New Hampshire Institute of Art Announces Plans to Remodel Peterborough, NH Galleries.
Invests $300,000 in Sharon Arts Center Expansion
Manchester, NH (February 16, 2016) The New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA) is pleased to announce plans to remodel and upgrade its Sharon Arts Center (SAC) galleries located in Peterborough, NH.
The Sharon Arts Center was acquired by the New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2012. SAC operates a gallery and fine arts and crafts retail store in Peterborough, NH as well as studios and teaching facilities in Sharon, NH. The remodeling of the Peterborough galleries represents the first phase in a multi-year plan by NHIA to invest in and expand the programs at SAC, which has been an important part of the arts community in the Monadnock region for over 60 years.
The total cost of the gallery renovations is estimated at approximately $300,000, of which over half has already been raised. NHIA continues to seek additional funding to complete the project, and is offering generous donors naming rights for the two newly renovated gallery spaces.
“NHIA has experienced remarkable forward progress in the last few years. Investing in the Sharon Arts Center is very much part of our overall goal to use the arts to engage with the communities we serve,” said Kent Devereaux, President of NHIA. “I am pleased that we have seen tremendous support from the local community for this project and I’m confident that others in the Monadnock region will step forward with the funding we need to complete the renovations.”
The newly renovated galleries will allow NHIA to increase the number of exhibitions it can present at its Peterborough location while enhancing the overall quality of presentations. The SAC galleries were last renovated in 1999. The renovation to the galleries will include installation of museum-quality lighting, new flooring, and upgrades to the adjoining restroom facilities and entrances to ensure full compliance with the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA).
“We are pleased to be working with two New Hampshire-based companies on this project,” said Camellia Sousa, Sharon Arts Center Campus Director. “Both local businesses, Hutter Construction and Dennis Mires P.A., have been wonderful partners. We are thrilled to be working with them and can’t wait to see the results of their work.”
The existing gallery and adjoining retail store will close will close on February 21, 2016 to allow for renovations to proceed. The remodeled gallery spaces and store are expected to reopen in mid-May.
For more information and to contribute to this project please email [email protected]
About New Hampshire Institute of Art
The New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA) is the oldest and largest non-profit art and design college in New Hampshire, founded in 1898 as the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences. Today, NHIA has grown to become the third largest art and design college in all of New England. Regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Commission on Higher Education and nationally accredited by the National Association of Schools of Arts and Design (NASAD), NHIA offers undergraduate (BFA), graduate (MFA, MAT, and MAAE), and community education programs serving over 2,000 students annually. NHIA’s academic and administrative programs and residence halls are housed in 11 buildings spread throughout downtown Manchester with additional studio and exhibition facilities located in Sharon and Peterborough, New Hampshire.www.nhia.edu.
