Are you so passionate about something that you’d like to share it with the world – or at least, with the rest of the KSC community? Well, here’s your chance. The wonderful folks at the Thorne invite you to display your art, crafts, collectibles, or whatever you’re passionate about in a summer exhibition called Passionate Pursuits: Keene State College Alumni, Faculty, Staff, and Our Community Partner the Friends of the Thorne Share Their Creations and Collectibles. The exhibit opens Friday, June 4, and continues through Sunday, July 25; then it reopens Friday, September 3, through Thursday, September 30. The Friends of the Thorne will host a public reception on Friday, June 4, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

This is a non-juried exhibit, and the gallery will accept pieces on a first-come, first-served basis and display as many items as it can. The exhibit is not meant to promote a business or product, so nothing will be for sale.

This will be the third Passionate Pursuits exhibit. Past exhibits have included a bird-carving collection, rock-climbing photos, handcrafted baskets, hand-colored photos, baseball memorabilia, a Native American collection, hand-knitted items, wood-turned containers, and an antique penny-farthing bicycle.

If you’d like to share your passion, please fill out our online form by Monday, April 19. We’d also like you to write a paragraph explaining why you are passionate about the material you’ve submitted and what the Thorne Gallery means to you and the community.

"Perfect Thighs" Kris Dresen, 2005, digital projection, ©Kris Dresen

Are you a fan of comic book art? Then stop in at the Thorne and check out the current show, “Out of Sequence: Underrepresented Voices in American Comics,” for a celebration of historical and contemporary comics creators that includes women and minority artists. The show features works by a diverse group of comic illustrators and writers including Ethel Hays’ 1927 depictions of Flapper Fanny, Dale Messick’s popular Brenda Starr in 1945, and 21st century artists such as Nat Turner, creator of Kyle Baker, and Ann Telnaes’ digital projection, Drawing the Line. The exhibit ends on December 6.

More information.

Self Portrait, by Analesa Perkins

Have you caught the “Emerging Art” show at the Thorne, yet? Did you pick your favorite artwork and vote for it in the “Peoples Choice Award”? KSC senior art major Analesa Perkins won that vote with her Self Portrait.

The show, showcasing the work of 14 graduating KSC art majors, will be a the Thorne through Commencement Saturday, May 9. If you’re on campus, stop in and check out some of our best talent.

More information.

Accordion Flats, (detail) an oil and spray paint work by Keene State College B.F.A. student Nicholas Petrow of Marlborough, Mass., will be among the entries in Emerging Art.

Come on back to campus to discover who may be the art world’s next sensation. Fourteen graduating art majors will have their work in Emerging Art, the annual KSC Art Students’ Exhibition; the show runs from April 18 through May 9, at the Thorne.

From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17, the Friends of the Thorne will host an opening reception for Emerging Art at the gallery, and the Art Department will sponsor a Graphic Design Senior Portfolio Review from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Media Arts Center, adjacent to the Thorne. More than 20 graphic design seniors will open their portfolios and showcase their best design work.

The exhibit, reception, and portfolio review are free and open to the public.

More information.

Zen, a colored pencil work by Nicole Caulfield

Did you see the 2009 Biennial Regional Jurors’ Choice exhibit at the Thorne? Keene artist Nicole Caulfield’s colored pencil work, Zen, depicting her oldest daughter, Katie, who attends Symonds School in Keene, won the People’s Choice Award as well as the Jurors’ Best of Show prize.

More information.

Get ready for a fantasy journey through a child’s vivid imagination as the Thorne and the Redfern collaborate to bring Sebastienne Mundeim’s Sea of Birds to campus on Thursday, March 12 at 6 p.m, 7:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. The story is based on a child’s memories of an Eastern European displacement camp during the Second World War.

Mundheim is known for integrating historical themes with lyrical storytelling that engages children and adults. Structured like Homer’s Odyssey and reminiscent of The Little Prince, the performance promises to transport audiences to a fantastical world, exploring history, memory, and the power of the imagination.

The public is invited to watch the set being installed at the Thorne from noon to 4 p.m., Monday, March 9, through Wednesday, March 11, and there will be a brief question-and-answer session with the cast and audience after the 6 p.m. performance.

More information.

Adirondack Chair by Leonard Ragouzeos, honorable mention

Eight of the regional artists selected to participate in the Thorne’s Biennial Regional Juror’s Choice Exhibition received awards at a Jan. 23, reception opening the exhibit.

Nicole Caulfield of Keene won the Jurors’ Best of Show Award for Zen, a colored pencil work. The $500 prize for this award is sponsored by the Friends of the Thorne.

Patricia Shappler of Bedford, N.H., was awarded second place of $300 for Heading Downtown, an acrylic painting.

Ronnie McClure of Canterbury, N.H., received third place of $200 for Crossing, an ink and colored pencil work on rag paper.

In addition to the top three winners, the following artists received honorable mentions, which include a $25 cash award:

• Jim Coates of Lyndeborough, N.H., for In the Woods, a sculpture made of handmade paper and wood;
• Christine Neill of New Ipswich, N.H., for Three Days, a watercolor painting;
• Leonard Ragouzeos of Newfane, Vt., for Adirondack Chair, a drawing in India ink on paper;
• Carol Lightfoot Ross of Rindge, N.H., for Faces of the Iraq War, a fabric art quilt; and
• Susan von Glahn Calibria of Mount Hermon, Mass, for Black and White, an acrylic and gouache work on paper.

Come to campus and see this impressive exhibit, and cast your vote for a People’s Choice Commendation. The artist winning this $100 prize will be announced February 12.

More information.

Come on in to the Thorne-Sagendorph Gallery to see the best local art. From Jan. 24–Feb. 26, the gallery will host its biennial juried exhibition of works in a variety of media by artists living within a 30-mile radius of Keene or who are members of the Friends of the Thorne. Selections from the Robert Hubbard Collection will also be on display. You can also cast your vote for People’s Choice Commendation through February 12 and attend a public reception on Friday, Jan. 23, from 5:30–7:30 at the Thorne.

More information.

Robert P. Hubbard, of Walpole, has donated 56 works of art from his collection to Keene State. Hubbard, who has been collecting for more than 40 years, came to know Keene State while visiting two grandnieces who attended the College. His donation includes paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture by a variety of artists such as LeRoy Neiman, Elaine De Kooning, Albert Hirschfeld, William Hogarth, Francisco de Goya, N. C. Wyeth, and sculptor David Aronson. Read more about the donation here. A selection of works from the Hubbard gift will be exhibited at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery on campus, opening January 24, 2009.
One piece in the collection did generate some controversy, which has been addressed through lively academic discourse. Read more about that discussion in the Equinox.

Photo of the installation of David Aronson’s The Singer by Robin Dutcher.