February 2025
President’s Notes
Spring is in the Air!
As soon as those first 50-degree days arrive in March, I start thinking spring has officially begun. We’ve already had a couple of warm days recently, and there’s a stretch of mild weather on the horizon. While March can still throw a few surprises our way—this is New England, after all—I’m hopeful that winter’s worst is behind us. But as they say, it ain't over until the fat robin sings!
Expanding Our Reach
We’ve been invited to showcase artwork in several key locations in Wolfeboro, including the Library, Huggins Hospital, and Meredith Village Savings Bank. With the closure of the Governor Wentworth Arts Council, a major gap was left in the art community, and LRAA has been asked to help fill it. We’re working on logistics to make this happen, and we’re also extending an invitation to former GWAC members to join LRAA. This is a fantastic opportunity to expand our presence to the east side of Lake Winnipesaukee and truly live up to our name! Stay tuned for more details on displaying and selling artwork in these new locations—we’re putting the finishing touches on the process as we speak.
Closer to home, the Granite Visiting Nurses Association in Laconia has revamped its conference room and reached out to LRAA to adorn its walls with artwork. This is a spacious venue that can accommodate larger pieces, and we’re currently ironing out the details on installation, sales, and logistics. More updates to come!
Looking Ahead to Summer
We’re also in talks with Tamworth Distillery about hosting a weekend arts and crafts fair at their beautiful location this July. This would be an outdoor, two-day event—details are still being finalized, but I’ll share more information as plans develop.
One event that won’t be returning this year is our partnership with Castle in the Clouds for a summer show. The general consensus is that a single-day, four-hour event isn’t ideal for most artists. While Castle in the Clouds would still love for us to participate, there won’t be any discounted booth spaces as in previous years.
Mark Your Calendars
Looking ahead, we’re gearing up for LRAA’s 85th Annual Members Show in August! To help spread the word, we’re working with local radio station 101.5 on advertisements and public service announcements.
Important Reminder: To participate in the Members Show, be sure to renew your LRAA membership by March 31!
Balderdash and Coffee (Wed., 19th @ 9:30) will be in Wolfeboro at the Yum Yum Shop on the lake side of Main Street. Because of the travel I’m volunteering to take 2 or 3 people with me. Let me know if you would like to car pool. 603-998-7208
Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, thank you for being part of this wonderful community of artists.
L'art pour l'art
Sherwood Frazier
President, LRAA
Next Meet Up
March 19th at 9:30am
Yum Yum Shoppe
16 N. Main St Wolfeboro NH
Join Us for "Balderdash & Coffee"
This is an open invitation for all members of the Lakes Region Art Association (LRAA) to engage in fun conversation and sharing over coffee.
Come share ideas, ask questions, talk art (or anything else that interests you), and meet other creatives. Feel free to bring your spouse, friends, or anyone curious about the LRAA or the local art scene.
This is now a regular monthly event which will be held at different locations around the Lakes Region, on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. at 9:30 am. The location will be announced monthly, so be sure to check this newsletter or the website for the latest information.
Interested?
Just show up on Wednesday, March 19th, 9:30 am, this time at the Yum Yum Shop on the lake side of 16 N. Main Street in Wolfeboro.
If anyone has a place in mind where we can do Balderdash & Coffee, speak up. Let's hear from the rest of you; we can check them out and see if they have the room for 12 to 15 people, and want to accommodate us.
Hope to see you there!
Sherwood
Calling All Gallery Members – Let's Get You Published!
Spring is just around the corner! Soon, the hum of alarm clocks won’t just be waking up sleepyheads—it’ll be waking up mosquitos and ticks, too! Lawns will need mowing, gardens will demand attention, and sun-soaked beach days will be calling your name.
But before you dive headfirst into the joys of the season, take a moment to shine! Now is the perfect time to gather your artwork and get it featured on the Lakes Region Art Gallery website. Once summer rolls in, you won’t want to tear yourself away from the warm breezes and sunshine to deal with submissions—so why not take action now?
And let’s be honest—once the snow melts, my RV will be itching to hit the road, and I’d love to get this done before I’m off chasing sunsets. Let’s make it happen together! Get your art in, get published, and step into spring with one more creative accomplishment under your belt!
Yet Another Opportunity for All Members!
Check out their web page:
https://theflipsidenh.org/
You can order online most days. To see their menu click here!
Here is another opportunity to showcase your artistic talents to potential collectors. Sherwood Frazier has partnered with The Flip Side Restaurant in Laconia to display our art in their establishment. When I recently visited the restaurant at 10 AM to take a picture for this newsletter, it was busy, which is a good sign that the food must be delicious.
Just inside the front door is a long wall where LRAA members can exhibit their artwork. This space can accommodate several pieces, with artwork up to 30 inches wide.
The Flip Side is a community-focused restaurant that creates opportunities for individuals with developmental challenges to work with dignity in a safe environment.
The existing display has openings for additional artworks. This is open to all Members of LRAA. Use the button below to get your art on the wall of this high-traffic location.
The Holiday Inn - Lobby Display
75 Tilton Road, NH-140, Tilton, NH 03276
This rotating display changes roughly every six weeks. All LRAA members are welcome to participate. There have been sales made in this location over the past year. Click the button above.
Coming Soon - Art displayed in the Community Room
780 North Main Street
Laconia, NH 03246
Wolfeboro Welcomes LRAA After GWAC Closure
The Governor Wentworth Arts Council (GWAC) in Wolfeboro, a once-thriving art association founded in 1940, has closed due to declining membership. GWAC's outgoing President asked if the LRAA could fill the gap and showcase our members' art and photography in Wolfeboro. Your Board of Directors agreed, and Duane Hammond will coordinate between our gallery and three Wolfeboro locations: Huggins Hospital, Meredith Village Savings Bank, and the Wolfeboro Public Library. More venues on the east side of the lake may also be available. Wolfeboro, a wealthy town with many restaurants and summer visitors, was home to GWAC, which coincidentally started the same year as LRAA. Here's the plan:
Wednesday, March 19th, our monthly “Balderdash and Coffee” get together will be held at the Yum Yum Shoppe at
16 North Main Street in Wolfeboro at 9:30 AM. We encourage all LRAA members to attend because after coffee, we’ll visit all three sites to see the areas where we’ll be displaying.
In early May, LRAA will host its grand opening at Wolfeboro Public Library. (Date to be decided.) It’ll be a grand affair, officially Introducing LRAA to the East side of the lake. It’ll include refreshments, the press, invited town officials, and possibly a live radio broadcast. Until then, LRAA can exhibit at the Hospital now, with enough wall space for 12-20 framed pieces.
On April 1st, Meredith Village Savings Bank is open for one artist to display there for 3 months at a time. Any takers?
Now here’s the best part. There’s no cost to exhibit in any of the three venues, however, if you sell a piece, there’ll be a 20% commission paid to the LRAA Gallery, and all sales must be through the gallery. (See additional information about Remote Exhibit sales in another section.). This commission will cover the delivery and hanging of your artwork to these venues. All you need to do is bring it to the Gallery. If you have questions, contact Duane at 603-569-3745.
Volunteers Needed
ALWAYS! Many hands make light the work!
What skills do you have that can contribute to the growth of the Lakes Region Art Association?
New Business
Would anyone like to lead a “sip and paint” evening? These are popular and could bring a number of folks into the Gallery.
We are forming an “Art in the Community” committee- 3 - 5 people from the Association (not just the Gallery) who will work to maintain the Association’s footprint in the community. The stated Mission of the LRAA “ is to enhance the ability of its members to create art and to further the appreciation of the arts in the greater Lakes Region area of New Hampshire by education, promotion, display, and sale of the visual fine arts.” We need further participation by members who aren’t already doing it all. LRAA is in its 85th year of operation, and if we are to fulfill the Mission, we need people to combine their skills and energy to accomplish it.
•Scheduling: Gallery Members should review their settings to be sure they are receiving all notifications from Homebase. In order to make the best use of the program, it is essential that all members get the notifications. We now have a new email address for Scheduling issues only: schedule@lraanh.org
• To maximize attendance and engagement, we need to plan further ahead for events, ArtTalks, and Art Shows. The earlier we can finalize and share information and dates through newsletters, social media, and the website, the greater the potential for a strong turnout. We welcome your ideas and your participation!
Back-Ups! We have been working hard this year to provide back-ups for every job that is done by our members. Sometimes that involves divvying up a job so that one person isn’t responsible for it all. However, we’ve found that it is often someone who already has a job who is volunteering to be a back-up! We are preparing job descriptions for each position, which will be available soon. Most of the time a back-up is not needed, but life happens…vacations, illness, family crises… and if only one person knows what to do, that leaves the Association without anyone who knows how to, say, pay the artists each month, prepare and submit reports, etc. Perhaps you may be one who has the skills to be a back-up?
Bar codes! Yay! Each artist should send info for their art to inventory@lraanh.org. (NEW email!) Include your artist #, title of the piece and if original, print, card, etc. In The Book of Clover you will find a bar code for your monthly exhibit fee, Custom Items, Show Fees, and Yearly Membership Fee. You may also choose to have a single bar code in the Book for cards or a certain size matted print, rather than individual stickers on each piece. We are completely “bar coded”. Each artist has their own Custom Item bar code on their page in the Book of Clover so that the sale will be linked to their name. Gallery attendants - please use that bar code for any item that lacks one. All pertinent info still needs to be written in the log book as a back-up. Hopefully we will come to the point where reconciling the books will be a “piece of cake”, rather than a tiresome scavenger hunt that wastes hours of time each week!
•We are making a sincere effort to showcase our Gallery Artists, their artwork, and special events. What would be really helpful is if you could periodically check our Facebook Page and share to your own pages to help build awareness of our wonderful gallery. Also, when you have new artwork, please send pictures and information about your work to Wendy Oellers-Fulmer so she can promote it. We can work together to build awareness and as a result, get more customers to come in and see what we are all about.
We also have the opportunity to hang art in a fairly new restaurant in Laconia, The Flip Side, and in the Holiday Inn in Tilton. Anyone interested please contact Sherwood.
• lakesregionartgallery.org - A reminder to those wishing to have a personal web page on the Lakes Region Art Gallery website: Mike McQuade is in the process of building the individual artist web pages. The first group has gone LIVE! It’s quite impressive. If you desire to be a part of this website and have your art displayed on your own page:
1) email Mike (mmcquade@photopiks.net) to confirm you are interested,
2) then watch for a return email with a list of things you will need to gather and send in.
Linda Murphy has been voluntarily taking headshots of participating artists for the website directory. If you plan to have a personal web page, reach out to Linda to make an appointment.
• HELP WANTED! - The Board of Directors is looking for volunteer coordinators:
○ LRAA Field Trips - If you are interested in coordinating a few trips a year to various exhibits, shows, and events, reach out to Sherwood or Gail.
○ Artist of the Month Coordinator: The function of this member is to set up voting tools needed at each monthly meeting, count the votes, and communicate the results.
Old Business worth repeating
• Online Registration: We recently made a move to online registration for all exhibits and shows. Nearly everyone has helped by registering per the guidelines set on the header of each registration form. If you would like a behind-the-scenes explanation of the mechanics behind this effort, check this out.
• Show Registrations: Due to the added complexity and work associated with late registrations, we are now requiring that all art submissions and payments be made by the "Art Drop Off" date. We will no longer be able to accept late entries into exhibits. Art Drop Off dates are listed in the events listing on the website. It is also important to register by the date listed on the site.
• Do you have something to say that belongs in the newsletters? Each month LRAA publishes two newsletters - one for our customers and another for our paid membership. If you have news or information you would like published in either or both newsletters, send that information to Gail Brunt. Items for the Member Newsletter must be submitted by the Tuesday following the Board Meeting (1st Wednesday of the month), by noon. Items for the Customer Newsletter should be submitted by the 24th of each month. Send your article to:
○ Gail: vicepresident@lraanh.org
Static Information
• Table Exhibits: Maximum size for artwork appearing on the table space is 14” on the longest side. If you have a piece that could be displayed on one of the tables, contact Christine.
• Call for fresh “green dot” wall art on the vacant interior walls and outer North wall. Christine will put a recruitment sign for people to place green dot art (with a tag/label) on the open space SHELF on the right side wall just before going into the sink area. The GMC will hang it on the wall. Please write it in on the appropriate clipboard to the left of the sink. Christine will contact artists whose artwork is to be replaced/picked up.
Art Classes in the Gallery
Clicking on the class below will bring you to the corresponding class information.