars” is also red steel and was born out of Plaisted’s interest in the 1938 radio broadcast The War of the Worlds.

“The piece was then inspired by the idea that, what if Martians had actually landed in the U.S. and planted a seed? What would they have left behind?” he said.

The sculptures installed through Art on Main remain in Concord for one to two years, at the discretion of the Creative Concord committee. Plaisted’s piece will join several pieces that have been renewed for a second year. All are available to purchase, with 30 percent of the proceeds to be placed in a dedicated fund for Concord to acquire more permanent public art.

“The idea is that we’re bringing in new pieces on a fairly regular basis to keep sort of a fresh appearance of new art coming into the downtown,” Concord Chamber President Tim Sink said.

Sculptors are found through a call for art put out by Creative Concord in the winter. By the end of April, the committee makes its decision.

“We’re not looking for statues of George Washington,” Sink said. “We’re looking for [pieces] that are more non-traditional; that are large and capture your eye as you’re walking or driving down Main Street; and that are rugged and durable — something that kids could climb on.”

The best way to experience the art, Sink said, is to park on South Main Street and walk, starting in the area of the Capitol Center for the Arts, up to the New Hampshire Statehouse on North Main Street.

“It’s a very pedestrian-friendly atmosphere with lots of outdoor dining and shops, and you’ll pass these pieces along the way,” he said.

You can engage more with the pieces on Creative Concord’s website, which features professionally shot videos of the artists introducing themselves and discussing their sculptures. Sink said Creative Concord is looking to expand the Art on Main initiative to have a new mural created in downtown every year. They’re on track to have one completed by the end of the summer, though they haven’t chosen a location yet.

“We have plenty of canvases,” Sink said. “If you walk through downtown, you’ll see there are probably 14 or so sides of buildings that are highly visible and would be great for a mural.”

Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord and visitconcord-nh.com/art-in-concord, or call the Chamber at 224-2508.

Featured photo: “Into the Wind” by Chris Plaisted. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 21/05/27

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

“The Haze of July Flowers” by Jess Barnett. Courtesy photo.

• Call for summer art: Concord artist and gallery owner Jess Barnett is seeking artwork entries now through June 30 for her gallery’s first group art exhibition. New England artists are invited to submit one or two works that interpret the exhibit’s theme, “Summer Haze.” Eligible media include paintings, drawings, collage, encaustic, fiber art, digital art, book and paper art, textiles, mixed media, photography, printmaking and 3D art. The exhibition will be on view at the gallery (located in the Patriot Investment building at 4 Park St., Suite 216, Concord) from Aug. 6 through Sept. 3, with an opening reception on Friday, Aug. 13 (TBD if it will be virtual or in person). Barnett, who does primarily abstract art, opened the gallery in December 2019 to provide a venue for herself and other local and regional abstract artists to show their work. Call 393-1340 or visit jessbarnett.com.

• Film festival continues: The New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival continues virtually now through Thursday, June 10. The festival features 11 independent foreign films — all New Hampshire premieres — as well as a series of food-themed shorts, from the United States, Israel, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland and Switzerland. This week’s titles include Golda (documentary, 2019, Israel and Germany) on Thursday, May 27; Here We Are (drama, 2020, Israel) on Friday, May 29; Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack (documentary/biography, 2019, United States) on Sunday, May 30; Thou Shalt Not Hate (drama, 2020, Italy and Poland) on Wednesday, June 2; and A Lullaby for the Valley (documentary, 2020, Israel) on Thursday, June 3. Each film has a 72-hour watch window. Additionally there will be Q&A events with the filmmakers held over Zoom for Golda on Sunday, May 30, at 3 p.m., and for Queen of Hearts on Tuesday, June 1, at 7 p.m. Tickets are per household and cost $12 per film or $43 for a four-pack film pass. The shorts series, which includes five short films, is free and available to watch at any point during the festival. Visit nhjewishfilmfestival.com.

• Theater in the park: Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, a new theater program at the Belknap Mill and the resident theater company of the Colonial Theater in Laconia, partners with the Community Players of Concord to present the Park Play Festival at Rotary Riverside Park (30 Beacon St. E., Laconia) on Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, at 3 p.m. The festival will feature short original plays written by eight New Hampshire playwrights who participated in a 10-week playwriting workshop hosted by the two theater companies last fall. “With the weather warming up and vaccination rates increasing, we are happy to be able to step outside and bring people together to perform some live theater in a safe manner,” Powerhouse manager and festival producer Bryan Halperin said in a press release. The festival is free, with donations appreciated. Attendees should bring their own chairs or blankets to sit on the grass in designated socially distanced areas. Visit communityplayersofconcord.org and belknapmill.org

• A look at Juneteenth: The Music Hall in Portsmouth presents a virtual event over Zoom with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Annette Gordon-Reed on Thursday, June 3, at 7 p.m., as part of its Innovation and Leadership series. Gordon-Reed will discuss her new book On Juneteenth, an exploration of Juneteenth and its importance to American history and the ongoing fight for equality. The discussion, to be moderated by Dr. Reginald A. Wilburn, an associate professor of English at the University of New Hampshire, will be followed by an audience Q&A. Tickets cost $5. Visit themusichall.org or call 436-2400.

Turtle power

New children’s book helps kids cope with pandemic life

Most people who are stuck at the mechanic’s for three and a half hours wouldn’t use the time to write an entire children’s book. But Kathy Brodsky of Manchester is not most people; when the words “Talula Turtle” popped into her head as she was waiting for her car last November, she took out her iPhone and started writing. The result is How Talula Turned Her Day Around, a newly published children’s book about coping with some of the challenges of Covid-19.

“She’s the cutest little thing who doesn’t like to wear a mask,” Brodsky said of Talula.

Though the waiting room location was unusual, writing stories in a short amount of time based on ideas that just come to her is Brodsky’s style.

“Even though I have no idea where any one of my poems will go, once I get the first four lines, I’m up and running,” she said.

Like all of Brodsky’s books — this is her 16th — How Talula Turned Her Day Around offers life lessons meant to comfort or inspire young kids.

“I’ve been a therapist for 51 years,” said Brodsky, who still sees clients three days a week. “I think being a therapist shows up in my books. … [Or] the books show up because I’m a therapist.”

Talula was born from the emotional impact that Covid has had on the world — a heavy topic made relatable to kids by showing how hard it’s been for Talula to adjust to wearing a mask and being away from her friends.

Discussion questions at the end of her books give kids the chance to talk more about their feelings; in Talula, one of the questions is “How has Covid-19 changed your life?”

“What’s happened with Covid is a huge loss for everybody,” Brodsky said. “It’s a loss of life as we knew it before. … Whenever there’s a loss we go through a grieving process. We’re shocked, then we deny it, we get angry. … Everybody’s just been trying to deal with this loss.”

Knowing she had to get Talula published quickly because of the immediacy of the topic, Brodsky couldn’t use her usual illustrator, Cameron Bennett, who was working on another project. Instead, she turned to her niece, Sarah Zeogas. While Bennett has hand-painted Brodsky’s previous books, Zeogas digitally illustrated Talula.

She and Zeogas worked together to get both the book and a corresponding coloring and activity book published by March. Since then, it’s been used in schools and read aloud during public library story times.

“[My books] have very simple words … but they can be much more than that,” Brodsky said.

The words for the first picture book that Brodsky wrote, My Bent Tree, came to her during a walk, when she noticed that a tree she’d walked past many times before was bent. She started repeating rhyming words to herself on her way home, and the book became a story of a tree that got struck by lightning and is now different from all the other trees.

“It’s for anyone dealing with any kind of difference,” Brodsky said, who didn’t fully realize her own connection to the book until it was done. “My Bent Tree was my story — when I was born I had polio.”

Brodsky never planned to become an author — “I had no idea I could write,” she said — but positive feedback from a poem she wrote in an invitation to her mom’s birthday party prompted her to enroll in an adult education writing class.

Brodsky self-published her first book, Moments in Our Lives, in 2004. It’s her only adult book, a collection of poems, and she’s planning to add on to it and re-release it in the near future. She also has another kids’ book in the works called Stover Learns to Swim, her third book featuring Stover the pig, who learned all about fitness and healthy eating in Stover, and then overcame his fear of staying away from home in Stover Goes to Camp. This time, Stover is afraid of swimming. The story stems from Brodsky’s time as a swimming instructor.

“When I first came to Manchester in 1970, I was the only swim instructor at the YMCA,” she said. “I had a 14-year-old boy [who was afraid to swim], but all of his friends were swimming.”

Though Brodsky has finished writing Stover Learns to Swim, she’s waiting on Bennett to return from abroad so he can hand-paint the illustrations. She hopes to publish it this year.

How Talula Turned Her Day Around
How Talula Turned Her Day Around and all Kathy Brodsky’s books are available for purchase on Amazon or at kathybrodsky.com.

Featured photo: How Talula Turned Her Day Around

Breaking the mold

Nashua to host its second pandemic-era Sculpture Symposium

After a successful rescheduled and pandemic-adapted event last summer, the 2021 Nashua International Sculpture Symposium will resume its traditional time in the spring, with sculptors starting work on Monday, May 24.

“Last year, we were able to provide a model for a safe, community-oriented program within a pandemic setting,” artistic director Jim Larson said. “[Having a model] that easily met all of the safety requirements, combined with the amazing and exciting artwork we saw produced, meant that we were excited to try [the symposium] again this year, even while we’re still within a pandemic scenario.”

Started in 2008, the Nashua International Sculpture Symposium was inspired by the Andres Institute of Art International Sculpture Symposium, a similar event held in Brookline every fall. It is the only international sculpture symposium in the U.S. that is held in a city, with the sculptures being placed on public property.

“More public art — and more accessibility to public art — is the name of the game,” Larson said

The symposium invites three experienced sculptors to spend three weeks in Nashua, creating outdoor sculptures for permanent installation in the city. Historically, it has welcomed sculptors from all over the world, but with the pandemic increasing restrictions on international travel, the symposium will, for the second time, feature three sculptors from the U.S. Aside from the discrepancy it creates with the event’s name, Larson said, the absence of an “International” component, though not ideal, doesn’t diminish the impact of the symposium. There’s even an upside, he said: Hosting U.S. sculptors allows Nashua to “build connections with local and somewhat-local similar-minded organizations and artists,” ultimately strengthening the arts community in New Hampshire.

“What’s really exciting about inviting local artists to the symposium is that the resources we collect through grants and donations to support our artists stay right here in our community through that artist and their work,” Larson said.

The sculptors — Gavin Kenyon from New York, Sam Finkelstein from Maine, and Nora Valdez, from Boston, Mass., originally from Argentina — are all mid-career, Larson said, and were chosen based in part on how the symposium could benefit them and their artistic growth. Finkelstein, for example, has worked in stone for many years but has never made a large-scale piece because he lacks the studio infrastructure needed to move thousands of pounds of stone; and Kenyon, whose 20 years as a professional artist has consisted mostly of commission work and private projects, hasn’t had many opportunities to create public art or art in the public domain.

“We’re supporting them and providing what they need to make work that they couldn’t or wouldn’t otherwise,” Larson said.

This year’s sculptors have been challenged to interpret the theme “Introspection” through their pieces — a theme that has emerged in many artists’ work during these pandemic times, Larson said.

“Artists have been isolated in their own studios, more productive than ever, but not having as much dialogue … about their work and ideas, so, in that way, art has become very introspective,” Larson said. “[For the symposium,] we want to keep art within the context of that introspection while bringing it back out into the public realm.”

Working from cast concrete, white marble, red granite and Indiana limestone, all three sculptors have planned figurative pieces depicting elements of the human form. But, as symposium president Gail Moriarty can attest, it’s not uncommon for sculptors to find new inspiration once they’re able to physically engage with the installation site and materials.

“They come with ideas that they’re ready to begin working on, but nothing is finalized until they [start working],” Moriarty said. “It’s really cool to see how those ideas manifest themselves, because we’re never quite sure how they will.”

The sculptors will work six days a week, Monday through Saturday, outside The Picker Artists studios on Pine Street from Monday, May 24, through Friday, June 4, and relocate to the installation site on Saturday, June 5, where they will resume working for one more week. As always, the public is encouraged to stop by the work site to observe and interact with the sculptors, so long as they wear a mask and keep a safe distance.

This “constant viewership and dialogue” surrounding the sculptors while they work is just as integral to the symposium as the sculptures that are produced, Larson said.

“[The way in which] artists physically enact their intentions on their work becomes part of the piece, and being able to watch that makes it easier to engage with the piece of art,” he said.

Moriarty recommends visiting the work site multiple times over the course of the symposium to follow the sculptures’ transformation.

“The materials look different every single day,” she said. “It’s always exciting to come back and see how much they’ve changed.”

The finished sculptures will be revealed during a closing ceremony (not open to the public, but it will be videoed and available to watch online) on Saturday, June 12. The sculptures will be installed collectively in the courtyard at the corner of Church and Court streets in downtown. A quiet, low-traffic space that branches a block off Main Street, the site enables an “intimate viewing experience” of the sculptures, Larson said.

“It’s not like looking at the pieces on Main Street, where there’s traffic whizzing by,” he said. “This is a place where someone can have their own personal time with the pieces.”

14th annual Nashua International Sculpture Symposium
Opening and closing receptions: The opening reception will take place on Thursday, May 20, and the closing reception will take place on Saturday, June 12. Neither event is open to the public, but both will be videoed and available to watch online.
Visit the sculptors: Sculptors will work Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., outside The Picker Artists studios (3 Pine St., Nashua) from Monday, May 24, through Friday, June 4, and at the installation site at the corner of Church and Court streets in downtown Nashua from Saturday, June 5, through Saturday, June 12.
More info: nashuasculpturesymposium.org

Featured photo: A previous Nashua International Sculpture Symposium. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 21/05/20

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

Howling Wolf by Francine Poitras Jone featured in “Alnôbak Moskijik Maahlakwsikok: Abenaki People Emerging from Ashes” exhibit. Courtesy photo.

• Celebrating Abenaki culture: “Alnôbak Moskijik Maahlakwsikok: Abenaki People Emerging from Ashes,” an art show and sale presented by Two Villages Art Society, Abenaki Trails Project and Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, is on view now through Friday, May 28, at the Two Villages gallery (846 Main St., Contoocook). The show features traditional and contemporary art created by tribal members of the Abenaki people and their community partners, including beading, pottery, birch bark building, fabric art, basketry, print making, painting, jewelry, painted gourds and leather work. “We are excited to amplify the voices, culture, history and present experiences of the Abenaki people … and provide professional development to Abenaki artists,” Alyssa McKeon, Two Villages president, said in a press release. Twenty-five percent of the art sales will be donated to the Abenaki Trails Project and Vermont Abenaki Artists Association to help further their mission of raising awareness about present-day Abenaki people and culture. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday, from 1 to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org.

• Excellence in NH literature: The New Hampshire Writers’ Project is accepting nominations for its biennial New Hampshire Literary Awards now through Monday, June 21. The awards recognize recently published works written about New Hampshire and works written by New Hampshire natives or residents. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s picture books and middle grade/young adult books published between Jan. 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2020, are eligible. All entries will be read and evaluated by a panel of judges assembled by the NHWP. Visit nhwritersproject.org/new-hampshire-literary-awards.

• Youth art on mental health: In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Magnify Voices Expressive Arts Contest Celebration will take place on Thursday, May 20, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Tupelo Drive-In (10 A St., Derry) and virtually via livestream. Now in its third year, the contest invites middle school and high school students in the state to submit original artwork that expresses their experiences with or observations of mental health. “Art lets children express themselves in a way that they may not be able to do in a conversation,” said Michele Watson, family network coordinator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire Chapter, which co-sponsors the event with the New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate and other mental health- and youth-focused organizations throughout the state. “It’s good not only for them to be able to share their voice, but also because it gives [adults] a better understanding of what they are feeling.” The celebratory event will feature an on-screen display of all 43 works of art submitted this year. Ten finalists chosen by a panel of judges will each be awarded a framed certificate and a $250 cash prize, and the audience, including those watching the livestream from home, will have a chance to vote for their favorite of those finalists to win a People’s Choice Award. Additionally, there will be information booths for around a dozen local organizations involved with youth mental health, as well as a series of presentations by guest speakers, including mental health awareness advocate and former New Hampshire Chief Justice John Broderick; 10-year-old New Hampshire Kid Governor Charlie Olsen, whose platform is childhood depression; and Dr. Cassie Yackley, a specialist in trauma-informed mental health care, discussing the importance of art in mental health. Visit sites.google.com/view/magnify-voices and facebook.com/magnifyvoicesexpressivearts.

• A family issue: The New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant in the Room Series, in partnership with the Seacoast Mental Health Center, presents a reading of A Wider Circle virtually over Zoom on Thursday, May 20, from 7 to 9 p.m. Written by local playwright and social studies teacher Mary Ellen Hedrick, the play centers on the family of a woman in the aftermath of her opioid overdose death. There will be a panel discussion on the opioid crisis’ effect on families with Hedrick, Rebecca Throop of Seacoast Mental Health Center and other opioid addiction and recovery experts following the reading. The event is free, but registration is required. Visit nhtheatreproject.org.

New dates set for Miriam premiere

After being on hold for more than a year, Miriam: First Woman Prophet is ready for the stage. The Manchester Community Theatre Players’ Second Stage Professional Company will present the musical’s world premiere, originally set to run in March 2020, Friday, May 21, through Sunday, May 23, at the MCTP Theatre (North End Montessori School, 698 Beech St., Manchester). The show will be open to a limited live audience and livestreamed for a virtual audience.
The musical follows the biblical story of Miriam, a prophetess and the sister of Moses and Aaron, from when she was a young woman who rescued Moses from the river when he was a baby, to helping lead the Israelites out of Egypt and through their 40-year journey to the Promised Land. It features a book co-written by local playwrights Alan Kaplan, MCTP artistic director, and Tom Anastasi, MCTP vice president, and music by Debbie Friedman, a prolific Jewish singer-songwriter who recorded 22 albums of Jewish liturgy music that has been adopted by churches and synagogues throughout the world.
According to Kaplan and Anastasi, the idea for Miriam was born out of a conversation between Kaplan and Friedman while they were chaperoning a Jewish history youth trip in Israel in 2002. Friedman, who admired Miriam as a spiritual role model, told Kaplan there were no musicals that centered on a Jewish biblical woman. Knowing that Friedman’s musical catalog contained a number of pieces about notable women from Jewish history, Kaplan volunteered to write the book for a musical about Miriam that would feature Friedman’s music. When he returned home, he invited Anastasi to co-write the book, and they and Friedman collaborated on the musical until Friedman’s death in 2011.
Kaplan and Anastasi spent the next several years acquiring the rights to Friedman’s discography and consulting experts on the Bible and on Friedman’s music to ensure that the musical was biblically accurate and that the songs they selected fit the story. They recruited internationally known composer Or Oren to arrange Friedman’s songs for a four-part vocal harmony and full orchestra to give the musical more of a Broadway feel.
Miriam is a full-scale production with a 17-person cast, high-tech digital scenery, elaborate costumes and more.
“Many people know parts of the story, but being able to experience it live with music … and choreography … will make for an unforgettable night,” Anastasi said in a press release. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 per person at the theater or $20 per device for the virtual show. Visit manchestercommunitytheatre.com or call 327-6777

Art

Exhibits

• “ALNOBAK MOSKIJI MAAHLAKWSIKIK: ABENAKI PEOPLE EMERGING FROM ASHES” Art show and sale presented by Two Villages Art Society, Abenaki Trails Project and Vermont Abenaki Artists Association. Features traditional and contemporary art created by tribal members of the Abenaki People and their community partners, including beading, pottery, birch bark biting, fabric art, basketry, printing making, painting, jewelry, painted gourds and leather work. On view now through Friday, May 28. Two Villages gallery (846 Main St., Contoocook). Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday, from 1 to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org.

• 35TH ANNUAL OMER T. LASSONDE JURIED EXHIBITION The New Hampshire Art Association presents a group art show featuring works in a variety of media by NHAA members and non-members. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth). On view now through May 30. Call 431-4230 and visit nhartassociation.org.

• DUO ARTIST EXHIBIT Features oils by Jim Ryan and watercolors by Lorraine Makhoul. On view during May. Seacoast Artist Association, 130 Water St., Exeter. Call 778-8856 or visit seacoastartist.org.

• “GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION THROUGH CUT AND PASTE” City Arts Nashua and The Nashua Telegraph present an exhibition featuring the works of Meri Goyette, including statement collages and collectible greetings cards that she crafted from paper, fabric and glue during the pandemic. On display in the windows and lobby of the Telegraph offices (110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua). Now through June 11. Visit cityartsnashua.org.

• “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 now through June 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “RETABLOS RECONSIDERED” Exhibit features works by 12 artists inspired by retablos, the honorific art form of devotional paintings that relate to miraculous events. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen).On view now through June 6. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• “THE BODY IN ART: FROM THE SPIRITUAL TO THE SENSUAL” Exhibit provides a look at how artists through the ages have used the human body as a means of creative expression. On view now through Sept. 1. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• 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.

• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

Theater

Shows

• A WIDER CIRCLE The New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series, in partnership with the Seacoast Mental Health Center, presents a reading of the play, written by local playwright and social studies teacher Mary Ellen Hedrick. Virtual, via Zoom. Thurs., May 20, 7 to 9 p.m. Free. Registration is required. Visit nhtheatreproject.org.

•​ FUN HOME The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 28. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

•​ GODSPELL The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 30. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

• QUEEN CITY IMPROV The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Fri., May 21 and June 4, and Thurs., June 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and students. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

• COMEDY OUT OF THE ’BOX The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Sat., May 22 and June 5, and Thurs., June 24, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

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

• 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].

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