An Action Packed Week in the Gallery

This Tuesday, September 20th, we welcome James Leonard from Brooklyn. He is on a New England tour, bringing a portable sacred space and encouraging those he encounters to think about climate change and the impact it has on their lives. He will be giving free Tarot card readings in his Tent of Casually Observed Phenologies from 12:30-7PM on Tuesday September 20th.

This Thursday, September 22nd, we are partnering with the folks at iru Magazine, a New England arts & culture magazine. This is their first printing debut release party, so come on over for raffles, great art, and a good time. The reception on Sept. 22nd will be held in conjunction with the Manchester Open Doors Trolley Tour from 5-8PM.

Both events are FREE to participate in and are open to all ages.

Shiny new things in 2016

Here is a quick look at what is new in 2016:
New classes:
– A 5 week adult art sampler, try book arts, watercolor painting, stained glass, and pottery. All materials included. $225pp running every Saturday 5-8PM
– Parent and Child Pottery Workshop, Every 1st Saturday come in for an hour to try out the pottery wheel together! Children must be 9 or older. $60 per pair
– Monthly Live Figure drawing workshops, every First Saturday from 6-8:30PM. $20pp, pre-registration required.

In the Gallery:
– January – The annual cup show and Pastel paintings by Artist-in-Residence Keith Demanche
– February – Mail Art Call for entries! Free to submit. Learn more.
– March – Art inspired by African Textiles

3rd Annual Cup Show: Reception this Friday!

Come visit the studio this Friday night and get first picks of handmade ceramic cups (for the holidays). There will be an informal reception from 6-8PM. The juror for the exhibit, Shawn O’Connor, will be there and so will the work of dozens of ceramic artists from around the country.

Take a look at the Facebook Event page.

If you want more clay, we are also hosting some members of the NH Potter’s Guild for a Potter’s Market this weekend for NH Open Doors. Visit us November 7, 10-4PM and Nov 8, 12-3PM.

Visiting Artist Workshops this Autumn

Find all the information about these workshops here.

Leather Jewelry with Claire Renaud, Sept 12: Learn the Cuir Boulii method of heating and forming leather into beautiful cuff bracelets.

“Inner Beauty” Accordion Books with Julie Puttgen, September 14: Julie is a community-minded artist who is starting a national pilgrimage to help people recognize their own inner beauty. Participants will create their own “inner beauty” books to remind themselves to be happy with themselves. Proceeds go to fund the artist’s travels.

Navajo Weaving with Cheryl Holbert, 4-weeks Oct. 26, Nov. 2, 9, 16: Learn to weave in the Navajo style with instructor Cheryl Holbert, who visits the Southwest regularly to work with Navajo weavers. Students will use yarn from a reservation in Arizona.

Earrings in a Day with Joy Raskin, Oct 24: Create your own earring designs this low-tech metal jewelry workshop. Participants will have time to make multiple earrings.

Fun with Wire/Wire Jewelry with Joy Raskin, Oct 31: Learn to mold wire to become jewelry, sculpture and more.

CHALK THE BLOCK! (a Chalk Art Competition)

This is a chalk art competition for cash prizes. The 2015 event will take place in Bronstein Park at the corner of Hanover and Union. All ages and backgrounds welcome to compete. To sign up to compete, fill out the registration form here. by September 15th. Drop-ins will be accepted as space is available. Kids under 12 may draw in the Kid’s Corner for free!

There will be music, food, entertainment, and chalk art all day from 10AM-3PM.

For a poster of the event, click here.

Pie Day 2015 (a professional pie competition)

March 14, 2015 is PIE DAY at Studio 550!

Sample pies from a dozen NH bakeries and vote for “People’s Choice”! This is a professional baker’s competition and the categories will be Fruit, Cream, and Creative.

As of mid-January, the competitors are The Bakeshop on Kelly St., Finesse Pastries, Wicked Good Bakery, The Crust and Crumb, Baked Downtown, Just Like Mom’s Pastries, The Saxy Chef, Bridge Street Cafe, Sunshine Scoops, Sweet Melissa’s Kitchen, and the Roundabout Diner & Lounge in Portsmouth. Several others are in the works and will be announced when they confirm.

The judges are:
Susan Laughlin, Food Writer for NH Magazine
Helen Ryba, Host and Producer of “The Chef’s Plate”
Richard Tango-Lowy, Vice Chair of the Granite State Quality Council and Master Chocolatier of Dancing Lion Chocolate

Tickets available on our website or at the Studio. $20 for adults, $15 for children under 13 and students with a college ID. $25 the day of the event. Purchase tickets here.

Clay for Kids Nominations!

We are accepting nominations for a “Clay for Kids” Mobile Studio Visit, where we will provide a no-cost mobile clay studio visit to a Manchester non-profit that works with under-served children who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to work with clay.

Nominations are due via e-mail to info@550arts.com by December 24th, by 9PM. Organizations may self-nominate. Nominations consist of the organization’s name, a contact person within that organization, and a few sentences about what the organization does and why they would benefit from the clay studio visit.

The recipient organization will be announced Christmas Day.

The Clay for Kids Fund was started when Studio 550 opened two years ago. The Studio is a firm believer that “art is for everyone” regardless of experience, age, or finances. Thus, since opening, a portion of every full priced adult studio class registration (such as pottery, drawing, stained glass, book arts, or painting) has been reserved for the Clay for Kids fund. This way, when an adult takes a class at the Studio, a child wins a unique art experience down the line.

New Workshops: Printmaking on Clay & Build your own Succulent Terrarium

We have two exciting workshops coming up in December. One is visiting artist Megan Mitchell, who will be teaching different processes for printing on clay. The second one is a build-your-own Terrarium workshop.

DID YOU FIND A MONSTER?

August 4th, Studio 550 Art Center will have released 100 little red clay Monsters into the city. The Monsters will be concentrated in the heart of downtown between Bridge and Granite on Elm, and then a couple side streets. All Monsters will be placed in public places with a lot of foot traffic and in locations that are easily visible to pedestrians. Typically, Monsters like to hide in places that people see every day, but just do not usually have a reason to keep looking: a windowsill, the corner of a bench, or a flower planter are all places Monsters like to hide, but they could be anywhere.

The purpose of this activity is just to have fun while encouraging residents to slow down, play like a kid, and walk their city streets in search of the out-of-the-ordinary.

Monster Finders who show their monster at Studio 550 and The Dancing Lion Chocolate Shop will be rewarded. Monsters Finders keep their Monster and their reward from both places. At Studio 550, Monster Finders draw a prize from a Mystery Pot that contains rewards ranging from Studio 550 merchandise, to handmade ceramics, to a Grand Prize of a free Fall Pottery Class. At Dancing Lion Chocolate, Monster Finders receive a beautifully crafted chocolate coin. Monster Finders will also be entered into a chance to win a giant chocolate monster egg.

There is also one White Albino Monster in the mix. Whoever finds that one wins a free Date Night in the Pottery Studio at Studio 550.

The event is free to the public. Monster Finders are asked to only take one so that other Monster Seekers can find one as well. Each monster has a purple dot with an ID number inside. Monster Seekers and Finders are encouraged to share what they discover on the Studio 550 Facebook page.

For more information, see www.550arts.com, call 603.232.5597 or stop by the studio at 550 Elm St. in Manchester, NH.

“Try it!” workshops every Saturday

Starting March 22nd we will host weekend workshops every Saturday so people can try our classes out before registering for a 10-week full length course.

The Clay Workshop will run Saturdays from 3-6PM and 6-9PM
The Stained Glass Workshop will run Saturdays 1-4PM

In the clay workshop participants will try handbuilding techniques (i.e. coil, slab, and pinch) for the first half and wheel throwing for the second half. In the glass workshop, participants will make a suncatcher from start to finish.