Arts Alive awards 18 mini grants to local artists

A panel of peers in the arts community selected 18 local artists and creative businesses to receive an Arts Alive mini grant. This year, 43 total applicants sent artist bios and descriptions of their project for review. Selected projects received funding to either expand the artist’s or business’s professional abilities or increase the amount of people they reach with arts experiences.

We’re really delighted that the mini grants program can open the doors for folks to pursue their dreams and reach their community. – Jennifer Paone, Board Co-Chair

The 2024 mini grant awardees are:

Hannah Banana

Visual artist Hannah Banana Clark, who intends to use the grant to purchase supplies and promotional materials for an old-train-car-turned-new-community-maker-space called “The Banana Box” in Swanzey, NH.

Keene Senior Center Executive Director Kimberly Rumrill, who will use the grant to fund the purchase and installation of molding and hanging rods to hang paintings for a new art gallery at the Senior Center.

Local artist and educator Erin Sweeney who will use the grant to help pay for a sign and website for a new art studio in Hancock called Brick House Arts. Sweeney intends to host workshops, pop up art shows, events for all ages, and an Art Table project, among other community collaborations and projects.

Filmmaker and High Cairn Films-founder Chris Hardee, who will use the funds to support free screenings of a new history-focused documentary ‘Good-bye to a House’ to local audiences in the Monadnock region. These screenings involve time, travel expenses, and in some cases, equipment purchase or rental.

Waking Finnegan

Violinist and songwriter Corey Walden, who will use the mini grant to support an album recording by the local Celtic music project Waking Finnegan.

Former librarian Miranda Rosbach, who will use the grant to serve families with children aged 0-12 of Rindge by creating a Mini Maker Art Studio with art classes and interactive experiences and a children's bookshop in her backyard.

Pyrographer, fiber artist, and performer Brenna Morss-Fish, who will use the mini grant to purchase materials to craft unique and fun wood and fiber-based products to support her growing creative business.

Writer and writing coach Becky Karush, who will use the grant to fund a week at Welcome Hill Studios in Chesterfield, NH to provide uninterrupted writing time to work on the third draft of her WWII-themed historic fiction novel.

Artist and arts educator Sammy Burhoe, who will use the funds to purchase printmaking class materials including a new set of printmaking inks, 2 new rollers and about 25 sheets of fine art paper for students ages 14+ in a public after school program at The Center at Orchard Hill in Alstead, NH. 

Martha Behrens-Temple

Photographer and mixed media artist Martha Behrens-Temple, who will use the mini grant to gain access to the workshops, materials, and resources available with membership at the Vermont Center for Photography in Brattleboro.

Caroline Tremblay

Author, entrepreneur, and content creator Caroline Tremblay, who will use the grant to fund a solo writing retreat at a farm to provide inspiration and uninterrupted writing time to draft her first novel.

Artist and art teacher Melanie Fedorowicz, who will use the funds to support her growing art practice and creative business in a new studio.

Artist Alison Scott, who will use the funds to purchase frames for artwork to be exhibited in local galleries.

Singer-songwriter and audio engineer Cameron Paul, who will use the mini grant to purchase materials for the construction of a vocal isolation booth for his music studio.

DJ Owen Zoll, who will use the mini grant to purchase an external hard drive for his music.

Photo of ‘Emergent Pines’ and Alison Scott by Diana Place

Independent director, producer, filmmaker, and documentarian Heather Holloway, who will apply the mini grant to the cost of developing, mounting, and framing photography for a public exhibit of a film currently in production.

Interdisciplinary artist, educator, and art historian April Claggett, who will use the mini grant to purchase supplies for an interactive, video-based installation at the Jaffrey Civic Center.

Dance instructor, professional choreographer, and dancer Kristen Walden, who will use the funds to replace props and costumes for classes and performances. 

Arts Alive awarded grants of $200 to $250, depending on the needs of the project and alignment with the nonprofit’s mission of igniting creativity, sparking connections, and nurturing the artists and culture-bearers of the region so that they may spark others to dream, create, and engage.

Kristen Walden by Peter Paradise Photography

Through anonymously collected demographic information, Arts Alive determined that 28% of the mini grant applicants are living near or below the poverty line and over 49% make less than the region’s median income. Additionally, 36% of applicants are caretakers of another household or family member, like a child or an ailing relative.

We’ve begun collecting data to see who is accessing our programs to better understand where the need is. Mini grants are an easy way to say to artists - your ideas are valid, worthy, please keep going! With this bit of funding, we are able to connect artists with money to kickstart their dreams. I wish we had another few thousand to give away each year! - Arts Alive Executive Director Jessica Iris

By accepting the mini grant, awardees agree to use the funds for intended purposes by September 2025. Awardees will also document the impact of the funding on their project. To help raise the $2,000 for this program, Arts Alive conducted a NH Gives Day online fundraiser in June 2024. In October 2024, Arts Alive was able to increase the amount of mini grants available with a generous donation from the The Eppes-Jefferson Foundation.

This year, the mini grants panel consisted of local arts leaders, previous mini grant recipients, and Arts Alive board and staff members including 2023 mini grant recipients Sarita Drew of Everybody Burlesque, musician and composer Tara Novak, musician and sound artist Katie Semro, artist and arts educator Tristan Bridges, and Keene Sentinel journalist and photographer James Rinker. Additionally, Keene State College professor and 2024 Ewing Arts Award winner Christina Wright-Ivanova, Arts Alive board member James Duffy, and Arts Alive Programming Coordinator Nina Taylor-Dunn juried.

Two books and a podcast — Nov/Dec 2024 News from Arts Alive’s Creative Community

In a nutshell: Author Sy Montgomery published What the Chicken Knows - her third new book THIS YEAR, interdisciplinary artist Jo Dery launched a podcast on adoption and foster care issues, wildlife illustrator Matt Patterson just completed a series of new illustrations for an upcoming book about a snapping turtle, and mini grantee Alison Scott sold a painting!

author sy montgomery publishes a new book

I've got a new book out this month--WHAT THE CHICKEN KNOWS: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird--starring people and chickens of our Monadnock area! This is the third new book of mine out this year. Next up: with wildlife illustrator Matt Patterson, a book on our favorite 42 pound wild snapping turtle, Fire Chief; a commemorative edition of The Photo Ark with Nat Geo photographer Joel Sartore; and a book for younger readers on my September expedition scuba diving with giant oceanic manta rays in Ecuador!

interdisciplinary artist jo dery launches a podcast

I actually launched a podcast recently at https://adoptionstoriesvt.com/. You can also listen on the Podbean website or app at https://adoptionstories.podbean.com/.

Adoption Stories is a series of audio interviews with foster/adoptive families, adult adoptees, and adoption-support professionals in Windham County, VT. Children in foster care should be of concern to every Vermonter. There are 1,300 children in foster care across Vermont – 150 of them are in Windham County. In the past decade, our state’s child welfare system has been, and remains, under great stress. The themes touched on in these interviews include trauma, grief, resilience, celebration, and community – as well as the role that race, class, gender, and the opioid and housing crises play in why children end up in foster care in Vermont. Through centering foster/adoptive children’s and family’s memories of the past and dreams for the future, Adoption Stories paints a picture of the complex experience of these kids and families – full of love, loss, beauty, and pain. The Adoption Stories interviews are collected on the web at www.adoptionstoriesvt.com, and available to listen to on the Podbean app. Adoption Stories was funded in part by a Brattleboro Town Arts Fund grant.

Join creators and foster/adoptive parents Jo Dery (artist and educator) and Tamara Evanson (licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist) at the Putney Library to learn about the project and hear from some of the participants.

artist Matt Patterson completes illustrations for a new book

I recently finished the illustrations for a new book about a snapping turtle titled THE TRUE AND LUCKY STORY OF A TURTLE! I did over 30 illustrations for this book which is being published by HarperCollins and will be out in a year. It chronicles the life of FIRE CHIEF the snapping turtle from when he hatched to current day. He also is a major character in the NY Times bestselling book OF TIME AND TURTLES.

mini grantee Alison Scott sells a painting

Photo of ‘Emergent Pines’ and Alison Scott by Diana Place

My “biggest piece“, my 16“ x 20“ photo called Emergent Pines, sold, before the 11/23 Opening Reception at the Jaffrey Civic Center had begun.

This show, called “Emergence” is held by the Monadnock Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for the Arts. During the Reception, a fellow Women’s Caucus artist expressed interest in purchasing a copy of this print, as well. The frame is wood, painted silver, and as it cost $50, the mini-grant I received from ArtsAlive! and its sponsors was most helpful!

Updates from Arts Alive’s Creative Community—October/November 2024

In a nutshell: The Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music welcomes a new cellist, new executive director, and new solar panels; Arts Alive fiscal sponsee, the Contenders documentary, shares progress in the filming process; Taryn Fisher Fine Art curates a gallery at 310 Marlboro and takes part in Monadnock Music’s Holiday Home Tour; The Colonial enjoyed organizing performances for Keene Pumpkin Fest and looks forward to an upcoming concert; The Art Source Fine Arts Gallery looks for folks to join life drawing classes and French conversations on Fridays; Jaffrey Civic Center celebrates new staff, a one-year milestone, and prepares for the holidays; Craig Stockwell wraps up the October SPAR(K) artist residency at Covenant Living; Rodger Martin presents poetry to be included in a new anthology on the subject of death.

apple hill welcomes New people and renewable energy

Apple Hill’s new solar panels

It's been a very busy fall at Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, as we welcomed new cellist (and Stoddard native!) Jacob MacKay to the Apple Hill String Quartet, and new executive director Sam Bergman to our farmhouse office. The AHSQ is off and running with fall concerts featuring music from across 900 years of musical history, in New Hampshire venues from the Monadnocks all the way east to the Seacoast region! The quartet will be traveling further afield in November, with concerts in Brooklyn, New York and Rockport, Massachusetts, as well as New Hampshire performances at Aloha Yoga in Keene on the 10th; at St. Paul's School in Concord on the 15th; and at Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner on the 17th. Visit Apple Hill’s website for more information.

In addition, our campus has taken an enormous step towards sustainability and renewable energy reliance this month, as we bring a long-planned pair of rooftop solar arrays online! With help from our friends at SouthPack Solar, we've installed nearly 23kW worth of electricity generating solar panels atop our concert and rehearsal barn roofs, which are expected to supply nearly all of the electric power our campus uses over the course of a year. The arrays are as beautiful as they are functional, and we can't wait to show them off to our audiences and camp participants next summer!” — Gail Malitas, Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music Office Administrator.

the contenders documentary shares film progress

“The Contenders documentary is nearing the end of the football season as they follow the Fall Mountain football team through the 2024 season. Interviews still need to be conducted with a number of the coaches, players, alumni, and school officials and the aim is to complete those by the end of the year. The filmmakers hope to have a rough version of the film available for the team and their families to watch by the end of May/early June 2025 with a finished version completed by the fall of 2025.” - Brantley Palmer

The Contenders documentary is one of our fiscal sponsees! Read more information about the project here.

Taryn fisher fine art curates new galleries

Main Lobby at 310 Marlboro Street. Artwork by Scott J. Morgan.

Taryn Fisher Fine Art created a gallery at 310 Marlboro Street! Periodically rotating exhibits will be curated by Taryn Fisher. Artwork can be viewed in the corridors and common areas on multiple floors.

Taryn Fisher’s recently opened home gallery will participate in the upcoming Holiday House Tour hosted by Monadnock Music on Sunday, December 15th from 2 to 5 pm. The December exhibition captures the ethereal nature of this season's holiday celebration. Tickets and info are available here. 

the colonial organizes community engagement and unique programming

The Colonial had the Big Nazo perform at the Keene Pumpkin Festival, and some students from NHDI performed with them after a workshop!  It was free and open to the Community and quite popular.  Above are photos of two NHDI students in their puppet costumes and one of the entire Big Nazo/NHDI company. 

The Colonial’s Director of Education & Community Engagement, Vicky Pittman, is excited about Aysanabee (Ace-in-abbey) - a two-time JUNO award-winning alternative indie artist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter who will be performing at the Showroom on November 7 at 7:30pm. He is Oji-Cree, Sucker Clan of Sandy Lake First Nation, a remote fly-in community in the far reaches of Northwestern Ontario, Canada.

“His voice is haunting and his stories are based on his life and the memories of his grandfather,” she says. Information and tickets can be found on the Colonial Performing Arts Center website.

the art source fine arts gallery shares unique offerings

Mona Brooks continues her life drawing classes (Fridays at 11) and French conversations (Fridays at 4), and offers individual art classes by appointment at her Peterborough Gallery, The Art Source Fine Arts Gallery.

jaffrey civic center celebrates a milestone

“I am very excited to attend the Leadership Conference held by Arts Alive in November...I have a new assistant Karen Chiasson who has now been working with me since August of this year. November 1 I will hit one year working for the JCC!” - Laura Adams, Executive Director of the Jaffrey Civic Center.

Attend art classes in various mediums at the Civic Center here and sign up for the December 7 craft fair as a vendor here.

Craig Stockwell wraps up a residency project

The Social Practice Artist Residency (Keene) (SPAR(K)) residency at Covenant Living is drawing to a close and there will be a closing event and exhibition 11/1 at Covenant Living of Keene, 95 Wyman Road at1:30pm. Artist Olivia DelGandio of Portland, Oregon, who has been working with residents throughout October, will speak about the residency and the work that has been accumulated on the topic of age and changing artistic practice.

rodger martin presents poetry

Rodger Martin, poet, teacher, editor, journalist, and director of Monadnock Pastoral Poets, will be part of a group presenting poetry for Deirdre Pulgram-Arthen’s anthology on death - The Black River: Death Poems. More info here.

Stay tuned for next month’s updates! In the meantime, you can look up an array of wonderful local artists and creative businesses on our creative economy directory.

Arts Alive holds a day of exploration and creativity with The Center at Orchard Hill

Arts Alive invites artists and lovers of the arts to build community, engage in creativity, and explore arts spaces around the region with Field Trips. On Saturday, November 9th, from 10am-1:30pm, Field Trip participants will explore forest drawing, harvesting and working with clay, and envisioning other programs that artists and community leaders can create at The Center at Orchard Hill in Alstead, NH. The event is $10 ($5 for Arts Alive members) to cover artisan coffee and baked goods. Registration is online at monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips.

As The Center at Orchard Hill finds itself at the intersection of what was and what will be, the possibilities for new programming are great. Anyone who has a vision for bringing life to their communities through the arts, or who just enjoys being creative with others, is welcome to come imagine possibilities for creative and educational community, and share their own needs as artists and families.

Andres Institute of Art Field Trip participants connect over coffee at Craig Stockwell’s studio.

The program for the day will begin at 10am with an informal introductory circle, where participants will get to know each other as artists and lovers of creativity over Alstead’s famous Orchard Hill Breadworks pastries and coffee from East Alstead Roasting Co. The Field Trip will then progress into a tour of The Center at Orchard Hill’s community farm, orchard, camp and school grounds, Old Settlers Pottery, and Orchard Hill Breadworks. The tour will highlight flexible exhibit, performance, and meeting space, as well as residential and kitchen space, personal studios and the all ages art studio. Any artists and community organizers who attend are encouraged to envision the ways in which they can use the space to host events of all kinds. The center has a land and community focus that shines through regular programs, special events, residencies, camps, and more for all ages and abilities. Weekly groups include Quaker meetings, meditation, yoga, dance, and singing, as well as a cooperative preschool and after school teen arts program. The center also supports performances, residencies and single or multi-day retreats.

Barb Davis harvesting natural clay! Photo from The Center at Orchard Hill.

After the introduction and tour, guests can choose from two activities during the field trip: a drawing class or a ceramics class with resident artists. The first, “Forest Drawing” with Sammy Burhoe, will take participants into the center’s fields and trails to observe, interpret and represent forest observations. The second, “Art From The Earth” with Barb Davis, will lead participants through two actions: harvesting natural clay, then using the clay to create a small sculpture. Both activities will be adapted in case of rain, and strong footwear is recommended.

Registration online at monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips is $10 ($5 for Arts Alive members) and goes towards fresh coffee and pastries for the morning program. The Center at Orchard Hill is generously providing instruction and materials for participants, as an accessible arts program for the community. For information about event accessibility, call Arts Alive at (603) 283-0944 or email the Program Coordinator at nina@monadnockartsalive.org.

Field Trips are a series of casual, friendly mornings designed for local artists and arts lovers to engage in exploration, learning, and connection. These trips often have a hands-on, creative component and coffee with fresh pastries is a staple. Participants dive into local arts spaces and businesses they may not otherwise explore, meet and connect with new people in their community, and learn about available resources and opportunities for social, creative, and professional expansion in and around the Monadnock region.

Mill Hollow Works Field Trip participants make shaker-style steam bent wooden boxes with the craft school’s co-founder Wade Smith.

Previous attendees have expressed the value of the Field Trip series through feedback appreciating “Meeting artists and exchanging creative ideas for new projects,” “The chance to try a new art form,” “Meeting other people involved in the arts and sharing stories,” and “Connecting with other artists.”

Arts Alive Field Trips have taken artists and arts appreciators to visual and performing arts venues across New Hampshire’s Monadnock region and Brattleboro, Vermont, including DublinArts & Muse Gallery, MAXT Makerspace’s Ceramics Center, 17ROX Artist Studios, Historic Harrsiville and Harrisville Designs, the Keene Public Library’s Kingsbury Makerspace, The Stone Church, Mitchell Giddings Fine Arts, First Proof Press, Epsilon Spires, The Craft School at Mill Hollow Works, and individual artists’ studios.

Arts Alive is supported in part by National Endowment for the Arts, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, and this program is supported by a generous gift from C & S Wholesale Grocers.

Arts Alive brings artists together over Andres Institute of Art iron melt

Arts Alive holds field trips every 1-2 months for artists and lovers of the arts to build community, engage in creativity, and explore arts spaces around the region. The October trip will happen in two parts, in tandem with the Andres Institute of Art’s bi-annual iron melt in Brookline, NH. Registration is online at monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips.

Mold carving photo from the Andres Institute of Art

On Saturday, October 5th, from 10am-12pm, Arts Alive will hold a carving session for field trip participants to meet each other and prepare their design for the iron melt. The molds, provided by the Andres Institute of Art, are made out of play sand and epoxy. Designing is completely beginner friendly and a fun challenge, as any letters or numbers need to be carved mirror-image for the finished design to be legible. Local artist Craig Stockwell will host the morning of creativity and connection in his Keene studio. Coffee, tea, and pastries will be provided.

On Saturday, October 19, participants will spend the day at the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH exploring the grounds and watching the iron melt—one of the institute’s most popular events. Upon the group’s arrival in the morning, Master Sculptor and Art Director John Weidman will introduce the institute and his role within it. Then, there will be free time to walk the trails of the sculpture park while the institute warms up for the pour, which is estimated to occur between 12 and 1pm. The field trip group will get lunch at a local restaurant or cafe while the artwork cools and forms to be ready to take home. 

Iron Melt photo from the Andres Institute of Art

Registration is $50 ($40 for Arts Alive members)  at monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips to cover carving session materials (the mold for the iron melt) and refreshments on October 5th. The field trip is limited to 10 people. Participants are responsible for their own transportation on the 19th, though carpooling can be arranged and is encouraged. Participants are also responsible for purchasing, or bringing, their own lunch on the 19th. Attending the carving session is highly encouraged, but not required. For information about accessibility, please call (603) 283-0944 or email nina@monadnockartsalive.org.

Previous field trip to the Craft School at Mill Hollow Works

Field Trips are a series of casual, friendly mornings designed for local artists and arts lovers to engage in exploration, learning, and connection. These trips often have a hands-on, creative component and coffee with fresh pastries is a staple. Participants dive into local arts spaces and businesses they may not otherwise explore, meet and connect with new people in their community, and learn about available resources and opportunities for social, creative, and professional expansion in and around the Monadnock region.

Previous attendees have expressed the value of this program through feedback appreciating “Meeting artists and exchanging creative ideas for new projects,” “The chance to try a new art form,” and “connecting with other artists.”

Previous field trip to Hot Glass Art Center

Previous field trips to visual and performing arts venues in New Hampshire’s Monadnock region and Brattleboro, Vermont include DublinArts & Muse Gallery, MAXT Makerspace’s Ceramics Center, 17ROX Artist Studios, Historic Harrsiville and Harrisville Designs, the Keene Public Library’s Kingsbury Makerspace, The Stone Church, Mitchell Giddings Fine Arts, First Proof Press, Epsilon Spires, The Craft School at Mill Hollow Works, and individual artists’ studios.

Arts Alive is supported in part by National Endowment for the Arts, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, and this program is supported by a generous gift from C & S Wholesale Grocers.

Arts Alive mini grant applications close September 22nd

Until September 22nd, applications for Arts Alive mini grants from $50-250 are open to artists and creative businesses of the Monadnock region. Grants will be selected by peers and awarded directly to artists, emerging artists, or creative businesses that seek to expand their professional abilities or increase how many people they can reach with arts experiences. Applications have been open online at monadnockartsalive.org/mini-grants since August 5th.

Arts Alive supports artists, performers, and makers of all kinds with programs including mini grants, workshops, business coaching, and field trips.

“We’re going to be really flexible with how this money can be used,” says Executive Director Jessica Gelter. “Supplies for a project, marketing your work, a short term studio rental, getting work framed, booking time in a recording studio or performance space, hiring a babysitter and ordering takeout for several nights so you can focus on a project, gas for your car to get to a series of gigs, attending a workshop—whatever it is that will help you move towards the next level.”

The application, available online at monadnockartsalive.org/mini-grants, is simple. Most questions require a short answer, with some requiring multiple choice or check box answers. Applicants will be asked to describe themselves and their project, including how the funding will be used, who will be impacted by the project and in what way, and how much progress has already been made. Recipients will be chosen by a panel of local leaders in the creative community based on how meaningful the project funding will be to the applicant and the positive impact on the greater arts community.

Artists, emerging artists, writers, performers, and creative business entrepreneurs are all encouraged to apply. Grant awards will be distributed via check and recipients will need to fill out a W9 form to receive their payment. By accepting the mini grant, recipients agree to use the funds for intended purposes by September 2025 and agree to document the impact of the funding on their project. A jury of local arts leaders will review the applications in early October, and Arts Alive will distribute grants to selected projects by the last week of October. 

Artist to Artist workshop photo by Jim Murphy

In 2023, Arts Alive awarded grants of $100 to $250 to 10 out of 33 total applicants. Through anonymously collected demographic information, Arts Alive determined that 39% of those applicants lived at or below the poverty line and over 57% made less than the region’s median income.

“This is our creative way to do some research,” says Alison Wilder, Arts Alive board member. “We’re launching this in order to collect information about artists, performers, and other creatives whose businesses are emerging and who need a boost. That is one of the key groups we serve with our field trips, workshops, and fiscal sponsorship programs. We want to better understand where they’re at. This just made sense, instead of paying a consultant to do research or investing in advertising an online survey, we’re going to put money into the hands of creatives in our community.”

Field Trip to Healing Arts Gallery in Peterborough

Arts Alive’s mission is to ignite creativity and spark connection across the Monadnock region. By nurturing artists, culture-bearers, and creative instigators, the organization strives to bring access to the arts to every Monadnock region community member. The organization provides artists and organizations education, resources, assistance, and community support for success. Through the Mini Grants program, Arts Alive seeks to boost local artists, especially those that identify as experiencing financial hardship, in their professional and creative endeavors. 

“We’re really delighted that the mini grants program can open the doors for folks to pursue their dreams and reach their community,” says Board Co-Chair Jennifer Paone.

To help raise the funds for grants, Arts Alive conducted a NH Gives Day online fundraiser. The $2,000 raised will cover anywhere from 8 to 40 mini-grants between $50 and $250. In the past, Arts Alive has partnered with local businesses to build this fund and create opportunities for local artists to advance professionally. To partner with Arts Alive on this project, or to donate specifically to this fund, reach out to Executive Director, Jessica Gelter at jessica@monadnockartsalive.orgor visit monadnockartsalive.org/mini-grants.

August/September 2024: What's New with Arts Alive Artists

Welcome to Arts Alive’s member updates. This blog is part of our monthly newsletter, which you can access here. This month we have a couple gallery openings in BRAND NEW gallery spaces, artists excited about learning new things and expanding their expertise, and new leadership in a local arts organization. Read on!

Bryan Field learns a new carving technique

Henry the goat

Excited to have returned from a workshop at Snow Farm where I learned how to carve on the lathe using multi-axis turning. The course was taught be Derek Wieidman. After years of pens and bowls I can break out of the circular thinking that has limited my creativity and the world is now my oyster! Meet Henry the goat, my first multi-axis turning.

Social Practice Artist Residency (Keene): SPAR(K) at Covenant Living of Keene 2024

Olivia DelGandio

SPAR(K) has selected an artist for the Fall 2024 Residency: Olivia DelGandio of Portland, Oregon will be in Residency for the month of October 2024. This proposed residency will offer a $5000 stipend to the artist as well as living accommodations. Covenant Living will offer a full-time art/work studio to the resident artist and meeting and presentation rooms.

The resident artist will work closely with Craig Stockwell (SPAR(K) Director) and Gregg Burdett (Covenant Director) and Rebecca Poor (Covenant Chaplain). It is understood that the nature of Social Practice art is that a process will develop and that we will have patience to allow that process and outcomes to develop as needed.The 2024 Residency will take place at Covenant Living of Keene. Covenant Living is a senior living community that is, by mission, devoted to providing a vital community experience.  The idea for the residency grew out of conversations that SPAR(K) Director, Craig Stockwell had with Carl Jacobs, a Covenant resident. Craig is 72 and is a working studio artist and teacher, but thoughts of how to be an artist in the next phase of life are present in his thinking. The Residency would likely begin with the artist in conversation with Craig around these issues and move quickly to a convened group of 8 artists dealing with aging. The skill of a social practice artist is to take these bare bones and enter a process that would engage: 1) Stockwell, 2) a focus/core group, 3) the Covenant Community, and 4) the Keene community. Age and a changing artistic practice would be the focus with the understanding that thinking around this issue speaks to us all.

taryn fisher opens a home gallery

Gallery Director Taryn Fisher is delighted to debut her boutique fine art gallery, particularly since art lovers continue to lament the closure of her beautifully appointed LNHC Keene Fine Craft Gallery on Central Square. 

After searching for space for well over a year, Taryn chose to convert an under-utilized space in her home on Court Street into a gallery. She installed lighting, a museum-style art hanging system, new windows, and hardwood flooring, all which amplify the beauty of artworks on display.

Taryn Fisher Fine Art showcases the original, contemporary work of accomplished artists based in the Greater Monadnock Region. Mediums include paintings, prints, sculpture, photography, and mixed media artworks.

Taryn will host an Artist Reception featuring abstract oil and acrylic painter Scott J. Morgan on Saturday, August 31st from 4 to 6 pm.

The abstract curves and forms of Scott’s art emulate nature. Scott describes his work being “like a song, a lyrical dialogue of line, form and color.” Not surprisingly, Scott is also a musician (jazz, rock, reggae).

An exhibition of Scott’s artworks – including painted guitars – will be on display at the gallery from August 31st through September 28th.

Taryn Fisher Fine Art is located at 302 Court Street in Keene. Except for Special Events and Artist Receptions, gallery hours are by appointment only.

For more info, visit https://tarynfisherfineart.com, text 978-985-4720, or email  tarynfisherfineart@gmail.com.

joan hanley’s solo exhibit in Maine

Rockland, ME – The Blue Raven Gallery is pleased to announce Joan Hanley’s debut solo exhibition in Maine, titled Intimate Paradox: Joan Hanley, opening on September 3–30, 2024. An opening reception and Artist’s Talk will be held on September 21 at 5:30pm at the gallery, located at 374 Main Street, Rockland, Maine.

The exhibition marks a welcome return to coastal Maine, where, decades ago, the artist led Outward Bound trips from Hurricane Island in Penobscot Bay. Hanley’s career began in 1980 when renowned artist Alice Neel juried her into her first exhibition. Since then, she has refined her practice within the American painting tradition, drawing inspiration from masters like Fairfield Porter, Milton Avery, and Lois Dodd. “I paint the ordinary strangeness of life. My lifelong meditation practice and interest in image-based psychology inform my work, where paintings juxtapose cell phones with intimacy, and our climate crisis with herons – I love paradox,” says Hanley.

The New Hampshire-based artist will present a new series of works featuring several large and mid scale paintings in gouache and oil, along with smaller studies that extend her exploration of oil paint. At the heart of the exhibition is Jake (2024), a large-scale gouache painting created specifically for this show, depicting the iconic black-and-white checkered floor of the historic bank where the gallery is housed—nestled between the Farnsworth Art Museum and the Island Institute. The artist’s sketchbooks will also be on display, providing an intimate glimpse into her creative process. The exhibition traces her journey from initial sketches of everyday, personal moments to small paintings where her ideas take shape, culminating in large canvases where her compositions come into full focus.

Joan Hanley (b. 1955, Queens, New York) is a painter, teacher and has led an art & yoga mentorship program for eight years supporting artists at every stage of their careers. For the past 25 years, she has lived and painted in New Hampshire with breaks for a residency year in Dublin, Ireland and extended trips teaching abroad in countries like Mexico, China, Taiwan and England. Hanley has exhibited her work internationally in venues such as Broadstone Studios in Dublin and cultural institutions such as the Fitchburg Art Museum, MA, Brattleboro Museum, VT, the Mariposa Museum, NH, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA, the Open Center NY, the University Museum of Contemporary Art at UMass and the Attleboro Museum, MA. Hanley completed a BFA from Hartford Art School and MFA from Vermont College.

Intimate Paradox: Joan Hanley is the culmination of a prolific year for the artist, presenting three exhibitions across New England, including AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH and Gallery 51 in North Adams, MA. She is also featured in the Group show, The Lure of the Local at the Fine Arts Gallery in Putney, VT curated by Humberto Ramirez. For more information about her work, studio visits, events and her artist mentorship program, visit www.hanleystudio.com

Apple Hill has a new executive director

Sam Bergman

The Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music is thrilled to announce Sam Bergman as the non-profit arts organization’s new Executive Director, effective September 3, 2024. Bergman is a distinguished musician, advocate for greater inclusivity in classical music, and a former faculty member at Apple Hill. He will succeed Javier Caballero, who ... is now departing to pursue new opportunities. Read the press release here.

The sustainability project opens a gallery

DEPORTEES:  A TRIBUTE at the Sustainability Project's Emerson Brook Forest Center 

Some of Susan O'Hara's clay heads

The first exhibit to herald the opening of the beautiful new event space and gallery at 57 Emerson Brook Drive, Gilsum, NH will be "Deportees:  A Tribute", featuring works on paper by Erika Radich, NH Printmaker.  

The opening reception takes place on September 19th, from 4-6pm, and the exhibit runs through October 31st.  Refreshments will be served.  There is a suggested donation of $18, with no one turned away for lack of funds.  We hope for a lively turnout with ample opportunity to connect with Erika and to discuss her work.  

The Sustainability Project's newly completed event space and gallery, the Emerson Brook Forest Center, provides a permanent home for the vast collection of sculptured clay heads by artist Susan O'Hara.  There are hundreds of these creations, in a variety of styles and gestures, all evocative and emotionally compelling.  

Lucas Lopez Medina by Erika Radich

Additionally, space is reserved in the new structure, to house transitory exhibits by regional artists.  "Deportees:  A Tribute", is the first of these.  The exhibit features a suite of 28 monotype collages addressing issues of social injustice, equality, and human dignity.  As Radich explains, "...the exhibit may become personal to each viewer.  In 1948 there was a plane crash in Los Gatos Canyon, California.  Twenty eight Mexican farmworkers died as they were being deported to Mexico.  The migrant workers were buried in a mass grave, with only a single plaque, referring to them as 'Mexican Nationals'.  The New York Times reported the accident as the death of 28 'nameless' deportees.  Fundamental to who we are, what our identity is, is our name.  In this exhibit we remember who they were and, in the process, who we are."

Subsequent to the September 19th opening, the exhibit is open by appointment through October 31st. 

Please contact Valerie Piedmont at 603-209-7272 for details, if you'd like to docent this or future exhibits, or if you are interested in hanging an exhibit of your own.

Arts Alive explores heritage crafts and morris dance with artists

Artists gather at 17ROX artist studios in Keene. Photo by Jennifer Paone.

On Sunday, August 25th, at 10AM, Arts Alive invites the arts community and arts lovers to join a Field Trip at The Craft School at Mill Hollow Works in Keene, NH. Participants will meet the co-founders Heather Holloway and Wade Smith, who will share the story of the Mill Hollow school, from its beginnings as Elm Farm and why heritage crafts are so impactful, to how the school operates and different ways to get involved as an artist or creative. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided. 

Afterwards, participants will have the opportunity to watch a performance by Firebird Morris, a English folk dance group that performs molly and border dances in costume at festivals and community events. Participants will also be able to take part in a steam bending demonstration and activity with the craft school, and tour the premises, which border a farm. Weather permitting, the Field Trip will take place outdoors. Registration is $15 at monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips and $10 for Arts Alive members.

Artists meet at 310 Marlboro in Keene to hear from Berlin-based muralist Polina Soloveichik on her work-in-progress on the building. Photo by Taryn Fisher.

As an arts service organization, Arts Alive offers Field Trips, a series of casual, friendly mornings designed for exploration, learning, and connection, to local artists and arts lovers looking to expand their creativity and network. During Field Trips, attendees dive into local arts spaces and businesses they may not otherwise explore, meet and connect with new people in their community, and learn about available resources and opportunities for social, creative, and professional expansion in and around the Monadnock region.

Heritage crafts is a large discipline that practices skills and knowledge of traditional  materials, function, design and techniques that have been carried through two or more successive generations. The school at Mill Hollow Works teaches boatbuilding, carving, textiles, and basketry, among other crafts to cultivate empowerment, community and self-reliance. Because Mill Hollow Works is known primarily for their traditional boatbuilding, woodworking and carpentry programs, the school will offer an easy woodworking activity. Following a 5-10 minute demonstration, Field Trip participants will be able to make their own wooden bracelets from steam bending cherry birch and fastening the wood together with copper clench nails.

Jordana Korsen of Hot Glass Art Center in Marlborough leads participants in making glass ornaments at an April 2024 field trip.

Previous field trips to visual and performing arts venues in New Hampshire’s Monadnock region and Brattleboro, Vermont include DublinArts & Muse Gallery, MAXT Makerspace’s Ceramics Center, 17ROX Artist Studios, Historic Harrsiville and Harrisville Designs, the Keene Public Library’s Kingsbury Makerspace, The Stone Church, Mitchell Giddings Fine Arts, First Proof Press, Epsilon Spires, and individual artists’ studios.

Previous attendees have expressed the value of this program through feedback appreciating “Learning about the artists and organizations in our community,” “Meeting other people involved in the arts and comparing stories,” and “Seeing studios and artists and spaces. Sharing thoughts.”

This Field Trip is $15 and $10 for Arts Alive members. To register for the event and future trips, visit monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips. For information about accessibility, please call 603-283-0944 or email nina@monadnockartsalive.org.

Arts Alive is supported in part by National Endowment for the Arts, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, and this program is supported by a generous gift from C & S Wholesale Grocers.