Advice To The Players, Sandwich’s own Shakespeare company, is proud to kick off their 2021 season with a virtual performance of ​A Midsummer Night’s Dream​, available online from April 23rd- May 2nd. For this production, ATTP staged this production to be filmed and presented virtually for the safety of both their actors and audience.

The link to watch the performance will be available starting on April 23rd, Shakespeare’s Birthday and audience members can be sent the link by emailing ​contact@advicetotheplayers.org​. In celebration of Shakespeare’s Birthday, and the release of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ATTP is hosting their Bard’s Birthday Campaign- if they can raise $5,000 before the end of May, the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative Foundation will award them with a $5,000 matching grant. These funds will allow ATTP to produce our 2021 Summer Season and continue to bring the literary and performing arts to our community.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream​ features everything from fairy mischief, a play within a play, and dramatic fights in the name of love! This production will not be one to miss, with wonderful returning favorites including Chris Boldt as Theseus, Ethan Fifield as Nick Bottom, and Lucy Randall-Tapply as Puck. Last season’s director of ​Winter’s Tale​ and ​As You Like It​, Maryssa Wanlass graces the stage as Titania, with her husband, Mark Vashro, completing this dynamic fairy duo. The lover quartet includes 4 returning artists who among them have a long and rich history with the company- Caitlin Cremins, Alicia Edgar, Rowan Heard, and Julia de Aveliz Rocha. And as always we have a wonderful group of teens and community members completing this remarkable cast, such as Tom Hyde and Marion Posner.

For more information, please visit www.advicetotheplayers.org/

Our third online exhibition celebrates the coming of spring. Branching Out speaks not only to new growth but also to new ideas, new horizons and new reaches. Gallery artists have come up with an array of work in various media to illustrate the theme. To view the exhibit visit
www.patricialaddcaregagallery.com/viewing-room.html.

Kathryn Field of Sandwich has painted an exquisite landscape. Melting patches of snow, birch trees eager to sprout leaves and a river still covered with ice make up a delicate and engaging composition.  We can smell the wetness and feel the end of winter.  The landscape beckons to us and invites us to linger in it’s misty light.  This very appealing painting is Kathryn Field at her best.  
 
Anna Jeretic is a painter, sculptor and printmaker who lives outside of Paris, France. Family connections in Sandwich led her to the Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery where we have exhibited her paintings and prints for many years.  Branches and Trees 1 is an example of Jeretic’s delicate hand.  Prints at the gallery include botanical renderings done against vivid color and wonderful animals based on her travels to Africa.

Though Margaret Barnaby lives and works in Hawaii, she has roots in Sandwich.  Her small edition, woodblock prints are greatly admired not only for their technical excellence but also for their vivid color and exotic subject matter.   They are large pieces each made from at least four hand carved wooden plates.   Barnaby uses both Japanese and western approaches and techniques.  Her work begins with the natural world around her.

Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery will open as usual in mid May.  We are looking forward to an exciting and innovative season. Rebecca Shultz will show her paintings inspired by her internship at Hubbard Brook.  Liz Nelson’s Symbolic Landscapes are  based on her new book I Ching or Book of Changes. Both artists will speak about their intriguing processes.  We welcome back our gallery artists as always as we continue to bring new ideas and innovations to the community.
For more information about the gallery visit our website at patricialaddcaregagallery.com.  

Tell us about the Sandwich Home Industries.
The Sandwich Home Industries is a non-profit organization supporting local artists and the local economy by providing a welcoming gallery and educational programs for area residents and visitors to Center Sandwich.  The gallery sells a wide selection of fine hand-crafted items, and offers classes in arts and crafts. Our gallery stocks traditional and contemporary fine crafts made by juried members of the League of NH Craftsmen. Our Education Program is the cornerstone of our mission – we create a varied curriculum for both adults and children. 

How did the Sandwich Home Industries get started?
The Sandwich Home Industries (SHI) has a rich history of supporting the craft economy of Sandwich. The Industries began in 1926 when Mrs. J. Randolph Coolidge and a committee of local Sandwich women organized an exhibition of locally made rugs and brought an expert from Boston to give a talk on the practical aspects of making and marketing rugs. From this experience the committee decided to form a cooperative venture. The Sandwich Home Industries opened in the summer of 1926 selling locally made handicrafts to support the local economy. ​

It was such a success that, a few years later, Mrs. Coolidge went to the Governor of NH to request a state-wide arts and crafts organization. In 1931, NH Governor John Winant supported their idea, establishing and funding the NH Commission of Arts and Crafts. As a result, the League of NH Craftsmen was formed in 1932 with Mary Coolidge as their President.

​The League of NH Craftsmen has become one of the oldest and most recognized craft organizations in the country with seven galleries located throughout the state. For over 88 years, the nonprofit League has promoted fine craft, supported craftspeople, and educated and enriched New Hampshire’s communities.

What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job? 
The manager job allows me to use skills I acquired in my career as a teacher. I find it most satisfying to collaborate with creative people, so setting up the gallery each season is quite fun. I am interested in Feng Shui and enjoy arranging the gallery so that it not only looks beautiful, but has the positive feel and flow of energy throughout. It is most satisfying to observe customers’ reactions when they visit the gallery. I also enjoy learning more about the many aspects of marketing and social media, which has been new to me!

What is the hardest?
The hardest part is schlepping inventory from League Headquarters! Many artists deliver their work to us (we take most work on consignment), but we will also pick up merchandise in Concord.

What has happened to your business in this last Covid year?
The beginning of the pandemic was nervewracking. We (the Board of Directors and myself) had no idea if it would be safe to open or if people would want to come out to shop. Ordinarily, we open mid-May, but we were in lockdown, so we waited to see what the State would decide. When we were able, we decided to open on a limited basis last year, which meant 3 days/week.  We laid off staff and reduced my hours. We applied for the government grants and were able to stay afloat, thankfully. 

I was surprised at the number of people who came by to shop last summer. They were happy and thankful that we were open. Of course, we practiced safety measures recommended by the State, and the season progressed smoothly. This season, we are planning on opening mid-May with our usual 7-day schedule. We are also planning our 2021 education program.

How do you see the future for this business?
The brick and mortar retail business is challenging these days since one can buy almost anything on the internet. SHI has even started selling some inventory through the League Galleries Webstore. However, I believe that seeing fine craft in person at our historic gallery and being able to touch it and pick it up as well as imagine it in your own space is critical. 

Our town, in the summer particularly, is a tourist destination. People enjoy stopping by and finding that special NH-made gift or item for their home. It is best to experience art with the senses and one can’t get that while online shopping. 

What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
We have amazing talent and dedication on our Board of SHI Directors and are working on strategic planning for the future. We maintain the historic character of the building while making necessary repairs and updating displays. Collaboration with local businesses is also important to us. Last summer we held an Artists on the Porch series where we invited local crafters to sell their work. We are always looking for new ways to engage our community and would love to hear more ideas from Sandwich folks.
​
I am looking forward to Spring and starting our annual opening process. This year marks our 95th season and we are working to keep SHI going strong through its 100th Anniversary and beyond. 
​
Martha Nichols, Gallery Manager
League of NH Craftsmen Center Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery
PO Box 164, 32 Main Street
Center Sandwich, NH 03227
603-284-6831
Open mid-May to mid-October
Shop our gallery online!!

Julie Deak writes: Started over 40 years ago by a enterprising group of local craftspeople, Sandwich Christmas in the Village has grown into a two-day holiday tradition, expanding and reinventing itself with each new generation. Keeping with tradition, the 44th Annual Sandwich Christmas in the Village will be held the weekend of December 5th and 6th.

Things will be a little different this year, as we face the challenge of organizing in a way that will help to keep customers and vendors safe. Detailed plans are still in the works, but we do know there will be return to smaller venues, and for the first time, some craftspeople will be “virtual” participants - selling their work only online.

Partridge Hill Farm is one location providing socially distance spaces for 4 vendors from Sandwich. Juli Hird will have her “woolery” open selling fleeces and roving for hand-spinning and quality yarns from her flock of Romney, Merino, and Romney-Dorset cross sheep.

In the spacious barn, will be Marci Greene selling her modern everyday bags handmade with lots of love, and Rachel Bartlett offer her high fired, functional ceramics, designed for everyday use. Donna and Ken Carlucci from Kindred Spirit Farm will be there as well with herbal soaps, scented candles and gourmet dog treats, along with warm, hand-knit hats, wool dryer balls, and yarns from their Fine Fleece Shetland sheep and nesting balls for your fine feathered friends.

That’s just a sample of what will be happening. As plans progress, all the details will be posted on the Christmas in the Village - Sandwich NH Facebook page, including a list of locations and links to virtual booths online. For more information, please contact Diane Johnson 603-284-7168 (call/text)  or email Julie Deak at sandwichchristmasinthevillage@gmail.com.

You are invited to attend a poetry reading of Deep Beauty, by Rosemary Winslow and Catherine Lee (editors) on Friday, September 4, 12:00 noon  on the Quimby Green in front of Sandwich Home Industries. Please feel free to bring a chair and lunch if you like. Rain date September 5, at 4 pm.

Poets from Sandwich and Tamworth are included in the new book, Deep Beauty. Rosemary Winslow, editor, will introduce the book and poets will read excerpts. Books will be on sale at the reading and inside the League of NH Craftsmen gallery (Sandwich Home Industries).

About Deep Beauty: As our global discourse continues to be dominated by border walls, white nationalism, sexual assault, and autocratic leaders, many of us find our basic human values under constant attack. Deep Beauty is one collective attempt to counteract this discourse. The essays presented herein offer curious and thoughtful inquiries into experiences of wonder and beauty through the eyes of a diverse group of beholders, at a time when such considerations are often lacking from public discourse.

These writers help create an emotional and psychological space for us to meditate on how peace, safety, compassion, and dignity are integral to a fulfilled and fulfilling life. These essays examine beauty from a number of different perspectives, including the arts, culture and counter-culture, the physical world (from our individual bodies to our embattled planet), successes and failures, remoteness, and spirituality. This collection is perfect for students of writing and philosophy--and for anybody who needs a moment of respite from the chaos exploding in the world around us.

League of NH Craftsmen Center Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery, 32 Main Street
Center Sandwich, NH 03227 www.centersandwich.nhcrafts.org Follow us on Facebook! OPEN for our 94th season . 2020 hours Thursday - Saturday 12:00 - 5:00

This Fall Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery is featuring the work of three local artists who are successfully emerging onto the NE art scene. The last exhibit of the season opens on Labor Day Weekend and continues throughout the month of  September. Ashley Bullard, Liz Wilson and Valerie Vermeulen are all from the Lakes Region. Each of their paintings reflects their very personal journeys connecting them to the world around them.  The exhibit is colorful, contemporary, playful and highly creative. 
 
Ashley Bullard lives and works in Sandwich.  Bullard’s abstract landscapes are painted with energy and emphasize color and texture to achieve their mark.  The series at the gallery this summer is about Ice Out on Squam Lake.  The subtle reflections seen in the snow and ice as it cracks and melts are rendered in delicate hews that transfer via the artist’s brush to canvas.   One can feel the cracks in the jagged lines and smell the spring in the pastel palette.   Bullard spent many days last spring perched above Squam Lake  watching the lake melt.  These painting are about new beginnings.

Liz Wilson lives and works in New Hampton.  Her work is colorful, active and to a degree playful.  It engages the viewer in a conversation, an invitation to look deeper and enjoy.   Wilson’s words best describe her work: These paintings are impressions of my experience in the world at a specific moment.  When I am able to focus inward, I see in my minds’ eye my sensory experience translated into shape and color.  This experience is a part of my reality: it is the author, creator of my painting language. In the process of making the images I simplify and to a degree caricaturize my experiences.  The source of the images is specific. However, what I am depicting is the sensation that I took from the moment.”

Valerie Vermeulen lives and works in Holderness.  The subtle color and undefined shapes in her abstract landscapes challenge, soothe and engage.  Vermeulen talks about her work: “I spend my days studying and recording the constant, subtle, changing elements of nature and life. My work provides a nostalgic sense of place and simplicity, yet is ultimately defined by the infinite. I hope to elevate the viewer, both aesthetically and spiritually. The images are reflective, surreal, and organic in nature. The work also explores the mystery and the solitude of the anonymous human experience. I am driven to capture the changing atmosphere and the endless nuances of a landscape, both physical and psychological, to reveal the truth of a limitless reality. In the image, a dream is reflected, and the esoteric quality of a moment has been remembered. 

Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery is located at 69 Maple Street in Center Sandwich.  Gallery hours are from 10 to 5 Monday through Saturday and 12 to 5 on Sunday.  You will also find work by all our artists on line at patricialaddcaregagallery.com. 

Ole Anderson writes: Hi all, There will be an Old Home Week this year, but it will be different than years’ past.  Old Home Week is Sunday 8/9 – 8/16.  We are doing our best to create activities and events for the community to safely engage. Many of the groups who usually offer events and activities are working on dynamic planning in order to deliver a safe and meaningful experience for community members.

I can say with certainty that there will not be an Old Home Week Brochure. The nature of planning for the week with attention to Covid-19 guidelines and recommendations, or the potential of rising confirmed cases in our area, make it necessary for each group to have the ability to adjust their event rather than feel committed to what is published in a brochure weeks in advance.  

We will be populating the town website with a schedule at sandwichnh.com. This page is currently blank, but as events and activities are confirmed, we will add them, starting on July 14.  We will try and post on the SandwichBoard as each new activity and event is added. We will certainly post an update if an already posted event has been modified or canceled.

Please know we are doing our best to create safe, fun, and interesting events and activities; however, this means many of the traditional Old Home Week events will not be able to take place this year.  Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work on Sandwich’s 122nd Old Home Week.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ole Anderson, Sandwich Parks and Recreation Director, 284-6473, sandwichrecreation@gmail.com