Chamber launches “Shop Dover First” Holiday Campaign

DOVER—
The “Shop Dover First” campaign is an effort by the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce to promote and quantify local spending. With every local purchase, consumers can enter to win one of three local shopping sprees, valued at up to $2,500.
This campaign is underway now through the end of December, with corporate support from Federal Savings Bank, and creative services for point-of-sale materials provided by Lucy’s Art Emporium.
Shoppers are encouraged to enter all purchases, regardless of dollar amount, for all purchases made in the Dover area. Consumers can submit entries at any local business displaying a white “Shop Dover First” entry box, or online at the Chamber’s website, dovernh.org.
“Local business owners invest in the community and have a vested interest in the future of Dover,” said Kirt Schuman, Executive Director of the Chamber. ““Shop Dover First” is an effort to support them. Each and every dollar spent at a local business is spent about a dozen times before it leaves our community. By patronizing local businesses, you are helping to keep your favorite establishments open while contributing to the vitality of the Dover economy.”
Eligible local purchases are not limited to retail products, but also include everyday expenses such as gasoline, groceries, coffee, prescriptions, meals and dining, as well as services such as dry cleaning, haircuts, vehicle registrations, doctor’s office visits, and ATM fees.
To encourage consumer participation, three “shopping spree” gift packages will be given away during the campaign. These packages contain gift certificates for an extensive array of products and professional services that have been graciously donated by Chamber member businesses. Prizes will be awarded on November 1st, December 1st, and the Grand Prize drawing, worth over $2,500, will be held on December 17th, with winners being notified by phone or email after each prize drawing.
Any local businesses that would like to get involved with the “Shop Dover First” campaign are highly encouraged to contact the Chamber for more information.
Photo caption: The sign at the Chamber Visitor Center says it all. (Courtesy photo)

UNH Museum of Art Opens Two New Exhibitions

DURHAM—
Two new exhibitions of local interest, The Shape of Color: Carol Aronson-Shore and Fusion: Merging the Arts in PCAC, are opening at the Museum of Art at the University of New Hampshire beginning November 6. The Shape of Color presents recent paintings inspired by two New England locations, Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine. Fusion spotlights 50 years of fine and performing arts studies, exhibitions, performances, and events which have taken place within the University’s cultural center, the Paul Creative Arts Center. A preview reception will be open to the public on Friday, November 5 from 5-7 p.m. in the Museum of Art. Both exhibitions will be on view through December 16 (closed November 11 and 24-28). The Museum of Art and its programs are open to the public free of charge.
The Shape of Color: Carol Aronson-Shore features over fifty works, including smaller gouache color studies for the larger oil paintings, by the renowned professor emerita of the University of New Hampshire and resident of Portsmouth. The artist began her exploration of the relationship of color and light in a series of architectural landscapes painted on Monhegan Island, Maine, and more recently, her landscape painting has focused on the museum village of Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This historic site has provided compelling views for her primary subject—the way color shapes pictorial light and space. In these paintings, color captures and defines those privileged moments during the day when light first appears or disappears, creating in these scenes an experience of time, place and memory.
Ms. Aronson-Shore’s work has been exhibited in over one hundred and fifty one-woman and group shows and is in numerous private, public and corporate collections. The White House Historical Association selected her to represent the state of New Hampshire and commissioned a painting for the 2000 Bicentennial celebration of the White House. This painting is part of the permanent collection of the White House. Reproductions of her work are included in New Hampshire: The Spirit of America, Responsive Drawing (Third Edition) and in Painting Portsmouth: A Brush with the Past. A 36-page catalogue accompanies the exhibition and is available for sale.
Fusion: Merging the Arts in PCAC is presented in conjunction with the campus-wide celebration of the fine and performing arts at the University of New Hampshire, Durham. Included in the exhibition are special visual presentations by the Museum of Art and the Departments of Art & Art History, Music, Theatre and Dance and the Celebrity Series recognizing the role of the arts within the University of New Hampshire and the Durham community. It follows chronologically the development of the Paul Creative Arts Center from its construction and dedication in October, 1960 to recent initiatives. Highlights of the many performances, exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and special events which have taken place over the past 50 years will be accentuated by a spotlight on the Museum of Art’s most recent acquisition an important painting by American Expressionist Hyman Bloom. The work, Pink Leg, was purchased by the Museum in honor of Vicki C. Wright, director of the Museum of Art, UNH from 1986-2008.
A special section of Fusion will be dedicated to the donors and supporters of the Center, including Isabel Paul of Newfields, NH. Ms. Paul and her sister Harriet were world-travelers and collectors, widely recognized for their support of their community and the arts. Other notable supporters include: Eldon L. Johnson, former president, UNH; Karl Bratton, professor of Music, UNH; Winthrop L. Carter, former president, Nashua Corporation; William G. Hennessy, director of dramatics, UNH; Harold H. Scudder, professor of English; and Lewis Churchill Swain, bandmaster.
The Shape of Color: Carol Aronson-Shore and Fusion: Merging the Arts in PCAC are presented as part of Arts for Life, a year-long celebration of the fine and performing arts in the Paul Creative Arts Center, UNH.
The Museum of Art is open during the academic year: Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; closed Fridays, University holidays, and November 11 and November 24-28. Guided group tours for schools and other organizations are available with advance reservation by contacting Catherine A. Mazur, education and publicity coordinator, at catherine.mazur@unh.edu or 603-862-3713.
For more information, contact the Museum of Art at 603-862-3712, museum.of.art@unh.edu, or visit www.unh.edu/moa.
Photo caption: Hyman Bloom, Pink Leg, Hyman Bloom, Pink Leg, 2000, oil on canvas, 32” x 70”, collection of the Museum of Art. (Courtesy photo)

Lynch, Shaheen, Shea-Porter Formally Announce $20 Million for Memorial Bridge Upgrade

PORTSMOUTH—
On Wednesday, October 20, Governor John Lynch, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter joined with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and members of the Maine delegation to formally announce $20 million to replace Portsmouth’s Memorial Bridge. These funds were issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation under its TIGER II program.
“I’m thrilled to announce that we are committing $20 million to replace the deteriorating Memorial Bridge, keeping open a crucial river crossing for cars, trucks, cyclists and pedestrians. The Memorial Bridge replacement project is vital to the region’s economy, not only because it will create jobs, but because it will also eliminate barriers to freight movement and improve access to the region’s transportation network,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
“The Memorial Bridge is in critical need of replacement and that is exactly what we are going to do. As Governor, I feel we should not and we cannot wait any longer to address this transportation priority,” Governor John Lynch said. “That is why New Hampshire has taken the lead in ensuring we replace this bridge as soon as possible. Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to our goal of replacing the Memorial Bridge and ensuring the Seacoast has the strong transportation network it needs.”
“Memorial Bridge is critical to the Seacoast economy, connecting the commercial centers of Portsmouth and Kittery, as well as helping ensure access to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,” said U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “This project is a smart investment of Recovery Act dollars: it will save New Hampshire money in the long run and will create many much-needed construction jobs. It is also an example of what is possible when we put aside party labels and come together in a bipartisan way to get things done for our communities.”
“We have to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure in New Hampshire and around the country,” said U.S. Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. “This is a jobs issue and a safety issue. This funding will benefit the local communities in both Maine and New Hampshire and I am very pleased that the New Hampshire and Maine delegations were successful in securing this funding.”
The announcement took place at 1 Harbour Place in Portsmouth. Governor Lynch, Senator Shaheen, Congresswoman Shea-Porter, and members from the Maine delegation had all worked together with Secretary LaHood to secure the TIGER II grant.