Manchester, NH's newest art center

The mission: To enrich the lives of diverse communities through increased access to the arts

The core values: Community engagement, sustainability, and social consciousness

The Services: Gallery space, rentable studio space, longer term residency program, mubmobile, community youth classes, evening adult classes, empty bowls, public art projects (murals on the building, bus shelters, etc.), a performance/movement/rentable open space with mirrors, kitchenette and changing rooms (maybe an Aikido dojo later?) and a greenhouse on the roof.

The name: Unknown

Want to join me in this awesome endeavor? I'm just getting starting, but I'll be needing help all along the way. Web design, marketing, students, teachers, painters, thinkers, dreamers, dancers, laughers, bakers, every skill is a valuable skill.... Let's talk!

Coming home

All in the last week of June I was offered two amazing opportunities - both childhood dreams, both once in a lifetime. On Monday my dad offered to help build up a community art center in the old Manchester, NH store space. The rest of the building is being renovated into residential units and instead of renting the space out to someone else, he figured it would be a perfect space for my art center. The first floor and the basement are "mine". The building is in downtown Manchester, right across from the Verizon arena and on Main St. It probably is the perfect place.

The building was built in 1890. The photo (1972) shows the building at the tip of the arrow. (Photo compliments of the Manchester Historic Association.

Then, on Friday morning, I received a phone call from the US Fulbright office in DC saying they had money available to offer me a grant. The project was to live and work for ten months in Cambodia under doing community development/resource and capacity building with resettlement communities outside of Phnom Penh. He wanted a yes or no by Monday morning.

Well, I'm in New Hampshire again, so you know I've turned down the Fulbright Grant and decided to move forward with the art center. It will be great. More soon.

In addition to all that I'm setting up a personal home studio in Nashua to prep for the Christmas season. More on that soon, too!