Clifford B. West Gallery – January 10 – February 7, 2020
Liminal space… the world in between – between a world I live in and a world I listen to, that has always been what has driven my imagery. For 56 years since I read Edna St Vincent Millay’s poem Renascence, the place in between life’s state of being and how we treat the other, has been an internal focus.
In recent years, finally being able to work in my studio full time, the connection has become deeper and stronger. Investing time in understanding the travails of the other, has consumed my emotions and driven my imagery. Watching the world move from continent to continent, seeing humanity being uprooted as they seek a solid resting place makes my landscapes evolve. The branches, the thickets, the thorns reveal the human tales. As I work on Yupo paper, an unstable ground in itself, the moving ink and moving graphite speak to those emotions. Knowing that I can erase the entire picture plane with strokes of water and ammonia relates to what is happening in the human landscape as it transforms.
Liminal space is the space in between. In between, knowing, owning, being connected and permanent into a space that is in flux. Where life is unknown. A landscape where only the ground is stable. My work starts with a basic composition, a layout and then the medium leads me through the fluid reaction. I listen to the ink, as we listen to the land.
Steve Chase, an accomplished artist who studied at AVA Gallery and Art Center with Clifford B. West, is known for his bold and colorful works of oil pastel on paper or Yupo synthetic paper. Some of the artwork is created from studying photographs and others are works of the artist’s imagination. The below artwork is available for sale on a permanent basis. Artwork is sold on a “Cash and Carry” basis, and may be purchased in person, by calling AVA at 603.448.3117, or emailing Executive Director Heidi Reynolds at heidi@avagallery.org for details.
The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Governor’s Arts Awards, who will be formally honored at a gala on Oct. 21, 5-7:30 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Bank of New Hampshire Stage in Concord.
New Hampshire’s Governor’s Arts Awards recognize the contributions of individuals, organizations and communities that make a difference in quality of life in New Hampshire through the arts. To be eligible for nominations, individuals must reside in New Hampshire or have made significant contributions to the arts while living in New Hampshire; nominated organizations, cities and towns must be physically located in New Hampshire.
The 2019 Governor’s Arts Award winners are:
Arts Education: Theo Martey, Manchester
Arts in Health: Crotched Mountain School, Greenfield
Creative Communities: Town of Mason
Distinguished Arts Leadership: Bente Torjusen, Lebanon
Folk Heritage: Jane McBride Orzechowski, Newport
Individual Arts Champion (two awards): Stephen Duprey, Concord and Robert O. Wilson, Concord
Lotte Jacobi Living Treasure: Sylvia Nicolas, Mont Vernon
Limited tickets to the 2019 Governor’s Arts Awards event, which will include a reception with light refreshments, are available online from the Capitol Center for the Arts ccanh.com or by calling their box office at 603-225-1111.
Award sponsors for the event are Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, Eversource, New England College, Northeast Delta Dental, Sanborn Mills Farm, Shannon Chandley and Tom Silvia, and Christine Dwyer. Event sponsors are Blue Orchid Interiors, Carol and Roger Brooks, the Capitol Center for the Arts, the Hotel Concord, Kelley Family Properties, O Steaks and Seafood, and WMUR.
The N.H. State Council on the Arts is a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The State Arts Council provides a wide variety of services, competitive grants, and technical assistance to not-for-profit organizations, schools, health care facilities, and individual artists, helping to ensure that the arts thrive in New Hampshire and are accessible to all. Funding for grants and services is provided by the New Hampshire Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Learn more at nh.gov/nharts.
2020 has inundated us with a torrent of change. A world-wide pandemic has changed millions of lives; a new awareness of systemic racism has inspired calls for change and reform; and an upcoming national election, no matter what the outcome, will bring about even more change. It is for these reasons that AVA Gallery’s quarterly storytelling series, The Mudroom, is embracing the theme of “Change.” The event will be held the evening of Thursday, September 10, 2020, at 7 pm.*
The MudZoom will take place on September 10, 2020 at 7 pm.
*The Mudroom will be held in a way that provides the best and safest experience for our community. Details will be released as we get closer to the performance date. This event is free, but a donation to our Here to There Fund is encouraged to support AVA’s continued programming during this challenging time.
The Mudroom team:
Sally Bacon
Casey Carpenter
Judith Hertog
Mike Lovell
Lianne Moccia
Sheryl Trainor
A Zoom link will be posted here a day before the next event
Please spread the word! Many thanks!
The Mudroom Team
Mudroom has gone virtual. Below are details for Pre-COVID-19 Mudroom events at AVA Gallery and Art Center
Food at 6:30 pm | Storytelling at 7 pm This live-storytelling event offers an opportunity to meet new people, enjoy a fun evening with music, food and beverage, and hear entertaining stories. Delicious Asian food by Pon and beverages will be available for purchase before the performance. Live music will be provided by Dave Clark and Juke Joynt.
Ticket Price: $7.50 for Members (discount will be reflected at check-out), $10 general public, $20 at-the-door (limited availability)
Limit 2 tickets per person; Contributing Members and higher may purchase up to 4 tickets
AVA Members can purchase a limited number of tickets Online Only two months before the event.
Tickets for the general public will go on one month before the event.
Membership Discounts will be applied at checkout, after registration information is completed.
AVA Gallery and Art Center AppointsHeidi Reynolds as Executive Director
Lebanon, NH (October 14, 2019) The Board of
Directors of AVA Gallery and Art Center today announced the appointment of
Heidi Reynolds as AVA’s new Executive Director.
AVA’s Board Chair, Andrew Garthwaite stated: “The Search Committee
considered many qualified applicants from across the country. Heidi’s natural leadership qualities, her
dedication to the role of the arts in the Upper Valley community and her
commitment to the future of AVA made her the clear choice for Executive
Director.”
Reynolds recently joined the staff at AVA as Interim
Exhibition Manager in June and was retained permanently after successfully
integrating into the culture at AVA. She will continue her duties as Exhibition
Manager until her successor is named, assuming the Executive Director mantle
from Bente Torjusen, AVA’s previous Executive Director who returned to AVA on
an interim basis during the directorship search.
“I follow in the footsteps of a formidable leader and am grateful to have Bente as a mentor and guide as AVA embarks on this new chapter,” says Reynolds. “AVA is experiencing a groundswell of support since Bente spearheaded the Spring Into Summer Campaign and I intend to continue honoring AVA’s past and improving upon the traditions that make this institution the core source of support and community for visual artists and patrons in the Upper Valley and beyond.”
A life-long photographer who studied at Columbia College in Chicago, Reynolds served on the board of Fotofest in Houston, Texas, while continuing her photographic studies at Maine Media and Santa Fe Workshops. Reynolds’ family later moved from San Francisco to settle in Hanover, New Hampshire in 2004 where she continued her commitment to service as a volunteer and board member at several non-profit organizations. Most recently, Reynolds worked in development at Northern Stage, managing the corporate sponsorship and exhibiting artist programs, and at the Montshire Museum of Science, coordinating development events and managing volunteers.
Reynolds feels a strong responsibility toward
supporting non-profit organizations that sustain our rich community life.
“Having worked or volunteered at many Upper Valley organizations, I understand
how interwoven these teams are among the lives of the people they serve. I am
honored to have relationships with those who are dedicated to the arts, social
services, education, and research, whether as employees, clients, members, or
donors. I hope to nurture these relationships and continue to foster
collaboration among as many fellow non-profits, supporting businesses, and
benefactors as possible. Working together only makes us stronger.”
