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The Dartmouth
July 23, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Visual arts galleries, organizations abound in Upper Valley

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01.31.11.arts.mural

The constant barrage of e-mails sent by the Hopkins Center and Hood Museum ensure that students are generally well-informed about arts activities on campus. But students rarely take advantage of the diverse and flourishing arts community available off-campus, according to the proprietors of several Upper Valley arts organizations.

Students have also admitted their lack of awareness about the Upper Valley arts scene.

"I don't know that there is anything even available in the Upper Valley besides the Hopkins Center and Hood Museum," Abigail Macias '14 said. "And if there is, it's rarely promoted."

Students interviewed by The Dartmouth added that they did not know how to find out about arts events not sponsored by the College.

"The only resource I can think of would be the Hopkins Center for the Arts many talented artists come to perfom there and they often have various advertisements up," Chris Norman '13 said. "Besides that I am not too aware of other places that exist or events that take place in the Upper Valley."

From galleries and museums to classes and workshops, the Upper Valley's visual arts offerings are abundant and comprehensive, appealing to the local population's diverse range of artistic interests.

These extensive arts offerings exert a positive influence on the local community, according to acting Chair of the Upper Valley Arts Alliance Joanne Wise.

"We feel that this region is healthy because the arts and culture we have around us make people want to come and live here and work here," Wise said in an interview with The Dartmouth.

UVAA, established in 2004, works to keep the Upper Valley community informed about the local arts scene by maintaining an online calendar and database listing arts events taking place in the region. The UVAA website uvarts.org allows users to search for events by date, interest and location.

Wise said the reason UVAA keeps a thorough catalogue of events is because its members feel strongly about the role arts play in the region. The organization's primary goal is to "try and connect people with each other and the arts to enhance the social and economic vitality of our community," Wise added.

For Dartmouth students looking to engage with the Upper Valley's vibrant artistic community, Spheris Gallery may be a good place to start. Located next to the Nugget Theater on South Main Street, this 3,000-square-foot jewel of a gallery is only a short walk off campus.

However, few Dartmouth students take advantage of the gallery's proximity to campus, according to associate director Azariah Aker.

"We don't get a lot of students coming through," Aker said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "We get some, but not a lot not compared to the number that are there."

Spheris showcases a wide range of artistic mediums and styles. Recent exhibitions have displayed everything from watercolor paintings to children's book illustrations.

Shows remain at Spheris for five weeks at a time, according to Aker. The current exhibition features work chosen from members of the Vermont Center for Photography.

"We've been doing a photo show in January for the past three years now so we wanted to continue that tradition," Aker explained.

Dartmouth students willing to venture a bit farther outside the Dartmouth bubble may also want to pay a visit to Alliance for the Visual Art Gallery and Art Center, located at 11 Bank Street in Lebanon, N.H.

AVA's dynamic three-story building which includes four open gallery spaces and several teaching studios is designed to be environmentally friendly and capitalizes on natural light streaming in from several large windows. Energy efficient LED lights, which last more than 20 times longer than incandescent light bulbs and use five times less energy, were also recently installed in the galleries, according to executive director Bente Torjusen.

Torjusen described AVA's 1990 move to its current green building as a "fabulous blessing in disguise."

"We wanted to expand because before we could only have classes in the gallery spaces," Torjusen explained.

In addition to hosting exhibitions in its four galleries, AVA offers a broad range of workshops for children, teens and adults. Offerings include unique courses like glass fusing, botanical illustration and stone carving, as well as more traditional courses like photography and drawing.

For those looking for classes that are even more specialized, the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vt., is located less than five miles away from campus.

CCS offers a two-year master's program for artists interested in cartooning and admits between 20 and 24 students annually, according to co-founder Michelle Ollie.

Students come from "across the country" to participate in programs at CCS, bringing "diverse backgrounds in both education and experience," Ollie said.

Ollie added that the school's mission is to teach students all the intricacies of cartooning, from research, writing and drawing to design and production.

"There is focus on producing your work from concept to completion," Ollie explained.

CCS students recently visited Dartmouth to paint a colorful mural in Food Court in the Class of 1953 Commons.

The school also fosters connections between its students and the Upper Valley community, according to Ollie.

"I think the Upper Valley is an incredible, vibrant, culturally rich arts location," Ollie explained. "We certainly appreciate all that the Upper Valley has to offer and continue to find more ways of connecting our students with all of those opportunities, and vice versa."

However, while CCS students have made inroads into the Dartmouth and Upper Valley communities, few Dartmouth students take advantage of the vibrant Upper Valley arts scene.

"I've gone to the gallery next to the Nugget and liked it, but I haven't been to any of the other places," Stephenie Lee '11 said.

In addition to the venues already mentioned, students may want to explore the Artis Tree Community Art Center in Woodstock, Vt., or the Library Arts Center in Newport, N.H.

"Dartmouth students not only living in the bubble, but being able to have all this surround them have great, great advantages," Wise said, encouraging students to take engage with the Upper Valley arts scene.

"Art is a very important vehicle [for] a more rich and complete life," Torjusen said.