ART TO LIVE BY
By Ali Goldstein
Manchester is a different city without the Currier; Manchester with the Currier is home.
With a world-class art museum in the neighborhood, there are always special exhibitions on the horizon, inviting new possibilities and perspectives. There are moments of refuge, Wednesday afternoons on your favorite bench before your favorite work of art. There are free Second Saturdays, getting creative with the family, or evenings after work, electrified by a talk about process from an artist you just discovered.
Our community is better with art. Manchester Citywide Arts Festival, which begins this Sunday with a kick-off event at the Currier, celebrates the thriving cultural heart of our hometown. The Currier is part of a vibrant creative landscape full of historic institutions and vibrant new galleries, dance studios and eclectic boutiques, shelves stocked with wares from local makers. Art – whatever the form – is a vital force for connection.
That’s what the Kickoff at the Currier is all about: art bringing us together. Whether you are new to the area or a longtime friend of the museum, you will be part of a welcoming community centered around art.
Modeled a little after an Open House or a delicious ice cream flight, The Kickoff at the Currier invites you to explore a little bit of everything the museum has to offer. It’s a day of starting points and new experiences. Pick up a free, limited-edition passport when you arrive and collect stamps throughout the museum to win fun prizes.
- Slow down a little by joining a close-looking session with our expert guides. 15 minutes is all it takes to see a work of art – and yourself – in a new way.
- Pick up a take-and-create kit inspired by an upcoming exhibition. They are designed for artists of all ages and abilities – like you.
- Say hi to artists from the League of NH Craftsmen and attend a special film screening of A Handmade Life in the Currier auditorium.
- Tap into a different sense in a sound bath session or our new sound experience tour, available via the Currier’s free digital guide on Bloomberg Connects.
- And so much more.
Then, continue your journey throughout the rest of the Manchester Citywide Arts Festival. Take a class. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the free street fair. Participate in the Downtown Art Walk. Visit a gallery for the first time.
Every day we come together around art is a gift. Let’s celebrate.
Here’s what you need to know:
- The Kickoff at the Currier is a free community event on Sunday, September 7 from 10 am to 5 pm.
- Enjoy free parking and free activities throughout the day.
- This event is made possible with the support of our presenting sponsor, M&T Bank, and our passport sponsor, Shaheen & Gordon.
- Learn more at Currier.Org
Ali Goldstein is a writer who first fell in love with art museums on a French class field trip to see a Degas exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Today, she is the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Currier Museum of Art, where she helps others take their first step into the arts. She can be reached at agoldstein@currier.org.