Warm sunshine. Blue skies. Tulips. Spring is finally here and it's glorious.

Celebrate the energy of the season with the arts! We've got four great exhibitions on display, classes starting soon and summer art camps just around the corner. Register your child for camp now, as space is limited, or give yourself the gift of taking an art class at AVA.

And the groundbreaking for AVA's new 3-D Studies Center is imminent.

Savor the spring! 

All best wishes, 
~The Board and Staff of AVA Gallery and Art Center

Castellini, Goldenberg, Porter, Davies
On Display through June 1
  

Patty Castellini -- Recent Work 

Rebecca Lawrence Gallery
 

Roger Goldenberg -- Visual Jazz 

Clifford B. West Gallery
 

Torin Porter -- Forms of Life 

E.N. Wennberg Gallery
 

Jane Davies -- Recent Work 

Elizabeth Rowland Mayor Gallery
 
 
AVA would like to thank Mascoma Savings Bank, generous sponsor of these exhibitions.  
 


Enrollment in AVA's 2016 Summer Art Camps Continues  
June 27 - August 26
Our exciting, nine-week program features some of AVA's classic camps combined with a selection of brand new offerings. Camps will include partnerships with: the Dartmouth College Architecture Faculty, the Dartmouth College Biology Department, the Dartmouth College Computer Science Department, the Enfield Shaker Museum, the Upper Valley Land Trust and the Upper Valley Music Center.

Click here to learn more about AVA's 2016 Summer Art Camps.

Artist Studios in AVA's Carter-Kelsey Building Becoming Available in June and July  
Artists, designers and Upper Valley creatives, starting next month AVA will have three openings in the private artist studios located on our 2nd and 3rd floors. High ceilings, natural light and a thriving community make our building an ideal site for your practice.

Click here to email for complete information and to schedule a tour.
 
Spring 2016 Community Programs Are Winding Down
Participants, Please Add these Dates to Your Calendars


Creative Beginnings will continue Tuesday mornings through May 17.

ART STOP! holds its final class on Tuesday, May 17.

CAOS for Toddlers concludes on Friday, May 20; CAOS on Saturday, May 21.

Senior Art will take place every Thursday through May 26.

Art Lab runs through Wednesday, June 8. 
Construction of AVA's 3-D Studies Center Begins this Month!


Now that AVA has been issued the long-awaited building permit from the City of Lebanon for the planned 3-D Studies Center, we are pleased to announce that the construction project will begin in mid-May. The nearly 4,000 square-foot building will be located on the land behind the rear parking lot of AVA's Carter-Kelsey Building, on a property acquired by AVA in 2013. See the site-plan, above. This 3-D Studies Center, to be completed in the fall, will provide opportunities for studies and creative explorations in a range of mediums, including metal, clay, glass, wood and stone. The cost of the building will be funded by our $3.5 million Branching Out, Deepening Roots capital campaign, which is ongoing, and which also will make possible further improvements to the Carter-Kelsey Building, including establishing a Member Artists' Gallery; working toward zero net energy consumption in both buildings through such initiatives as the installation of solar panels; retiring the mortgage on the Carter-Kelsey Building (in fact, generous pledges to the campaign will make that happen this fall); and establishing a reserve cash fund to sustain and expand community outreach programming.
 
The photo below was taken almost 10 years ago, in October 2006, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation and new construction of our 11 Bank Street Building--a $4.5 million project that was successfully completed in fall 2007. The yellow house in the background is now history--it was taken down last fall (most of it was recycled) to provide space for the new 3-D Studies Center.
 
The First Upper Valley High School Student Portfolio Day!
Tuesday, May 17, 10am-1pm 

The Upper Valley Counselor's Association of Vermont & New Hampshire is excited to announce the first Upper Valley High School Student Portfolio Day on Tuesday, May 17 from 10-1. The event will be held at AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, NH.  
 
High school students from area high schools, and their parents, who are interested in careers in the arts are encouraged to attend and bring samples of their artwork.

Representatives from a variety of schools including Lesley University, Keene State College, Columbia College Chicago and Montserrat College of Art will be among the attendees.

The purpose of the event is three-fold:  
  • Give high school students and college representatives the opportunity to interact and exchange feedback on student art portfolios.
  • Give high school students and parents the opportunity to learn more about post-secondary opportunities to develop and enrich student art.
  • Allow high school students and working artists to interact and learn from one another.
Working artists are encouraged to attend in order to interact, support, and learn with their younger artistic cohorts.   
AIA-NH Awards Boards on Display in AVA's Lobby


Currently on display in AVA's spacious entrance lobby are all of AIA-New Hampshire's award boards from the 2016 Excellence in Architecture Design Awards Program. This program was instituted in 1983 for the purpose of providing public and professional recognition for architectural projects of design excellence by New Hampshire architects. Projects completed after 2006 were eligible for this year's submissions.

Each entry was judged on the following criteria: overall design excellence including aesthetics, clarity, creativity, appropriate functionality, sustainability, building performance, and appropriateness with regard to fulfilling the client's program. This year is no exception with the range of project types and exceptional building and residential design. One of the award winning projects, a private residence in Hanover, was designed by Haynes & Garthwaite Architects; Andrew Garthwaite, of this architectural firm, is an AVA Board member.

Banwell Architects volunteers each year for the AIA-NH to do the setup of this exciting exhibition. AVA's award-winning 2006-2007 renovation of the Carter-Kelsey Building was designed by Banwell Architects.

The exhibit will be on display through the end of May. If you are interested in architecture, please come and check it out.
The Mudroom -- Human Anatomy  
Thursday, June 23

  
The next installment of AVA Gallery's quarterly live story-telling series, The Mudroom, will be held June 23. The theme will be Human Anatomy.

Poster Art
Anatomic Illustration of an Eye by Bill Scavone, Kestrel Studio 
 
Food
 

Search for AVA's new Executive Director is Underway

Following the announcement that AVA Gallery and Art Center's longtime executive director Bente Torjusen will be retiring at the end of 2016, AVA's Board of Directors secured the services of the executive search firm Arts Consulting Group (ACG) to lead a national search for a new executive director.

ACG is the leading provider of hands-on interim management, executive search, revenue enhancement, facilities and program planning, and organizational development services for the arts and culture industry.

AVA's operations and programs will not be impacted by the cost of the search, as it has been offset by donations from current and former board members. Additionally, ACG is providing its services including a generous in-kind contribution in support of AVA and the Upper Valley arts community.
 
 
Call for Artists: 2016 American Art Today: What is American Art?  
Deadline: July 31

 
The 16th Annual Juried Exhibition at The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts, American Art Today, is a prestigious exhibition that features 2D and 3D works of approximately 30 artists from across the nation.

Awards:
$5,500 will be awarded at the discretion of the Juror. Best of Show-$1,600; 1st -$1,200; 2nd -$1,000; 3rd -$900; 4th -$800.

Juror: This year's subject, "What is American Art?" will be answered by the juror Dr. William U. Eiland, Director of the Georgia Museum of Art, through the selected works. During his career, he has received several fellowships and distinguished service awards. He serves on several boards including the American Association of Museums.

 
AVA Gallery and Art Center   
11 Bank Street
Lebanon, NH 03766
(603) 448-3117
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 5pm, Open until 7pm on Thursdays
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm, Saturdays 11am - 5pm
 
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