Blue: The Sky's the Limit Opens this Week

Among the spectrum of colors, blue is the most popular, symbolizing trust, responsibility, wisdom, and tranquility. The latest League of NH Craftsmen fine craft exhibition celebrates the various hues, moods, and everything associated with the color blue. This multimedia exhibition is called Blue: The Sky’s the Limit and it features 100 handcrafted pieces that represent something blue or use the color blue. There is a finely detailed ceramic castle; exquisite pieces of jewelry that have silver, blue seed beads, and blue gemstones such as Labradorite; elegant wood and metal sculptures and functional bowls; colorful fiber wall hangings, including a handwoven geometric tapestry and a hand dyed wool hooked rug of the earth; thematic prints and photographs, and much more. All the fine craft items on display are made by juried members of the League (a list appears at the end of this release) and are available for purchase.

The exhibition runs until March 20 at The Gallery at The Craft Center and headquarters in the SMILE! building on 49 South Main Street in Concord. The Gallery is located at 49 South Main Street, Suite 100, in Concord, NH and is openMonday - Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, with extended hours on Thursdays until 7:00 pm, and Saturday, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. The public will be able to meet and speak with the participating exhibitors during the opening reception on Friday, January 16 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. If there is inclement weather, please check the League website and/or Facebook page.

“Blue is the color of the sky and the oceans and we use the word blue to identify a mood or a feeling. It is fascinating to see how our juried members have interpreted the meanings and sensory and psychological effects of the color blue in their work for this exhibition,” said League Executive Director Susie Lowe-Stockwell.

Always on Display: The Grodin Permanent Collection Museum

The League also displays a new selection of fine craft from its more than 300-lot permanent collection at the Grodin Permanent Collection Museum at the League headquarters. This collection includes craft from the League’s early years to the present, including pieces made by some of the world’s renowned craftspeople, such as Otto and Vivika Heino and Edwin and Mary Scheier. The museum provides fascinating insights into the evolution of fine craft and should not be missed. Admission to the museum is free.

About the League of NH Craftsmen

The League of NH Craftsmen is a non-profit, craft education organization. Its mission is to encourage, nurture and promote the creation, use and preservation of fine contemporary and traditional craft through the inspiration and education of artists and the broader community. The League represents the signature of excellence in fine craft, through the work of its juried members, and its rigorous standards for self-expression, vision, and quality craftsmanship.

The League of NH Craftsmen is supported in part by a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.The Gallery has been made possible through the generosity of Concord Orthopaedics.

For more information about the Blue: The Sky’s the Limit exhibition, the Gallery, or the League of NH Craftsmen, call 603-224-3375, email nhleague@nhcrafts.org, or visit the League’s website atwww.nhcrafts.org.

Participants in the Blue: The Sky’s the Limit Exhibition

• Alton, NH: Sandra White
• Ashuelot, NH: Nancy O’Connor
• Atkinson, NH: Paul Wainwright
• Barnstead, NH: Patricia Woodbridge
• Bedford, NH: Joy Raskin
• Belmont, NH: Sharon Lindstrom
• Bow, NH: Beth Lux
• Bradford, NH: J. Ann Eldridge
• Canaan, NH: Cynthia Cummings-Birch
• Campton, NH: John Anderson
• Center Sandwich, NH: Susan Lirakis
• Concord, NH: Eric Grant, Ann Winterling
• Contoocook, NH: Dan Dustin, Mark Knipe, Gladys Sherman
• Danville, NH: Catherine Falkenburg
• Dover, NH: Betty Lathrop, William Mitchell
• Exeter, NH: Peg Irish
• Francestown, NH: Kathy Marx
• Hampstead, NH: Deb Fairchild
• Henniker, NH: Dawn Blanchard, Gigi Laberge
• Hopkinton, NH Linda Dunning
• Jefferson, NH: Sarah Warren
• Londonderry, NH: Gary Fecteau, Kate Kilgus
• Loudon, NH: Julie Robinson
• Lyme, NH: Matthew Brown
• Lyme Center, NH: Greg Gorman
• Manchester, NH: Nurit Niskala
• Marlow, NH: Art Anderson
• Meredith, NH: Jim Zink
• Merrimack, NH: Tanya Cherepova
• Mont Vernon, NH: Cheryl Miller, Karen Mitchell
• Newmarket, NH: Nancy Adams
• Salem, NH: John Ruggerio
• South Sutton, NH: Carolyn Wright
• Strafford, NH: Wen Redmond, Elena Wikstrom
• Stratham, NH: Catherine Green, Barbara McLaughlin
• Sunapee, NH: Cherie DeAugustinis
• Wakefield, NH: Kathleen & Larry Krzewinski
• Windham, NH: Carol Babineau
• Lowell, MA: Ann Lee
• N. Andover, MA: Tarja Cockell
• Pepperell, MA: Betsy Keeney
• Randolph, MA: Virginia Holloway
• Sutton, MA: Kathy & Chelsea Blackmer
• Townsend, MA: Paula Barry
• Tyngsboro, MA: Ritva Ojanen
• Kittery, ME: Elaine X. Fuller
• Kittery Point, ME: David Masury
• Warren, ME: John McAlevey
• York, ME: Lars Turin
• Woodstock, VT: Rachel Kahn

Submitted text and courtesy photo.