ART: "Growing Up Portsmouth"

Description

Eric Gold’s “Growing Up Portsmouth” – a captivating celebration of Portsmouth’s cultural evolution – is on display at PMAC following three years of community collaboration. Over 1,000 individuals contributed painting segments to the vibrant exhibit, which features 12 oversized portraits of key figures that indelibly shaped Portsmouth’s cultural landscape.

Among the individuals featured are JerriAnne Boggis (The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, The Harriet Wilson Project), TJ Wheeler (Portsmouth Blues Festival), Bruce Pingree (The Press Room), Russ Grazier (Portsmouth Music and Arts Center), Scott Weintraub (Theatre By The Sea, Prescott Park Arts Festival), and Marguerite Mathews (Pontine Theatre), who also contribute audio stories to the exhibit. Through the skilled lens of artist Eric Gold, whose work delves into shared consciousness, the resulting collection serves as an experiential time capsule, brilliantly illuminating the creative spirit woven into the fabric of the Portsmouth community. In addition to general gallery hours, PMAC will host two exhibit-related community events: • A West End Master Series artist discussion on Friday, March 22 offers an intimate insight into Gold’s artistic process. (March 22, 5:30-6:30pm, PMAC) • A community painting project on Saturday March 23, where participants can collectively contribute to the exhibit’s next portrait. (March 23, 9:30-11am, PMAC).