Archive for February, 2012
By awall ( February 29, 2012 at 9:27 am) · Filed under Press Releases, Uncategorized
Traditional West African music will be featured at the Sharon Arts Center Exhibition Gallery, 30 Grove St., on Saturday, Mar. 3 from 7 to 9 pm when Sayon Camara and the Landaya Ensemble perform as part of Sharon Arts’ Good Neighbor Series.
“You will not be able to sit still from the time this group first sounds their drums until the last beat,” says Good Neighbor Series music organizer Laina Barakat. “Their music sizzles.”
The Landaya Ensemble is a talented and dedicated group of New Hampshire musicians who combine their skills to present a unique selection of West African rhythms and songs on instruments like the djembe, sangban, dununba, and kenkeni drums, as well as the tambin (an African flute), kamalen’goni (10-string African harp), the krin (log drum), and more.
For over 10 years the members of Landaya have honed their skills as part of the Black Bear Moon Rhythm Ensemble, bringing their uplifting performances to audiences throughout the northeastern U.S. The group has earned numerous accolades, including NH Magazine’s “Best of New Hampshire” award.
Held on the first and third Saturday of each month, the Sharon Arts Center Good Neighbor Series is dedicated to providing the local community with a variety of cultural programming events in areas such as poetry, film, and music. It seeks to bring in active and professional artists in an effort to strengthen Sharon Arts’ mission to build a viable community in the arts and expand the plane of what is possible in art-making.
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By awall ( February 22, 2012 at 1:52 pm) · Filed under Press Releases, Uncategorized
The Sharon Arts Center seeks artists interested in activist works for an exhibit titled “Social Works on Paper” to be presented April 6 to 27.
“The artworks must seek to engage the community and provide political commentary on world issues that motivate both locally and personally,” said Gallery Assistant and Curator Brittany Kelly. Art that is encouraged includes monotypes, etchings, lithographs, linocuts, silk screening, stencils, collage and installation. No photographs will be accepted for this exhibit.
“The work must be framed and ready to be hanged,” adds Kelly, “and each artist may submit up to four pieces that have never been shown previously at the Sharon Arts Center. All work must be on paper and must be for sale.”
Along with their work and an entry fee, each artist must submit an Artist’s Statement of roughly 100 words and an Artist Curriculum Vitae. There will be a cash award for Best in Show and one runner-up will be announced. Juror is Rosemarie Bernardi, Artist and Professor of Drawing and Printmaking at Keene State College.
The deadline for submissions in March 16 and the artists selected will be notified March 23. Pieces must be delivered to the Sharon Arts Center Exhibition Gallery, 30 Grove St., between March 31 and April 1 between 11 am and 5 pm. The artwork that is sold may be picked up by buyers April 28-29 between 11 am and 5 pm at the Gallery, and the art that has not been sold can be picked up on those days by the artists.
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By awall ( February 14, 2012 at 9:33 am) · Filed under Press Releases, Uncategorized
Three Northampton, MA poets–Wendy Xu, Mark Leidner, and Ted Powers–will read from their poetry on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 7 to 9:30 pm at the Sharon Arts Center, 30 Grove St., as part of their Good Neighbor series. There is a $6 suggested donation and wine and light refreshments will be served. 
“The Good Neighbor: Poetry series is dedicated to bringing good people and good poems together,” says Gallery assistant and poetry series organizer Zachary Green. “We’re celebrating the fact that poetry did not die out with romanticism and hoping that contemporary poets will help create a contemporary readership as the landscape of poetry starts to look more like a vertical swimming pool and less like a Greek lyre. If you are into that, come out and be a part of the good neighborhood.”
Wendy Xu is the author of the chapbook “The Hero Poems,” published by H_NGM_N BKS. She was selected as winner of the 2011 Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry, and her poems have appeared, or are forthcoming, in The American Poetry Journal, CutBank, Diagram, Jellyfish, NOO Journal, Columbia Poetry Review, Third Coast, MAKE, InDigest, and elsewhere. She co-edits iO: A Journal of New American Poetry / iO Books.
Mark Leidner is the author of “Beauty Was the Case that They Gave Me” (Factory Hollow Press, 2011) and “The Angel in the Dream of Our Hangover: aphorisms” (Sator Press, 2011).
A resident of Northampton, MA, Ted Powers’ poems have appeared in Strange Machine, NOO Journal, GlitterPony, and Sixth Finch, among others. He attends UMass-Amherst.
“These poets have a following,” Green adds. “They are recognized nationally, but few here know of them. This has to change, and we hope the series will do just that.”
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By awall ( February 13, 2012 at 11:36 am) · Filed under Press Releases, Uncategorized
Two art camps are planned for area school vacation week Feb. 27-Mar. 2 at the Sharon Arts Center School of Art and Craft, 457 Rt. 123. 
ArtVenture Camp Week will be held for ages 6-11 with the theme “Shark Week,” where students will be able to try their hands in various mediums as they explore the creative process. Full days are from 9 am to 4 pm and half days are from 9 am to 12:30 pm. Early drop-off is available to those with a Sharon Arts Center family membership.
For ages 12 and up there’s Clay Camp Week, in which students will discover the many possibilities of clay. Hand-building techniques including pinch, coil, and slab will be used to create small bowls, cups, and other vessels. Students will also try their hand at sculpture, creating animals and other objects. They will learn how to make clay instruments, such as rattles and ocarinas. Clay games and larger collaborative projects will be part of the week as well. This week-long class will be held daily from 9 am to 3 pm and early drop-off is available to those with a Sharon Arts Center family membership.
The week for both camps will end with a showcase of the classes’ accomplishments at 12:30 pm on Friday at the School, where friends and family can enjoy the campers’ final pieces.
“ArtVenture camp consists of a wide range of art and craft projects in a variety of media, allowing kids to collaborate on group projects as well as individual pieces, and to explore new ways of communication,” said School Director Alexandra Wall. “Campers will be encouraged to think creatively and plan projects that express their own unique ideas and visions. Our School provides a comfortable environment for our young students to feel supported while they expand their understanding of what is creatively possible and the potential of artistic expression.”
Tuition fees and online registration for these week-long camps can be found here. For more information call (603) 924-7256.
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By awall ( February 10, 2012 at 1:53 pm) · Filed under Press Releases, Uncategorized
Sharon Arts Center School of Art and Craft, 457 Rt. 123, will hold an Open Clay Studio Weekend Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19 from 10 am to 3 pm. The event is free and the public is invited to come and lend a hand for their upcoming Pottery Potluck Fundraiser, which will be held on April 21.
 Photos by Rebecca Shovan
Participants of all levels of ability can come within the scheduled hours and build a pinch pot, try out the wheel, or construct with slabs to create a unique vessel, bowl, or mug to be sold at the fundraiser. All materials will be included and refreshments will be available. Sharon Arts clay faculty and some local clay artists, such as Shana Brautigam from Rooted in Clay, will be present to assist visitors in constructing their pieces.
“Visitors are welcome to come for one or both days and work at their own pace,” said School Director Alexandra Wall. “This will be a casual opportunity for anyone to come and experience working in our ceramics studio. We hope that the public will take advantage of this chance to learn about the fun and creative process of clay, see other students in action, and speak with local clay artists who support Sharon Arts and its classes.”
All potential proceeds will support the Sharon Arts clay program, its materials and equipment. Participants will also be able to learn about Sharon Arts programs and events as well as ongoing open studio availability.
For more information, call (603) 924-7256 and see www.sharonarts.org.
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By awall ( February 10, 2012 at 1:27 pm) · Filed under Press Releases, Uncategorized
The Sharon Arts Center Exhibition Center, 30 Grove St., will be transformed into a celebratory Mardi Gras Festival on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8 pm, complete with costumes, masks, and a live 13-piece band.
French for “Fat Tuesday,” Mardi Gras refers to the practice of eating a rich meal before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which this year begins on Feb. 22. Traditional practices over the years include the wearing of masks and costumes, dancing, parades, and general merry-making. In this country, the term Mardi Gras has been made famous by the over-the-top festivities held annually in New Orleans.
Featured at the Sharon Arts Mardi Gras will be the hip-hop/reggae band Endangered Speeches, as well as Festival Sangria, tokens for games, raffle tickets and party bags. Prizes will be given out for the best costumes. Several professional dancers will be on hand and there will be a photo booth where people can dress up and take interesting pictures with props.
A mask-making table will also be available, beginning at 1 pm on Saturday and running through the Festival, where people can create their own masks out of a variety of materials: paints, markers, pastels, fabrics, beads, shells, glitter, feathers and more. This mask-making event is free for ticket holders and $3 for those not holding a ticket, who will be able to create masks only in the afternoon prior to the Festival. 
“We thought a Mardi Gras would be a fun way to creatively infuse our downtown art space with mid-winter celebration–touching on music and a lively visual spectacle experience,” said Executive Director Keri Wiederspahn. “It’s wonderful to be able to feed the creative spirit through this event, and I think we’ll have some rather interesting costumes and masks rolling out for the evening in a competitive spirit we whole-heartedly encourage. We’ll have the fun of taking the creative spirit and spinning it a bit. Those attending should also have a good time listening and dancing to the amazing band we’re fortunate to have booked, thanks to local renowned musician and Sharon Arts friend Vinx.”
Rooted equally in hip-hop and reggae, Endangered Speeches was founded in 2008 and is currently made up of 13 musicians whose stated goal is to “restore a meaningful message and forward direction to hip-hop music.” Formed at Berklee College of music and calling Boston their collective home, the members hail from places as wide-ranging as Canada, Mexico, Norway, Greece, Africa, India, and around the U.S., each with diverse musical experience. Their debut album is titled “The City is Rough.”
Tickets at the door are $30 for the general public and $25 for Sharon Arts Center members. For more information call (603) 924-7676.
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By awall ( February 8, 2012 at 8:25 am) · Filed under Press Releases, Uncategorized
Sharon Arts Center is proud to present “Coming of Age: New England Artists Under 30” in their Exhibition Gallery, 30 Grove St., which will run from Mar. 2 through Apr. 28. Co-sponsored with the New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA), the exhibit will have an Opening Reception, free and open to the public, on Mar. 2 from 5 to 7 pm.
“This exhibition was designed to introduce young artists under the age of 30 to a new audience, and to also provide the community with an opportunity to experience art in a contemporary context,” said exhibit organizer and curator Kate Lenahan (NHIA ‘08). The show will offer a wide variety of mediums utilizing both traditional and innovative methods and techniques. The exhibited mediums will include video installations, performance art, paintings, photography, glass, ceramics, mixed media, drawings and sculpture.
 "Black Tape Portrait: Female/Male,” artwork photos by Nyiko Beguin, photo taken by Ashley Saari Jurors for the exhibition are Cathy Sununu, director of the Portsmouth Museum of Art; Craig Stockwell, artist and professor at Keene State College; and Tim Donovan, artist and director of Launch Art Galleries.
“It is a privilege through this exhibit to support the careers of exceptional and innovative young artists at a point in their careers when they need the greatest visibility and impact to advance,” said Executive Director Keri Wiederspahn. “It is a vulnerable time for a young artist working towards both recognition and sustainability in the contemporary art world. Sharon Arts is deeply invested in sharing this vital mix of talent within the scope of New England.”
Accepted artists include Rachelle Beaudoin, Peterborough, NH; Nyiko Beguin, Hancock, NH; Brett Davis, Dover, NH (NHIA ‘09); Cara DeAngelis, Monroe, CT; Sarazah Deetz, Boston, MA (NHIA ‘07); Chloe Feldman Emison, Lee, NH; Mary Goldthwaite-Gagne, Peterborough, NH; Shaina Gates, Jaffrey, NH; Corin Godfrey, Manchester, NH; Nome Graham, Gloucester, NH; Rebecca Gutwin, Allston, MA; Paul Hackett, Portland, ME; Rachel Hammerman, Wayland, MA; Brittany Kelly, Greenfield, NH; Rachel Montroy, Auburn, NH; William Pickford, Peterborough, NH; Laurel Schultheis, Cumberland, RI; Cory Munro Shea, Cambridge, MA; Mikhaela Stinson, Brattleboro, VT (NHIA ‘11); Devin Swett, Windham, NH (NHIA ‘08); Mike Weinstein, Manchester, NH (NHIA ‘05); Pembrooke Werden, Dublin, NH; and Matt Wyatt, Farmington, NH (NHIA).
A series of free public programs in conjunction with the exhibition is planned.
For more information call the Gallery at (603) 924-7676.
Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm
THIS EXHIBITION GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY
 " Ruby" by Paul Hackett
 "Up" by Cory Munro Shea
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By awall ( February 1, 2012 at 3:08 pm) · Filed under Press Releases, Uncategorized, art workshops nh, artbar night, artist collaboration in nh, nh art studio, open art workshops
A new monthly event called the “ArtBar” will premiere at the Sharon Arts Center Exhibition Gallery, 30 Grove St., on Saturday, February 11 from 7 to 9 pm.
“ArtBars are popping up all over the country,” says Gallery Director Camellia Sousa. “We are pleased to host this unique and exciting monthly event at Sharon Arts Center, where in our relaxed and casual setting in the main Exhibition Gallery you can complete your own acrylic painting to take home, based on the ArtBar themes of the month, with creative and timely ideas that anyone can do.”
According to Sousa, ArtBar will provide all the art supplies plus hearty cheese and crackers and seltzer water with wine and beer available for a suggested donation. Ready for participants, supplies will include acrylic paint colors, brushes, small sponges for painting, stencils and pencils, blue tape for hard edges, and 8 x 10 inch canvas boards.
“I was thrilled to be invited to lead the ArtBar,” says instructor Holly Alderman who will guide participants through the process to create their own original paintings. “Since we’re beginning just before Valentine’s Day, the theme for February’s ArtBar will be Love and Chanel No. 5.”
Alderman plans to start each ArtBar with a slide show of inspirations by projecting iconic images on the gallery wall. Her slide show for Feb. 11 includes Andy Warhol’s famous painting “Chanel No 5″ (1956) and more Chanel imagery, symbols, logos and ads old and new. Alderman will also demonstrate the use of sponges, tapes and stencils. As models for the evening, she will provide classic bottles of Chanel No 5, sample photos, sketches and artworks. Participants are welcome to bring their personal favorite small brushes and acrylic colors or watercolors.
An artist and photographer whose decorative arts are inspired by digital innovations and the beauty of local landscapes and weather, Alderman was a mural fellow at the National Academy Museum in New York and a teaching assistant in Design Science at Harvard College. Her art and décor are installed in residences and restaurants from San Francisco to DC to London and have appeared at Sunflowers Café in Jaffrey as well as at the White House, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, the Chelsea Flower Show and the Boston Design Center and on TOH, Dream House, Today, and Art.com. She will have an art show of Chanel paintings in March at Aesop’s Table in Peterborough inside the Toadstool Bookshop.
On Feb. 11 Alderman will also introduce a special guest invited to be a teaching assistant, interior designer Cathy Bosworth, who advises celebrity interior designers and world famous cultural institutions on design and decorating trends and is an art consultant with an eye for iconic images. Bosworth is Vice President of Sterling and Knight, international distributors of fine fabrics, wallpapers and lighting to showrooms at design centers throughout the US and Canada, owned with her husband Paul in Keene, NH.
To be held the second Saturday of each month, ArtBar upcoming themes will be: Animal Patterns, March 10; Cherry Blossom Festival, April 14; Words as Art, May 12; Stars and Stripes, June 9; French Kitchen Still Life, July 14; Pink and Green Lilly Fest, Aug. 11; Pop Art/Op Art, Sept.15; Monadnock Landscapes, Oct.13; Duck Decoys, Nov. 10, and Star Bright, Starry Night, Dec. 8.
While ArtBar studio nights are limited to 12 participants, a couple or two friends are welcome to sign up to collaborate together on a single painting. Pre-registration is required. The cost is $25 per person, and the cost for a collaborator is $15. To register and for more information call (603) 924-2787.
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By awall ( February 1, 2012 at 9:30 am) · Filed under Press Releases, Uncategorized, nh photography, photography exhibit nh, photography exhibition nh, photography show, thrift shop photography
A new exhibit titled “Thrift Shop” will open Friday, Feb. 3 and run through Feb. 25 at the Sharon Arts Center Members Gallery, Depot Square. An opening reception, free and open to the public, will be held from 5-7 pm on Feb. 3.
 photo by Michael Heck
The photos in the exhibit are made by artists of all ages from the East Coast to the West Coast and demonstrate the images of naturally found objects in their immediate settings, candid portraits, and disparate landscapes.
“The show demonstrates how the discarded or seemingly out of place does have a home in photography,” says Gallery Assistant Zachary Green, who curated the show. “It’s a somewhat new style of documentation through the medium of photography at a level of visual thrift. The idea is that in thrift shopping one typically finds something old or used and gives it a new use. Like a photograph, what is found by the subjectivity of the camera can then be given a new meaning. Thrift shops are also generally affordable and within one’s means. This show is also about economics–thrift and wit as a means to survival.”
Area artists in the show include Rachelle Beaudoin, Anastasia Dubrovina, Devin Altobello, and Kate Lenahan of Peterborough, and Pembrooke Werden of Dublin. Other artists are from Massachusetts, Illinois, Montana, and California.
“Thrift Shop is a service and a plea to keep our heads up, to keep making and continue our careful observations that reveal our true natures in spite of hard times,” Green adds.
Juror for the exhibit is Erin Sweeney, an artist living and working in Peterborough, NH, who shows her work nationally. She holds an MFA in Book Arts and Printmaking at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, and a BFA in sculpture from the Maine College of Art in Portland, ME.
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