Eclectic artistry

Henniker illustrator, photographer, author keeps on creating

It was the barn that Jerry LoFaro fell in love with when he bought his property in Henniker 25 years ago. Since then, he’s used the space as a studio for painting, digital artwork, photography, writing and live music performances, sometimes sitting alone in his well-worn office chair and sometimes surrounded by friends during the intimate concerts that he and his wife Kathleen host.

“This barn — this is why we’re here,” he said of the building, which was built in ’91 and had been used as a dance school. “It was perfect for me, really kind of idyllic.”

With a resume as eclectic as it is long, LoFaro’s recent projects include working on a follow-up to his first book of photography, Abandoned Vehicles of New Hampshire: Rust in Peace, and taking behind-the-scenes and onstage pictures of musicians as the official photographer for Tupelo Music Hall in Derry.

The latter gig started with an iPhone and front-row seats to numerous shows. The self-proclaimed “music freak” would sit in front of the stage and take pictures with his phone, without giving much thought to their artistic quality. It was a far cry from his usual approach to art — LoFaro has been a successful painter and illustrator for years, with work that has graced the covers of books and magazines, advertising and promotional items for brands like Aflac, Coca-Cola and Disney, and, his proudest achievement, boxes of Celestial Seasonings tea. For that work, he uses techniques like airbrushing and digital art, but taking pictures had never really been a thing.

“Most of my photography [at that point] had been a [starting point] for my illustrations,” he said. “It was part of a process and wasn’t really a goal in and of itself.”

But LoFaro was posting his concert shots online, and people were commenting. Knowing that he had an audience, LoFaro started bringing a better camera to the shows, discreetly taking shots from his lap.

“I had no goal other than to have fun and take better pictures,” he said.

Tupelo’s social media director noticed the photos, though, and started posting them on Tupelo’s social media sites. When the venue moved from Londonderry to Derry in 2017, LoFaro was asked to be the official photographer.

“I kind of was grandfathered in,” he said, aware that he got the job over professional photographers with years more experience. “But I’m an artist — what I lack in skill, I make up for in editing and artistry.”

Abandoned Vehicles of New Hampshire, which was published earlier this year, is a new creative venture for LoFaro, one that started when he turned his camera toward rusty old cars he found throughout the state.

“It was just something that captured my interest,” he said.

One of his four Instagram accounts is dedicated to his rusted cars photography, and one of his followers happens to work for a publisher, America Through Time.

“I knew I had a book in me,” LoFaro said.

The star of the book is a Hudson Commodore, a car he found in the middle of a field in Loudon and later bought from the owner of the salvage yard for $200. The Hudson is now a centerpiece in his front yard.

LoFaro said the response to the book has been great.

“I was inundated with people sending messages and locations [of abandoned cars] all over the state,” he said. “I have so much material [for a follow-up book].”

In the meantime, LoFaro is working on a book of photography about Henniker — something never imagined doing when he left New York City in 1995, when he was still working with his agent and big clients in New York.

His favorite client was Celestial Seasonings; he did artwork for them for close to 20 years.

“The way they feature artists on the box, it really just spoke to me,” he said.

It started with redoing the image on the box of Morning Thunder, the company’s first caffeinated tea. LoFaro also, among other things, created several variations of the Sleepytime bear — and that’s when he started transitioning from painting by hand to digital art.

“I had no interest in digital art,” LoFaro said. “I’m in love with the process of painting: mixing the paint, preparing the boards, the tactile element.”

A good friend of his, though, owned what Lafaro says was a “pioneer” computer art school in Weare. After Sept. 11, 2001, LoFaro’s lifeline to work in New York City all but vanished, and he got no jobs for several months after. With extra time on his hands, he agreed to take computer art classes.

“I was the worst student in the class because I had no computer experience,” he said. “It was excruciating.”

But after he got past the initial learning curve, LoFaro realized how much he could do with digital art — and how good it could be.

“I reinvented myself. I was still painting, but I can do this a lot better,” he said.

LoFaro maxed out his credit cards to buy a used computer system, and the day he got it, he took a job making clouds for a video game — that had to be done the next day.

“That was my trial by fire,” he said.

Lafaro said the more he learned about the intricacies of digital art, the more he could relate it to his airbrush work.

“It really was an incredible natural evolution,” he said.

And then there’s the music. A band’s photo shoot in the barn morphed into a bigger idea; in 2016, the LoFaros started hosting concerts, with the musicians playing on a small stage that LoFaro built. They were well-attended, so he built a bigger stage, and they’ve had more than 100 people in attendance for some of the shows. Those stopped during Covid, but LoFaro is hoping to get them going again by fall.

He’s back at Tupelo, too, and looking forward to shooting a few good shows this season. Right now he and owner Scott Hayward are in the process of creating posters of the 52×60-inch mural on canvas of LoFaro’s photos that hangs on the venue’s front wall. That will be sold at the venue and online later this summer.

If that seems like a lot of balls in the air, LoFaro isn’t quite ready to stop juggling.

“I’m on this journey, and I’m open for anything,” he said.

Featured photo: Jerry LoFaro poses in front of the Tupelo tapestry of his photos. Courtesy photo.

This Week 21/07/22

Big Events July 22, 2021, and beyond

Thursday, July 22

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats have home games at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive in downtown Manchester; nhfishercats.com) on the schedule through Sunday, July 25, against the Reading Fightin’ Phils. Games today through Saturday, July 24, start at 7:05 p.m.; Sunday’s game starts at 1:05 p.m. Catch fireworks from Atlas Fireworks after the games today and Saturday. Today is also NASA/Space Day and Sunday’s theme is Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues and You, with activities for kids. On Friday the Fisher Cats celebrate Christmas in July, with Christmas music and lights and an ornament giveaway for the first 500 fans, according to the website, where you can purchase tickets.

The Nashua Silver Knights also have a game today; they’ll play the Worcester Bravehearts at 6 p.m. See nashuasilverknights.com.

Friday, July 23

Tap dancer, choreographer, professor at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and New Hampshire native Aaron Tolsonpresents Aaron Tolson and Friends, an evening of dance and music featuring Elan Trotman, tonight at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow, July 24, at 2 p.m. at the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Dr. in Manchester; anselm.edu/dana-center-humanities). Tickets cost $20. Find more arts and theater events in the Arts section, which starts on page 10.

Friday, July 23

Catch some of your favorite classic songs played live. Tonight at 6 p.m., catch JT Express, a James Taylor tribute show, at the Tupelo Drive-In in Derry (tupelomusichall.com).On Saturday, July 24, Into the Mystic, the Van Morrison Experience, will perform at the Bank of NH Stage in Concord at 8 p.m. (ccanh.com). On Sunday, July 25, the Flying Monkey in Plymouth presents Pink Talking Fish (a band that pays tribute to the music of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish) at 7:30 p.m. (flyingmonkeynh.com). Find more upcoming concerts in our listings on page 42.

Saturday, July 24

Take a walking tour of Manchester’s millyard with John Clayton, executive director of the Manchester Historic Association, today from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Pre-registration is required for this event, which costs $15 per person. Tour attendees will meet outside the Millyard Museum’s Commercial Street entrance. See manchesterhistoric.org.

Wednesday, July 28

Wednesdays are good nights for catching a free live outdoor concert. Among the towns offering Wednesday concerts: Bedford at the Village Common Park Gazebo at 6 p.m. (this week it’s Knock on Wood), Candia at the Candia Pond Park at 6:30 pm. (Windham Swing Band), Merrimack at Abbie Griffin Park at 6 p.m. (Studio Two) and Plaistow at the PARC at 6 p.m. (B Street Bombers). Find more live music, including listings of area towns concert series, in the Music This Week listing on page 37. If you know of a spot with live music, let us know at [email protected].

Save the date: Saturday, Aug. 7

The Blues on the Range Festival, presented by the Granite State Blues Society, is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 7, starting at noon at The Range, 96 Old Turnpike Road in Mason. Tickets cost $25 in advance. This year’s lineup includes Veronica Lewis Band with Monster Mike Welch and more local and regional blues talent, according to granitestateblues.org, where you can purchase tickets.

Featured photo, Aaron Tolson. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 21/07/22

Fewer violent crimes in the Queen City

Preliminary numbers show that violent crime in Manchester is down 25 percent from April of this year to the end of June. The city usually sees about a 9-percent increase in violent crime heading into the summer months, according to a press release, and the Manchester Police Department is attributing this success in part to the CompStat360 initiative, which promotes collaboration with community members and other city stakeholders to solve community problems, as well as strong collaboration with local, county, state and federal law enforcement and prosecutors. One of the top priorities has been violent crime prevention and reduction, the release said.

Score: +1

Comment: The data also shows that gun crime in Manchester has dropped 40 percent compared to 2020 and is down 20 percent when compared to the five-year average, the release said.

Tuition freeze at community colleges

The Community College System of New Hampshire will once again freeze tuition at $215 per credit, or $6,450 per year, in tuition costs for a full-time course load. According to a press release, the rate has been the same for four years, and New Hampshire’s community colleges continue to be the most affordable college options for residents. In addition, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges are offering one free, three-credit course in the fall semester to any member of a New Hampshire high school class of ’21.

Score: +1

Comment:Annual full-time tuition at New Hampshire’s seven community colleges costs only $150 more than it did a decade ago when the tuition rate was $210 per credit for the 2011 school year, according to the release.

Hiring challenges mean less amusement

Without enough employees to staff its regular hours, Canobie Lake Park in Salem will now be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and will close early a few days a week, according to a report from WMUR. Park officials told WMUR that while about half of the staff returns each year, new applicants are down 75 percent. The new hours of the park are Wednesday through Sunday, 10:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Score: -1

Comment: At least you can still get nauseatingly dizzy on the Turkish Twist five days a week.

Keeping lakes clean

The Lake Host courtesy boat inspection program is celebrating its 20th anniversary as once again its hundreds of lake hosts posted at 100 of the busiest boat ramps in the state are teaching boaters how to clean their boats to prevent the spread of invasive species. According to a press release from NH LAKES, over the past 19 years the Lake Host program has slowed the rate of spread of invasive plants, including milfoil, from lake to lake. The primary way invasive species spread is on boats that have not been thoroughly cleaned, drained and dried between voyages in different bodies of water.

Score: +1

Comment: Approximately 90 of the state’s water bodies contain infestations of invasive species that can clog boat motors and propellers, according to the release, and once they are firmly established they are nearly impossible to get rid of.

QOL score: 80
Net change: +2
QOL this week: 82

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

News & Notes 21/07/22

Covid-19 updateAs of July 12As of July 19
Total cases statewide99,77099,966
Total current infections statewide197224
Total deaths statewide1,3751,382
New cases215 (July 3 to July 12)196 (July 13 to July 19)
Current infections: Hillsborough County5369
Current infections: Merrimack County1127
Current infections: Rockingham County4440
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Rentals needed

Results of the recently released 2021 New Hampshire Residential Rental Cost Survey Report shows that it’s a tough market for renters right now, with low inventory, lower vacancy rates and higher rents. According to the report summary, owners and managers of more than 24,560 unsubsidized rental housing units in the state (15 percent of all units) took part in the survey, which shows that this year’s statewide median gross rent of $1,498 (including utilities) for two-bedroom units is up 6 percent over last year, and the 0.9 percent vacancy rate for all units is lower than last year. According to the report, a vacancy rate of 5 percent is considered a balanced market for tenants and landlords, and comparatively, both the U.S. and Northeast vacancy rates are at 6.8 percent. Meanwhile, there is also a limited supply of homes for sale, making it more difficult for renters to become homeowners, the report said. New Hampshire Housing has committed financing for more than 1,000 rental units over the past year, and those will be available in 12 to 18 months. Still, “To sustain New Hampshire’s economy, additional housing is needed to support our workforce, as well as those who cannot work because of age or disability,” the report summary said. “It is estimated that about 20,000 more housing units are needed to meet current demand and stabilize the market.”

Residential treatment

Children in need of behavioral health residential treatment will soon have more options. On July 14, the New Hampshire Executive Council and Gov. Chris Sununu approved contracts with nine organizations that will provide behavioral health services in residential treatment settings to children and young adults “whose behavioral health needs cannot be met safely in the community without intensive supports,” according to a press release. The contracts will expand clinical services by ensuring that each provider delivers services through a trauma model and developing programming that targets special treatment needs. They will also establish relationships with community providers to determine when residential treatment is appropriate. More contracts with remaining residential treatment providers are expected to be submitted for consideration in the coming weeks. “Residential treatment services vitally help children and young adults with severe emotional disturbances,” Erica Ungarelli, director of the Department of Health and Human Services Bureau for Children’s Behavioral Health, said in the release. “Children and youth have unique mental and behavioral health needs, and a comprehensive system of care is being established to ensure these needs are met. The expansion of residential treatment for children and youth is a critical step in the establishment of the system of care.” Joe Ribsam, director of the Division for Children, Youth and Families, said in the release that children too often end up involved with DCYF if their severe mental health needs aren’t being addressed, and that making residential treatment services more widely available and accessible, along with the recently expanded mobile crisis and wraparound support for families, will keep more kids out of the state’s child protection and juvenile justice systems.

Summer stipend

The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security opened applications for the Summer Stipend Program on Monday, July 19, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office. The program was announced in May following the state’s decision to end federal pandemic unemployment benefits. Individuals who were receiving unemployment benefits the week of May 15 and found and maintained employment on or after May 18 at 20 or more hours a week for at least eight weeks, earning less than $25 an hour, are eligible for a stipend. The stipend amounts are $500 for individuals who worked under 37.5 hours per week for eight weeks and $1,000 for individuals who worked 37.5 hours or more per week for eight weeks. The stipends are first come first served until the $10 million fund runs out. The first wave of potentially eligible people is calculated to be more than 1,700, according to the release.

Filing for mayor

Manchester City Mayor Joyce Craig officially filed for re-election for a third term on Monday, July 19, according to a press release. “I’m running for Mayor in 2021 to ensure our city fully recovers from this pandemic, builds upon our progress and comes out of this stronger than before,” Craig said in the release. “We have a tremendous opportunity in the next two years to continue to tackle issues facing our community,” Craig added. “I’ll continue working to help residents lead better lives with stronger schools, safer neighborhoods, good jobs and a growing economy.”

Victoria Sullivan, former New Hampshire State Representative and Assistant Majority Leader who served two terms on the House Education Committee, has also filed paperwork to officially become a candidate for Mayor of Manchester. “I am running to ‘Make Manchester Shine Again’ — to drastically improve the quality of life and livability of our city now and for future generations,” Sullivan said in a statement. The Manchester mayoral election will take place in November.

And Republican Richard Girard planned to officially file his candidacy for Manchester mayor on Wednesday, July 21, according to a press release.

Homelessness bill

New Hampshire U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen joined two California senators to introduce a bill that would increase federal resources to battle homelessness, authorizing $1 billion in grants to local governments each year for the next five years. According to a press release, the Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act would condition federal funds on a grant recipient’s ability to provide not only housing, but also comprehensive supportive services like mental health care, substance abuse treatment and job training. It also requires a 25 percent match for services and housing from non-federal funds, and it requires grantees to report on measures of success, including whether individuals remain housed. “To stem the homelessness crisis that worsened during the pandemic, we need a comprehensive approach that makes families whole again. We must take into account how poverty, mental illness and substance misuse exacerbate cycles of housing insecurity,” Shaheen said in the release.

After spending more than two weeks assisting at the site of the Surfside condominium complex collapse in Florida, Concord Fire Chief Sean Brown has returned home and will be spending some time with his family before returning to work, according to a July 17 report from WMUR. Brown worked in the wreckage of the Champlain Towers South building, which collapsed on June 24 and killed at least 97 people, the report said.

After the recent announcement of a charter school expansion grant from the state, Founders Academy in Manchester has decided to amend its charter to include fifth grade. According to a press release, the school opened in 2014 serving 100 students in grades 6 through 8; for the 2020-2021 school year, 350 students were enrolled in grades 6 through 12.

Last week, the Nashua Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a request to equip police officers with body cameras. According to a report from WMUR, the $1.8 million, six-year contract will provide all 179 officers and 31 patrol cars with cameras with features that include activation with holster draws, opening cruiser doors and turning on lights and sirens.

Basketball is at center court

With a pretty entertaining NBA Finals standing 3-2 Milwaukee as I write this week and the U.S. national team making everyone nervous on the eve of the Olympics, it’s time for some random thoughts on basketball from all over the globe.

With three games over 30, including 40- and 41-point submissions, so much for the strategy of putting up a so-called wall to stop the Greek Freak, because he’s just relentless. He doesn’t play like him, but his effort reminds of the great Dave Cowens during his prime.

Basketball 101: Name the team with four former first overall draft picks on their roster when they won the NBA title.

Khris Middleton has got to be in the running for most under-rated NBA player.

Surprise Players of the Finals: Suns– Deandre Ayton, not first-overall-pick great, but better than I thought he was. Bucks– Bobby Portis, better than I’ve ever seen him. Works hard on D and the offensive boards.

Best Stat of the Finals: Hope all the stat geeks noticed Devin Booker going for 41 in Game 4 without making a three. It was done mostly on drives and throwback pull up jumpers. Needless to say, I like that kid’s game.

Best Finals Stat Ever: It comes from the famous Willis Reed Game 7 in the 1970 Finals where instead of driving the injured Reed into the ground, Wilt Chamberlain went 1-11 from the foul line in the blowout loss. All those who say Russell won all those titles because he had better teammates should remember Wilt also shrank from the moment the year after Russell retired.

Idiotic Comment of the NBA Finals: Note to ESPN contributor Ryan Clark: No one is going to take you seriously on a serious issue if you trot out the race card on every issue. The latest imbecilic comment was Clark saying Jeff Van Gundy was using “code” when he said Booker “looked like a choirboy but played like a thug.” Sorry, nothing racial there. What Van Gundy was simply saying was that by looking so young, Booker can disarm to start before you realize he plays with an edge and toughness. The code he’s using explains why he’s good to everyone but hyper-sensitive folks constantly looking to turn things into something they aren’t. And while he might have used a better word than thug, when I heard it I thought of the NBA’s biggest thug ever, Bill Laimbeer.

While it’s annoying seeing Booker complain on every call and non-call involving him, it’s worse seeing Milwaukee’s Anthony Mason play-alike PJ Tucker do it every time something’s called on him. Dude, your job is to clutch, grab, push, bang and body top scorers. So you do foul on almost every play.

Basketball 101 Answer: In Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Mychal Thompson the 1987 Lakers had four first overalls when they beat the Celtics in six games. They also had Byron Scott, who went fourth overall in 1982. They played together for three seasons (’87-’89) and won in 1988 as well.

Remember when Jae Crowder let Celtics Nation know he was ticked off when the crowd gave it up for free agent to be Gordon Hayward to replace him when Utah came to the Garden in 2016? That was followed by getting dumped to Cleveland in the Kyrie trade after Hayward signed here. With him beating the C’s in the Eastern Finals last year, being in the Finals two straight years and Hayward’s time in Boston best described as having no high points before he stuck it to them by leaving with nothing coming back by way of trade, Crowder has gotten the last laugh, hasn’t he?

Basketball 102: Name the three other Celtics alums playing in this Final.

That the Nets went out early was enjoyable to see, but between his injury-related year off and surly, thin-skinned adolescent social media trolling I sorta forgot how good Kevin Durant was. He was all-world against both the Celtics and Bucks.

Basketball 102 Answer: While they’re not getting as much time as Crowder, the other ex-Celtics in this Final are Abdel Nader and E’Twaun Moore for Phoenix and Jeff Teague for Milwaukee.

After losing exhibition games to teams from Nigeria and Australia composed of NBA also-ran and never-was players, can’t say I have great confidence in Team USA’s chances for gold at the Olympics. Especially after adding America’s 300th or so best player JaVale McGee and Kelton Johnson (whoever he is) to fortify the roster after losing Bradley Beal to Covid protocols. What, Mark Blount wasn’t available?

Then there’s the fact that in USA’s first turn under Greg Popovich they finished seventh in the World Cup two years ago when new Celtics headman Ime Udoka was an assistant. With Pop’s team only winning one playoff series in three tries in the five seasons since Matt Bonner and his sidekick Tim Duncan retired and missing the tournament completely the last two, why don’t we hear the “it was all Bonner (and Duncan)” rap, like we endlessly do about Belichick and Brady? Seems similar to me.

Hey Max Kellerman, Giannis’ Game 4 block on Ayton the best ever in the Finals? What about Bill Russell making up a half-court lead to catch Slater Martin from behind to swat away his game-winning lay-up in the final seconds of regulation to save Game 7 and the 1957 title? Tommy Heinsohn told me that’s the best play he saw in his 66 NBA years. Better to say, it’s the best one I’ve seen — not greatest ever, unless you’ve seen every play.

Then there’s Kevin McHale’s, ah, block on Kurt Rambis in Game 4 of the 1984 Finals. Though some might call it more like a tackle, while Kurt, the Rambis Youth and everyone in L.A. called it thug ball.

Space to create

Shaker Village welcomes resident artists

Every summer, Canterbury Shaker Village offers an artist-in-residence program where artists spend two weeks living and working at the Village, creating art inspired by the architecture, landscape, traditional crafts, furniture, artistic endeavors and culture of the Shakers. Current artist-in-residence Maria Molteni discussed the opportunity.

What kind of art do you typically do?

I tend to make artwork that’s sort of formally rigorous, conceptually rigorous and very experimental and playful. A lot of what I do is project-based, so, for that reason, I work in a lot of different media, depending on what project I’m doing. … I do a lot of artwork that’s performative and often involves writing and publication and sometimes drawing and movement.

What drew your interest to the residency at the Shaker Village?

I came to create art inspired by the Shakers, but I’m also here to do experiential research … and learn more about the history and culture of Canterbury Shaker Village just by being on the land and in the presence of this Shaker energy. … You could say I’m kind of a low-key Shaker academic. … I’m very interested in how Shaker culture was different from community to community. I’ve visited all of the Shaker villages that I’m aware of … and have made artwork at several of them. … I was really excited to come to Canterbury Shaker Village because it had a very vibrant culture that sets it apart from some of the other Shaker villages.

What do you hope to accomplish during your time at the Village?

Two weeks isn’t very much time, so I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself to meet a deadline or goal. … I’m just letting myself flow intuitively and explore and experiment. I’m not sure what I’ll come up with, but I want to make as many drawings and notes as I can so that I can take all this research with me [after the residency] and continue building on this work.

Will you be interacting with the public?

It’s not required that [artists] interact with the public … which is nice. … I interact and engage with the public a lot in my [regular] work, and I love it, but I think it’s valuable and a great privilege for an artist to have some time and space alone.

How does the residency impact your creative process?

As a full-time artist, I have so much administrative work to juggle all the time: meetings, phone calls, budgets to balance, grants to write. Residencies are nice because they allow me the time and space to breathe and focus, and the minimal presence of objects and materials primes my mind to create inspired work.

What does a typical day look like for you during your residency?

I wake up and do some reading; I brought around 20 books with me, and half of them are about Shakers. … Then, I set out into the woods; I’ve been exploring the trails, trying to find areas that feel spiritually charged to me. I’ve been filming myself doing movements, and I’ve been taking photographs of artwork and objects that I bring out to the woods. Then, I come back [to the studio space] and work on drawing and on an essay that I’m writing about Shaker gift drawings. … I’ve also been trying to stretch each day and take the time to be healthy and take care of my body more than I normally get to with all the pressure and hustle in my regular life.

Featured photo: Maria Molteni. Courtesy photo.

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