Blog

May 27, 2023

Exhibits, galleries, theater and more: Seacoast arts and culture news

DOVER — The Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group is holding their 8th annual

DOVER — The Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group is holding their 8th annual ukulele picnic - "SNHUGFEST" on Saturday, Sept. 16, on the Rotary Arts Pavilion Stage at Henry Law Park in Dover, N.H. This free, all-day festival features ukulele performances, food vendors, raffle prizes and more. Bands are coming from near and far including the Unlikely Strummers, Amy Kucharik, Kristina Looney, Ukulele Strummers of Southern Maine, the Ukulidiots, the Desperate Strings Trio, Uke Pitt, Steve Roy, NH Kukuleles, and June and the Honey Badgers.

The fun starts at 11 a.m., with play-along jams all day, so bring your uke. All of the proceeds from SNHUGFEST 2023 support the Ukulele Kids Club. To date, SNHUG has raised over $99,000 for the UKC, which provides music therapy and instruments to hospitalized children right here in New Hampshire and nationwide. June Pinkham, one of the organizers of this event, states "This event will get us to our 2023 goal of $100,000. This is a team effort, and we are all very proud of that. Bringing this joyful instrument along with music therapy sessions, to a sick child brings smiles and provides comfort to both patients, caregivers and families."

This event is rain or shine. Admittance is free.

KITTERY, Maine — Rounding the corner from spring into summer, The Dance Hall announces their first full, indoor, summer season of programming. Thanks to recent improvements to the building, namely the addition of air-conditioning, the beautiful concert hall is now a comfortable space to enjoy shows every weekend, 12 months out of the year. The Dance Hall's new Artistic Director, Eric Klaxton, is eager to use this as an opportunity to expand the scope of the venue's programming.

The 2023 Summer Season at The Dance Hall kicks off with The Guthrie Girls on June 17 at 7:30 p.m., following the Kittery Block Party. They carry the same melodic wit, charm and insight as their famous kin and their new music is a continuous river that flows from great creative musical traditions. The Dance Hall is also excited to launch Jazz Casual, a new Sunday series running from July 9 to Aug. 13. Jazz Casual features local favorites as well as nationally renowned artists, including the great Tony Malaby- known for his work with iconic drummer, Paul Motian. Rounding out the folk and jazz programming is critically acclaimed blues trio, GA-20 performing on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Rolling Stone calls them "100% Blues… A pure marvel and delight."

DOVER — Aplomb stands for self-confidence, self-assurance and poise: especially under the most trying circumstances.

Through collaborative artistic expression, The Aplomb Project uses the transformative power of art to uplift trauma survivors, promote creative healing and present inclusive artistic opportunities. Contemporary portrait artist, Danielle Festa, captures the resilience of individuals in powerful oil portraits and then gifts the final pieces to her subjects, in celebration of their courage and strength.

In 2020, Danielle's cousin Sue disclosed her story of childhood sexual assault. What came as a tsunami of painful information was also a release of stored trauma for Sue. She finally allowed herself to accept support, gain confidence and offload the weight of this secret. Danielle asked if she could paint this transformation. This opened up a new chapter in Danielle's life; she began painting old friends and making new ones while illustrating their stories of resilience. In 2023 the passion project developed into its own 501(c)(3) organization called The Aplomb Project.

On June 24, the Aplomb Gallery is hosting the second of the Portrait Project exhibitions including six new portraits of survivors who will receive their painting when the show closes. Not only do the survivors get paintings, they become part of a supportive community participating in hybrid healing arts events. Last year the first exhibition was full of uplifting energy and this year should be even more moving as we are also releasing a full color, hardcover art book highlighting the paintings, the stories and accompanying poetry. This year the celebration will be broadcast on zoom in addition to the in-person exhibition and gala so that survivors and supporters can participate from anywhere.

Experience the exhibition on June 24 from anywhere via zoom or in Dover, N.H. Register at theaplombproject.org/gala. While the exhibition is up, there will also be several hybrid healing art events open to the public, see them all at theaplombproject.org/events.

ROCHESTER — The Franklin Gallery at RiverStones Custom Framing, 33 North Main St., in Rochester, will host an exhibit during the month of June featuring the work of local painter BB Cassidy.

Cassidy is a contemporary painter who lives in Rochester, N.H. She was born in New Hampshire and is a life-long New Englander. Self-taught, Cassidy began painting as a means of escapism. "I grew up with an abusive father and a mother who did not believe the abuse happened," Cassidy says. "I spent time homeless and couch-surfing while dealing with the familial fallout and looking for a new home." It was during this time with nowhere to go that her artistic voice became stronger and painting became an outlet.

She is inspired by the natural world, having gone to school for geology and meteorology, as well as music, and finds joy in painting in a variety of styles. Many of her pieces are fueled by synesthesia, leading to work using bold, dramatic colors and grabbing textures.

RiverStones Custom Framing and the Franklin Gallery are open Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. For information about this exhibit and other RiverStones events and services, call 603-812-1488, or send an e-mail to [email protected].