The prolonged drag of winter and damp start to spring might have you feeling a bit stir crazy. Here are some ways to get out of the house and indulge in local arts and culture this weekend.
Art ’round the Seacoast
An English armchair from the late 1600s is among the historical pieces of furniture on display at Discover Portsmouth.
This weekend will be filled with visual-arts events across the Seacoast. Portsmouth’s monthly Art ’Round Town event takes place Friday, April 7, from 5-8 p.m., and includes the opening of Discover Portsmouth’s spring exhibit, “Four Centuries of Furniture in Portsmouth.” Also on Friday is the monthly Dover Art Walk, which kicks off from the Washington Street Mills at 4 p.m. On Saturday, April 8, from 5-8 p.m., 3S Artspace unveils its new exhibition, “Knock on Wood.”
Spring Fever for the Arts
Mother Superior & the Sliding Royales will perform during PMAC’s annual fundraising party on Friday.
The Portsmouth Music and Arts Center’s annual fundraising party takes place at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth on Friday, April 7, at 7 p.m. The celebration, which raises money for PMAC’s educational programming, features cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live and silent auctions, and dancing, with live music performed by local band Mother Superior & the Sliding Royales. Tickets are $75 and include a drink ticket. Tickets are available at the door; for more information, click here.
Joshua James
Rising folk star Joshua James plays at The Word Barn in Exeter on Friday.
Folk singer-songwriter Joshua James has toured with names like John Mayer, David Gray, Ani DiFranco, Third Eye Blind, and Brett Dennen, and some of his songs have appeared on episodes of the FX series “Sons of Anarchy.” He’ll be at The Word Barn in Exeter on Friday, April 7 — the same day his new album, “My Spirit Sister,” becomes available. Presented by Bright & Lyon, the show takes place from 8-10 p.m. Tickets are $12-$15, available here.
Janis Brenner & Dancers
Janis Brenner & Dancers bring a new show to The Dance Hall on Saturday. photo by Tom Caravaglia
Janis Brenner & Dancers premiered “Once You Are Not a Stranger” at the Sarajevo Winter Festival in Bosnia-Herzegovina in February. The concert’s U.S. premiere takes place at The Dance Hall in Kittery on Saturday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. Brenner recently conducted workshops at The Dance Hall, and several local artists will appear in the finale of the concert, which includes a tribute to late dancer and choreographer Murray Louis. Tickets are $20-$25, available here.
Anthony Doerr
Pulitzer Prize-winning authoer Anthony Doerr will be at The Music Hall on Sunday.
Author Anthony Doerr’s best-selling novel “All the Light We Cannot See” won both the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Doerr will share his book at The Music Hall in Portsmouth during the next installment of the Writers on a New England Stage series on Sunday, April 9, at 4 p.m. Tickets are $27 and include an autographed paperback edition of the book. Get tickets and more information here.