Young Artist Contest Submission Form
The Matter of Memory
April 1- November 3, 2024
The role of museums as both guardians and creators of individual and community memory
Programs, Events, & Lectures
Events are being added all the time! Please check back in for updates.
Exhibition Programs
Connect with Portsmouth and our local community through the collection or workshops, lectures, and community conversations we have planned this season.
Workshop: Family, Memory, Place
Workshop: Family, Memory, Place
April 18, 2024 6:00 pm Portsmouth Historical Society
Exhibition open seven days
10:00am–5:00pm
Museums, by their very nature as repositories and preservers of collections of objects, are vessels of individual and community memory. These same museums, consciously and unconsciously, are active participants in shaping our understanding of history.
What histories do we choose to examine and to share, both as a museum and as a community? Whose stories do we establish, legitimize, and perpetuate through the things we save and display? Can our collective memories bind us together or can our interpretation of history be manipulated to distort the past and keep us apart?
This exhibition encourages visitors to look at how the items we preserve are tools for shaping how we remember the past.
IN MEMORIAM
It is a basic part of the human experience to honor and remember “the unfortunate dead” through customs, rituals, and practices that have evolved constantly over time. While the rituals and traditions surrounding death and mourning may have changed over the past few centuries, the motivations behind these historical customs remain familiar: to keep those we’ve lost present in our lives and memories.
WHOSE PAST?
The collection of the Historical Society, gathered largely through gifts over the past century, consists primarily of domestic goods representing Portsmouth’s dominant white families of Anglo-American descent. Like most cities and towns, however, Portsmouth has been and continues to be home to many communities who often have been overlooked or undervalued—Native Americans, African Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants from central and southern Europe and elsewhere, and many others.
MEMENTOS AND RELICS
Since ancient Rome, the gathering of souvenirs has been a significant part of a traveler’s experience. Derived from the Latin subvenire (“occur to the mind”) and the French (“remember”), souvenirs provide a tangible means after one has returned home of recalling journeys and trips and reliving them (perhaps with pleasure) in the mind.
ICONS OF CONTINUITY
Objects passed down from generation to generation are known to some sociologists as “icons of continuity,” or more commonly, as heirlooms. How these items preserve and conjure up family memories is independent of the nature of the object itself. An everyday, humble object can be as evocative of previous generations as any grand or luxurious masterpiece. The context, associations, and history of the piece count as much, or more, than the intrinsic qualities of the given object.
THE INVENTION AND MAINTENENCE OF TRADITIONS
History museums, in this country, have often sought objects associated with significant figures in American history. These objects help establish and perpetuate the memory of figures deemed to be important and, in a positive sense, contribute to a shared sense of cultural literacy. In a negative sense, they also help elevate a highly selective group of individuals, particularly “great white men.”
In the upstairs gallery
Contemporary works of art by members of the New Hampshire Art Association exploring wide-ranging themes of memory and remembrance in the visual arts.
- What histories do we choose to examine and to share?
- What stories do we consciously or unconsciously create and perpetuate through the things we save, display, and record?
- How is contemporary society changing our view and interpretation of the past and the role memory plays?
- Can our collective memory bind us together or can our history be manipulated to distort the past and keep us apart?
Thank you to our generous sponsors
General Registration
33rd Annual Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibition in-gallery display registration
Contest Rules
- Maximum base size is 15” by 15”. You may NOT attach multiple bases together.
- Entries larger than 15” by 15” will not be accepted.
- Edible materials ONLY! This includes the “glue” that holds pieces together and support on the inside! Exception: you can include string lights or fairy lights, but they MUST be plug-in. No batteries!
- Base must be sturdy! Your house will be picked up and moved multiple times during gallery set-up.
- Entrants will be asked to give their entry a title on drop-off.
- By entering the contest, entrants authorize Portsmouth Historical Society to use their images and images of completed work in promotional materials.
- Houses must be dropped off at the Portsmouth Historical Society (10 Middle Street, Portsmouth, NH) during the following times:
- Saturday, November 18, between 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm
- Sunday, November 19, between 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm
- Monday, November 20, between 10:00 am and 7:00 pm
33rd Annual Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibition
It’s the sweetest time of the year!
To celebrate over 400 years of Portsmouth’s history, the gingerbread committee at Portsmouth Historical Society has chosen the theme of “Portsmouth Past, Present and Future.” Join us at Portsmouth Historical Society from November 24 through December 30 to enjoy our 33rd Annual Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibition.
Exhibition on display Nov. 24–Dec. 30, 2023, 10:00 am–5:00 pm
Open until 7:00 pm on Fridays in December
Free for all!
Programs & Prizes
Community Judges’ Awards
It’s always such a difficult job to judge the Gingerbread Contest. Let’s give our judges a round of applause for their hard work!
- Sean Clancy, Assistant City Manager for Economic & Community Development
- Karen Conard, City Manager
- Kate Cook, City Councilor
- Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce
- PortsmouthNH400 representatives
- Bangor Savings Bank
- Devine Millimet
- Kennebunk Savings Bank
- Seacoast Lately
- St. Mary’s Bank
Adult Category
The winner is Lauren Burdett’s HMS Hospitality Line, showcasing the red phone box that was gifted to Portsmouth, NH from Portsmouth, England in 1984
Our adult category featured so many iconic Portsmouth landmarks and creative constructions that we were once again blown away!
Honorable mention goes to Lindsay Carroll’s Our Lovely Port.
Multi-Generational Category
This category brings together families and friends of all ages to work on a gingerbread entry. This year’s entries were so incredible that the judges were tied for the Honorable Mention!
Our first honorable mention goes to the Palace Family for their Goat Mountain Skiing.
The winner is Water Wheel Castle with Textile Mill by Natalie, Rachel, and Xander Little.
The other honorable mention goes to Portsmouth Tug by the Kindstedt Family.
Teen Category
Our teen entrants combine beautiful execution with creative inspiration.
The winner is Gia Giordano’s Blue Christmas.
Honorable mention goes to Prescott Park Paradox (Before & After Climate Change) by Evy, Emma, Jillian, & Ava.
Youth Category
We’re always impressed with our youngest bakers. This year’s entries include favorite places and events in Portsmouth like Prescott Park, the Parade of Sail, and of course our John Paul Jones House!
The winner is Drew Ordman’s Tall Ships Portsmouth.
Honorable mention goes to Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse by Lillian Carroll.
Business or Organization Category
The Little Old Cubicle in the Shoe by the International Association of Privacy Professionals’ Super Seven takes home the prize ribbon. We have it on good authority that the office also approves of this entry.
The Monarch School gets the honorable mention for The Albacore in Action, honoring the iconic Portsmouth submarine.
Best in Show
Congratulations to Libby Giordano for her colorful Candyland at Christmas.
With so many incredible entries we have not one, but two houses taking home an honorable mention.
Marden-Abbott House & Store by Clare Dombrowski looks just like the building at Strawbery Banke.
Showcasing multiple iconic Portsmouth views Sandi Strzepek’s I ♡ Portsmouth also takes home a ribbon.
Committee’s Choice Awards
Best Historic Detail
While there were many nods to over 400 years of Portsmouth’s history in our gingerbread entries this year one monument stood above the rest. The award for Best Historic Detail goes to Rex Richards & Chloe Ingbretson-Dacey for Union is Strenght. This entry is a gingerbread representation of an arch that was erected between Market Square and Daniel Street in September, 1900 for one of Portsmouth’s many parades. The original structure was made of wood and only stood for about a month. This version is made of gingerbread and will be in the exhibition for five weeks!
Best First-Time Entry
This pair of first-time entrants chose a Portsmouth building that is near and dear to the historical society. Christmas at John’s House by Penny & Charlotte depicts the John Paul Jones House. With its cheery yellow exterior and clever pretzel windows their inspiration is immediately clear
People’s Choice Awards
The big winner for the People’s Choice Awards was Make-A-Wish New Hampshire’s Yuletide Palace made by Libby Giordano. This classic winter wonderland won not only People’s Choice for Best in Show, but also, Most Attention to Detail.
Libby Giordano’s Candyland at Christmas wins People’s Choice for Most Whimsical.
Best Downtown House goes to Richardson’s Market by Beth & Greg Danilowshi.
Most Creative Use of Materials goes to Water Wheel Castle with Textile Mill by Natalie, Rachel, and Xander Little.
Gingerbread House Raffle
Win a gingerbread creation to take home as a holiday centerpiece! Raffle tickets are $1, and winners will be notified on December 19, and they may pick up the house won on Friday, December 22 between 10:00 am and 7:00 pm, or on Saturday, December 23, between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.
Downtown Scavenger Hunt
For the fourth year in a row, we’re partnering with downtown retailers to create a gingerbread scavenger hunt! Find all the houses, collect all your stamps, and return your entry to Portsmouth Historical Society by December 19 for a chance to win a prize! Don’t forget to vote for your favorite downtown house, too!
Gingerbread Eye-Spy
We’ll have an eye-spy activity for the younger kids. Find all the pictures and get a sticker—and a piece of candy if the parents say it’s okay!
Takeaway Craft for Kids
We’ll also have an easy craft-to-go to complete at home. Color and assemble your own gingerbread house!
Thank you to our sponsors!
33rd Annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibition: Downtown Retailer Sign-up
For the fourth year, we are inviting downtown retailers to join us in celebrating the season!
If you have a storefront window and would like to host a gingerbread house, read on to apply.
Are you a business without a storefront in the immediate Market Square area? You can submit a house in the “Business/Organization” category of general registration. Click here!
Retail Partner Requirements:
- Retailers must be within walking distance of Market Square.
- Retailers must have a prominent storefront window space large enough to accommodate a 15″x15″ gingerbread creation.
- Retailers must keep the gingerbread creation and accompanying label on display between Nov. 24 and Dec. 23.
- Retailers must agree to stamp/initial scavenger hunt “maps” of participants.
How It Works:
- We will include a maximum of 20 retail partners.
- Scavenger hunt participants will have to collect stamps/initials from 80% of retail partners (if we have 20 partners, they will have to collect 16 of 20).
- Each creation will have a small label with a QR code linking to an information page on the PHS website.
- PHS will provide stamps and a few maps to retailers; maps will also be available at PHS and for download on our website.
- Completed forms will be returned to PHS for entry into a raffle made up of gift cards and merchandise donated by participating retail partners and the Museum Shop.
Portsmouth Historical Society agrees to:
- Inform the retail partners if they will be receiving a house by October 27
- Deliver a gingerbread house (unless retailer agrees to provide their own) on Wednesday, November 22.
- If a retail partner is providing their own house, it is subject to the same rules as all registrants, namely that all materials must be edible (with the exception of string lights), and the base must be no larger than 15” x 15”.
- Provide a limited number of scavenger hunt maps for the business to distribute to their customers.
- Provide stamps to mark participants’ scavenger hunt “maps.”
- List the business name and website on our scavenger hunt map and on the PHS website and on our social media accounts.
The applicant understands that completing this agreement does not guarantee participation, as Portsmouth Historical Society does not yet know the final number of houses we will have to distribute.