Local art showcase to promote performing, visual arts growth

CLAREMONT OPERA HOUSE
CLAREMONT — The walls of the John D. Bennett Atrium Gallery at the Claremont Opera House (COH) are filled with displays about local arts organizations and artists. This Local Arts Showcase is an effort to promote performing and visual arts organizations, schools, artists and musicians in the local New Hampshire and Vermont area — and it is just a sampling of this growing arts scene.

“Arts focused efforts continue to grow in our area, and the showcase demonstrates that,” Christine Hawkins, a COH board member and board member of several area arts organizations, said.

Seventeen organizations/artists are currently participating in the showcase and are also highlighted on a new Local Arts Community News page accessible from the Claremont Opera House website. From the page, you can link to participant home pages and follow their social media sites to learn more about what they are offering.

“Marketing arts-related events can be tough and the more we can all promote what each other is doing, the greater awareness we can bring to all the wonderful programs available in this area,” Felicia Brych Dalke, COH board secretary and the co-chair of the showcase with Hawkins, said.

The current classes available at the Claremont MakerSpace (CMS) and the Library Arts Center (LAC) in Newport rival those available to residents of large cities. It is rare to find classes in building preservation like the program offered by the Historic Windsor Preservation Institute.

Local singer/songwriter Evelyn Cormier is currently promoting her latest music releases on her website. There is definitely something for everyone going on over the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts (WCCMA) just finished their fall season and are now planning future programs. WCCMA is developing a new music and arts space next to the COH, which will complement area resources and continue to draw artists, musicians and patrons of the arts to the area.

The COH Board will continue to promote local arts events and build out a simplified calendar to help support a vibrant arts community. The Local Arts Showcase will hang in the John D. Bennett Atrium until early December. Interested arts organizations and individuals can still promote their work through the online community arts page; details available on www.claremontoperahouse.org.