changes in our arts community
Arts Alive has been facilitating a community engaged process to address ways to support the displaced community of makers that emerged asking for help when the Sharon Arts Center, Gallery and Store closed. In partnership with and with support of community leaders, MAXT Makerspace, Monadnock Center for History and Culture, the Monadnock Ledger Transcript, and the NH State Council on the Arts, the group has organized and helped plan 4 community conversations with an average of 50 people in attendance at each, a community survey with over 100 responses, several steering committee meetings, site visits, partner conversations, number crunching, newspaper op eds, and group visioning.
“Sharing Arts” is emerging
Sharing Arts Network is a community-driven effort to re-build the creative community once housed at Sharon Arts Center, supported by the Sharon Arts Gallery and Fine Craft Store.
Goals are
To provide workshops where artists can learn, connect with each other, and earn income for teaching
To create a workspace for artists who need specialized equipment
To preserve the unique Fushigigama kiln located at the former Sharon Arts Center, and
To celebrate and value work created locally through gallery shows and sales
Sharing Arts is a program / extension of MAXT Makerspace, a nonprofit located in Peterborough, NH that offers space and equipment to makers and creatives, offers the greater community opportunities to learn new skills and connect through workshops and classes, and offers workforce development training in specific technical skills. This group believes the network, systems, and mission of MAXT Makerspace are well aligned with the goals and needs of the displaced artist community once supported by the Sharon Arts institution and infrastructure.
Fundraising is underway to build a sustainable membership base through pledges and to outfit the building. Contact Roy at the Makerspace for more information. CDFA tax credits are available for businesses to purchase, the money from which will go to support the remodeling of the space and equipment purchase.
Progress:
Workshops
Programming has begun! Classes and workshops for artists are being held at MAxT Makerspace and libraries, community spaces, and artists’ studios across the region. The Dublin School is offering to partner on making classroom space available for ceramics, digital media, encaustics, painting, and more. Classes at the Dublin School space will run over the summer, while students are away. MAxT Makerspace is coordinating and programming these events.
Workspace
A space for a dedicated ceramics studio has been identified. There is a 1000+ sq ft space appropriate for ceramics, with additional room to expand to serve other mediums or to host a gallery or store. The location is centrally located in Dublin, NH on Route 101. MAxT Makerspace has begun fundraising for this project to equip and prepare the space for studio use. They are seeking members, donors, and startup funding to launch the space.
Gallery Shows & Sales
The Dublin School has The Putnam Gallery, which has programming part of the year but is ready to partner with the Sharing Arts network to curate member and community shows and shows of value to the community. This includes a show during their annual Dublin School community gathering in August as well as a 6-week holiday show. Artists will be able to make sales of work shown in the gallery and the gallery will not charge a commission. The gallery will be curated by Kimberly Kersey Asbury and Earl Schofield.
Community outreach process
Community Conversation 1:
The Value of Arts in our Community
August 14th, 2019
Monadnock Center for History & Culture and Monadnock Ledger Transcript hosted a community conversation about the value of arts and culture in the face of losing both the Sharon Arts Gallery and Store located in downtown Peterborough, and the Sharon Arts Center located in Sharon, NH. Arts Alive!’s executive director, Jessica Gelter, sat on a panel with other arts leaders from the region to discuss the value arts bring to our communities, and the needs the arts community has with the loss of these institutions.
Sharing love for Sharon
September 6th, 2019 from 5-7pm
During September’s First Friday arts event in Peterborough, Arts Alive!, with a group of Artists and Friends of Sharon Arts, will be gathered in front of the Sharon Arts store in Depot Square. Join them starting at 5pm to create a “LOVE TRIANGLE” that expresses the joy and delight that this great organization has brought to our community. At the end of First Friday, all the triangles will be strung together and hung along the tree lined pathway near the location of the former gallery and store. All materials - the triangles, markers, glittery paper, glue, scissors - will be provided. If you’d like to bring other materials to collage into your triangle or share with others, please do! No need to be an artist, EVERYONE IS WELCOME! This is a FREE community art-making activity.
Community Conversation 2:
What's next - Seeking a Hub and a Home
September 25th, 2019 at 6:30pm
Arts Alive! will host a community meeting at the Peterborough Town House to discuss the loss and possible next steps to discuss the arts community’s future without the Sharon Arts Center.
The conversation will focus around three questions:
should the community save the Sharon Arts Center building where it is and resurrect or restructure programming for a sustainable and community-oriented future?
should the community find a way to accommodate displaced artists, teachers, resources, and programming within the already existing MAxT Makerspace?
should the community try to build something new to meet these needs, and possibly others?
Community members, artists, teachers, arts administrators, and partners of the former Sharon Arts Center are all welcome to attend!
Community Conversation 3:
Filling the Gaps - The Arts after Sharon Arts
November 13th, 2019
Monadnock Center for History & Culture in partnership with the Monadnock Ledger Transcript , Arts Alive! and the MAxT Makerspace hosted a community conversation on the future of the Sharon Arts community. Ciaran Nagle facilitated the conversation to present some results from the community survey to the greater public. We’ve posted a few conversation sparking essays based on those survey results on our blog.
Community Conversation 4:
Sharing Arts Across the Region
March 3rd, 2020
Arts Alive! in partnership with MAxT Makerspace, The Dublin School, Monadnock Center for History and Culture, and the emerging Sharing Arts Network hosted another community conversation in Peterborough to share the Sharing Arts vision with the greater community.
The group is seeking community members who are ready to engage in pledging membership, helping source equipment, get on mailing lists for the gallery and for teaching and taking classes.
Community Conversation 5:
Updates on the project
July 23, 2020
The group held a virtual meeting with volunteers to kickstart working groups to tackle three areas:
FUNDRAISING: The group is nearing its goal of $100,000. There are a few thousand in tax credits left to sell, and $15,000 in matching funds or in-kind donations need to be raised
COMMUNITY OUTREACH: The initiative needs community-building and increased participation to let folks know about Sharing Arts, recruit members, and raise the profile of the initiative. This will be done through communications and in-person events.
SPACE & EQUIPMENT: The space layout for the ceramics studio needs to be finalized, and the equipment to be purchased needs to be sourced.