The Sharon Arts Center was recently awarded a $4,500 Youth Arts Project Award from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts (NHSCA) for their ArtAccess program, one of the only after-school programs in New Hampshire that provides assistance to students, in grades 10-12, in the preparation of portfolio-ready pieces for art school, college, and university admissions.

• CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PROGRAM APPLICATION AND SCHOLARSHIP INFO
  

The Sharon Arts ArtAccess program reaches out to more than 1,250 middle and high school students and involves approximately 25-30 artists (faculty and mentors) in New Hampshire annually. For the school year 2012-13, eight students will participate in the program, and with the NHSCA’s support an additional eight students (for an approximate total of 16) will be recruited.

ArtAccess teens doing clay

While ArtAccess has a wide outreach in the community, the low student-to-teacher ratio of this program ensures that students receive individualized art instruction, scholarships, and advice from New Hampshire’s leading artists, along with exceptional opportunities for educational and career advancement through opportunities at Sharon Arts.

ArtAccess is an innovative and comprehensive program for teens interested in developing their creativity and strengthening their portfolios with the intent of pursuing art in higher education. After a review of their portfolios, the group works together to design a responsive curriculum that addresses each artist’s strengths and opportunities for growth. ArtAccessers meet weekly at the School of Art & Craft in Sharon to explore technical and theoretical aspects of art and career paths and to investigate their creative potential. Horizons are expanded through field trips to art venues throughout New Hampshire visiting with artists, crafters, curators, designers, art school admissions staff, gallerists, and more exploring art and creative career options within the nonprofit and corporate sectors. In addition to class meetings, ArtAccessers volunteer for community art projects and represent Sharon Arts to their school community through our spring “ArtAttack” Event. A collaborative exhibit is the program’s final project for which participants design invitations, write publicity, install their work and more.

Without the ArtAccess program, students who wish to participate in a portfolio development program typically would have to travel to the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, which is about 35 miles away, or to programs in Boston, MA, nearly 65 miles away. No other art organization in the state offers a portfolio development program in which students begin to develop portfolio pieces as early as their sophomore year and receive assistance through their college acceptance, all after school.

The ArtAccess curriculum consists of an introduction to color theory and composition, 2D and 3D media, still life, figure, and landscape drawing, and the use of various mediums, tools, techniques, and materials. Many colleges expect that students have some experience in figure drawing (with nude models) which cannot be taught in high school due to its perceived controversial nature, for students to develop a figure component to their portfolio they might have to take private art classes. The Sharon Arts Center is able to provide figure-drawing classes directed by studio artists that are appropriate for their age group. After their first meeting, the students participate in a New England-based portfolio review day, designed to support the “begin with the end in mind” momentum of ArtAccess motivating the teens to strengthen their portfolios. The feedback students receive from the nation’s top art school admissions officers at this day-long review is then brought back to class where it helps to inform and shape the ArtAccess curriculum for the year.

Beyond weekly studio time, students meet with artists and craftspeople, curators, and other fine art professionals. The program’s studio time is rounded out with monthly field trips to visit studios of local artists and craftspeople, time at museums and galleries, as well as creative writing projects that focus on developing the teen artist’s abilities to articulate visual elements and further explore the inspiration behind as well as the technical elements of their newest work.  The final ArtAccess project is a collaborative exhibition where the students frame and install their own show, market the exhibition through the design of the invitations, and write the publicity. In their junior and senior years, students are coached by the faculty in preparation for meetings with admissions officers for college interviews and a discussion on the content of their visual art portfolios.

ArtAccess students are also expected to give back to the Sharon Arts community that makes this opportunity possible for them. Most of the students receive internships at, or volunteer for, Sharon Arts where they are able to work in the retail shop or office as clerks, curatorial, marketing, or fundraising assistants. This provides students with an inside peek into the business of an art nonprofit. Each year the program also undertakes a community volunteer project painting over graffiti with a collaborative mural, or working in partnership with a non-art related non-profit to help a creative project take shape.

ArtAccess teens in NY

ArtAccess aligns with the National Standards and the New Hampshire Curriculum Framework for the Arts by building on the art education that students receive in their high schools and partnering with school districts to fill the gap with community resources ensuring that New Hampshire’s under-served students can access higher education opportunities. As described in the broad goals of the National Standards, students learn to create, communicate, analyze, use technology, and become familiar with career opportunities. Students also develop experience in a wide range of artistic disciplines including jewelry, fiber, ceramics and others that demonstrate how the arts are interconnected. Further, students develop a vocabulary for talking about creation of art and art history appreciation. Working together, the director of ArtAccess facilitates group and individual critiques that encourage creativity, innovation and self-expression. Students learn to think critically and receive constructive criticism from their peers that help them improve and provide feedback that fosters a close-knit community.

ArtAccess is vital to the development of a career pipeline, from high school to university, enabling students to pursue a profession in illustration, graphic design, sculpting, fine arts, museum studies, art education, and more. Since 2007, nearly 50 students have completed the program. Participants have been accepted into top visual art programs including Rhode Island School of Design, Massachusetts College of Art, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the New Hampshire Institute of Art. Sharon Arts also recognizes that creativity exists in other career fields, such as engineering, information technology, and medicine. As Richard L. Florida has argued in The Rise of the Creative Class, “the rise of human creativity is a key factor in our economy and society. Both at work and in other spheres in our life we value creativity more than ever, and cultivate it more intensely.”

Due to the responsive nature of the program (designed to address strengths and weaknesses within each cohort’s portfolio), Sharon Arts customizes the curriculum to ensure each student completes the program with a well-rounded portfolio. In addition, the students work closely with their teacher to hold at least one fundraiser, “ArtAttack: For Teens by Teens,” where they invite their peers to the center to explore several mediums hands-on and to “demystify” what happens at the Center–introducing it to hundreds of teens as a fun place where the creativity of young artists is nurtured and respected.

Throughout the year, the group raises funds for a combined educational overnight trip beyond New Hampshire to explore an East Coast “Art Mecca” of their choice. Scholarships are available and this year the deadline for application is Sept. 7. ArtAccess students will meet at the Sharon Arts Center School of Art & Craft on Thursdays from 4:00-7:00 pm from September through June, with occasional Saturday field trips.This program is open to all high school students from freshman to seniors. Beginning students will focus on strengthening technical skills and understanding of the elements of art while learning advanced technique and introducing non-traditional media for their portfolio. Students also participate in constructive peer critique and explore presenting and writing about their work. Advanced level students will be immersed in a creative process that mirrors the art school environment. Building upon portfolio basics, students explore collaborative work, installation art, and innovative new media. In addition to a collaborative group exhibition, students will write artist statements, learn about marketing, pricing their work, and be challenged to pursue individual and small group exhibitions outside of the program. The mentorship component will pair these advanced students with underclassmen on field-trip and program days. For tuition rates and application, see www.nhia.edu and www.sharonarts.org or call (603) 924-7256.

Sharon Arts Center also offers classes in traditional arts disciplines including bookmaking, clay, glass, jewelry/metal, photography, painting, printmaking, and textiles, while embracing and encouraging new and innovative advances in experimental media and technology. The Sharon Arts Center serves the creative community through two locations:  The Sharon Arts Center School of Art and Craft which is located in Sharon and the Exhibition Gallery, Fine Arts Gallery and store is located in Depot Square in downtown Peterborough. Nearly 30,000 students, teachers, artists, visitors and others are served annually through Sharon Arts’ educational offerings, exhibitions, and fine craft gallery. The organization offers a wide-range of programs for students of all ages, from New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and beyond.

SHARON ARTS NEW EXHIBIT “PRINTIVALE!” OPENS SEPT. 7

PRINTIVALE! — Exhibition runs September 7 – October 27
Opening Reception on Friday, September 7, 5-7pm
At the Exhibition Gallery, 30 Grove St., Peterborough.

An exhibition of contemporary, traditional, and “installation” printmaking titled “Printivale!” will open at the Sharon Arts Center Sept. 7 and run through Oct. 27.  Sponsoring the exhibit is Sequoya Technologies Group LLC, Depot Square, The Waterhouse Restaurant and Bar, and the New Hampshire Insititute of Art.

An Opening Reception, free and open to the public, will be held Friday, Sept. 7 from 5-7 pm in the Exhibition Gallery, 30 Grove St., Peterborough. The opening will be catered by The Waterhouse, and there will be a chef’s table and spirits.

Curator of the exhibit is Peterborough book artist/printmaker Erin Sweeney. The recipient of an MFA in Book Arts and Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she was awarded the Elizabeth C. Roberts Prize for Graduate Book Arts, Sweeney teaches and exhibits nationally. She also holds a BFA in Sculpture from the Maine College of Art in Portland. Sweeney was recently an artist-in-residence at Maine College of Art’s Pace House and at Cló Ceardlann in Donegal, Ireland. Most recently, she has had her work included in the new publication “1,000 Artists’ Books.”

“Erin has an extensive knowledge of the contemporary printmaking that is taking place not only throughout the region, but on a national level.” said Gallery Director Camellia Sousa. “The exhibition she has put together is diverse and compelling. Sharon Arts Center is honored to partner with her in presenting Printivale!”

Exhibiting Artists include Bryan Baker, Amanda Benton, Tia Blassingame, Chad Creighton, Amanda D’Amico, Christine Destrempes, Tim Donovan, Soosen Dunholter, Nick Fournier, Rebecca Gilbert, Joseph Hart,  Amos Kennedy, Rian Kerrane, Sarah Lewtas, Colette Lucas, Pilar Nadal, Bobby Rosenstock, Annie Silverman, Paige Simpson, Erin Sweeney and Caroline Ziegler.

Several special events have been planned In conjunction with the exhibit. On Friday, Sept. 7 The Tired Press, a bicycle outfitted as a mobile printmaking studio, will be at the Gallery from 4 to 7 pm.  The Tired Press focuses on the creation and production of site specific postcards and includes a small scale relief press, pannier cabinet for supplies, a gallery for exhibition of prints made on the press, and a volunteer post office service. Anyone who meets the bicycle can print, purchase, write, and/or send a postcard!

On Sept. 22 from 1 to 3 pm there will be an Artists Panel Discussion at the Gallery. Participants include Amanda Benton, Amanda D’Amico, and Caroline Ziegler, all from Philadelphia, who will discuss the various printmaking techniques they utilize–computer-generated prints, offset printing, and letterpress printing. There will also be a letterpress demonstration.

For more information see www.sharonarts.org or call (603) 924-7676. Exhibition Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm.

This Exhibition Generously Sponsored by:

Artwork by Rian Kerrane

Due to popular demand, the Sharon Arts Center is offering another youth clay camp week at their School of Art & Craft, 457 NH Rt 123 in Sharon, NH.

Designed for children ages 6 and up, the camp will run Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, from July 30 to Aug. 3 and offer an intensive experience in the medium of clay. Students will learn about hand building sculpture, wheel throwing, group construction, and raku firing and also be taught the different tools used to manipulate clay, how to work with clay in various stages of the ceramic process, and how to communicate creatively in clay. Return students will be able to try more involved projects, expand upon old ideas, try new tools and techniques, and meet new fellow young artists. Sharon Arts offers “bring-a-friend” and repeat student tuition discounts, as well as scholarships and payment plans.

Tuition for the camp is $200 or $165 for Sharon Arts members.  For more information and to register, see www.sharonarts.org, email register@sharonarts.org, or call (603) 924-7256.

The Sharon Arts Exhibition Gallery is accessed through Depot Square and 30 Grove St. in downtown Peterborough. The Craft Gallery is located in Depot Square in Downtown Peterborough. Store and Exhibition Gallery hours are: Monday – Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday 11 – 5 pm.

Sharon Arts Center will be holding their 7th Annual plein-air “Paint Out” Aug.13-17 in and around Dublin’s mountains, lakes, and gardens. Participating artists will wrap up the week-long event with a reception and sale at the Dublin School Gallery on Aug. 17 from 5 to 7 pm. The remaining works can be seen and purchased at the Sharon Arts Center Gallery, 30 Grove St., Peterborough, for the following two weeks.
“The Paint Out has now become a tradition at Sharon Arts,” said Gallery Director Camellia Sousa. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for artists to spend time with other artists in a particular location painting, drawing, and creating works of art inspired by the scenery around us. I think it’s such a popular event because of the sense of community fostered by spending a week working together outdoors. It’s also an important fundraiser for Sharon Arts, with proceeds this year from the sale of art work going to support enhanced programming for artists and youth in our downtown location. The continued support by the community truly makes this a more exciting event each year.”

For more information call (603) 924-7676

Photographer Gary Samson, Chair of the Photography Department at New Hampshire Institute of Art, will give a Curator’s Talk about Sharon Arts Center’s current exhibition “Documented: A Visual Narrative of an Artist’s Life” on Wednesday, Aug. 22 from 5-7 pm.

The exhibit features work by MacDowell Medal honoree Nan Goldin as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Michael Williamson and several prominent New England photographers. Samson will talk about works included in the exhibit in a historical context. His talk is free and open to the public and will be held in the Exhibition Gallery, 30 Grove St., Peterborough.

Samson, an accomplished fine arts photographer, filmmaker, and photo educator, received a fellowship from the NH Council on the Arts for his environmental portraits of New Hampshire artists and writers. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Currier Museum of Art, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, the State of New Hampshire, and the Art Galleries at the University of New Hampshire as well as in private collections.

From Sept. 5 to Dec. 12 Samson will teach a class, “Digital Photography I,” at Sharon Art Center’s School of Art & Craft, 457 Rt. 123, Sharon. The class, to be held Wednesdays from 2 to 4:50 pm, will be hosted in Sharon Arts’ new digital lab as a collaborative effort between Sharon Arts Center and the New Hampshire Institute of Art, partially funded by the Lizzie J. Cheney Charitable Trust and the Samuel P. Hunt Foundation. The new lab will host 14 student computers, high-quality printing capabilities, drawing tablets, and newer Adobe Suite software.

In Samson’s class students will learn basic operations and features of the digital SLR camera. File formats will be covered along with correct exposure and color through the use of the histogram and custom white balance. Lens selection, depth of field, and proper shutter speed settings will also be reviewed. Each student will make a portfolio of six to eight images and print photographs in a state-of-the-art digital lab.

Other classes in the areas of digital illustration and digital mixed media are also be offered at the Sharon Arts Center for all ages. 

The Sharon Arts Exhibition Gallery is accessed through Depot Square and 30 Grove St. in downtown Peterborough. The Craft Gallery is located in Depot Square in Downtown Peterborough. Store and Exhibition Gallery hours are: Monday – Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday 11 – 5 pm.

The Sharon Arts Center will hold an Open House from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday, Aug. 25 at both their downtown Exhibition Gallery, Depot Square, Peterborough and their School of Art and Craft, 457 Rt. 123, Sharon. Visitors will meet Sharon Arts faculty, be able to tour the School and Gallery, and learn about upcoming classes and programs.The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments and coffee will be served.

Demonstrations geared for children ages 3 to 12 will be held at the Gallery’s ArtSpace, while teen and adult demonstrations and workshops will be held at the School.

At the Peterborough Gallery ArtSpace:

11 am-noon: Mommy and Me demo, for ages 2 1/2 – 4 with a parent.
This collaborative program is aimed at enriching the parent-child relationship through a  combined effort on creative hands-on projects, with the emphasis on exploring shape and color, tactile learning, developing fine motor skills and creative expression while having fun in a supportive and nurturing environment.

Noon-1 pm: Just Me demo, for ages 5-6.
This program is a great introduction to building an early understanding of how to draw, paint, and sculpt from real life, with fun foundational experience in technique. Students will experience structured projects that build on experimentation with materials and themes. Intended for children without their parent.

1-3 pm: Youth Arts Club for ages 6-12
This program will allow students to explore foundational art techniques, and play with materials and creativity. Students will enjoy creating their own interpretation of the presented projects, adding to a unique and varied art collection. Experience literature-based approaches used in a variety of Sharon Arts youth programming. Young artists will enjoy working amongst peers and discussing the ideas presented in class.

At the School of Art and Craft:

There will be ongoing observational demos throughout the day, including a segment presented by ceramic artist Paula Barry. Visitors are welcome to participate in hands-on workshops to take home finished artworks of their own creation – the morning will consist of media in a variety of disciplines, the afternoon will focus on painting.

THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

11 am -1pm:

Drawing with Eleanor Clough, learn about drawing exercises to help you to see better what you are drawing and how to consider composition, line and form.
Glass Lampworking with Marta Bernbaum, work on the minor burner torch to create beads out of molten glass.
Encasutic Painting with Linda Widstrand, learn about the ancient technique of painting with pigmented melted beeswax and its mixed media versatility.
Outdoor Firing Prep with Janet Duchesneau, learn about preparing ceramics pieces for an outdoor Raku Firing.

1 – 3 pm:
Acrylic Painting with Linda Widstrand, learn about the media, techniques, and the artistic decisions involved in working with acrylics. Learn about painting from still life.
Outdoor Firing with Janet Duchesneau, learn about the process of an outdoor Saggar Firing firing and watch the beautiful transformation of ceramic glazes reacting with their firing process.

The Town of Peterborough is excited to announce that they are recipients of an National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) “Our Town” grant in the amount of $25,000. In collaboration with lead partner Sharon Arts Center, along with seven additional local arts organizations, the “Our Town” grant will be used to perform a feasibility study for a new cultural arts center. The Town of Peterborough is New Hampshire’s very first recipient of this competitive grant award since the program’s inception in 2011. The grant is particularly appropriate given that it is widely understood that playwright Thornton Wilder based his famed play Our Town on the town of Peterborough.

The grant’s related project activities will begin after September 1 and include focus groups, research, community workshops, public outreach, and a concept design to evaluate the feasibility of developing an arts center in a town-owned maintenance building on the site of a former home to the National Guard.

The property is underutilized and uniquely situated: abutting a commercial main street, residential neighborhood, and wetland right of NH Rt. 101. A cultural arts center would provide a new local and regional destination, with the expectation that it will facilitate cultural tourism and elevate the arts as a viable economic development strategy in the area. With an emphasis on community-wide collaboration, the grant’s activities will welcome voices from across the greater Peterborough area to share their observations, ideas, and hopes for Peterborough as an increasingly vibrant cultural destination.

April Claggett, a teacher and art historian from Dublin, and Karen Fitzgerald, a landscape architect from Francestown, conceived and co-authored the grant proposal on behalf of the town and sought participation from various non-profit art organizations. Sharon Arts, a 65-year-old arts organization that draws over 30,000 annual visitors through its doors both in Peterborough and Sharon, came on as the primary partner, with the town in an advisory capacity as an organization with a strong educational art mission serving the Monadnock region. Seven other non-profit arts groups and organizations wrote letters of support for the application including Peterborough Players, Monadnock Music, Mariposa Museum, Arts Alive!, Con-Val School District, The Cornucopia Project, and the Children and the Arts Festival.

“A vision of ‘arts for everyone’ –all of the arts–in a place that has so much to offer fit perfectly with what the NEA wished to fund.” said Fitzgerald after receiving news of the grant proposal acceptance.

Rodney Bartlett, Director of Public Works for the Town of Peterborough said, “This is a very exciting opportunity for the entire community. We are honored to have been selected out of the 317 applications submitted nationwide to receive this highly competitive federal funding. This grant and its activities play a key role in advancing the objectives of Peterborough’s current Master Plan, while providing a blueprint for the future needs of the local arts community.”

This important collaboration between the Town of Peterborough, its community of artists, businesses, and local arts and cultural organizations will help to advance the already vibrant downtown arts community that is home to nationally-recognized artists, museums, galleries, theaters, and performance companies.

“Sharon Arts is honored to take part in this important community-wide dialogue and planning effort exploring opportunities to collaborate for the betterment of the arts in Peterborough,” said Sharon Arts Executive Director, Keri Wiederspahn. “We look forward to serving the town in an advisory capacity and will be working in concert with other arts non profits reaching out to various groups to ensure that all stakeholders have a voice.”

According to the NEA, their announcement of $5 million in Our Town grants to 80 communities across the U.S. represents its latest investment in “creative placemaking”–how cities and towns are using the arts to shape their social, physical, and economic characters. Through “Our Town,” the NEA supports creative placemaking projects that help transform communities into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core. The grantee projects will improve quality of life, encourage creative activity, create community identity and a sense of place, and help revitalize local economies. All Our Town grant awards were made to partnerships that consisted of a minimum of a not-for-profit organization and a local government entity.

“Cities and towns are transformed when you bring the arts–both literally and figuratively–into the center of them,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “From Teller, Alaska to Miami, Florida, communities are pursuing creative placemaking, making their neighborhoods more vibrant and robust by investing in the performing, visual, and literary arts. I am proud to be partnering with these 80 communities and their respective arts, civic, and elected leaders.”

NEA Director of Design Jason Schupbach said, “It’s an exciting time for evolution and exploration in the creative peacemaking field, and I’m certain this year’s Our Town grants will bear fruit for their communities and lessons for the field as a whole.”

In an interview with the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, Fitzgerald added that “the intent will be to have an arts center that will be managed by a nonprofit organization, not by the town. The town might retain ownership of the property, but the intent is to make the center sustainable without town funding. The final cost of an arts center project would depend on the outcome of the planning sessions and feasibility study.” Fitzgerald and Claggett’s role will now shift to facilitating the feasibility study for the town while bringing in the necessary talents to study the viability, need, and unique opportunity.

The grant requires the recipient to locate a 50/50 match, part of which has already been pledged, with half coming from in-kind support. The rest of the necessary funding will need to be raised prior to September 1st. An on-line “crowd-sourcing” platform to gain funding and spread awareness of the study is underway. More information can be directed to Rodney Bartlett, Director of Public Works, Town of Peterborough, rbartlett@townofpeterborough.us.

The NEA was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. For more information see www.nea.gov

Open House
Saturday, August 25th, 11am-3pm

Free and open to the public, refreshments and coffee.
For more info: register@sharonarts.org, (603) 924-7256

Visitors will meet Sharon Arts faculty, be able to tour the School and learn about upcoming classes and programs.
Additional programming will be added to this web page as it becomes available, this schedule is subject to change.

Both Sharon Arts Center locations will be hosting open house activities.

At the Peterborough ArtSpace in Depot Square:

11am-12noon: Mommy and Me demo, for ages 2 1/2 – 4 with a parent.
This collaborative program is aimed at enriching the parent-child relationship through a  combined effort on creative hands-on projects, with the emphasis on exploring shape and color, tactile learning, developing fine motor skills and creative expression while having fun in a supportive and nurturing environment.

12noon-1pm: Just Me demo, for ages 5-6.
This program is a great introduction to building an early understanding of how to draw, paint, and sculpt from real life, with fun foundational experience in technique. Students will experience structured projects that build on experimentation with materials and themes. Intended for children without their parent.

1-3pm: Youth Arts Club for ages 6-12
This program will allow students to explore foundational art techniques, and play with materials and creativity. Students will enjoy creating their own interpretation of the presented projects, adding to a unique and varied art collection. Experience literature-based approaches used in a variety of Sharon Arts youth programming.

At the School of Art and Craft, 457 NH Rt 123, Sharon, NH:

There will be ongoing observational demos throughout the day, including a segment presented by ceramic artist Paula Barry. Visitors are welcome to participate in hands-on workshops to take home finished artworks of their own creation – the morning will consist of media in a variety of disciplines, the afternoon will focus on painting. Refreshments will be available.

11am-3pm – Used Book Sale! All proceeds to benefit Sharon Arts Center’s youth and teen programs!
Featuring a wide selection of books on art and craft, art history, how-to’s, and more.

11am-1pm:
Teen Digital Media with Sam Guay, students will learn about incorporating traditional and new media methods to create rich illustrations using modern software programs.
Clay with Karrie Mitschmyer, learn about handbuilding and wheelthrowing to communicate creatively in clay.
Glass Lampworking with Marta Bernbaum, work on the minor burner torch to create beads out of molten glass.
Encasutic Painting with Linda Widstrand, learn about the ancient technique of painting with pigmented melted beeswax and its mixed media versatility.
Outdoor Firing Prep with Janet Duchesneau, learn about preparing ceramics pieces for an outdoor raku firing.

1-3pm:
Oil Painting with Madeline Kadle, learn about the media, techniques, artistic decisions, and studio safety involved in oil painting. Learn about painting in abstraction.
Acrylic Painting with Linda Widstrand, learn about the media, techniques, and the artistic decisions involved in working with acrylics. Learn about painting from still life.
Outdoor Raku Firing with Janet Duchesneau, learn about the process of an outdoor firing and watch the beautiful transformation of ceramic glazes reacting with their firing process.

In conjunction with MacDowell Medal Day, which this year will honor notable American fine-art and documentary photographer Nan Goldin, Sharon Arts Center will present an exhibition of photographs by Goldin and a group of photographers whose work will explore the dialogue of life. The exhibit, held in creative collaboration with the New Hampshire Institute of Art and sponsored by Sequoya Technologies Group LLC, will run from Aug.10 through Sept.1, with an opening reception on Friday, Aug.10 from 5-7 pm. The reception is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

“We are honored to be able to share the work of renowned photographer Nan Goldin, who only recently was able to give clearance to sharing her beautiful and raw work in this unusual, provocative and powerful exhibition,” said Sharon Arts Executive Director Keri Wiederspahn.”The celebration of a MacDowell medalist is a worthy way to highlight achievement of the artistic talents passing through our region, with the spirit of the show clearly defining photography as a substantive creative medium in New England. The caliber of talent runs deep throughout, and this varied show offers much to the viewer–the several emergent photographers are in very good company, yet certainly hold their own.”

Michael Williamson photo

Goldin, who began photographing at the age of 15, received a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her work has been published extensively and she is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres from the French government, and the Hasselblad Award in Photography. She is represented by Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, and her work has been exhibited at significant institutions worldwide, including Centre Pompidou, Paris; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid; Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki; Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro; and the Whitney Museum, New York.

“The artists selected for this show all use photography in a deeply personal way to explore a variety of subject matter including relationships, physical illness, aging, self-image, the extended singular portrait and childhood memories,” said guest curator Gary Samson. “This show will promote both an external and internal dialogue about photography and the visual and emotional journey the viewer is invited to participate in and respond to. Each body of work is each in its own way, a visual diary.”

Samson is Chair of the Photography Department at New Hampshire Institute of Art. An accomplished fine art photographer, filmmaker, and photo educator, his work is included in the permanent collections of the Currier Museum of Art, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, the State of New Hampshire, the Art Galleries at the University of New Hampshire as well as private collections.

For more information call (603) 924-7676. The Sharon Arts Exhibition Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm.

Nan Goldin - Nan and Brian in bed, NYC. 2003 Cibachrome 20x24 inches

© Nan Goldin, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery

CREATIVE PARTNER:

COMMUNITY PARTNER:

THIS EXHIBITION GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:

Sharon Arts Center will be holding their 7th Annual plein-air “Paint Out” Aug.13-17 in and around Dublin’s mountains, lakes, and gardens. Participating artists will wrap up the week-long event with a reception and sale at the Dublin School Gallery on Aug. 17 from 5 to 7 pm. The remaining works can be seen and purchased at the Sharon Arts Center Gallery, 30 Grove St., Peterborough, for the following two weeks.

For more information call (603) 924-7676