Tag: 210902

On The Job – Angelina McGlashan

Angelina McGlashan

Photo manager

Angelina McGlashan is a certified photo manager and the owner and founder of Preserving Memories, based in Windham.

Explain your job.

I basically help people manage their photos and videos. … People find themselves drowning in photos. I frequently get a call when their phone storage is full. … My [job]is to gather [ the media], get rid of duplicates, rename them in chronological order, [put them] into yearly folders, then create a backup system and teach [clients] how to maintain it. … Some clients have me maintain it for them. For physical photos … I scan them and create digital files. … If photos are damaged or faded, I can restore them. … I also convert every form of video tape including old film reels so they can be viewed again and shared.

How long have you had this job?

Since 2017.

What led you to this career field?

I’ve always loved photography. … I was a nurse for about 15 years. Then … I worked for my husband … from home. He sold his company in 2017, and I was searching for something new I could do from home. Someone posted on our community Facebook page that she … [needed] help organizing her digital photos. … I thought, ‘I can do that.’ I contacted her, did the job, and she asked if I could convert all her old video tapes. I [researched] how to do that and found the Association of Professional Photo Organizers. I … told my husband, ‘I think I found my new career.’

What kind of education or training did you need?

This job … entails having advanced knowledge of Windows and Mac PCs, understanding clouds and backing up versus syncing, and learning many different programs to organize photos, restore photos and convert different kinds of media. I have taken advanced courses in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I continue to take workshops through APPO because new technology is always emerging.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

At first I was really nervous that my business would just slow to a stop, but the opposite happened. People were home and had a lot of free time on their hands and pulled out all those boxes of old photos and videos and wanted them organized or converted. To be safe, I arranged no-contact drop-off for items and Zoom calls for organizing services, and I still offer those services today.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Most days, when I’m not seeing clients, I’m in yoga pants. When I’m sorting physical photos or taking apart old albums, I am literally sitting on the floor sorting all around me.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

I wish I had found this career sooner.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Some people don’t know how technical my work is and all the different programs I use to organize photos, and that most jobs take a lot of time. They think I have a magic wand and one button that does it all. In reality, [the programs] are just tools, and I still have to go through hundreds of thousands of photos myself. There is a huge human element to my job.

What was the first job you ever had?

I was 14 and worked at Donut Maker.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Working from home can make it very difficult to separate work time from personal time. Another organizer said to set a strict schedule and work hours and stick to them.

Five favorites

Favorite book: A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
Favorite movie: The Green Mile
Favorite music: Anything from ’80s hairband music
Favorite food: Anything Mediterranean
Favorite thing about NH: Being close to the lakes, the mountains and the ocean. We always have fresh seafood and lobster.

Featured photo: Angelina McGlashan. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 21/09/02

Family fun for the weekend

Family fun ideas

Looking for some entertainment ideas for the whole gang this weekend? Check out some of our recent stories (see e-editions of issues at hippopress.com.). In our July 8 issue we looked at mini golf, with a rundown of some of the area courses. A note for people with littler kids: Mel’s Funway Park in Litchfield (melsfunwaypark.com.) has added a Mini Mel’s Kiddie Land set of attractions geared toward kids ages 2 to 9. For the more adventurous, we looked at water fun (paddleboarding, canoeing, kayaking and cruising on New Hampshire waterways) in the Aug. 5 issue and adventures aloft (ziplining, hot air ballooning and parasailing) in the July 15 issue.

Space!

AerospaceFest returns to McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) on Saturday, Sept. 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free for the outdoor event. The NH Astronomical Society will have a telescope set up, Millstone Wildlife Center will bring ambassador animals, robotics teams will do robot demos and local STEM organizations will attend, the website said. No pre-registration is required.

Fair weekend

If you’ve been missing the summer/fall fair experience, you’re in luck. The Hopkinton State Fair kicks off Thursday, Sept. 2, and runs through Monday, Sept. 6. (Free parking at 905 Park Ave., Contoocook.) The fair is open Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Monday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday is “Townie Night,” when Hopkinton residents get in for free between 5 and 8 p.m. Admission for non-residents is $8 for ages 3 and up. One-day passes Friday through Monday cost $14 for ages 13 to 59, $12 for ages 60+ and $8 for ages 3 to 12, according to the fair website, hsfair.org, where you can also buy a pass for all five days for ages 3 to 60+ for $39 per person. You can also find tickets for a one-day megapass (allows unlimited admission to mechanical rides) and grandstand shows including demolition derby, monster trucks and Northeast Six Shooters’ horseback shooting demonstration show. Military (active or retired) with a valid photo ID are admitted free.

Find rides and games on the midway, open 5 p.m. to close on Thursday, noon to close on Friday and 10 a.m. to close Saturday through Monday. Catch demonstrations from the NH Canine Troopers Association (4 and 6 p.m., Friday), Axe Women Loggers of Maine (noon and 3 and 5 p.m.,daily), Dock Dogs (daily), Ben Risney Wood Sculpture (10 a.m., and 1 and 4 p.m., daily) and John Deere Skid Steer Rodeo (Monday. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.). There’s also a lineup of live music and juggling. At the Ag Stage, catch Dan Morgan (11 a.m. to 3 p.m., daily) and Nicole Knox Murphy (3 to 7 p.m.). Get kids interested in 4-H (or maybe just some light gardening and chicken tending) with the agriculture displays and competitions (livestock shows, horse show, pulling competitions and the home arts hall).

The fair also has educational displays, such as the maple sugar house, the NH Fish and Game building and a Charmingfare Farm petting zoo (Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Monday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) with daily animal magic shows (noon, and 2 and 5 p.m.), the website said.

And, of course, the fair will help you get your fried dough fix. Other food options include sausages with peppers and onions, apple crisp with ice cream, turkey legs, bison burgers and giant doughnuts, according to the fair website.

Treasure Hunt 21/09/02

Dear Donna,

I have this antique railroad lantern and was wondering if you could give me an idea on what it would be worth. The lantern says New York Central and the globe says B & A RR, so they don’t match but it seems in pretty good shape. Not sure how much to clean it up.

— Judy

Dear Judy,

It’s not uncommon to find railroad or other antique lanterns around today.

Railroad lanterns in general are not too hard to find, particularly common ones that were used all the time. I think the globes were replaced often during the period of time used. Your globe is either Boston Albany or Baltimore Annapolis. There are some that are uncommon and rare to find with all the original parts and for specific railways. They can hold a very high value.

The value of yours in the condition it’s in would be in the $50 range. I would leave it as found with maybe a quick Windex wash.

Go wild

How to start wildflowers from seed

I recently visited the Nasami Farm in Whately, Mass. This is the plant production facility for the Native Plants Trust, formerly the New England Wildflower Society. I met with Alexis Doshas, their nursery manager. The 75–acre farm produces perennials, grasses and some woody plants — mainly from seed. The plants are sold at their headquarters in Framingham, Mass., and at the Nasami Farm on weekends.

If you’re interested in growing wildflowers, the least expensive way to get plenty is to start them from seed. This takes some effort, but it accomplishes a number of things: if you collect seed from the wild, you’re getting plants in your garden without diminishing the wild population — the way you would if you dug plants (which is prohibited anyway in most places).

Starting plants from seed also encourages genetic diversity. Many purchased plants are propagated from cuttings or by division, which means they’re all clones with the exact same genes. Seeds from any given plant produce seedlings with a wide range of characteristics, making some less susceptible to environmental challenges such as global warming.

Starting wildflowers from seed can take patience. While some seeds will germinate and grow the same summer you collect them (campanulas, for example), other things like lilies might take four or five years to bloom. Many require a cold period of three months, which is called cold stratification. Some planted now will grow underground next spring, but not send up any green growth until the following spring.

The Nasami Farm grows seedlings in big plastic hoop houses. These aren’t heated except in spring, or if temperatures go below zero in winter. The greenhouses allow the seedlings to be monitored and tended easily on long tables. You could set up a table in your barn, shed or garage for a few flats of seedlings. Some wildflowers do fine in flats with good drainage in the outdoors — preferably in a shady place that won’t see too much of the hot, drying sun.

Lastly, you can plant seeds directly in the ground in a site where they’ll thrive as mature plants. The disadvantage to this is you never know what percentage of seeds will germinate. If you plant 100 seeds in a flat indoors it’ll be easier to thin or transplant the seedlings than if you must do so on your hands and knees. And there shouldn’t be weed competition if you’re using a germination mix in a flat. On the other hand, I plant things like goldenseal directly in the ground as it takes two years to sprout, and I don’t want to have to water and tend them so long.

Alexis Doshas gave me some tips for starting wildflowers from seed. First, she said, collect seed when it’s easy to pull off the plant, and remove any fluffy stuff attached to it. Generally seeds start light colored, and darken when fully ripe. If you want to store seed, make sure it doesn’t dry out. Store in a cool, dark place.

Buy a very fine seed germination mix, something made of finely ground peat and perlite. A coarse mix can let seeds wash down deeper than they should be. For small seeds (the size of a grain of sand or less) just sow seeds, pat them into the soil mix and water them in. No need to cover them. Alexis suggests germinating seeds at 60 to 80 degrees, but cautioned that many wildflowers need a 90-day cold period before they’ll grow.

Alexis said you may need to provide rodent protection: metal hardware cloth over the flats to keep mice from eating the seeds. Rodents can be a problem as easily in your cold basement as in a barn or outdoors.

I asked Alexis to recommend some plants that are easy to start from seed right now. She suggested blueberries, huckleberries and plums for fruits. Of the flowers, she listed these: milkweed, mountain mint, black-eyed susans, wild bee balm, wild iris, asters, Joe Pye weed and all the goldenrods, which are great for pollinators.

Woodland wildflowers, she said, often have very specific needs and aren’t as easy to grow as the field flowers mentioned above. Soil pH and type are important. When I plant spring wildflowers I try to mimic the forest type of their native habitat: if they grow in a maple-beech-ash forest in the wild, I try to plant them in a similar environment.

Plants with large, fleshy fruits such as jack-in-the pulpit or goldenseal probably will require you to remove the fruit portion before planting. Gloves are suggested, as some have strong chemicals that may irritate your skin. You can soak seeds like that to allow fermentation to remove the skin and flesh.

A good reference text for starting wildflower seeds is by William Cullina, Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the United States and Canada. Unfortunately, it’s out of print, though I’ve heard it’s in the process of being reprinted. It’s worth its weight in gold as it gives specifics for hundreds of wildflowers.

Featured photo: Goldenseal fruits are ready for picking in my woods right now. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 21/09/02

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

• Last chance for these exhibits: Don’t miss the first group art exhibition at Concord artist and gallery owner Jess Barnett’s gallery (located in the Patriot Investment building at 4 Park St., Suite 216, Concord), open now through Friday, Sept. 3. 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. The exhibition, titled “Summer Haze,” invited regional artists to submit work in a variety of media, including paintings, drawings, collage, encaustic, fiber art, digital art, book and paper art, textiles, mixed media, photography, printmaking and 3D art. Five artists will be featured: Kathy Bouchard of Nashua, Karen Mehos of Boscawen, Jason Michael Rielly of Auburn, New York, Lorna Ritz of Northampton, Mass., and Barnett herself. Call 393-1340 or visit jessbarnett.com.

Catch the Surface Design Association’s (SDA) New Hampshire Group’s exhibition, “Tension: Process in the Making,” before it’s gone on Saturday, Sept. 4, at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). It features contemporary fiber art by 15 artists juried by textile artist Jenine Shereos. “Reflecting on the past year, there has been a collective stretching; a pulling and tightening, beyond what we ever imagined was possible,” Shereos said in a press release. “The works in this exhibition feature New Hampshire textile artists as they examine the theme of tension in both form and concept.” Current gallery hours are Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.

• Call for singers: The Rockingham Choral Society is holding open rehearsals for its upcoming winter concert. The rehearsals are open to new and returning singers ages 16 and up and will take place on Tuesdays, Sept. 7 and Sept. 14, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Exeter High School (1 Blue Hawk Drive, Exeter). The auditions do not require any kind of preparation in advance. There will also be opportunities for soloists. This year’s winter concert, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 18, and Sunday, Dec. 19, will feature Vivaldi’s Magnificat; the premiere of Venite, an original work written for the Choral Society by its artistic director, Alex Favazza; and other seasonal selections. The Choral Society accepts 40 to 90 members and typically presents two concerts a year in the Seacoast region, according to a press release. “The Rockingham Choral Society has a long tradition of welcoming a diverse membership from the Seacoast community,” Favazza said in the release. “Our fall open rehearsals are an easy way for choral singers with new or renewed interest in joining a group to try it out and decide if this group is right for them.” Visit rockinghamchoral.org.

ART

Call for Art

• JOAN L. DUNFEY EXHIBITION On display at the New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth, beginning in November. The NHAA is accepting online submissions of artwork now. Works in all media will be considered and should be related to this year’s theme, “Portals.” Artists can submit up to two pieces. The submission deadline is Mon., Sept. 20, by 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Exhibits

• “TENSION: PROCESS IN THE MAKING” The Surface Design Association’s (SDA) New Hampshire Group presents an exhibit featuring fiber art and textiles by New Hampshire artists. On view now through Sept. 4. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.

• “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 Sept. 6. 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.

• “TWILIGHT OF AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM” Exhibit showcases New England painters and masters of impressionism Alice Ruggles Sohier and Frederick A. Bosley. On view now through Sept. 12. Portsmouth Historical Society (10 Middle St., Portsmouth). Gallery hours are daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $7.50 for adults and is free for kids under age 18, seniors age 70 and older and active and retired military. Admission is free for all on the first Friday of every month. Visit portsmouthhistory.org.

•“KICK-START!” Also known as “the show show,” this themed art exhibition from the Women’s Caucus for Art’s New Hampshire Chapter will open with a reception on Saturday, Sept. 11, from 1 to 3 p.m., at Twiggs Gallery, 254 King St., Boscawen. The exhibit runs through Oct. 31. The shoe theme is expressed in a wide variety of works that include paintings, sculptures, artist books, drawings and mixed media pieces. Gallery hours are Thursday and Friday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• AROUND NEW HAMPSHIRE On exhibit at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Visitor Center, 49 S. Main St., Concord, from Sept. 21 through Dec. 16. Featuring the work of New Hampshire Art Association member Elaine Farmer, the exhibit features her oil paintings embodying New Hampshire’s iconic views and ideals, ranging from mountain lakes and birch tree woods to historic landmarks. Visit concordnhchamber.com or nhartassociation.org.

• 1,000 CRANES FOR NASHUA Featuring more than 1,000 origami paper cranes created by hundreds of Nashua-area kids, adults and families since April. On display now at The Atrium at St. Joseph Hospital, 172 Kinsley St., Nashua. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.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.

• ART ON MAIN A year-round outdoor public art exhibit in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. All sculptures for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com or call 224-2508.

Fairs and Markets

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

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

•​ HOOLIGANS AND CONVICTS The Winnipesaukee Playhouse presents. 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith. Now through Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 to $39. Visit winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.

•​ CABARET at Seacoast Repertory Theatre. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through Sept. 5. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

•​ IT HAD TO BE YOU The Winnipesaukee Playhouse presents. 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith. Sept. 1 through Sept. 18, with showtimes Tuesday through Saturday at 4 p.m., plus matinees on Saturdays, Sept. 11 and Sept. 18, at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $20 to $37. Visit winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.

• WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT Produced by the Community Players of Concord. Hatbox Theatre, 270 Loudon Road, Concord. Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m., and Sundays, 2 p.m., Sept. 10 through Sept. 26. Visit communityplayersofconcord.org.

Conversation and celebration

Currier exhibition features street-inspired ceramics

An artist who calls himself the “ghetto potter,” Roberto Lugo has brought a new vibe to the Currier Museum of Art with his street-inspired ceramics, which look like traditional pieces from afar but actually explore Lugo’s Afro-Latino heritage and hip-hop culture.

“I don’t just think about ceramic objects for their specific function but I also think about what connotations they have within culture and society,” Lugo said in an audio response to emailed questions. “I try to add to that conversation by complicating it and including figures, ideas and textiles that haven’t historically been included in that conversation.”

His exhibition, called “Te traigo mi le lo lai – I bring you my joy,” has been up since spring and runs through Sept. 26.

“I remember the first time I saw [Lugo’s work] I was surprised by it. … Instead of having cherubs and aristocrats on it, it had [things like] a hip-hop boombox,” said Samantha Cataldo, the museum’s curator of contemporary art. “You get drawn in by something you think you know and get brought to a place you weren’t expecting.”

Lugo, who lives in Philadelphia, worked closely with Cataldo to create the exhibition, which includes some of his older pieces plus work that he created specifically for the Currier show, like one of musician Bob Marley.

“Marley really embodies … creativity and peace and harmony and he has been used by people of all races to sort of symbolize peace,” Lugo said. “His music is just something that makes you feel good and it’s a celebration, which I really feel is at the forefront of this exhibition.”

That celebration is what’s behind the exhibition’s name — “I bring you my joy” represents all of the pieces of Lugo’s history, including his Puerto Rican agricultural heritage and his upbringing in urban Philly. According to Cataldo, Lugo saw a similar juxtaposition in Manchester, with the city being the biggest, most post-industrial city in a pretty rural state.

The Currier’s hope is that Lugo’s work has been able to reach a part of the population that isn’t often represented in local art.

“We do have a growing Hispanic and Latinx population so we’re really hoping people who don’t see their culture in art as much can see that in Roberto’s exhibition,” Cataldo said. “Taking the culture of ’90s hip-hop and graffiti and putting it in this completely unexpected form … it brings in a whole group of people who don’t usually see themselves in art.”

Much of Lugo’s work pays homage to people of color who have made significant impacts on culture and society.

“These are abolitionists, civil rights leaders, and yes even contemporary musicians like Tupac and Missy [Elliot],” Lugo said. “I think Tupac in particular complicated the narrative of what a hip-hop artist is supposed to be; he’s more poetic but also had a really sensitive side to what he was talking about and really focused primarily on painting a picture of life in the ghetto.”

These unexpected messages are even more pronounced because of how Lugo’s pieces are displayed.

“From the beginning we really wanted to figure out how to make my work interact with pieces from the museum’s collection,” Lugo said.

“It’s literally sitting on our works,” Cataldo said. “Historic furniture from our collection is being used to show his ceramics, like a dinner table display, [which] I think poses a lot of interesting juxtapositions for people … like a plate with Missy Elliot sitting on a 19th-century carved piece.”

Cataldo said that one of the things Lugo really wanted to do was make the work accessible to people and create the feeling that you’re in someone’s home.

“The idea is domestic,” Cataldo said. “Ceramic work rides that line — you can have a beautiful set of bowls that someone hand made but you can use them every day, but that same beautiful bowl could be in a museum.”

The exhibition also includes a “cup wall” that has transformed since the start of the show; then, it only had cups that Lugo made, and now it includes about a dozen other cups created by local ceramics artists who were invited to participate.

“Artists often trade work,” Cataldo said, “like a mug or cup — it’s small and portable but you can get a lot of expression on it.”

Cataldo said she’s heard positive feedback about the exhibition from visitors, and she herself has been enjoying its presence in the museum.

“Roberto is just so open — every time I walk through it always just feels happy and it really is just a true expression of him,” she said.

“Te traigo mi le lo lai – I bring you my joy”

Where: Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester
When: On view through Sept. 26
Cost: Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online.
More info: 669-6144, currier.org

Featured photo: Roberto Lugo at work on a ceramics piece. Photos courtesy of the Currier Museum of Art.

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