BALA-BILA: A world premiere performance by African master musicians
KITTERY, Maine — BALA-BILA brings together two African master musicians– Balla Kouyaté, from the West African country of Mali, and Matchume Zango, from the East African country of Mozambique–through a live performance framed as an intercultural musical conversation between the two artists. This living-room-style concert features Kouyaté and Zango as composers and multi-instrumentalists sharing the joy, beauty and complexity of their music, and it is a unique opportunity for the audience to get to know them as human beings, artists, ambassadors, and global citizens as they explore their connection to each other, their art, and their cultural patrimony.
The performance is $25 advance and $30 day-of, and takes place Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m., at The Dance Hall: 7 Walker St., Kittery, Maine. Tickets are available at: https://portsmouthnhtickets.com/events/bala-bila-10-12-2024.
The Art Center presents Attachments, the latest series by artist Kate Higley
DOVER — Higley’s work derives from a life-long bittersweet affection for the scents, sights, sounds and wildlife in marshes, estuaries, creeks, and wetlands, along with deep concerns about their destruction. Growing up within yards of a tidal creek, she has lived in many inland places but was drawn back to the seacoast where she now lives and has her studio in Eliot, Maine. The Heath, a triptych in oil and cold wax, derives its name from an area of Eliot recently noticed on an old map. Combining her long history with both painting and printmaking, the Sycamore pieces began life with prints from leaves of a tree behind the Woodman Institute in Dover, one of the tallest in N.H. The work evolved via layers of oil and cold wax into the complex works on display.
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The exhibition will run now through Oct. 31 at The Art Center, with an artist reception scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5, from 6-9 p.m. The Art Center located at 1 Washington St., Suite 1177, Dover, N.H.
Garrison Players Arts Center presents Black Coffee by Agatha Christie
ROLLINSFORD — Garrison Players Arts Center presents Black Coffee by Agatha Christie at Garrison Players Arts Center, Corner of Roberts Road and Portland Ave (Rte 4), Rollinsford on Oct. 11-13, 18-20, 25-26. Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays, at 4 p.m., Sundays, at 2 p.m.
Black Coffee is the first original play from the pen of Agatha Christie. In this classic murder mystery, Poirot and Captain Hastings are summoned to the grand house of Sir Claud Amory, a scientist whose breakthrough atomic formula he has been working on has been stolen! However, before he can discover the truth, he is murdered. In true Agatha Christie style, Poirot is left to solve the case with the ever-faithful Hastings by his side.
Directed by Phil Hammond (pwhammond2@gmail.com)
Tickets are available at https://www.garrisonplayers.org/mainstageseason. Adults $22, Seniors $18, Students $15. For more information about auditions, shows, volunteering, sponsorship, or GPAC, visit the website at www.garrisonplayers.org.
New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series® presents Aftermath by Tim Barretto
PORTSMOUTH — On Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 7-9 p.m., the Town of Durham and the University of New Hampshire’s police departments and the Durham Fire Department host New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series®: a staged reading of the play Aftermath by Tim Barretto, focusing on Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) in First Responders. Aftermath is the story of one firefighter and how the reverberations of a tragic accident triggers his PTS and profoundly affects his life, as well as his family and colleagues.
After the reading, a facilitated community discussion features panelists who are familiar with and invested in the topic of PTS in First Responders. The Oct. 23 panel will include: Dr. Nicole Sawyer, Doctor of Psychology, specialist in the treatment of PTS; Durham Police Captain Jack Dalton; and Deputy Fire Chief Rob Atwater. Playwright Tim Barretto will also join the panel.
All Elephant-in-the-Room Series® programs are free and open to the public and we ask that participants register on the NHTP website at: nhtheatreproject.org/onstagenow.
NHTP’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series® seeks to illuminate and discuss issues like PTS through community conversations, and help connect the public with available resources. This presentation of Aftermath is cosponsored by the Durham and UNH Police Departments with additional support from the Durham Fire Department.
New Hampshire Art Association October Exhibitions: Opening Oct. 4
PORTSMOUTH — All mentioned exhibitions will be showcased at the New Hampshire Art Association from Oct. 3 to Oct. 27. Join us for the opening reception on Friday, Oct. 4, from 5-8 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m.
Main Gallery: No Longer Brushed Aside
The New Hampshire Art Association presents No Longer Brushed Aside, an exhibition that highlights the transformative work of artists who participated in the NHAA’s comprehensive 8-week Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging (DEIAB) workshop. Led by Richard Haynes, Amanda Kidd-Kestler, Mandela Pruett, and Greg Hankinson, the workshop centered on understanding race and racism in the United States with more nuance. The first four weeks included group discussions on pressing social issues surrounding systematic racism. During the final four weeks of the program, participants engaged in critique groups and exercises to strengthen their ideas for producing artwork. The final exhibition includes a collection of works that reflect and celebrate each artist’s perspective. Their work demonstrates how the workshop has influenced how they approach the artmaking process from idea to execution. The participating artists will hold an artist talk on Oct. 19, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Levy Gallery.
Group and Solo Exhibitions:
Interiors/Exteriors by NHAA Photo Group
Discover the delicate balance between what is seen and what is felt in Interiors/Exteriors, a captivating collection of photographs by nine NHAA photographers. Photographs have the power to imply the unseen, often with emotional force, that is the power that these nine photographers have sought to harness. This evocative exhibition invites viewers to contemplate two layers of meaning: the exterior—the surface captured by the lens—and the interior— a deeper exploration of mood, memory, and personal interpretation.
Sea Dreams by Taylor Comisky
Artist Taylor Comusky bridges myth and modernity in her first-ever solo exhibition, Sea Dreams. Her collection of oil paintings will transport you to peaceful, whimsical scenes, where mermaids thrive in untroubled environments, far removed from the societal pressures of human life. Whether they’re collecting shells, chatting with friends, or simply exploring their tranquil surroundings, these mermaids live free from any struggles. This idea is reflected in the artist’s own challenges with mental health and body image. Her mermaids offer a glimpse of a utopia where people of various sizes and colors can live harmoniously; at peace with themselves and each other. Rich with blue tones, the underwater settings of Sea Dreams evoke a sense of calm, while warm yellow and green hues filter through the surface, creating a relaxing escape for both the artist and the viewer. For Comisky, the world of mermaids has been a cherished fascination since childhood. “Turning back to mermaids has allowed me to reconnect with the joyful memories of my youth, while also applying the technical skills I honed at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt),” she explains. Her education has shaped her ability to create lifelike, atmospheric environments, particularly through her studies of the human form and aquatic life at the New England Aquarium. Taylor is the recipient of the D. Pratt Framer Grant which funded the total exhibition fees.
A Brush with Nature: An Exhibit in Oil and Watercolor By Sherie Dowsett and Debbie Campbell
While oil and water traditionally do not mix, Debbie Campbell and Sherie Dowsett seamlessly blend their different approaches in their joint exhibition A Brush with Nature: An Exhibit in Oil and Watercolor. From expansive summer views across lakes and stormy Maine seascapes to intimate moments with woodland creatures, their impressionistic style invites viewers to immerse themselves in the region’s dynamic and ever-changing natural world. The artists work together to capture the diverse beauty of New England landscapes and wildlife.
Meet the artists behind ‘Coastline Abstracted’
CAPE NEDDICK, Maine — Coastline Abstracted, a fine art exhibition of seascapes by the Abstract 4, Tom Glover, Dustan Knight, Peter Cady, and Barbara Adams joined by Amy Brnger, Kathleen Robbins, and Jeffrey Fitzgerald, opened Sept. 18, at the Cliff House Hotel in Cape Neddick, Maine.Coastline Abstracted will delight viewers with abstracted images of crashing waves and thundering surf along with quiet tide pools on the rocky coast of Maine.There will be a special reception to meet the artists on Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The exhibition will run through Dec. 30.