Mayor Harvey E. Bernier Room
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Rochester Community Center (Suite 135)
150 Wakefield Street | Rochester, NH | 03867 Click here for more information and hours of operation The Mayor Harvey E. Bernier Room features temporary art exhibits by emerging and seasoned artists. The gallery is named for former Rochester mayor Harvey E. Bernier. For tirelessly supporting arts and cultural programming and volunteerism during his tenure.
Previous exhibitions featured works by Robert Indiana, Ruth Ann Loff Bleau, Peter Abate, Rebecca Klementovich, Kimberly Meuse, Aimee Cozza, Ali Keller, Carol Whelan, David Holmader, Deminique Cole, Kate Knox, Keith Demanche, Michelle Johnsen, Michelle Peterson, Michelle Wyatt, Prem Mutho, Tracy Hayes, and Matt Pidgeon. |
JAMES CHASE MAY 2 - June 30, 2020
Reception: Thursday, May 14, 2020 (6-8pm)
James Chase is the Director of Community Education and Visual Arts Faculty at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, as well as a board member for Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. He’s a national and international exhibiting artist, merging painting, printmaking and photography with social engagement practices. Since 2009, he has been featured in over 50 art exhibitions. Recent exhibitions include Picked Six Contemporary Art Month in San Antonio 2015 and Memory Palace 2016at Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, OH. Recent solo exhibitions include Echoes at the RMFA and Kill The Lights at South Plains College in Levelland, TX.
James Chase is the Director of Community Education and Visual Arts Faculty at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, as well as a board member for Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. He’s a national and international exhibiting artist, merging painting, printmaking and photography with social engagement practices. Since 2009, he has been featured in over 50 art exhibitions. Recent exhibitions include Picked Six Contemporary Art Month in San Antonio 2015 and Memory Palace 2016at Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, OH. Recent solo exhibitions include Echoes at the RMFA and Kill The Lights at South Plains College in Levelland, TX.
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The work of artist James Chase explores ideas of collection, repetition, and memory. Discarded wooden slats and blocks are collected and repurposed to form the structural and visual elements of Chase’s work. Trained in printmaking, Chase creates traditional prints but has also developed an approach to printmaking in which older prints are cut up and reassembled to form a new composite image against the background of the found objects. For Chase, the collection of found objects is a means of mentally mapping out time and place. The layering, stacking, and painting of materials references the accumulation of memories (and the objects that represent them) and the ways in which memories can be altered, replaced, or forgotten over time. The use of bright colors and abstract geometric forms on found objects results in an image that is familiar but unrecognizable – a reflection of our ability as human beings to relate and remember as well as our inability to ever fully relive a memory or experience reality from another’s perspective.
ROBERT MOTHERWELL MAY 14, 2020
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Reception: Thursday, May 14, 2020 (6-8pm)
Robert Motherwell, one of the earliest proponents of the Abstract Expressionist movement, rose to critical acclaim with his first solo exhibition at Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century gallery in 1944. Not only was Motherwell one of the major practicing Abstract Expressionist artists, he was, in fact, the main intellectual driving force within the movement—corralling fellow New York painters such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Hans Hoffman and William Baziotes into his circle. He also taught Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg at the famed Black Mountain College. Motherwell later coined the term the "New York School", a designation synonymous to Abstract Expressionism that loosely refers to a wide variety of non-objective work produced in New York between 1940 and 1960. He met the painter Helen Frankenthaler in 1957, whom he married three years later. During their 13 year marriage, the two artists’ mutual interest in the poetry of abstraction fueled one another’s work. During an over five-decade-long career, Motherwell created a large and powerful body of varied work that includes paintings, drawings, prints and collages. Motherwell's work is most generally characterized by simple shapes, broad color contrasts and a dynamic interplay between restrained and gestural brushstrokes. Above all, it demonstrates his approach to art-making as a response to the complexity of lived, and importantly felt, experience. Motherwell died on July 16, 1991 at his summer residence in Provincetown, MA. Today, his works are in the collections of most contemporary art museums around the world including the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Tate Modern in London. |
Redness of Red (1985)
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The piece that will be on display is called Redness of Red (1985) a lithograph and screenprint with collage on Arches Cover paper, initialed in pencil and numbered. The piece is on loan from the personal collection of his daughter, artist Jeannie Motherwell.
BRIAN Keith Stephens March 7 - April 30, 2020
Reception: Thursday, April 9, 2020 (6-8pm)
Brian Keith Stephens studied at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Art in Connecticut. Since 2000, his work has been featured in a variety of venues such as Hugo Gallerie NYC, M Fine Arts Boston & Palm Beach, Punto Sull'Arte Milan, Sirona Fine Arts Miami, and many more. He currently lives and works in Connecticut. Visit www.vimeo.com/358213078 and www.briankeithstephens.com to learn more.
Brian Keith Stephens studied at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Art in Connecticut. Since 2000, his work has been featured in a variety of venues such as Hugo Gallerie NYC, M Fine Arts Boston & Palm Beach, Punto Sull'Arte Milan, Sirona Fine Arts Miami, and many more. He currently lives and works in Connecticut. Visit www.vimeo.com/358213078 and www.briankeithstephens.com to learn more.
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“How to capture the past, present and future at the same time; this is at the center of my work as an artist and as a father, son, friend, and lover. As we navigating our daily lives, we must face thoughts, anxieties, joys and emotions from all three of these tenses, and often at the same time. Seemingly opposite emotions — lust, hatred, desire, love, pride, inhibition — exists simultaneously between these moments in time. For some of us, some emotions out weigh others, grabbing our attention and transfixing our minds, sometimes taking over the way we live and breath. For myself, the emotions that occupy my mind and capture my energy are that of love, desire, and the fear of hurt or disappointment. And so, at the center of my work are these forceful emotions–they guide my hand to paint and my heart and mind to live. My work explores the emotions that guide us, that pull us and push us and ultimately define who we are, in relation to others and to ourselves.
Lately, what I have been most interested in capturing is how alternative perceptions of ones identity can change the effect these daily emotions. My work speaks to this in two mediums: oil pantings and collage/installation. With the first medium, I do this primarily through mystical imagery juxtaposed with figurative technique. I am using oil paints to create this mystical alter-reality where the human is the animal and the animal is the human.”
Lately, what I have been most interested in capturing is how alternative perceptions of ones identity can change the effect these daily emotions. My work speaks to this in two mediums: oil pantings and collage/installation. With the first medium, I do this primarily through mystical imagery juxtaposed with figurative technique. I am using oil paints to create this mystical alter-reality where the human is the animal and the animal is the human.”
SUSAN SCHWAKE FEBRUARY 1 - March 6, 2020
Reception: Thursday, February 13, 2020 (6-8pm)
Susan Schwake is an artist, art educator, and best selling author. In her artwork, she is inspired most by the natural world and the changes it goes through – both inherent and external forces. She often abstracts these interactions through simplification, distortion, heightened or changed color and viewpoint. She works with ink, acrylic, watercolor, gouache and paper on paper, panel and canvas. Her work has been exhibited on the East Coast of the US, Mexico and Europe.
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Susan is also an owner and art teacher at Artstream Studios in Rollinsford NH. Her students, both children and adult have inspired her endlessly for the past 25 years. She has written six books about making art with children to date, with a seventh one being published early next year. She paints and draws most every day. Learn more at www.susanschwake.com.
Liese Gauthier December 7 - January 31, 2020
Reception: Thursday, January 9, 2020 (6-8pm)
Liese Gauthier creates mixed-media abstract work in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire. Her work combines painting, collage and mark-making in energetic, joyful and expressive work. Liese was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1974. She graduated from Colorado College in 1996, and the University of New Hampshire with a Masters of Teaching in 1998.
Liese Gauthier creates mixed-media abstract work in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire. Her work combines painting, collage and mark-making in energetic, joyful and expressive work. Liese was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1974. She graduated from Colorado College in 1996, and the University of New Hampshire with a Masters of Teaching in 1998.
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"I work to convey joy, energy, and freedom in my work. I paint abstract art because I like to find new ways of creating. I like to scribble with pencils and scrape into layers of wet paint with a screwdriver. Through painting, I need to constantly challenge myself and come up with new ideas and methods. It is a joy and challenge to create something that has never been made before.
Each painting is a series of decisions: what colors to use, how to vary the value, shape, and size of elements. I work in many layers to build interest and history in the work. Collage adds structure and then I paint over the paper to add interest. Decisions teach me what to keep and what to change -- and so I learn and grow as an artist."
Each painting is a series of decisions: what colors to use, how to vary the value, shape, and size of elements. I work in many layers to build interest and history in the work. Collage adds structure and then I paint over the paper to add interest. Decisions teach me what to keep and what to change -- and so I learn and grow as an artist."
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"I believe that my work is best when I make the mental shift into exploration and play supported with a scaffolding of theory and technique. Letting go of expectations and creating layers enables surprises to happen in the piece. Then, on the next layer I begin by examining the elements in the piece- how the eye moves around the painting, where value shifts occur, what variety there is in shapes. Then I shift back into paint/play mode and the process continues.
I love how painting challenges me to think and create, and I hope that my work provides a glimpse into this process."
I love how painting challenges me to think and create, and I hope that my work provides a glimpse into this process."
Studley's Flower Gardens January 9, 2020 (6-8pm)
Studley’s is a family-owned florist, garden center and landscape company, located in the heart of downtown Rochester since 1928. They are known for creating original floral designs that are unique and unlike anything else in the area. This will be Studley's second exhibit with the museum. In 2013, Studley’s provided the RMFA with inspired arrangements to accompany works from the Picasso Estate Collection. The reception will take place on Thursday, January 9th (6-8pm). The public is encouraged to attend.
The exhibition will feature creations by Jeffrey Meulenbroek, Marie Davidson, Sam Stevens, Kathy DeWeever, and Dana Gioi. “Our floral design team members are looking forward to creating floral designs outside of our everyday design style. They are all excited to create unique designs utilizing a variety of design techniques.” said Studley’s owner Molly Meulenbroek.
The exhibition will feature creations by Jeffrey Meulenbroek, Marie Davidson, Sam Stevens, Kathy DeWeever, and Dana Gioi. “Our floral design team members are looking forward to creating floral designs outside of our everyday design style. They are all excited to create unique designs utilizing a variety of design techniques.” said Studley’s owner Molly Meulenbroek.
Mike Howat September 14 - November 30, 2019
Reception: Saturday, September 28, 2019 (1-3pm)
Mike Howat is a painter working out of Concord, NH. Howat earned his B.F.A. with a painting concentration from New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2014. Since graduating, Howat has been actively engaged in the growing New England art scene and shows regularly with Kelley Stelling Contemporary, Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden and other galleries in the region. His work explores themes of Americana, urbanization, and memory. He focuses on painting, but works routinely with large-scale graphite drawing, monotype printmaking and etching.
Mike Howat is a painter working out of Concord, NH. Howat earned his B.F.A. with a painting concentration from New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2014. Since graduating, Howat has been actively engaged in the growing New England art scene and shows regularly with Kelley Stelling Contemporary, Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden and other galleries in the region. His work explores themes of Americana, urbanization, and memory. He focuses on painting, but works routinely with large-scale graphite drawing, monotype printmaking and etching.
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Since 2017, Howat has been the long-term artist-in-residence at Kimball Jenkins where he teaches classes and workshops, serves on the Arts Committee, and has a studio in the historic estate of the art school. In 2018, he curated Figuratively Speaking, an abstract painting and printmaking exhibition with regionally established and emerging artists, and has plans for future curatorial projects for 2019 in collaboration with an upcoming Boston-based art publication.
Tom Glover May 4 - June 30, 2019
Tom Glover's art is reflective of the seacoast where he lives, places he has traveled over the years and the influence of his teacher John Laurent. Passed on to Tom from Laurent were the techniques and ideas of Walt Kuhn, the influences of Marsden Hartley, Richard Diebenkorn, Robert Motherwell; and the Great Masters who Laurent urged Tom to go see "in the flesh". Glover followed the advice and traveled throughout Europe to see paintings at the Louvre, the Uffizi, the Prado, the Reina Sofia, the VanGogh museum, the National Gallery in London, the National Gallery of Ireland, the Vatican and churches of Rome.
Color is a main thrust in Glovers work and he uses techniques such as glazing and juxtaposing complimentary colors to create intense contrasts and tensions. These are the direct lessons of Laurent and the study of diverse artists such as Matisse, Bonnard, Monet, Porter, Avery, Diebenkorn and others.
Color is a main thrust in Glovers work and he uses techniques such as glazing and juxtaposing complimentary colors to create intense contrasts and tensions. These are the direct lessons of Laurent and the study of diverse artists such as Matisse, Bonnard, Monet, Porter, Avery, Diebenkorn and others.
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Glover also has gone on several retreats and residencies. He spent a week alone on White Islands of the Isles of Shoals with no potable water, electricity or communication--a time he cherished! He was part of an Arts Week on Great Spruce Head Island, the family summer home of painter Fairfield Porter and his brother Eliot Porter, the famed photographer. He was able to use Fairfield's easel and roam the island for a week. He was artist in Residence on Appledore Island recently and has made many sojourns to Europe; Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island; the jungles of Costa Rica; New Mexico and Arizona; Block Island, Monhegan Island, Acadia and many other nooks and crannies of the New England coast. Not to mention the mountains and lakes region where he has summered since birth on lake Massasecum. Visit www.tpgloverart.com for more information.
Robert Indiana saturday, May 4 (1-3pm)
The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, in association with The Argh Gallery, is pleased to announce a one-day-only exhibition featuring a genuine "LOVE" screen print signed by Robert Indiana. The event will take place in the Bernier Room, at the Rochester Community Center, on Saturday, May 4th from 1-3pm. Light refreshments will be served. The public is encouraged to attend.
Greenpeace Love screen print
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A closeup of Robert Indiana's signature
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Robert Indiana (born Robert Clark; September 13, 1928 – May 19, 2018) was an American artist associated with the pop art movement. His "LOVE" print, first created for the Museum of Modern Art's Christmas card in 1965, was the basis for his 1970 "LOVE" sculpture and the widely distributed 1973 United States Postal Service "LOVE" stamp.
In 1994, Robert Indiana did a limited run of green “LOVE” prints to benefit the Greenpeace organization. Indiana personally gifted one of the prints to Sarah Knoy, director of the Greenpeace offices in Chicago, IL.
Currently valued at $5,000, Knoy and The ARGH Gallery (Manchester, NH) are happy to display the print at the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts and offer it to collectors and art enthusiasts.
In 1994, Robert Indiana did a limited run of green “LOVE” prints to benefit the Greenpeace organization. Indiana personally gifted one of the prints to Sarah Knoy, director of the Greenpeace offices in Chicago, IL.
Currently valued at $5,000, Knoy and The ARGH Gallery (Manchester, NH) are happy to display the print at the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts and offer it to collectors and art enthusiasts.
HNY 2019 January 5 - February 1, 2019
Born in Russia, Vladimir Tomin is a graphic illustrator, designer, and short filmmaker. He has worked professionally with MTV Worldwide, Toyota, Reebok, and Adidas, to name a few. He's known for creating smart videos in which he manipulates reality in the most convincing way possible. This short film will be looped and projected on an entire wall in the Bernier Room. Visit www.tomin.works to find out more about the artist.
Matt Pidgeon November 3 - January 4, 2019
Matt Pidgeon has been a painter for most of his life and employs various mediums including acrylic, oil, and enamel on canvas. Pidgeon has been featured in numerous galleries throughout New England and New York. His work has been has been acquired by both public and private collectors, residential and commercial.
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Pidgeon is heavily influenced by the works of Wassily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock, Picasso, and Braque. He paints with great passion for music and incorporates mood evoking color and movement into his works. The process is meticulous and involves hours of painting, viewing, and reflecting.
This will be Matt’s second exhibition with the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. His work was last showcased in a vacant store front window. This will be his first solo exhibition in the Bernier Room.
This will be Matt’s second exhibition with the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. His work was last showcased in a vacant store front window. This will be his first solo exhibition in the Bernier Room.
NHIA ALUMNI SHOW Sat, SEPTEMBER 8, 2018 (1-3pm)
David Holmander
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Michelle Peterson
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The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts invites the public to view a selection of works created by alumni of the New Hampshire Institute of Art. During the reception, the museum will dedicate its newest gallery to former Rochester Mayor, Harvey E. Bernier, for tirelessly advocating for the arts and encouraging volunteerism throughout the city.
The New Hampshire Institute of Art is the oldest and largest non-profit arts institution in New Hampshire, founded in 1898 and today offering undergraduate, graduate, and community education programs serving over 2,000 students annually on two campuses in Manchester and Sharon/Peterborough, New Hampshire.
This group exhibition will include works by: Aimee Cozza, Ali Keller, Carol Whelan, David Holmader, Deminique Cole, Kate Knox, Keith Demanche, Michelle Johnsen, Michelle Peterson, Michelle Wyatt, Prem Mutho, and Tracy Hayes.
The New Hampshire Institute of Art is the oldest and largest non-profit arts institution in New Hampshire, founded in 1898 and today offering undergraduate, graduate, and community education programs serving over 2,000 students annually on two campuses in Manchester and Sharon/Peterborough, New Hampshire.
This group exhibition will include works by: Aimee Cozza, Ali Keller, Carol Whelan, David Holmader, Deminique Cole, Kate Knox, Keith Demanche, Michelle Johnsen, Michelle Peterson, Michelle Wyatt, Prem Mutho, and Tracy Hayes.
Kate Knox
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Tracy Hayes
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The exhibition was juried by renowned artist Jeannie Motherwell, an abstract painter working out of Boston, MA.
Jeannie Motherwell inherited a love of painting from her father, Robert Motherwell, and stepmother, Helen Frankenthaler, two pillars of mid-century abstraction. She studied painting at Bard College and the Art Students League in New York. Continuing with her art after college, she became active in arts education at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT, until relocating to Cambridge, MA, where she worked at Boston University for the graduate program in Arts Administration until 2015. She served on the Cambridge Arts Council Public Art Commission from 2004 - 2007 and is currently on the Advisory Board for North Cambridge Arts (NoCa) and Joy Street Artists Open Studios in Somerville, MA. Her work has been featured in public and private collections throughout the US and abroad. Motherwell noted the amount of talent in all of the works submitted.
The public is encouraged to attend the opening reception and dedication on Saturday, September 8th from 1-3pm. The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts is located in the Rochester Community Center (behind Spaulding High School) 150 Wakefield Street, Rochester NH. The museum is sponsored by the City of Rochester, Rochester Main Street, and Bernier Insurance.
Jeannie Motherwell inherited a love of painting from her father, Robert Motherwell, and stepmother, Helen Frankenthaler, two pillars of mid-century abstraction. She studied painting at Bard College and the Art Students League in New York. Continuing with her art after college, she became active in arts education at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT, until relocating to Cambridge, MA, where she worked at Boston University for the graduate program in Arts Administration until 2015. She served on the Cambridge Arts Council Public Art Commission from 2004 - 2007 and is currently on the Advisory Board for North Cambridge Arts (NoCa) and Joy Street Artists Open Studios in Somerville, MA. Her work has been featured in public and private collections throughout the US and abroad. Motherwell noted the amount of talent in all of the works submitted.
The public is encouraged to attend the opening reception and dedication on Saturday, September 8th from 1-3pm. The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts is located in the Rochester Community Center (behind Spaulding High School) 150 Wakefield Street, Rochester NH. The museum is sponsored by the City of Rochester, Rochester Main Street, and Bernier Insurance.
GRAND OPENING FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2018 (5-8PM)
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The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts will host a Grand Opening celebration for its newly acquired and renovated suite in the Rochester Community Center.
The museum already maintains a large collection of art adorning the walls of the long first floor corridor, since 2014. The new suite will compliment the collection display and add additional free programming to the community. The suite was recently vacated by the city’s Economic Development team after they relocated to the the City Hall Annex building. The suite will allow for the museum to have another gallery, host events, and store art and supplies. The suite will also offer internet access on a number of donated Apple computers. The new gallery will feature a different artist every other month and will be named for former Rochester Mayor Harvey Bernier. A dedication ceremony will take place later in the year. In addition to opening the suite, the museum will debut a smart phone app that patrons can utilize to learn more about the works in the collection. “We are trying to foster the understanding of the works of art in our collection. We want to offer more than just the artist’s name and title. The app will include a lot more information so the viewer can better understand what we are exhibiting.” said museum co-founder and president Matt Wyatt. |
Help us spread the word and share this poster!
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The museum will provide iPads with the app preloaded for patrons without smart phones. The app will also be available on all the computers in the suite as well as the museum's website.
All the renovation projects and furniture purchases were made entirely with donated funds from the museum’s new “Friends” program. The museum is all-volunteer organization that relies completely on individual donations. Visit www.rochestermfa.org/donate to contribute to this effort.
The Grand Opening reception will take place on Friday, June 1st from 5-8pm. Light refreshments will be served. A special ribbon cutting provided by the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce will take place earlier in the day at 2pm. The public is encouraged to attend. The Rochester Community Center is located at 150 Wakefield Street in Rochester, NH.
All the renovation projects and furniture purchases were made entirely with donated funds from the museum’s new “Friends” program. The museum is all-volunteer organization that relies completely on individual donations. Visit www.rochestermfa.org/donate to contribute to this effort.
The Grand Opening reception will take place on Friday, June 1st from 5-8pm. Light refreshments will be served. A special ribbon cutting provided by the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce will take place earlier in the day at 2pm. The public is encouraged to attend. The Rochester Community Center is located at 150 Wakefield Street in Rochester, NH.