This year, the New Hampshire Art Association turned 75, and remains one of the oldest statewide art associations in the nation. But there’s more to celebrate than just another milestone.
“It was questionable whether we’d get here,” said Ree Katrak, president of the association’s board.
In recent years, the nonprofit’s revenues were not covering expenses, even after it sold some of its collection. Like many arts organizations, Katrak said, the association had to come to terms with “a dire financial situation” in 2014.
“We could either throw our hands up in the air or figure it out,” she said.
They decided to work with a consultant who interviewed the board and staff and helped them evaluate how to move forward. Together, they found ways to cut costs. The position of executive director was eliminated, and a gallery manager was added. Members were asked to volunteer more.
“The board is now rethinking everything, even how to work as a board,” Katrak said. Each board member took on a responsibility, such as the website, the by-laws, or the classes and lectures, which were never offered before.
Fundraising became more of a priority, and seemingly small things, like reducing utility bills, added up.
Membership is down from a high of roughly 450 to fewer than 300, though new members are vetted a few times a year. Last year, about 35 new members were selected and their work is on view at the association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth.
“Welcome,” on view through Jan. 31, exemplifies the wide variety of artists within the association and the energy that new members bring.
One notable new member is Pamela duLong Williams, an established artist and experienced art instructor, who lives in South Berwick, Maine, and works in the Wentworth Dennett Studios in Kittery, Maine.
Detail of Garden Cuttings #7 by Pamela duLong Williams
Her still life paintings, on display in the gallery’s window, are vibrant floral arrangements with a black background. Inspired by Henri Matisse’s time in Nice, duLong Williams recently started using pure black for contrast as a way to capture the right light.
“I’m really into it,” she said. “It does give the colors a stronger identity and a stronger intensity.”
And while her technique is still aligned with the impressionistic school, this new work looks like a modern version of something from the Baroque era — not a Rembrandt, but the exquisite flower paintings by Rachel Ruysch (1666-1750).
DuLong Williams said she joined the association to support community arts, and because she has been encouraged to lead classes for members.
There are also paintings by Barbara Albert of Dover, whose winter scenes have a quiet way of speaking volumes, and Elizabeth Derby of Eliot, Maine, whose sparse landscapes are brightened with just a hint of gold.
Other highlights include the surprisingly vintage-looking photographs of locomotives by Andy Dolph of Rochester, and nature-based black and white photography by Joanna Novembrino of Pembroke. Novembrino’s “My Flowers – Late November” reveals an appreciation for everyday beauty as it focuses on the reflection of natural light off the glass vase and its water, and only the shadows of the flowers it holds.
My Flowers — Late November by Joanna Novembrino
In the Main Salon of the gallery, an all-member show, called “Shape,” explores the variety of forms, also on view through Jan. 31.
“Narrative to Shape,” a gallery talk with artist Rick Fox, is planned for Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. He teaches painting and drawing at the University of New Hampshire, and primarily works en plain air. The event is part of the New Hampshire Art Association’s new Winter Lecture and Dialogue Series.
The Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery is located at 136 State St., Portsmouth, 603-431-4230.
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