Rochester, at ‘tipping point,’ named city on the rise

April 11, 2022

New Hampshire Magazine has dubbed Rochester as the Granite State’s “city on the rise” in conjunction with its annual “Best of NH” awards.

The magazine’s editorial staff announced the honor Wednesday, citing Rochester’s “significant grassroots movement to bootstrap the city into prominence as a center for art, culture, dining and economic vitality.”

“The creative sprawl of Portsmouth has already enlivened neighboring towns, with Dover catching most of the overflow, but next in line is Rochester, and the downtown businesses are not waiting passively,” wrote the magazine’s editorial staff.

New Hampshire Magazine specifically credited the Rochester Opera House, the Rochester Performance and Arts Center, Curlies Comedy Club, the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, the business-led “Arts Around Town in Rochester” art walk, and a project to improve pedestrian signage, in addition to the city’s “great bone structure.”

Over the past few years, a slew of development and positive strides have been made to revitalize Rochester, particularly in its business core and its downtown, in the wake of some lean periods of growth and progress. City officials, business leaders and community members have often commented to Foster’s Daily Democrat that they feel the Lilac City has finally begun turning the proverbial corner it’s been fighting for more than a decade.

Matt Wyatt, who wears many hats in Rochester’s arts scene, including president of the MFA, said Thursday that he’s “thrilled” about the Best of NH honor as well as the fact that the magazine specifically pointed to the arts as a force “that is paving the way to revitalize Rochester.”

“The recognition also shows that people from outside of Rochester agree that our city is ‘up and coming’ and already offers a ton of exceptional arts and cultural programming,” he said. “We are at a tipping point — we need to continue to show everyone that Rochester is the place to be now and in the future.”

​Curlies wrote on its Twitter account that it’s appreciative of the New Hampshire Magazine shout-out, but that the business is more excited about “the bigger picture” of Rochester finally starting to be recognized for what downtown is turning into.

by Kyle Stucker
Source: Foster’s Daily Democrat / SeacoastOnline.com

June 14, 2018

Related Posts

Open Call: RMFA and Creative Guts to present Kaleidoscope

September 1, 2023

The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, in collaboration with Creative Guts, is pleased to present Kaleidoscope, a colorful, open call exhibition. 12-inch by 12-inch (including frame) visual works in any medium are welcome. The Board of Directors for Creative Guts’ will jury the works for inclusion. Submissions for Kaleidoscope are due by October 1, 2023,…

RMFA to present Hidden Glances featuring works by Michael Young

September 1, 2023

The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts is pleased to announce “Hidden Glances”, a digital art exhibition featuring works by Michael Young in The Pixel Room, at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center. Michael Young is a lens-based artist whose work explores themes of masculinity, personal identity, community, and memory. He has been named a…

RMFA to present “For the Plot” featuring works by Zach Tinker

August 31, 2023

The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts is pleased to announce “For the Plot”, an exhibition featuring a series of works by Zach Tinker in the Bernier Room, at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center. Zach Tinker, a talented artist hailing from New Ipswich, New Hampshire, has dedicated most of his life to the pursuit…

RMFA volunteers complete a vibrant mural on Teen Drop-in Center

August 25, 2023

The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts (RMFA) is pleased to announce the completion of a vibrant mural featuring a colorful, graphic mountainscape. The mural is located on the backside of the Waypoint Center, on Wallace Street, in downtown Rochester. According to RMFA co-founder Matt Wyatt, project planning began in May 2023. However, the design, created…

RMFA seeks volunteers to assist with downtown mural

August 7, 2023

The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, in collaboration with Rochester Main Street, has partnered with Waypoint NH to complete a mural on the new Youth Resource Center & Family Preservation Center on Wallace St. In the summer of 2021, the RMFA commissioned Durkish Delights Design Co. (Alton, NH) to design a mural to be painted…

RMFA to showcase works by Matt Demers at Rochester Public Library

August 7, 2023

The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts is pleased to announce “Good Grief”, an exhibition featuring a series of works by Matt Demers in the Carnegie Gallery, at the Rochester Public Library. Matt Demers is a visual artist living and working in Gardiner, Maine. A quiet person, Demers closely observes the fevered and cross-talking world, absorbing…