Tag: 210304

Treasure Hunt 21/03/04

Dear Donna,

This is a bath set (commode set?) that we believe is from the 1800s. Any information you could share would be helpful.
–Lynn

Dear Lynn,
It was most likely made during the Victorian era (mid to late 1800’s) or later. It’s unusual to find several pieces matching still together today, due to damage, disuse, or being lost or given away.

Back in the Victorian era they had a real need for almost all the pieces. Pieces consisted of covered chamber pots for under the bed, bowl and pitchers, toothbrush holders, main slop pot (for chamber pot contents), etc. I have seen sets with up to 20 different matching pieces.

Yours is considered earthenware (pottery). Tough to figure out the manufacturer by the mark, but it could be English, German or Australian. They imported so many of them and lots were unmarked, but it’s not that important to the value of your set.

The secondary collectible market isn’t high for such items today. The decorative need isn’t there, and there’s not much use for them today either. But having several pieces could make your pieces in the range of $150 as long as they are not damaged.

Kiddie Pool 21/03/04

Family fun for the weekend

Scientific discoveries

After being closed for renovations for a couple months, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord) is reopening on March 5, with hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Occupancy limits have been set for popular exhibits and planetarium shows, and stringent Covid-19 cleaning and safety procedures will be in effect as the museum reopens. This Friday the discovery center will also hold its virtual Super Stellar Friday program at 7 p.m.; this month’s topic is “Mystery & Majesty of Saturn’s Rings.” The event is free, but registration is required at starhop.com.

Walk on the wild side

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (23 Science Center Road, Holderness) hosts several Wild Winter Walks this month, starting Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7, with sessions from 10 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m. The program is for adults and families with children ages 6 and up. A staff naturalist will lead a guided walk on the live animal exhibit trail and will talk about how these native animals adapt for winter in New Hampshire. Snowshoes are available at no extra cost, if needed, or participants can bring their own. The cost is $10 per person. Pre-registration is required for all programs at nhnature.org or by calling 968-7194. Other upcoming Wild Winter Walks are scheduled for Saturday, March 13, and Saturday, March 20 (sess

Sweaters for the history books

Manchester museum displays Pandora Sweaters exhibit

Between 1940 and 1990, a bold neon sign that read “Home of Pandora Sweaters” sat on top of the Pandora Mill building at 88 Commericial St. in Manchester. This March, some of these letters will make an appearance at the Manchester Historic Association’s Millyard Museum as part of a special exhibit, “Pandora by Design: Sweaters from the Millyard.”
The exhibit is scheduled to open on March 9 and will run through August in the museum’s Henry M. Fuller State Theatre Gallery.

The fashion-focused exhibit will take a look at the history of Pandora Industries starting when they first came to Manchester as Brookshire Knitting Mills, according to Jeff Barraclough, the Millyard Museum’s director of operations and the exhibit’s assistant curator.

“It’s a fun exhibit that really looks at the design of Pandora and the different sweaters and materials that they produced over the years,” he said.

Not to be confused with the modern-day Pandora jewelry, Pandora Industries made textile products, such as knitwear and sportswear; the company produced as many as 60,000 sweaters per week, according to the Millyard Museum website, and its specialty was women’s sweaters. Pandora relocated from New York to Manchester’s millyard in 1940 and became a great source of employment for the city, employing as many as 1,000 individuals at a time. It was also one of the last places to manufacture textiles in the millyard.

According to Barraclough, the sweater company was owned by Saul and May Sidore, who later became May Gruber. Gruber was a pioneer in Manchester’s business industry, during a time when few women held positions of power, he said. The exhibit will feature a video that talks about Gruber’s life and influence.

The centerpiece of the “Pandora by Design” exhibit will be part of the neon sign that was once atop the Pandora building. In all its glory, the sign read “Home of Pandora Sweaters.” On display will be the fully restored “Sweaters” piece of the sign. When the Manchester Historic Association announced the sign restoration project in a press release last summer, it noted that the “Pandora” piece of the sign was beyond repair, and that when the sign was removed from the building in the early 2000s some of the letters disappeared. One of those missing letters was returned last year, allowing the Historic Association to move forward with the restoration.

“It’s a really cool centerpiece of the exhibit,” Barraclough said.

The exhibit will also feature a large collection of Pandora sweaters and advertisements from the 1970s and ’80s. These pieces were donated by one of Pandora’s former designers. The sweaters will be displayed on mannequins throughout the exhibit. Additionally, photographs will be displayed showing workers in Pandora’s factories. Barraclough called it “the production piece” of the exhibit.

Barraclough said he hopes that visitors will leave the special exhibit with a sense of nostalgia, whether they’re residents of Manchester who have family members who worked in the millyard, people who worked in the mills themselves, “or even just people who remember buying and wearing Pandora sweaters,” he said.

The Millyard Museum has Covid safety precautions in place, and this exhibit will adhere to the protocols without exception. Masks and social distancing are required, and only 30 guests are allowed in the museum at one time. – By Sadie Burgess

Pandora by Design: Sweaters from the Millyard
When: March 9 through August 2021
Where: Manchester Historic Association’s Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford St., Manchester
More info: manchesterhistoric.org/events

Featured photo: Vintage Pandora ad. Photo courtesy of Jeff Barraclough.

Fresh paint

Restored furniture store to open in Plaistow

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Art

Call for Art

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

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

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

Classes & lectures

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

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

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

Exhibits

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

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

Tours

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

Theater Shows

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Classical

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

The Art Roundup 21/03/04

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

Theatre Kapow presents a virtual production of Gidion’s Knot. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

• Virtual play: Manchester-based theater company Theatre Kapow continues its 13th season with a livestreamed production of Gidion’s Knot March 5 through March 7, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The play follows a conversation between a mother whose son has been suspended from school and his teacher. It explores themes like bullying, failures of the system, culpability, freedom of expression and the breakdown of communication between children and the adults who are meant to nurture them. “This play makes you wrestle with so many tough questions and [as] we explored [them] we kept uncovering more,” actress Rachael Chapin Longo, who plays the teacher, said in a press release. Tickets cost $10 per streaming device. Ticket holders will be sent the link to watch the show. Visit tkapow.com.

• New book of poetry: The Hobblebush Granite State Poetry Series releases its 14th volume of poetry, Loosen by local poet Kyle Potvin. Loosen is Potvin’s first full-length collection. “She employs a sparkling lyric craft to ask, ‘How will I live?’” Lee Briccetti, Executive Director of Poets House, said in a press release. “While balancing the anxieties of breast cancer and its treatment — backed into the corner of her own existence — [Potvin] creates a way to live with grace, finding pleasure in close observation … children, memory and reading.” Visit hobblebush.com/product-page/loosen to buy the book and to watch a recorded virtual launch event.

• Art classes in Manchester: A new art studio for drawing and painting classes has opened at 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, in Manchester. “I’ve crafted a space, a pleasant place to develop technical skills and creative thinking,” lead instructor Jason Bagatta said in an email, adding that he has been teaching art at the undergraduate and graduate level for 20 years and holds a master’s degree in fine art and interdisciplinary art with a focus on drawing, painting and conceptual art. Classes include Drawing Fundamentals, Painting in Acrylic, Drawing: Observation to Abstraction, Exploring Mixed Media, and Figure Drawing. Class sizes are limited to six students, with “plenty of personal space to work,” Bagatta said. Visit arthousestudios.org.

• Questioning psychics: The Walker Lecture Series is going on now through April 21, with virtual events every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Next up is mentalist and author of Psychic Blues Mark Edward presenting a lecture, “Psychics, Mediums, and Mind Readers: How do they do it?” on March 10 on Zoom. “He talks about the fraudulence of people who pretend they can talk to the dead and encourages people to use critical thinking to examine the trick nature of it before they believe that someone has magical powers,” Walker Lecture Series trustee Jon Kelly said. “I think our audience will be really interested in that.” Other upcoming programs in this spring’s Walker Lecture Series will include an art lecture on Frank Lloyd Wright and Norman Rockwell; a history lecture on New Hampshire revolutionaries John Stark and Henry Dearborn; an author event with Michael Tougias, discussing his memoir The Waters Between Us; a nature program about bears; travelogues about Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska and the deserts, coastline and safari parks of Namibia; and a faculty concert by Concord Community Music School. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

Featured photo: Theatre Kapow presents a virtual production of Gidion’s Knot. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

Quality of Life 21/03/04

NH is 2021’s 8th most educated state

The Granite State is smart! A recent study from personal-finance website WalletHub looked at data from all 50 states, comparing factors like educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races. According to the study, New Hampshire ranked fourth for percentage of people with high school diplomas, eighth for percentage of people who hold bachelor’s degrees, ninth for both percentage of associate’s degree holders and graduate or professional degree holders, and 16th for average university quality.

Score: +1

Comment: Some of our closest neighbors beat us in the rankings, according to the study, with Massachusetts taking the No. 1 spot and Connecticut and Vermont coming in third and fourth, respectively.

Exploring gender justice in NH

The New Hampshire Women’s Foundation recently announced the launch of the Gender Justice Cafe, a series of conversations about topics that impact equity for women and girls in the state. According to a press release, the Gender Justice Cafe will begin on International Women’s Day, March 8, at 10 a.m., with a 90-minute Zoom panel that explores gender justice internationally and features New Hampshire leaders and organizations that are working to elevate the voices of women and girls on a global level. Future conversations include gender and the climate crisis, racial equity and intersectionality, and transgender justice.

Score: +1

Comment: These programs are free, and anyone interested can register at nhwomensfoundation.org/GJC.

Exploring slavery in NH

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire has released a 45-minute video called “I was a slave, even here in New Hampshire”: The Concord Black Heritage Tour, which features notable African Americans from throughout Concord’s history. According to a press release, it includes stories of enslavement, emancipation, the underground railroad, abolitionism and visits from Frederick Douglass, as well as more recent stories, like that of renowned African American illustrator Mel Bolden. The video can be accessed at youtu.be/WhNu6mWn4xI.

Score: +1

Comment: “By reintroducing these stories of New Hampshire’s early Black citizens, we create a space for dialogues around race, diversity and inclusion,” Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire Director JerriAnne Boggis said in the release. “These corrective narratives make it possible to decrease barriers of misunderstanding and decrease people’s racial anxiety.”

Concord launches citizen reporting app

The City of Concord has announced a new citizen reporting platform and mobile app that will allow the Concord community to report non-emergency quality-of-life concerns and service requests. According to a press release, community members can use the web portal on the City website or download the free MyConcordNH app to submit a request or report to the City, including things like potholes, missed trash collection, snow plowing, downtown maintenance, trees, water, sewer and more. Users can also get email updatesabout theirrequests, which are automatically directed to appropriate city staff.

Score: +1

Comment:The MyConcordNH mobile app is available for download on Android and iPhone and includes links to city services and information, and push notifications can be enabled for things like winter parking bans or delayed trash collection.

QOL score: 56

Net change: +4

QOL this week: 60

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

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