Art at French

Holiday Artists Maker Fair

Are you looking for special holiday gifts for friends and family this year? The Holiday Artists Maker Fair offers the perfect place to purchase locally made ceramics, graphic design, illustrations, jewelry, paintings, photography and more. These one-of-a-kind gifts are made by students, faculty, and others within the New England College art and design community and are available just in time for the holidays.

Saturday, December 9, 2023
10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
French Hall, 148 Concord Street in Manchester, NH

This event is free, open to the public, and handicap accessible.

The Holiday Artists Maker Fair will also feature hands-on demonstrations and activities that showcase what Art at French programming offers the community for low or no cost. Led by Art at French instructors, demonstrations will be three–five minutes each and run from 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

If you are a maker and would like to reserve a free, six-foot table to sell your artwork, please email artatfrench@nec.edu.

Exhibitions

All exhibitions are free and open to the public in French Hall, 148 Concord Street in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Iconic New Hampshire: Works by the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists

Opening Reception: Thursday, November 9, 5:00–6:30 p.m.
All are invited. Refreshments will be served.
Exhibition Dates: Friday, November 3–Friday, November 24, 2023

Beyond the Grid: Works by Sam Faix

Opening Reception: Date Coming Soon
Exhibition Dates: Friday, December 1, 2023–Friday, January 12, 2024

Sculpture Diagram, acrylic and collage on paper 9″x9″

Community Education Art Classes and Workshops

Register for these classes and workshops by clicking the link at the bottom of this section.

Introduction to Adobe Photoshop

Level: Beginner
Instructor: Mike Ariel
Wednesdays, October 18–November 29, 2023, from 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Cost: $169

Photoshop has been the industry standard in photo-editing for 20 years. In this class, you’ll learn how to edit and manipulate photos, create composites, and make the ordinary extraordinary. The process of quality printing will also be covered, empowering you to create one-of-a-kind images that will last forever. Paper and printing fees included.

Beginner Drawing

Level: Beginner
Wednesdays, October 18–December 29, 2023, from 1:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
Cost: $169

Build a foundation of good drawing skills that will empower you to engage in further artistic adventures. This course is designed for the first-time art student with focus on basic concepts and techniques introduced through a series of class exercises. A variety of drawing materials are explored while creating finished pieces of art. Materials provided.

Explore, Exploit, Express

Level: Intermediate
Thursdays, October 18–November 29, 2023, from 5:30–8:00 p.m.
Cost: $199

A visual art studio course designed and developed to “get you drawing and painting beyond the mundane and mechanical cliché!” Learn to focus on your painting and drawing with authority; take expressive control and command of your entire canvas while exploring and exploiting more original concepts and images. Overcome self-conscious fears in “open choice” assignments to reveal broader more exciting, effective, and visually complex paintings and drawings. Open to all painting and drawing media.

Independent Explorations in Photography

Level: Intermediate
Instructor: Mike Ariel
Thursdays, October 19–December 2, 2023, from 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Cost: $199

This course provides the opportunity for intermediate to advanced students to work independently with personal guidance from a professional photographer. It’s a unique opportunity to develop, expand, and refine your skills, helping you evolve your personal creative voice.

Independent Explorations in Printmaking

Level: Intermediate
Wednesdays, October 18–November 29, 2023, from 5:30–8:00 p.m.
Cost: $199

Interested in working independently in the printmaking studio with guidance from an instructor? In this class for more experienced students, you’ll continue your exploration of materials and processes used by printmakers to create multiple works of art, such as a relief, intaglio, silkscreen, and lithography. Equipment and some materials provided.

Introduction to Screenprinting: Telling Your Story (one-day workshop)

Level: Intermediate
Saturday, November 18, 2023, from 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Cost: $139

There are significant times in all of our lives, whether they be big or small occurrences, that have altered who we are. Stories that we feel compelled to tell others but for which we struggle to find the appropriate mode of communication. Artists will be asked to take one of these experiences and turn it into a narrative of inspiration, all while learning the basics of screenprinting in this one-day workshop.

Directed Open Studio for Jewelry-Making

Level: Intermediate
Instructor: Betsy Keeney
Thursdays, October 19–November 30, 2023, from 5:00–8:00 p.m.
Cost: $199

Do you have unfinished projects languishing in your to-do pile? Have ideas but need help making them a reality? Need some advice to get you jump started again? In this class, you’ll work on individual jewelry projects of your own design each week with individual, hands-on guidance from an experienced instructor.

Jewelry Open Studio Day

Level: Intermediate
Instructor: Betsy Keeney
Wednesday, November 8, from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Cost: $99

Catch up on unfinished projects or start some new quick ones at this Friday open studio. Get hands-on help from an experienced instructor or just work independently.

Mixed Media: Drawing and Painting

Level: Beginner to Advanced
Wednesdays, October 18–November 29, 2023, from 5:30–8:00 p.m.
Cost: $199

Mixed media can take many forms, such as design, collages, assemblages, and sculptures. Students will experiment using a variety of mediums and surfaces to discover their own visual language. In this course, students will create using a variety of dry and wet drawing and painting media, paper, textiles, printmaking, and book-binding techniques. Students will be encouraged to work from their choice of subjects, such as still life, abstraction, personal sketches/photographs, and the figure. Beginners to advanced students are welcome.

New Camera Bootcamp (one-day workshop)

Level: Beginner
Instructor: Mike Ariel
Date Coming Soon
9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Cost: $139

You just got a camera, or you just want to know what that button does, and you’re not sure how to make it work. We’ll learn how to make the best images possible by using all the options that your camera offers. We’ll explore the four main elements of exposure—shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and white balance—as we make our photos look better than ever.

Printmaking Open Studio Day

Level: Intermediate
Choose from the following days:
Monday, October 23, 2023, from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Monday, November 13, 2023, from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 2, 2023, from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Cost: $99

Open Studio is an informal drop-in time period when we “open” our studio space for artists, makers, or people who just want to explore their craft with those who may share the same creative interests. Or, come in and use the equipment for which you’ve been certified.

High School Art Education

Saturday Morning Art Program (SMAP) is a free enrichment program in the visual arts for talented high school students ages 15–18.

For each SMAP session, 15 gifted students from the Manchester area will meet for three Saturday mornings for two and a half hours of instruction by Institute of Art and Design faculty.

Saturdays, February 3–May 11, 2024, from 9:00–11:30 a.m.

Students who complete 12 SMAP sessions in a year will be eligible for four college credits and a scholarship up to $2,000 at New England College.

Students who would like to enroll in SMAP can email James Chase at artatfrench@nec.edu.