Pop-up show and more this weekend in Rochester
It’s a pop-up show of book-cover designs, but they are not pop-up books. “Recovering the Classics,” an exhibition curated by the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, presents new ideas for covers of great literary works in the public domain.
Many classics are left with poorly designed or generic covers that fail to capture what makes the books exciting and inspiring. Through this nationally touring initiative, invited illustrators, typographers, and designers crafted new covers for 100 works.
The museum is hosting a one-night pop-up-style exhibition at 56 North Main St., the former site of the Artstream Gallery, on Saturday, June 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. The book covers will also be exhibited in the Carnegie Gallery at the Rochester Public Library through August, as well as in a pop-up show in the old Carnie Medical Supply store windows, also on North Main Street.
Prior to the pop-up event, the Franklin Gallery at RiverStones Custom Framing is hosting a reception for its June exhibition, “Art and Life,” featuring works by Rochester artist Amy Kindler. It opens Saturday from noon to 2 p.m., and the public is invited to meet the artist.
Kindler works with paint, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and craft, choosing images of hope, truth, unity, freedom and beauty.
“I like to think my work is organic,” she said in a press release. “Purposeful yet intentionally seeking asymmetric subtle passages, often only fragments of a greater whole. I also play with shadows and movement throughout the piece.”
The Franklin Gallery is located at 33 North Main St.
Touring new art shows in Dover
A detail of watercolor art by Yong Chen, on display at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire.
This summer’s exhibition at Gallery 6 in the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire celebrates the unhurried happiness of outdoor play. But “Everything Under the Sun” isn’t just for kids. The grown-ups are invited to an opening reception on Tuesday, June 7, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
The artwork serves as a reminder of the importance and joy of outdoor exploration. It includes picture-book illustrations by Gina Perry, whimsical creations by Taylore Kelly, watercolor art by Yong Chen, photographs by Tara Hamer and Debra Woodward, and detailed work by Barbra Albert and Michal Smiglowski. Chen will demonstrate watercolor during the opening. The show remains on view from June 4 to Sept. 4 at 6 Washington St.
Also in Dover, Camera Commons is hosting three exhibitions through July 3. “Talented Women” features the work of regional photographers Julee Ann Holcombe, Nancy Grace Horton, Susan Lirakis, and Cheryle St. Onge (see the review here). “Invitational” highlights Claudia Rippee, David Hiley, and Sarah Flause, and “Smartphone Photography” is a more informal show.
Camera Commons is at 652 Central Ave.
This weekend is the last chance to view “The Hand-Painted Photographs of Charles Henry Sawyer” at the Woodman Museum’s Keefe House Gallery, through June 5. It includes over 50 images of New England made during the Golden Age of Hand-Painted Photography (see the review here). 15 Summer St.
First Fridays celebrate art in Exeter
Waterfall by Renee Giffroy is on display at the Seacoast Artist Association.
First Fridays: Extown Walks returns with art gallery receptions, live music on the bandstand, and sidewalk sales throughout downtown Exeter on Friday, June 3, from roughly 4 to 10 p.m. Friday also marks the beginning of Seacoast Open Studios at various locations from 5 to 7 p.m., continuing through June 19. See exeterarts.org for a calendar.
At the Seacoast Artist Association’s (SSA) gallery, the theme is “Our Town,” through June 25. Artists were invited to either take the challenge literally and capture the essence of Exeter, or respond with imagery of whatever a town means to them. It opens with a reception on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.
The featured artist at the SAA gallery in June and July is Renee Giffroy, whose unique photographic perspective is displayed in “Boatscapes,” a colorful celebration of the beauty that can be found in the mundane. She often catches the wear on boats at the end of the season, before they are painted again. A reception is set for Saturday, June 11, from 1 to 3 p.m. The gallery is located at 130 Water St.
This weekend is the last chance to see what Phillips Exeter Academy’s graduating seniors have created in painting, ceramics, industrial design, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and fashion. “Super Studio: The Power of Process” explores the risk-taking inherent in creative discovery. Materials are pushed to their limits, and concepts are tossed up, pulled apart, and reconfigured. The show is at the Lamont Gallery, 11 Tan Lane, through June 5.
Stilettos by Hana Lane is on display at the Lamont Gallery.