As the holidays get closer and closer, there’s one big thing on everybody’s mind: giving gifts.
So we know the Guide to Gifts and Giving was last week’s issue, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tell you about another act of giving this week, does it? This gift is a little different from anything we talked about last week, so it’s okay that we didn’t include it in that issue.
What we’re talking about here is the gift of art, from a private citizen to the city of Concord. More specifically, it’s the gift of four paintings created by Concord artist Melissa Miller, and three of the paintings depict New Hampshire scenes. (One painting definitely depicts the Concord City Auditorium, while two others sure look like Concord but don’t explicitly say so in the titles. The fourth is of Antibes, France.)
You may have already seen one of them – Prince Street in Winter / With Audi – at the Concord City Auditorium. That was put on display at the auditorium during the Season Opening Gala in September, and the plan is for it to stay there.
The others will likely soon be on display for all to see in a public place, and that makes for a nice gift to everyone in the city.
City Manager Tom Aspell said he knows of a perfect place for them: City Hall.
There’s a corridor outside Aspell’s office that leads to a conference room that Aspell said is used all the time. That corridor is as bland as can be (no offense, City Hall interior decorator) – bare, white walls with not a drop of color in sight. Who wants to look at that on their way to a big important meeting?
So Aspell thought that would be a nice spot to add some color and life, and what better way to do that than by putting up some art made in Concord, depicting Concord (or a place that really looks a lot like Concord)?
But where did these paintings come from, anyway? Did they just show up on the front steps of City Hall one day?
Kind of, but not really.
The city can thank Dan Hingston of Hillsboro for the donation. Hingston said he’s a pretty quiet guy and wasn’t looking for a ton of press or anything, but he was nice enough to let us talk to him about the gift – and he did sign off on us using his name.
“I thought they should stay in New Hampshire, and that Concord would be the best place for them,” Hingston said.
Hingston is 75, and he believes “there’s a time to enjoy things and there’s a time to allow other people to enjoy them.” Now, he said, is the time for other people to enjoy these works of art, the way he has enjoyed them in his home.
Hingston has known Carol Bagan – with the Friends of the Audi – for about 50 years, and he first contacted her about donating the paintings. Bagan told Hingston that the Audi would love them, but that they would have to be considered a gift to the city, since the Audi is city-owned property. “Her suggestion was fine with me,” Hingston said. “And that basically is the story.”
Both Hingston and Bagan, humble as they are, kept trying to give the credit to the other. Ultimately, though, each deserves credit for working out this deal. As does Miller, the artist herself.
“I heard about the donation of some of my work to the city of Concord only Saturday, from a friend,” she said. “It’s great to know there are supporters and patrons of the arts out there.”
Now if you don’t know about Miller and her work, you should. “Melissa is the real deal,” Bagan said.
She’s represented by McGowan Fine Art, where many of her works are on display, and she also has a studio in the downtown building that houses Orr & Reno. She paints a lot of classic New England scenes, and many depicting this fine city.
“My interest in the urban landscape started in college, as a fascination with – and desire to try to capture – the elusive color of brick in the late afternoon sun,” she said. “After school and some time out West, I returned to Concord, and found myself again drawn to the light on the brick buildings. It moved me in some way, and I felt compelled to try to paint it. I’m still trying to paint it.”
Hingston liked the paintings, but he felt it was just time for other people to enjoy them. He donates all kinds of things to all kinds of groups all the time, but he never makes a big deal out of it. He also is a believer of the ol’ no takesies backsies rule.
“I don’t think you should micromanage a gift after you give it,” he said. So for instance, he doesn’t mind whether the paintings end up in City Hall or the Audi or the library or anywhere else. He thinks that should be up to the recipients.
On that note, it should be mentioned that although the city has the paintings in hand, the transaction isn’t official yet. Due to political rules and regulations, the city council still has to vote on whether to accept the gift at its December meeting. Aspell said he can’t imagine the gift being rejected, but due process is due process. Any gift the city may receive has to be voted on.
So assuming the councilors okay the gift (fingers crossed!), you could soon be feasting your eyes on some one-of-a-kind, Concord-made, Concord-inspired art, right in the heart of downtown Concord itself.
What a nice gift.
