With its streamlined white walls and polished wood floor, the Spheris Gallery houses 1,200 square feet of sculptures, paintings and various other art media for free public viewing. The space's atmosphere is earthy and relaxed, family-friendly and inviting. With its diverse assortment of displays devised by both domestic and international artists, the gallery fills an educational and cultural niche that proprietor Cynthia Reeves feels can renew art interest in virtually any local demographic.
"[The gallery features] a really nice mix of contemporary art not tied to any particular genre," Reeves said. "It showcases both emerging artists and artists who are mid-career. It's very hands-on."
The gallery's journey to the quaint alcove next to the Nugget was an interesting one. After 10 years of showcasing the best of New England's artists in Bellows Falls, Vt., Reeves was approached by the Hanover Improvement Society with the idea of bringing her successful collection to the Upper Valley, a region they believed to be in need of fine art. Enthused by the offer but already managing two other art galleries (the other located in New York), Reeves felt the "natural step" was to consolidate worthwhile pieces from her other exhibits and to bring those to the recently available space at 59 Main Street.
Already Dartmouth alumni and parents have shown a significant interest in the gallery's artwork, especially during alumni events.
"Before this gallery opened, it would have been difficult to find work in Hanover made by living artists from New York and other parts of New England," J. Kiku Langford '06 said. Langford, a studio art major, co-founder of Novack's ongoing "NovArt" exhibit and former director of AREA, has been working alongside Reeves since January, assisting in various managerial and outreach-oriented capacities.
"The AVA [Alliance for the Visual Arts] gallery in Lebanon does show the work of local artists, but it is all the way in Lebanon, and students don't tend to make it over there very much," she said
According to Langford, Spheris is grounded in Reeves' interest in using art as an educational tool. Together, Reeves and Langford have been working to promote the gallery so that more people can meet them and the artists. They hope this will foster an environment that welcomes questions about the art, creating an even more interactive experience for patrons. Each new show is an opportunity for exposure to a foreign concept and a different method of creating.
"It can be really intimidating to see some strange person sitting behind a desk and a bunch of huge paintings on the walls," Langford said. "But anyone who has any appreciation for art can enjoy the gallery. [The] big over-arching goal right now is to get more young people to view it as a resource, and not just as some stuffy [place] for the rest of the Upper Valley community."
As members of Dartmouth's department of studio art have already established ties with the gallery, Reeves wholeheartedly welcomes the interest of the rest of the College's staff as well.
"Any of the Departments can come and take a look around," she said with a smile. "They can hear me lecture, hear the artists lecture. It'd be fun!"
While the Spheris Gallery does not function in concert with the Hood Museum, it occasionally runs exhibits relevant to the Hood's artistic theme, as a kind of "entity contemporary" to the Hood's feature, according to Reeves. The gallery's capacity to add culturally to a town which was previously "severely lacking in art" is aided by how easily it can relate to the College's studio art exhibitions and Hood programs.
Langford particularly encourages Dartmouth students to check out the gallery's usually monthly openings, small parties meant to usher in the exhibition of a new artist.
"We have a little reception with wine, and the artist is always there, so you can talk to them personally about their work," Reeves said. "If you are an artist or an art historian, or even just an art-lover, it's a great opportunity to surround yourself with like-minded people, to network and to see something interesting."
