New Hampshire Antique Co-op will be presenting its exhibit “Light & Brush: Luminous and Tonal Paintings from the 19th Century to Present” until March.
“The show is on luminous and tonal paintings,” said Jason Hackler. He is the manager and co-owner of the Co-op. “The luminous movement, you know, was founded in the 19th century. The paintings themselves, these luminous paintings that were painted by the likes of Fitz Henry Lane, Albert Bierstadt, William Frederick De Haas, Asher Durand, some of the greats of the time.”
The artwork is electric. “The paintings really have their own inner sort of glow. I mean, some of them you feel like you need to put sunglasses on or they capture such a moment in the way they’re able to create the time of day, remember a sunrise, a sunset.”
“We’re also featuring contemporary artists, Erik Koeppel, William Davis and Dennis Sheehan. Their works capture a feeling, a time and place, and almost an emotion in a landscape. Some of the works you find very calming just standing in front of them. It’s sort of this kind of zen moment,” Hackler said.
Hackler talked about the styles’ history. “Tonal works really started in the late 19th century, where the luminous painting started a little bit earlier. There’s certainly crossovers with the two styles … we have examples of these done in like the Barbizon style, Impressionist style, and that earlier sort of Hudson River school, White Mountain school style.”
He also talked about the beginning of luminism. “The movement really started in Europe and then came to this country early on.”
Luminous art, especially the American version, is about the “wonder of nature, and the mystery of nature and our surroundings, pride of country … the early American luminous is really talking about the amazement and awe of our country, and looking at these grand scale landscapes,” he said.
One of Hackler’s favorites is a more modern piece titled “Autumn in the White Mountains.” “Erik Koeppel has one of the largest known paintings of this type. He was commissioned to do it for the Jackson Historical Society here in New Hampshire. Standing in front of the painting is pretty awesome…. The painting itself measures 78 inches by 135 inches.”
The exhibit is put forth through a community effort. “We’re fortunate to be able to network with collectors from all over the country and different ways to acquire these paintings.”
If one of these paintings lights up your world, you’re in luck. “All of the paintings are for sale. A number of paintings that have already sold … some will rotate in. There’s occasionally [a] new addition. We have a wonderful painting by Sanford Gifford. It’s a painting that’s been in the museum for a long time, which has sold, but we’ve been fortunate where he’s allowed us to keep it on exhibition. There will be some rotation in the show as some works sell. So it’s something that isn’t completely static.”
The entirety of the space is around 20,000 square feet and contains many pieces of art to get lost in. “There’s paintings and artwork throughout. The Tower Gallery holds approximately 40 paintings. The upstairs gallery has probably another 100 paintings on view,” he said.
“Each piece of each painting or sculpture or object that I have is something that I relate to. It might remind me of a certain time or place, something that was special in my life, might be an artist I have an association with, whether it’s a contemporary artist who I know and like very much or an artist from the 18th, 19th century who I’ve always admired or might have had and my art history and everything else. It’s just so enriching being surrounded in your own home with works of art,” Hackler said.
Light & Brush: Luminous and Tonal Paintings from the 19th Century to Present Where: New Hampshire Antique Co-op, 323 Elm St., Milford When: Now until March 2025. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info: nhantiquecoop.com, 673-8499
The art of Christina Watka relies on space and time, which is why the main gallery at 3S Artspace is ideal for her “Noticing Light” installation running through the end of the month. It’s dominated by a hanging sculpture of multicolored and shaped glass spanning two-thirds of the expansive room. The rest is taken up by “Kinship Compositions,” a display of works from metallurgy artist Margaret Jacobs.
Watka’s piece takes on different characteristics as morning moves into afternoon and early evening, thanks to large doors of latticed glass letting in outside light, along with gallery bulbs hung from the high ceiling. This dynamism is something that drives the Maine-based artist.
“That’s kind of what brought me to installation art,” she said by phone recently. “I had always been fascinated with light; it started seeping into the work I was making. The first real studio I ever committed to was on the Hudson River in Dobbs Ferry, New York. I had these west-facing windows, and I got blasted by light all the time. I could almost get a sunburn it was so bright in that room.”
3S Artspace is the ideal environment to express her current vision, she continued. “I decided to place this large installation exactly where the band of light curves around the room and then shoots through the entire thing,” she said. “It refracts and reflects … ‘kaleidoscopic’ is the best word to use. It sprays the light all around the room and completely changes it.”
Sound is another component at play in “Noticing Light,” via a series of field stones placed on the gallery’s floor. Each has a hole drilled in it. Cupping an ear while hovering over each reveals spare, ethereal music played by Andrew Halchak, who is Watka’s husband.
The stones once held up an 18th-century barn the couple own in Cape Elizabeth.
“I went through the property and hand-picked the ones that felt good,” Watka said. “Andrew is learning how to do dry stone walling — he’s just this jack of all trades. He helped me figure out how to make this idea come to life.”
The musical selections are “modern, minimal, classical compositions” provided by friends of the couple. “I’ve always been interested in … inviting people to embody themselves in a new way,” Watka said. “It’s really fascinating to have people in a gallery setting getting down on the floor to experience something different.”
It also provides a way to use her theater background. “Inviting people into spaces in a new way … to think of art and think of themselves and think of their time here in a different nuanced way,” she said. “And the music feels like an expression of time too. This very minimal thing can put you in your body, in the place in a different way.”
The looping nature of the music is similar to Watka’s other work.
“A lot of my installations are a repeated shape over and over again, and the process I have in making it is really meditative as well … but it’s also a really intimate experience,” she said. “I like inviting people to the payout if you allow yourself to be vulnerable and lay down on a gallery floor, instead of just standing and doing what you do in other galleries — looking at the wall, you know?”
Watka began working on the installation a year and a half ago. Early on, she was aware that it might arrive at a fraught moment, and welcomed that possibility. “A lot of artists are being called to making lighter work, that just brings you to where you are,” she said. “I think of that in my work all the time, making something that’s in direct response to the actual moment … it just makes sense.”
Noticing Light – Works by Christina Watka When: Through Jan. 28. Where: 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth More: 3sarts.org and christinawatka.com
Featured photo: “Noticing Light” by Christina Watka. Photo by Michael Witthaus.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• Baroque Beatles: The Concord Community Music School hosts Bach’s Lunch: “A Baroque Beatles Renaissance,” a lecture, on Thursday, Jan. 2, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. “Travel through time” as Cody Switzer and Emily Adams discuss similarities between the music of the English Renaissance (which includes John Dowland, William Byrd and Thomas Morley) and that of The Beatles. They will discuss how lute songs, as well as the music of Lennon and McCartney, translate well to solo voice and guitar, with plenty of musical examples and stories, according to the press release. This event is free and open to the public, “thanks in part to the generosity of the Walker Fund.” Visit ccmusicschool.org.
• History of the American poor house: Stephen Taylor presents “Poor Houses and Town Farms: The Hard Row for Paupers”on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at Charlie’s Barn Loudon Community Building (29 Village Road, Loudon). Early Northeastern colonies followed the lead of England’s 1601 Poor Law, which led to the establishment of alms houses and poor farms and, later, county institutions. Taylor will examine how paupers were treated in these facilities and how reformers eventually succeeded in closing them down. Call 783-0307 or visit nhhumanities.org.
• New on staff: TheBarnstormers Board of Directors announced the appointment of Jordan Ahnquist as the new Artistic Director of The Barnstormers Theatre heading into their 2025 season. In addition to working as a director and actor over the past 13 years, he worked closely with the board and artistic staff, finding new grant opportunities, enhancing patron engagement, and contributing to the theater’s growth in the role of Development Associate, according to the press release. Visit barnstormerstheatre.org or call 323-8500.
• Landscape show: Starting on Friday, Jan. 3, The New Hampshire Audubon at the McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord) will be hosting the exhibit “Painting the Natural Landscape Exhibit” from artist Diane Crespo. It will run until Saturday, Feb. 22, according to the NH Audubon calendar. Crespo is a landscape painter living in southeast New Hampshire and she earned her BFA from New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2011, according to the event’s website. Prior to pursuing a fine art degree she painted only with pastels, and now she paints primarily in oils and pastels and commonly paints over acrylic under-paintings or tonal under-paintings with oil paint, according to the website. Her paintings can be viewed at Diane Crespo Fine Art (27 Front St., Exeter; dianecrespofineart.com). Visit nhaudubon.org or call 224-9909 for more information on the exhibit.
• On stage: The Players’ Ring (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth) will start the new year with Whispering to Dostoevsky Friday, Jan. 3, through Sunday, Jan. 19. The play was written and directed by Richard McElvain, who said in a statement, “The Players’ Ring feels like a good place to give my wacky play a first full production. … It’s a ‘big play.’ At the readings audiences gave it standing ovations with tears in their eyes. I’m very curious to see if that will be the case with a full production.” Find out for yourself on Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; as well as Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $26 to $29 and the show is included in subscription packages. Visit playersring.org or call 436-8123.
From Saturday, Jan. 11, through Sunday, Jan. 26, a two-artist exhibition will be held at See Saw Art in Manchester that will feature selections from Ian Trask’s “Strange Histories” and Ryan Swedenborg’s “Winks” collection. An opening reception will be held Jan. 11 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Amy Regan is the heart and soul, owner and operator, of See Saw Art. She is no stranger to the gallery world.
“I opened See Saw Art in September of 2022, and I have been in volunteer arts curation and my community organizing in a way in Rochester, New Hampshire. I helped found and still operate and run the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts.”
Regan was compelled to do more with art and to bring it a bit closer to home.
“So around 2022 I was thinking, ‘I really love working in Rochester, but I’m here living in Manchester,’ and I wanted to try out a different sort of idea, where it was a little bit more of a commercial gallery and in a different city. When I started looking for studio spaces or places to have a gallery, I stumbled upon the Mosaic Art Collective, which was just absolutely perfect. It’s a great space … on Hanover Street, and it is really approachable for me to have, essentially, a smallish studio space. I discussed it with the owner, Liz Peroni, who instantly understood that I wanted to run a little gallery in that space. I’ve been really lucky to work with them and to have the two exhibition spaces in Mosaic Arts Collective,” Regan said.
See Saw Art holds two types of exhibits. “Mostly I’ll do invitational exhibitions, which is what I have coming up in January. I will pair artists together that I think are interesting and would kind of make a good conversation. I’m doing anywhere from two to 10 artists.”
Regan loves to include artists from different walks of life and backgrounds, and one way of finding them is by holding an exhibit where anyone can submit their artwork.
“Every once in a while, around six months or so, I’ll do an open call exhibition,” she said. “I just finished, it was a really short show in December, but I just did a 40-artist, 62-piece exhibition for our December show, ‘Small Works at Approachable Prices.’ So, kind of between those two styles, an invitational and a group exhibition are the ones that I’m typically running at See Saw.”
The exhibition in January is with an artist Regan discovered at one of her open calls, Ryan Swedenborg, and an artist she has worked with before, Ian Trask.
Trask is based in Brunswick Maine. “His work is vintage slide viewers that he has made custom platforms that they live on. They plug in so the light lights up. So he has made really intricate and unique for each slide viewer a style and a sculpture essentially. And when you look through the slide viewer, he has composed an image out of slides, so it could be three or four sort of stacked on one another of all different scenes. He was gifted a donation of slides from the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, which is a pop-up art family based in New York City,” she said.
Ian Trask Love Bug Slide Viewer. Courtesy photo.
Ryan Swedenborg is originally from California and is working toward a master of fine arts degree at the Maine College of Art and Design in Portland. “Ryan submitted to the open call I did in December. I reached out and said, ‘Hey, I love your work. Would you be interested in being paired with Ian in January?’ So it’s fun to be able to book shows based on that. They are working in ceramic, so we have a number of small ceramic sculptures that are going to be coming in, and she calls them the Winx Collection. It’s ceramic work created in appreciation of moments when nature winks back at you. So they’re really sweet, small sculptures.”
Regan finds joy in the curation of the exhibit. “So between the two artists, which are honestly pretty different ideas, that becomes my fun job of making sense and curating and installing an exhibition that is engaging and thought-provoking between the two works.” She also hosts artist talks on See Saw Art’s Instagram page.
But the real joy for Regan is using art and her gallery spaces to bring harmony to the community. “It’s artists from all communities. It’s a really great silo-breaker. You know, everybody can stand in front of a piece of artwork and whether you love it, or you don’t get it, or you hate it, you still have an opinion about it. It’s really interesting to me that people can get together and celebrate each other, discuss artwork, see where those ideas would come from. Part of my fun and part of my joy is making a space that’s really approachable and that is very welcoming…. So as much as it’s an experiment to showcase the artist, I also want to make sure that the patrons feel really supported and want to come in and check out and see what’s going on at See Saw,” Regan said.
‘Layers & Moments’ opening reception Where: See Saw Art, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, Manchester When: Saturday, Jan. 11, 5 to 7 p.m. Exhibit open through Sunday, Jan. 26. More: seesaw.gallery
Featured photo: Ian Trask Love Bug. Courtesy photo.
Just because the holiday season is over doesn’t mean the fun is done. There are plenty of reasons to get excited about 2025 — in particular, this first, frequently cold month. Here are 25 (-ish).
1 . If holiday symphony performances have you wanting more, check out the Bach’s Lunch events, which are free and open to the public, at the Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, ccmusicschool.org). On Thursday, Jan. 2, the lunch features a lecture with musical examples called “A Baroque Beatles Renaissance.” On Thursday, Jan. 9, the lunch is a concert of the same name. Both events start at 12:10 p.m.
Other events at the school in January include the Purple Finches 2025 Winter Concert (a youth chorus) on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m. followed by a Teen Chorus concert at 7:30 p.m. and a NE Roots and Branches program called “Contradance Music: The New England Contradance Repertoire” on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 6 to 9 p.m.
At the Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St., Manchester, mcmusicschool.org) the Faculty Performance Series schedule includes Appassionato Piano Trio with Erin Tellier (piano), Nicholas So (violin) and Kurt Villiard (cello) on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. The event is free with preregistration.
2. Get your college basketball live at local college home games. Next games on the schedule are Southern New Hampshire University Penmen on Thursday, Jan. 2, with the women’s team at 5:30 p.m. and the men’s team at 7:30 p.m., both versus Bentley University. Saint Anselm College Hawks also hit the court on Thursday, Jan. 2, with the women’s team playing at 5:30 p.m. and the men’s team playing at 7:30 p.m., both versus Assumption. All SNHU home games are at Stan Spirou Field House (2500 N. River Road, Manchester) and admission is free for regular season games (see snhupenmen.com). All Saint Anselm home games are played at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on campus and admission costs $10 (see saintanselmhawks.com).
At Rivier College, Raiders home games are played at the Muldoon Center (440 S. Main St., Nashua) and admission is free. Both men and women will next play at home on Tuesday, Jan. 7, against Elms — women at 4 p.m., men at 6 p.m. Visit rivieratheletics.com.
At New England College, Pilgrims home games are played at Bridges Gym (14 Grove St., Henniker). Admission is $5. Both men and women will next play Tuesday, Jan. 7, against University of Saint Joseph — women at 5 p.m., men at 7 p.m. See athletics.nec.edu.
At NHTI, all Lynx home games are at the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center on campus in Concord and admission is free. The men’s team will play its next home game on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m. against Massbay Community College. The women will next play at home on Friday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m. versus Washington County. See nhtiathletics.com.
And then of course there is the University of New Hampshire at Lundholm Gymnasium (145 Main St., Durham). For the Wildcats, men’s game tickets start at $17 in advance for adults and $19 on the day (courtside tickets for all ages cost $27 in advance and $29 on the day). Tickets for youth, 65+, military and grad students cost $12 in advance, $14 on the day. For women’s games, tickets cost $15 for adults on the website, $12 for youth, 65+ and military. Visit unhwildcats.com. The women’s next home game is Thursday, Jan. 2, at 6 p.m. vs. Bryant. The men’s next home game is Saturday, Jan. 4, at 1 p.m. vs. University of Vermont.
3. See competition on ice. The Saint Anselm College Hawks men’s ice hockey team will play their next home game at the Sullivan Arena (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester) on Friday, Jan. 3, at 6 p.m. versus Colby. See saintanselmhawks.com. See two hometown teams face off when the Hawks take on Southern New Hampshire University at Sullivan Arena, on both Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 11, at 4 p.m. Saint Anselm’s women’s ice hockey team will play its next home game on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. versus Dartmouth.
Rivier University Raiders ice hockey games take place at the Conway Arena (5 Stadium Drive, Nashua). The men’s team’s next home game is Friday, Jan. 3, at 5:40 p.m. versus Franklin Pierce. The women’s team’s next home game is Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 8:40 p.m. versus Keene State.
The New England College Pilgrims (athletics.nec.edu) play their hockey games at Lee Clement Arena (38 Grove St., Henniker). The women’s team next plays Friday, Jan. 3, at 6 p.m. versus Anna Maria College. The men’s team next plays at home on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 4 p.m. versus the Rivier Raiders.
The SNHU Penmen will play their next home game at the Ice Den Arena (600 Quality Drive, Hooksett) on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. versus Cortland. See snhupenmen.com.
And the University of New Hampshire Wildcats hockey home games take place at the Whittemore Center Arena (128 Main St., Durham). The women’s team plays its next home game on Friday, Jan. 3, at 6 p.m. versus Maine. The next men’s home game is Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. versus UConn. See unhwildcats.com.
4. Shop very local at winter farmers markets, keeping the direct-from-producer-to-consumer link alive during the cold months. On Saturdays head to the Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to noon at 7 Eagle Square in Concord. See downtownconcordwinterfarmersmarket.com.
The Milford NH Indoor Farmers Market is open every other Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Milford Town Hall Auditorium at Union Square. The first market of 2025 is Jan. 11. See milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.
The Salem NH Farmers Market operates in the winter on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the LaBelle Winery in Derry (14 Route 111). See salemnhfarmersmarket.org.
5. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, currier.org) has a slate of art classes for adults, teens and kids, including one-day workshops, multi-week series and online classes, kicking off with Tantalizing Textures with Rachel Montroy, a one-day workshop for adults on Saturday, Jan. 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. See the full lineup on the website.
Upcoming classes and workshops at Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford, creativeventuresfineart.com) include “Technical Drawing with Alex Haas” on Tuesdays, starting Jan. 7, at 5 p.m. and “Fundamentals of Drawing Class for Teens with Tami Sciola” on Thursdays, starting Jan. 9, at 6:30 p.m.
A winter session of classes at Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester, 550arts.com) will start Monday, Jan. 13. Find a rundown of offerings on the website.
The first winter session of classes at Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St., Concord, kimballjenkins.com) starts Monday, Jan. 6, for adults, kids and teens. Adult offerings include “Intro to Drawing with Matt Garofalo,” “Beginner Watercolor Painting with Sophia Eastley” and “Fundamentals of Printmaking with Mary Mead” — see the website for the full slate.
And you can check out the art of others at one of several gallery shows.
At the Currier, current exhibitions include “Olga de Amaral: Everything is Construction and Color” (through Feb. 16); “Dan Dailey: Impressions of the Human Spirit” (Feb. 2); “Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ouattara Watts: A Distant Conversation” (Feb. 23), and “The Legend of the Poinsettia: Paintings from Tomie DePaola’s Holiday Classic.”
At Art 3 Gallery (44 W. Brook St., Manchester, art3gallery.com), the winter exhibit is “What/How Do We See?”.
Glimpse Gallery’s (Patriot Building, 4 Park St., Concord, theglimpsegallery.com, 892-8307) current exhibit runs through Jan. 9, featuring works from artists Pat Arzillo, Byron Carr, Julie Daniels, Mark Ferland, David Wiggins, Barbara Morse and Michael McCormack, as well as a selection from curator Christina Landry-Boullion.
Outer Space (35 Pleasant St., Concord, outerspacearts.xyz) has the works of Emma cc Cook and Em Kettner on display in the exhibit “Caterpillar” through Saturday, Jan. 18.
Two Villages Art Society (846 Main St., Contoocook, twovillagesart.org) will open its next exhibit on Saturday, Jan. 11 (with a reception from noon to 2 p.m.); the show is called “Stitched Together: Friendship, Feminism and Craft / Laura Morrison and Maureen Redmond-Scura.”
6. Enjoy the music of Billy Joel with the tribute band Captain Jack and The Strangers on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com). The Tupelo will host a line-up of tribute bands (as well as an artist playing the music of a band he founded) in January including Eaglemania (Saturday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m.); Blues Brothers The Next Generation (Friday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m.); The Dave Matthews Tribute Band (Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m.); Zeppelin Reimagined (Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m.); Beatlejuice (Saturday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m) and Captain Fantastic (Friday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m.). Ace Frehley, founding member of KISS, will play the music of KISS on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m.
Get more tribute goodness when 1964 The Tribute will perform on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Dana Center for the Humanities (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu). Tickets cost $35.
Catch the next phase in the musical story the night before at British Invasion II — 1970s and Beyond presented by the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester, majestictheatre.net) on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $20.
7. You can run outside! Maybe you feel the urge to get back into a road jogging routine but aren’t sure you’ll be able to encourage yourself to leave your warm house on a cold day. Join a group hitting the road with the 2025 Freeze Your Buns 5K Series, which takes place every other Sunday starting Jan. 5 starting at 9 a.m. on the road between Conway Arena and the Nashua YMCA in Nashua. The series continues into March and the cost is $25 (or $6 per race). See gatecity.org/freeze-buns-5k-series.
Also on the winter running schedule is the Hopkinton Winter 5K Series on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 9 a.m. The cost is $30. See runsignup.com/Race/NH/Contoocook/HopkintonKRace. Subsequent races take place on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.
And the Delta Dental NH Snow or No We Go series starts Saturday, Jan. 18, at 10 a.m. at the Canterbury Shaker Village. The cost is $25. Find the race at findarace.com.
Or just sign up for a single race. The HPM Insurance Snowflake Shuffle in Bedford, on a 3-mile course, takes place Sunday, Jan. 12, at 9:30 a.m. (millenniumrunning.com/snowflake). The Boston Prep from the Greater Derry Track Club is Sunday, Jan. 26, at 10 a.m. with 5-mile and 16-mile options (gdtc.org/bostonprep).
8. Movie-geek it up with the Golden Globes, which air Sunday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m. on CBS and on Paramount+. For those who follow the Oscars race like others follow football, the Golden Globes means that the award season kicks into high gear, often making it easier to find nominated and wannabee nominated films. Red River Theatres in Concord (11 S. Main St., Concord, redrivertheaters.org) has A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic that has three Globe nominations, and The Brutalist (six nominations) on its coming soon schedule and is currently screening Globe nominees Wicked and Babygirl. O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square (24 Calef Highway in Epping; oneilcinemas.com) is currently screening Globe nominees A Complete Unknown, Babygirl and Moana 2. Chunky’s (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com) has Wickedand Moana 2, with Babygirl slated to open on Friday, Jan. 3. At the Apple Cinemas in Hooksett and Merrimack (applecinemas.com), you can find Globe nominees Wicked, Moana 2, Babygirl, A Complete Unknownand Gladiator II. Music Hall (23 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, themusichall.org) will offer several awards-buzzy movies in January including Conclave(Jan. 3 through Jan. 5), Nightbitch(Jan. 5 through Jan. 9),Anora(Jan. 10 and Jan. 11), Flow(Jan. 18 and Jan. 19) and Babygirl(Jan. 28 through Jan. 31).
9. Prepare for your trip to France — or to a French-style bakery — with “Français Pour Visiteurs” Traveler’s French classes from the Franco-American Centre (facnh.com). Classes run Thursdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Jan. 9 through Feb. 6, or Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to noon, Jan. 11 through Feb. 8, over Zoom. The series costs $185. You can try out your skills at the Franco-American’s regular Pret-à-Parler — or PaPa Conversation — gatherings, which meet both virtually and at locations such as Murphy’s Taproom in Bedford (Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 5:30 p.m.) and El Rodeo in Concord (Monday, Jan. 13, at 5:30 p.m.).
10. The SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, snhuarena.com) puts on a show with events this January: Disney on Ice Presents Mickey’s Search Party with seven shows Thursday, Jan. 9, through Sunday, Jan. 12. Tickets start at $15 plus fees. Then on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m. it’s Dancing with the Stars Live 2025 with professional dancers; tickets start at $54.50.
Yamato the Drummers of Japan will be at the Capitol Center for the Arts.
11. Get the Led Out celebrates the music of Led Zeppelinon Friday, Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). Also appearing at the Cap Center proper in January are Now and Forever — A Celebration of Carole King on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Dirty Deeds the AC/DC experience on Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m.; The Fab Four: USA Meets The Beatles on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7:30 p.m. and Yamato the Drummers of Japan on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m.
At the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord), catch Modern Fools with Slim Volume & Rachel Berlin on Friday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m.; Swing Dance Night with the New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 3:30 p.m.; Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish featuring Delanie Pickering on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m.; Dueling Pianos on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m., and GoldenOak on Friday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m. Catch Mikey G in the Cantin Room at BNH Stage on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 6 p.m.
12. The libraries are making January fun. The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, nashualibrary.org) is holding a Passport to China event on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 2 p.m. featuring Chinese music, dance, craft activities and food samples in the Chandler Wing, according to a Facebook post from the library. The Nashua library is also in the middle of a Winter Reading Club for adults (win a mug; see the website for details). And it doesn’t get more fun at the Nashua library’s Oreo Taste Test on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 6 to 7 p.m. (open to ages 14+).
The Griffin Free Public Library (22 Hooksett Road, Auburn, griffinfree.org) will help with your holiday cleanup at the White Elephant Gift Exchange on Saturday, Jan. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Earn a mug by reading as part of the Bedford Public Library’s (3 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford, bedfordnhlibrary.org) Adult and Teen Winter Reading Challenge which kicks off with a party on Sunday, Jan. 5, from 2 to 4 p.m.
If your New Year’s resolution involves writing more, check out the creative writing workshop at the Leach Library (276 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, londonderrynh.gov/leach-library) on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 5 p.m.
Doing dry January? Concord Public Library (45 Green St., Concord, concordnh.gov/1983/Library) will have a Mocktail Mixology event on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 6 p.m. in the Blanchard Room. On Friday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m., contralto Melissa Elsman and pianist Mike Ring will present a lecture and musical performance called “La Femme Vaillante: Reviving the Remarkable Musical Legacy of Augusta Holmes” at the Penacook Library and Activity Center (76 Community Drive in Penacook).
The Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., Manchester, manchester.lib.nh.us) will hold a Flower Arranging Demonstration and Raffle with a representative from Chalifour’s Flowers on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 2 p.m. Pay $10 for a grocery bag full of books on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Winter Book Sale. And for kids (grades 1 to 6), there is a Slime-of-the-MonthClub, which will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 3:30 p.m.
The Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, derrypl.org) will offer Loom Demonstration on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 2 to 3 p.m., and help with a financial makeover at Budgeting 101 on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 6:30 p.m.
Goffstown Public Library (2 High St., Goffstown, goffstownlibrary.com) will host “Taste of the Old Country in the New: Franco-Americans of Manchester” with Robert Perreault on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m.
The kids can get out and create on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Wadleigh Memorial Library (49 Nashua St., Milford, wadleighlibrary.org) on Children’s Crafts Saturday.
13. Enjoy the music of local band Mixtape Heroez at the 21+ annual Xmas Tree Burn on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. at Auburn Pitts (167 Rockingham Road in Auburn), according to the restaurant’s Facebook page. Find more live music at area restaurants, breweries, pubs and other hang-out warm-up fun-winter locales in the Music This Week, which runs every week in the Nite section (this week the listing starts on page 27). Have an upcoming gig to add to the listing? Let us know at [email protected].
14. Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com) kicks off 2025’s “Expanding the Canon — A Play Reading Circle” on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m., which will focus “on the works of Latiné playwrights and their experience,”according to the website. “Playwrights featured in this circle include Nilo Cruz, Matthew López, Karen Zacarías, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Vero Villalobos,” the website said. The event is free and takes place over Zoom; register online.
15. Vote! No, don’t worry, this one will be fun. Voting starts early in our annual readers poll. Vote in the Hippo’s Best of 2025 starting Wednesday, Jan. 15. See hippopress.com.
16. The 2025 concert series at The Flying Goose Brew Pub and Grille (40 Andover Road in New London; flyinggoose.com) kicks off Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 with New England Bluegrass Band. Tickets cost $25. The next show is Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. with Dinty Child and Mark Erelli. Tickets to that show cost $30.
17. Take the kids to see a show. Annie, presented by RB Professional, will be on stage at the Capitol Center for the Arts Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 18, at 1 and 7 p.m.
The Cap Center will also present Doctor Kaboom: Under Pressure, an interactive science and comedy show, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 10:30 a.m.
The Palace Youth Theatre will present Grease, school edition, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Jan. 22 through Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org).
The Majestic Academy of Youth/Teens (majestictheatre.net) will present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway, Derry) on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 25, at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m.
Epping Middle School will present Arsenic and Old Lace on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 25, and Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. at Epping Community Theatre (38 Ladds Lane, Epping, eppingtheater.org).
Gilbert H. Hood presents Beauty and the Beast on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1, at 4 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre (Pinkerton Academy, 44 N. Main St., Derry, stockbridgetheatre.showare.com).
And for the grown-ups looking for some fun theater: Cue Zero Theatre will present Dead Air, a murder mystery fundraiser for the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 6:30 p.m. at Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St.. Manchester, palacetheatre.org). “You’ll take part in a 50th anniversary live radio broadcast and celebration for WEZ-Y, hosted by Guy Godfry, set in 2004. You have been assigned the role of the live studio audience and are witness to something that goes terribly wrong,” according to the website. Tickets cost $50 and include hors d’oeuvres. See cztheatre.com.
18. Get the music of Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Elton John, Freddie Mercury and more in the musical production Piano Men, which runs at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) Friday, Jan. 17, through Sunday, Feb. 9. with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
Get more music at the Palace with the run of Recycled Percussion concerts, which continues weekends through Sunday Jan. 12.
Over at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) the lineup of musical performances includes Tom DiMenna and friends with the Story Songs of the ’70s (Saturday, Jan. 4, at 7:30 p.m.); Candlelight concerts on Thursday, Jan. 9, with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (6 p.m.) and Coldplay and Imagine Dragons (8:30 p.m.); Prince/Bowie on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Good Looking “Hank” and His Cowboy Drifters (tribute to Hank Williams Sr.) on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m.; Close Enemies featuring Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m.; 603 Songwriters in the Round on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m.; Elias Kacavas & The Vanity on Friday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m.; Van Halen all eras tribute with Cathedral on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m.; Steve Forbert on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m., and the 15th annual New England Winter Blues Festival on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m.
19. Free Fishing Day, the winter version, is Saturday, Jan. 18, in New Hampshire. Anyone can fish inland water or saltwater without a fishing license (though bag limits, season dates and other regulations still apply), according to New Hampshire Fish and Game. See nhfishgame.com for the regulations and for information on winter fishing opportunities as well as other outdoor information, the department’s podcast On the Nature Trail and a link to purchase the department’s New Hampshire Wildlife Calendar, which features dates for hunting and fishing seasons and other outdoor events.
Find more outdoor happenings at Beaver Brook (117 Ridge Road, Hollis, beaverbrook.org), which offers winter fitness hikes and a Winter Survival class for homeschoolers ages 11 to 14 starting Jan. 15.
And if/when we get some snowy days, head to the New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn, nhaudubon.org) or Susan N. McLane Audubon Center (84 Silk Road, Concord), where you can rent snowshoes ($15 per pair) during the Center’s regular hours (Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.), according to the website.
Branford Marsalis Quartet will be at the Nashua Center for the Arts. Photo from branfordmarsalis.com.
20. Branford Marsalis Quartet warms up the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $49. Also at the Nashua Center for the Arts in January are Boat House Row bringing the yacht rock experience on Friday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m.; Esperanza Spalding on Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m., and Michael Jackson History Show on Friday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m.
21. “It’s our time down here.” The Goonies celebrates its (sorry, Xers and elder millennials, take a deep breath and brace yourselves) 40th anniversary with “Fathom’s Big Screen Classics” screenings on Sunday, Jan. 19, and Monday, Jan. 20, at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett, Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem, O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping and Regal Fox Run in Newington. See fathomevents.com for times.
Throw even further back for a screening of 1928’s silent film Wild Orchids on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org), presented with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis.
22. Get excited about books! Bookstores are holding midnight release parties for the Jan. 21 release of Onyx Storm, the third book in Rebecca Yarros’ The Empyrean series (Fourth Wing and Iron Flame) about a military college for dragon-riders. Balin Books in Nashua (375 Amherst St., Somerset Plaza, 417-7981) will party from 10 p.m. Jan. 20 to 1 a.m. Jan. 21, with snacks, games and fun; book preorders are available at balinbooks.com. Barnes & Noble stores (1741 S. Willow St., Manchester, 668-5557; 235 DW Highway, Nashua, 888-0533; 125 S. Broadway, Salem, 898-1930; Seabrook Commons, 700 Lafayette Road, Seabrook, 730-6650; bn.com) plan to start celebrating at 10 p.m. Jan. 20, and the book goes on sale in store at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 21. Call your B&N store to sign up for the event and confirm a finalized event time, as time is subject to change; due to high demand, proof of purchase of the Deluxe Limited Edition of the book is required to attend the B&N events.
In other January book news, Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com) will hold author events with Sally Cragin for Llewellyn’s Moon Sign Book on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m.; Peg Fitzpatrickfor The Art of Small Business Social Media on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 6:30 p.m.; David Preece and Jim Webber with their two Mr. Higgins picture books on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 11 a.m.; Amanda Grappone Osmer with Grappone Automotive: The Founding on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m., and Jeffrey Boutwill with Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracyon Thursday, Jan. 30, at 6:30 p.m.
Author events at Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) include David M. Miller launching True Christianity: An Exposition of John’s Letters on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 5 p.m.; Mary Eisenhauer with Reimagining Midlife: Making Bold Moves for Your Second Act on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m., and Matt Larson with 4000s by 40: Tackling Middle Age in the Mountains of New Hampshire on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 4 p.m.
23. It’s something of a homecoming when comedian Sarah Silverman, born in Concord and a one-time resident of Bedford, plays the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m.
But those won’t be the only laughs.
Juston McKinney will play the CAKE Theatre in Laconia on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. See thecaketheatre.com.
The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) will hold Italian Comedy Night, featuring Frank Santorelli & Mark Ricccadona, on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Jan 10 is also the Tupelo Night of Comedy for January featuring Paul Nardizzi, Kyle Crawford and Jolanda Logan at 8 p.m.
Catch Jimmy Dunn at the Amato Center for Performing Arts in Milford on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $40. See jimmydunn.com.
And find comedy every week at Headliners Comedy at the Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (headlinersnh.com) and Chunky’s in Manchester (chunkys.com), the Ruby Room Comedy Club at the Shaskeen in Manchester (find them on Facebook) and the Thursday Laugh Attic at Strange Brew Tavern in Manchester (strangebrewtavern.net).
24. New Hampshire Wine Week returns with wine dinners, wine tasting and the week’s centerpiece, the New England Winter Wine Spectacular at the Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown on Thursday, Jan. 23, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $75 to the grand tasting, $135 for a ticket that includes the Bellman’s Cellar Select room. Other events on the Wine Week schedule include Vive La France on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., a panel discussion of French wines ($65) at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford, and a wine dinner with Brian Pruett of Dry Creek Vineyards at Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. ($130.13). See nhwineweek.com.
25. Check out a variety of excitement at the 2025 Concord NH Winter Fest, Ice Carving Competition & Food Truck Festival starting Friday, Jan. 24. Actually the fun starts Thursday, Jan. 23, with the opening of Art & Bloom (opening reception 5 to 7 p.m.; exhibit on display Thursday, Jan. 23, from 2 to 5 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), an exhibition at Kimball Jenkins in Concord featuring art from the Women’s Caucus for Art — New Hampshire Chapter, and accompanying flower arrangements by area floral designers. On Jan. 24, check out the ice carvings taking place on the Statehouse lawn from 3 to 9 p.m. with the competition starting Saturday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m. with awards handed out at 3:30 p.m. Find food trucks and other event sponsors on Capitol Street from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. See intownconcord.org.
Strange Brew Tavern (88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292, strangebrewtavern.net) will host a special comedy event tonight from 8 to 10 p.m.: Laugh Attic Presents: The High School Dropout. Some of New England’s funniest comedians will ditch their material and educate you on classic literature. Tickets are $15.
Friday, Jan. 3
Dueling Pianos of New Hampshire brings fast-paced request-driven fun to the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $22.
Saturday, Jan. 4
New Hampshire Public Television (nhpbs.org) will screen a sneak-peek preview of the first episode of Season 5 of All Creatures Great and Smallat the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) this afternoon at 3 p.m. Tickets are free through the Capitol Center’s website.
Saturday, Jan. 4
The Parish of the Resurrection (449 Broad St., Nashua, 882-0925, parishoftheresurrection.org) will hold a free organ concert to celebrate its new Rodgers instrument this evening at 5:30 p.m. The concert will feature pieces performed by seven friends of the Parish and members of local chapters of the American Guild of Organists. Most of the pieces will be Christmas- and Epiphany-themed, and all will be relatively short and listener-friendly. The concert as a whole will be approximately one hour long.
Sunday, Jan. 5
Recycled Percussion continues its 16-show run at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) with two shows today — at 1 and 4:30 p.m. In addition to shows this weekend, the group has six shows left on the schedule next weekend, Friday, Jan. 10 thorugh Sunday, Jan. 12. Tickets start at $39.
Tuesday, Jan.7
The Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, 432-6140, derrypl.org) will host a Drop- In Genealogy Session from 6 to 7 p.m. in the New Hampshire Room. This will be a collaborative research session. Bring your laptop or use one of the Library’s. Ask for help if you need it; give help if you can. Share a fun family history story with a fellow researcher.
Wednesday, Jan. 8
This evening at 6:30 p.m. NH Humanities will present a lecture at the Loudon Historical Society & Museum (29 S. Village Road, Loudon) on Poor Houses and Town Farms: The Hard Row for Paupers. Historian Steven Taylor will present a look at New Hampshire’s early and flawed institutions for dealing with
Save the Date! Wednesday, Jan. 15 The audience at Dancing with the Stars: Live! will have the opportunity to experience athleticism and artistry they see in the TV show’s famed ballroom live with dancers including Emma Slater, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Gleb Savchenko, Pasha Pashkov and Rylee Arnold. The show comes to the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St. in Manchester; snhuarena.com) on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $54.50.
