Category: Visual Arts

• Author discusses women’s suffrage: The Tory Hill Author Series will feature feminist historian and biographer Susan Ware on Saturday, July 25, at 7 p.m. on the video conferencing platform Zoom. Ware will discuss her book Why They Marched: Untold Stories of the Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote (2019), which looks at some of the lesser-known icons of the women’s suffrage movement. Ware is currently the Honorary Women’s Suffrage Centennial Historian at Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library and is the general editor of American National Biography. The Library of America will publish her edited volume American Women’s Suffrage: The Long Struggle for the Vote, 1776–1965 this summer. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased online. Every year the Tory Hill Author Series, presented by the Warner Historical Society, features local and nationally known authors who read from and discuss their books and personal experiences. Other authors being featured will include biology writer Bernd Heinrich on Saturday, Aug. 8, and storyteller Rebecca Rule and middle-grade and young adult novelist Adi Rule on Saturday, Aug. 22. Visit toryhillauthorsseries.com.

• Forest inspiration: Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) presents a new art exhibit, “Tree & Twig,” from July 25 through Aug. 23, with an opening reception on Saturday, July 25, from 1 to 3 p.m. It features 10 local artists — Debra Claffey, Richard Gombar, Susan Lirakis, Laura Morrison, Katy O’Gorman, Adele Sanborn, Jean Stimmell, Pam Tarbell, Dave Therrien and Arielle Van De Water — whose work focuses on their deep and personal connections to New Hampshire forests. There will be paintings, photography, sculptures and other media. Gallery hours are Thursday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• Reopening pushed back: Cinemagic Stadium Theaters in New Hampshire (1226 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 644-4629; 11 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, 423-0240; 2454 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 319-8788; cinemagicmovies.com) has pushed its reopening date back to July 31 because of changes to theatrical release dates, according to a press release. All locations will feature classic movies for $5, as well the premiere of Unhinged (R), starring Russel Crowe. Moviegoers are required to wear face masks while moving around the facility but can remove them while seated in the auditorium, observing social distance at all times. Contactless ticket and concession purchases are encouraged and can be made via the Cinemagic app. A limited-time buy-one-get-one-free popcorn special will be available, and beer, wine and specialty drinks can now be purchased at the concessions stands, according to the release.

• Jewish Film Fest continues virtually: In place of its traditional festival, which was canceled due to Covid-19, the New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival is presenting a virtual summer film series featuring international films that would have made their New Hampshire premieres. The next film is My Name is Sara, a U.S. drama, on Thursday, July 23, followed by Futures Past, a U.S. documentary, on Thursday, Aug. 6; Shooting Life, an Israeli drama, on Thursday, Aug. 20; and Paris Song, a Latvian historical drama, on Thursday, Aug. 27. My Name is Sara, Futures Past and Paris Song screenings will include a post-movie discussion with the filmmakers on the following Sunday at 7 p.m. All screenings are free, with a suggested donation of $18 to support the festival and future programming. Advance registration is required. Visit nhjewishfilmfestival.com/2020-virtual.

Featured photo: Art by Pam Tarbell featured in “Tree & Twig” at Twiggs Gallery.

• Children’s theater is happening: The 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series is going on now through mid-August at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester), with kid-friendly theater performances every Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The lineup includes Beauty and the Beast on July 9; The Wizard of Oz July 14 through July 16; The Little Mermaid July 21 through July 23; Aladdin July 28 through July 30; Alice in Wonderland Aug. 4 through Aug. 6; Peter Pan Aug. 11 through Aug. 13; and Cinderella Aug. 18 and Aug. 19. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

• Get your free comics: Free Comic Book Day has been reworked as Free Comic Book Summer, which starts on Wednesday, July 15, and continues through Wednesday, Sept. 9. Participating local comic book shops will put out five or six different free comics every week. The comics include superhero stories, television and move spinoffs, sci-fi adventures and more. Visit freecomicbookday.com for the full list of this year’s free comics and to find participating comic book shops in your area.

• In-person workshops: Wild Salamander Creative Arts Center (30 Ash St., Hollis) has two upcoming in-person art workshops — one for adults and one for kids. In “Simple Books for Adults” on Wednesday, July 15, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, participants will learn how to make a simple book for journaling and art making, using watercolor and ink to decorate the cover. The cost is $27. Then, on Friday, July 17, from 10:30 a.m. to noon., kids in grades 4 through 7 can create a felted strawberry keychain. The cost is $29. Call 465-9453 or visit wildsalamander.com.

• New Hampshire artist becomes a national leader in the arts: Laura Morrison of Concord, longtime member of the Women’s Caucus for Art’s New Hampshire Chapter, has been named the national president of the WCA, according to a press release from WCA/NH. Morrison has served as the WCA/NH newsletter editor, exhibitions chair, vice president and president and served nationally as the WCA vice president of Chapter Relations. She is also currently the gallery director at Twiggs Gallery in Boscawen. “Moving forward with Laura Morrison as president makes our local chapter very proud,” WCA/NH board member Kimberly J.B. Smith said in the press release. “We look forward to her intellectual vision on how the organization will proceed into the future.” WCA seeks to create community through art, education and social activism. Its members include artists, art historians, students, educators and museum professionals. Every year, the WCA presents lifetime achievement awards to women who have made outstanding contributions in the arts. Visit wcanh.org.

• Duo display: Work by two artists and members of the New Hampshire Art Association will be featured in a display, “2020 Double Vision,” on view in the lobby at 2 Pillsbury St. in Concord now through Sept. 17. Both artists create paintings inspired by scenes in New England and beyond. Debbie Mueller’s style uses bold, simple designs with a focus on light and how light affects the shapes and colors within a scene. Marianne Stillwagon’s paintings depict picturesque villages and changing seasons in a contemporary primitive Americana style. “It’s extraordinary how two artists can look at the same scene and create vastly different paintings,” Mueller said in a press release. “We each have our unique vision and way of interpreting our world … [and] our unique viewpoint to our scenes.” All artwork is for sale. Viewing hours are Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Featured photo: Debbie Mueller art. Courtesy photo.

Meet Youth Poet Laureate Elliot DelSignore

New Hampshire Youth Poet Laureate is an honorary position held by a New Hampshire high school student who has demonstrated dedication to and excellence in writing and an enthusiasm to share poetry with the public, particularly other young people. During their tenure, Youth Poet Laureates participate in at least four events in the state that are focused on supporting and increasing opportunities for young people to read and write poetry, and are given the opportunity to publish their own poems in an NHYPL anthology. Elliot DelSignore, a senior at Souhegan High School in Amherst, is one of four Youth Poet Laureates, chosen by The Poetry Society of New Hampshire, to serve during the 2020-2021 academic year.

How did you get into poetry?

It was kind of recently that I discovered my passion for it. In sixth grade, I was in a poetry club at my middle school, but at that time I wasn’t really into poetry that much. I’ve been writing my whole life, but it wasn’t until maybe a year ago that I really started getting into poetry, specifically. At first, I just thought it was something cool I could do. I had a lot of friends who were into it, and I thought it would be a fun way to relate to them and do collaborative stuff like that. Then I started looking into the publication scene and taking it more seriously.

What type of poetry do you write?

I prefer writing free-verse as opposed to any specific format or style of poetry. The biggest thing I like to write about is emotions and memories. I like to focus on specific memories, and on the emotion that I felt from them, and then I take that emotion and make it into a sort of narrative and include fictional elements in it.

What do you enjoy most about writing poetry?

I just think that it is such an unrestrained form of writing, and that’s the appeal that poetry has to me versus other kinds of creative writing. With short stories or with novels, there’s more of a set structure. There are grammar conventions, and there are certain rules that you have to follow, no matter what you’re writing about in that kind of writing, whereas poetry is just very free. I feel like I can just do so much more. It gives you a lot of free rein to express yourself and a lot of range to do what you want with the words and use the language in ways that you might not be able to do in regular creative writing. It’s just a more versatile form of art.

How did you find out about the Youth Poet Laureate program, and why did you decide to apply?

It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I’m a staff writer for the Souhegan [High School] digital magazine — it’s called The Claw — and the advisor [for the magazine] originally contacted me about it. He told me he thought it might be something that I would be interested in, because he knows that I do poetry on the side. It was only a few days before the deadline for applications, so I had to work fast, but I applied. … I always thought that my opportunities were kind of limited, since New Hampshire is such a small state, so all I’ve really done up to this point is some publishing online and stuff on more of a national level. I thought this would be a cool way to involve myself more in the writing scene in the state in person.

How did you feel when you found out that you had been chosen?

When I got the call, and they told me they thought that my application was good and that I had been accepted, I was definitely really surprised. I never considered that it would be something that I would be seriously considered for, since I kind of applied on a whim. Also, I had applied to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and I know from that that there are so many talented writers in this state and that so many other people would probably apply for it.

What are you looking forward to most?

I think what I’m most excited for is the readings and workshops, and I’m excited to meet other people who are like-minded. When I applied, I didn’t know that there would be other Youth Poet Laureates, so it was definitely great to find out that there would be a few of us. It’ll be cool to work with other people who have mutual interests and passions.

What would you like to accomplish during your tenure?

Our school system doesn’t really foster an appreciation for poetry beyond what they teach in class. I hope to show students in New Hampshire that poetry isn’t just restricted to the things that you read in English class. It doesn’t only have to be about nature or fall into a certain genre. Your poetry can be whatever you want it to be. … Also, I know that when I first started writing poetry and was looking for areas to publish my work, it was hard for me to find [print publications] that would accept high school writers. Since I have experience with the digital publishing side of things and with online literary magazines and journals, I want to work to draw more attention toward those kinds of online opportunities, which can be difficult to find.

What advice do you have for other young poets?

The best thing you can do — and this goes for any form of art — is practice and work at it. Even if you think that your work is not good or you’re discouraged because it’s not at the level that you want it to be, just keep doing it and eventually you’ll improve.

• From trash to art: The New Hampshire Art Association presents an exhibition, “Reconsidering Trash,” now through Sept. 17, at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery (49 S. Main St., Concord). It features the works of NHAA member artist Marylou Ashooh Lazos of Derry, including assemblages created using pieces of her past and found objects like broken pieces of jewelry, hardware, toys and tech bits. She does the assemblages on circuit boards that she found in the trash at an old mill, following the circuit boards’ natural patterns, then attaching the boards to fabric-covered wood bases. “There is so much beauty in the everyday things around us, and I find that putting them in a frame tasks the viewer to look at common objects in new ways,” Lazos said in a press release. “So much of our society is disposable — I wanted to present a vehicle that challenges us to think twice about what we consider ‘trash.’” Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org.

• Shakespeare auditions: Manchester-based theater company Cue Zero announced in a recent press release that it is accepting online auditions for its “Shakespeare in the (Ball) Park” production of Romeo and Juliet, happening Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Auditioning actors should send a video featuring one comedic and one dramatic monologue from a Shakespeare play, totaling no more than five minutes in length, to [email protected] by July 20. The rehearsal process will be mostly virtual, with some in-person rehearsals closer to the opening date. The tentative rehearsal schedule is Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Visit cztheatre.com.

• Palace Theatre president honored: The Palace Theatre’s President and CEO Peter Ramsey was named Manchester’s 2020 Citizen of the Year by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, according to a press release from the Manchester theater. Mark LaPrade, principal at BerryDunn accounting and management consulting firm in Manchester, nominated Ramsey, commending Ramsey’s “love of theatre, his passion for New Hampshire and his desire to improve Manchester,” according to the press release. “His commitment to increasing access to the arts and working to ensure young people have opportunities to experience and participate in theatre is exceptional,” Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig said of Ramsey in the press release, adding that the Rex Theatre, the Palace Theatre’s new 300-seat venue on Amherst Street in Manchester, is “already beginning to establish itself as a performance destination in New Hampshire.” Visit palacetheatre.org.

• Film fest canceled: The 20th annual New Hampshire Film Festival, which was scheduled to take place in Portsmouth in October, has been canceled, according to a recent statement on the festival’s website. Film submissions are being accepted now for the next festival, which is scheduled for Oct. 14 through Oct. 17, 2021. Visit nhfilmfestival.com.

• Antique shop update: The New Hampshire Antique Co-op in Milford announced in a newsletter that it is preparing to reopen for walk-in shopping in July, with an exact date soon TBA. In the meantime, antiquers can shop thousands of items online and utilize the Co-op’s curbside pickup, shipping, delivery and free storage services. NHAC also launched its first-ever online art exhibition on June 13, which is viewable now on the website. “Summer Palettes: Impressionist & Modernist Works from the 19th century to Present” features more than 50 paintings by 19th- and 20th-century artists, as well as contemporary and local artists, that evoke the essence of summer, “whether it be a country landscape, a day at the beach or a vista of a waterfall in the White Mountains,” the newsletter said. All paintings are for sale. Visit nhantiquecoop.com.