Insider staff
If there’s one thing Concord is not short on, it’s art galleries.
For a relatively small city in little old New Hampshire, Concord is pretty impressive when it comes to galleries. Big, small, inside, outside, newer, older – it’s all here.
We poked around each one last week and pulled together as much info as we could to give you a nice little guide to Concord’s art gallery scene. In this feature, we’ll focus on the places in which displaying and selling art is the main thing they do.
McGowan Fine Art
10 Hills Ave., 225-2215, mcgowanfineart.com
McGowan Fine Art, a contemporary New England art gallery, has been a part of the New Hampshire art community since 1980, providing quality art in a friendly atmosphere.
McGowan features a distinctive selection of artists in a variety of mediums, styles and price ranges – something for everyone, from the first-time buyer to the experienced collector. You can find paintings both abstract and representational, jewelry, sculptures, photography and more.
The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and by chance or appointment.
It’s closed on major holidays, and it’s always a good idea to call in advance if there is inclement weather.
Sarah Chaffee has been the gallery director at McGowan Fine Art since 1997 and a partner in the business since 2000. She’s likely to greet you with a smile when you walk in the door – and her dog, Henry, might do the same.
Amanda McGowan Lacasse joined the McGowan Fine Art team in 2007, and she works with businesses and organizations all over New England, helping select artwork that will complement their space and enhance their brand. She loves making sure all the details add up to a successful project.
If you go into McGowan right now, you’ll see (depending on which day you go) either “Trans-Pose,” an exhibit of paintings by Catherine Graffam, or “Matt Brown & Students,” a wood block exhibit by Matt Brown and students.
The “Trans-Pose” exhibit is only up until Friday, so if you want to see it before it’s gone, make sure you get there before the weekend. The Matt Brown exhibit starts April 26, with an opening reception April 29 at 5 p.m. Brown will also give an artist’s talk May 7 at 11 a.m. at the gallery. It will be free and open to the public.
Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden
236 Hopkinton Road, 226-2046, themillbrookgallery.com
Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden on Hopkinton Road offers a nice intimate, home-like setting where you’ll find original art and contemporary crafts created by established and emerging regional and national artists.
Mill Brook has quite a collection of paintings, sculptures, ceramics and jewelry. Owner Pam Tarbell will help you find that special piece for your home, garden, office space or special someone. The artists she represents in the gallery are also available to create customized pieces if you really want something truly special and unique.
Tarbell is committed to featuring and promoting distinguished and rising artists through special exhibits and events that celebrate art. It’s not just for big-wigs and it’s not just for up-and-comers. Tarbell will take it all.
One of Mill Brook’s more notable features is the outdoor sculpture garden. The outdoor space combines “nature and art” in a peaceful setting of perennial gardens, fields, woodlands and ponds. It provides an experience hard to find – one in which you can walk around outside on a nice day and browse professional art while doing so.
But it’s not just outside – the gallery has three indoor rooms. The upstairs gallery has rotating exhibits about every six weeks. The other two galleries carry artwork by more than 70 artists. Most artists live in New Hampshire and the other New England states, although there are some from much farther away. The gallery carries original paintings, sculptures (indoor and outdoor), pottery, mobiles, fine art prints, large granite ball fountains, custom furniture and more.
Pretty much, if it’s artistic, it’s at Mill Brook.
On display until June 26 is an exhibit called “Spring Celebration.” This exhibit features, that’s right, spring-related work.
On April 28, there will be a “Meet the Artists and Gallery Talk” event from 5 to 7 p.m.
The 19th Annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit opens May 27 and runs through late October.
Here’s the good part: All exhibitions are free and open to the public. So bring your friends, neighbors, children, and borderline acquaintances!
All art work is for sale and inquiries are encouraged. Shipping is available on any item. Just ask!
Kimball-Jenkins Estate
266 N. Main St., 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com
The Kimball-Jenkins Estate is a gallery that exists inside a historic mansion not far from downtown.
Its mission is “PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPERIENCE THE VISUAL ARTS IN AN HISTORIC SETTING,” and it seems as though it has accomplished that mission.
At Kimball-Jenkins, you can look at art, buy art or even create art. There’s always something going on over there, and they’re big on trying to include as many people as possible.
On its website, it describes its vision as “a future in which the Kimball-Jenkins Estate is a destination for learning and participating in the visual arts for all ages, in an architecturally and historically unique setting.”
The Kimball-Jenkins School of Art offers an extensive program of financially sustainable courses in the visual and related arts in buildings and grounds open to the community.
The current exhibit is New Work, by Al Jaeger, Paul Pollaro and Edith Weiler. It runs until May 31.
Right around the corner, though, is a fun event called Colors and Cabernet. This Friday from 6 to 8 p.m., you can go and finish a painting in one night, even if you’ve never painted before. Bring your own beer or wine if you’d like, just keep it within reason – probably leave the keg at home.
An instructor will work with you, and the whole thing takes about two hours.
Friday night’s painting will be a lighthouse scene, and you can see a sample online. The cost is $40 and class is limited to 10, so sign up quick. Register by calling 225-3932.
If you’re more into discussions than painting, you can always check out Wednesday Wisdom, held on the second Wednesday of each month. The goal of Wednesday Wisdom is to bring fascinating speakers to a diverse group of greater Concord residents.
It’s a pot luck and BYO (wine, beer or other drinks), so that alone makes it worth going to.
But if you’re way too young for BYO parties or philosophical discussions, you might want to check out Kimball-Jenkins’s Fairy Tea Parties. The first floor of the mansion is transformed into an elegant setting for a fairy-themed elegant tea party for children ages 2 to 12 accompanied by an adult.
Arrive dressed as a fairy, in your party dress or as yourself. It’s your party!
The next one will be May 15 from 2 to 4 p.m.
League of NH Craftsmen
49 S. Main St., Suite 100, 228-8171, nhcrafts.org
Since 1932, the League of NH Craftsmen has led the way in setting the standard and promoting fine craft throughout the United States and the world. And not just any fine craft, but fine craft that is made by hand – here!
The mission of the League is to encourage, nurture and promote the creation, use and preservation of fine contemporary and traditional craft through the inspiration and education of artists and the broader community.
The current exhibit is “Continuing the Tradition: Work of Newly Juried Members.” It runs through June 17. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
