Iconic Ireland exhibit by Karen Desrosiers at Lane House Arts Center
HAMPTON – Local artist Karen Desrosiers will have an exhibit of original paintings at the Lane House Arts Center for the month of March. “Iconic Ireland” is a collection of oil paintings featuring iconic images and sights from Ireland and celebrating the Irish culture.
The exhibit features a series of large format works that Desrosiers has painted from photographs taken during her many trips to Ireland. “Themes of Irish and Celtic culture feature heavily in my artwork,” says Desrosiers. “The heart and soul of Ireland and the Irish people shine through the beautiful, rugged landscapes, the brightly painted buildings, the ancient architecture, and the wild flora.”
Desrosiers paints primarily with oils, in an impressionistic manner, applying thick textures and brushstrokes, and creating works that are almost three-dimensional. Desrosiers says, “I love color and texture and the expression that I am able to get with them.”
The “Iconic Ireland” exhibit runs now to April 2 at the Lane House Arts Center. The exhibit is open Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment
LHAC is located in downtown Hampton, in the historic Lane House, at 380 Lafayette Road. For more information, contact LHAC via email at [email protected] or by calling 603-926-1111 or visit the website at www.lanehousearts.com.
Brick Store Museum looks at ‘Perspectives of History’
KENNEBUNK, Maine – Brick Store Museum is hosting a virtual springtime lecture series called “Expanded Perspectives of History,” supported by the Maine Humanities Council. The series will be delivered via Zoom every two weeks beginning on March 10. On these dedicated Thursdays at 2 p.m., the Museum will present a visiting virtual lecturer to speak on different perspectives of the history we know. Registration is free, and spots can be reserved on www.brickstoremuseum.org.
To kick-off the series, on Thursday, March 10, Professor Matthew Bahar of Oberlin College will speak on his recent book, “Storm of the Sea: Indians and Empires in the Atlantic’s Age of Sail.” On March 31, certified genealogist Pam Eagleson will present “Uncovering the Struggles & Stories of Our Ancestors”; April 14 will bring Professor Paul Kelton of Stony Brook College to speak on “Germs and Colonialism,” and May 5 will see Professor David Jones of Harvard University focus on “COVID-19 Through the Lens of Epidemic History.” Lastly, the series will bring Kennebunk’s own history into focus, with Town Historian Kathy Ostrander Roberts speaking on the town’s history of Freed Enslaved People and Kennebunk’s Poor Farm on Thursday, May 26.
Participation in these lectures is free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of the Maine Humanities Council, but you must register online at www.brickstoremuseum.org or call the Museum at 207-985-4802. Lectures will be recorded and made available to registrants and Museum Members through the Member Portal after the live presentations.
Bread & Puppet returns to the Millspace with ‘Finished Waiting’
NEWMARKET — Bread & Puppet returns to the Millspace at 55 Main St., in Newmarket, on Saturday, April 2, at 6 p.m., with Finished Waiting, a new show created this winter by B&P director, Peter Schumann and the storied Vermont troupe of puppeteers, carpenters, bus drivers, musicians, dancers, agitators and bread-bakers, many of whom do all of the above in the process of inventing Bread & Puppet’s aesthetically iconic and politically plainspoken shows and bringing them to audiences far and wide.
Finished Waiting is a show for this moment of political, social, ecological and epidemiological rupture and uncertainty, a moment in which many feel the seduction of a stance of waiting; waiting for the pandemic to be over, for better leaders to be elected, for actions to be taken by the powerful to respond to ecological catastrophe, for families to be reunited or seemingly eternal wars to end.
After the performance Bread & Puppet will serve its free sourdough rye bread with aioli, and Bread & Puppet’s “Cheap Art” – books, posters, postcards, pamphlets and banners from the Bread & Puppet Press – will be for sale.
Tickets are $10 to $25 suggested sliding scale at the door.
Racial Unity Team hosts Art and Poetry Challenge for New Hampshire residents of all ages
The Art and Poetry Challenge, the living, breathing proof of the power of the arts, is an annual challenge hosted by the Racial Unity Team. Up to $6,000 in prize money will be awarded to winners in elementary, middle school, high school and adult categories in both art and poetry.
Every New Hampshire resident is invited to submit an original poem or visual work of art inspired by this year’s theme of “Equity,” which means giving people what they need to reach their full potential.
The deadline for submissions is April 15, and winners will be announced in late June. Submissions will be exhibited in town halls, local libraries, and on the Racial Unity Team website. For challenge rules and resources visit: racialunityteam.com/art-and-poetry-challenge.
Teachers are encouraged to review the available resources on the topic of equity and to encourage their students to participate. This challenge is made possible by our sponsors Nellie Mae Education Foundation and Kennebunk Savings. For further information, please call 603-263-6511.
“Sunflowers for Ukraine” at the Seacoast Artist Association
EXETER — The artists at the Seacoast Artist Association needed a way to express their pain and hope about what is happening in the Ukraine, the homeland of their fellow artist member, sculptor Natasha Dikareva of Newmarket, N.H. Beginning Wednesday, March 9 they will have original works on sale featuring the country’s national flower, the sunflower, and the blue and yellow colors of their national flag. The artists are donating all proceeds from these sales to the World Central Kitchen, where chef José Andrés is feeding those fleeing the war on Ukraine.
The show will be up until Wednesday, April 5. Please join them for a safe Second Friday reception on March 11, from 5 to 7 p.m. Masks are required, and there will be no refreshments served this month. The gallery is at 130 Water St., in downtown Exeter. Parking is free. The gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. See more at seacoastartist.org and follow them on Facebook.
Seacoast Wind Ensemble accepts applications for Student Music Scholarship
KITTERY, Maine — The Seacoast Wind Ensemble is currently accepting applications from high school instrumental musicians for the Paul M. Erwin Music Scholarship. Applications will be accepted from now through Saturday, March 26.
Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded this year. The funds can be used to support musical endeavors, including: music camps, new instruments/equipment, lessons, tuition, etc. Winners will be invited to perform with SWE at one of their summer concerts, where the scholarships will be presented. Students must reside in York County, Maine, Rockingham or Strafford County, N.H., Essex County, Mass., or Rutland County, Vt. To learn more or apply for the scholarship, visit: www.seacoastwindensemble.org/scholarship. Questions may also be sent to [email protected].
Seacoast Wind Ensemble performs “Music of the Americas” Concert
KITTERY, Maine — The Seacoast Wind Ensemble will perform a concert of “Music of the Americas” on Saturday, March 12, at 7 p.m. at the Star Theater in Kittery, Maine.
The concert will feature music from Newfoundland to Colombia, including “The Banks of Newfoundland” by Howard Cable, “American Riversongs” by Pierre LaPlante, and “Tambien Es Colombia” by Alfredo Mejía Vallejo. The concert is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome at the door.
To learn more, please visit their website, www.seacoastwindensemble.org, or visit them on Facebook. Interested parties can add their name to an email list to be notified about upcoming concerts so that they don’t miss a beat.
Seacoast Wind Ensemble seeking new musicians
KITTERY, Maine — The Seacoast Wind Ensemble is seeking new wind and percussion players. If you are an experienced musician, please consider joining the ensemble! Rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings at the Shapleigh Middle School in Kittery, Maine. To learn more, please visit our website: www.seacoastwindensemble.org.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exhibits, galleries, theater and more: Seacoast arts and culture news