“Threads: A Community Quilt for 2020” Opens at Portsmouth Historical Society on Friday, August 7
Quietly, behind the scenes, a team of masked historians has been assembling a landmark exhibition of some uniquely American art. Created by the nonprofit Portsmouth Historical Society, “Threads: A Community Quilt for 2020” opens at the Society’s Academy Gallery adjacent to the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center on Friday, August 7.
“When it became clear back in March and April that COVID-19 would threaten loans to our main art exhibition this year,” says PHS executive director Brian LeMay, “we took a closer look at our own museum collections, and we tried to think about what would be most meaningful to exhibit at this challenging moment in history. Over the years, we’ve acquired many historical quilts, and quilts have come to be recognized as both an important medium of fine art and a distinctively American art form. Quilts are colorful, they tell incredible stories, and they are comforting.”
“We have three stunning silk quilts in excellent condition that appear to have been made by the same woman, Anne Peirce Drown Hamm,” says exhibitions manager Meredith Affleck. “We have what is called a ‘bolt-ends’ quilt top that reveals surprising facts about the British textile industry. And, of course, there’s the worn quilt that once belonged to Ruth Blay, who was hanged in Portsmouth after a notorious trial in 1768.”
“Frequently, if not universally, quilts were made by women,” says “Threads” curator Gerald W. R. Ward. “Regardless of how they descended down the years, quilts can represent what sociologists call ‘icons of continuity’ between generations.”
Intriguing examples of 19th- and 20th-century quilts from “Threads” can be seen on the PHS website. They include brilliant colors, dizzying designs, and complex patterns. From simple, practical quilts made from cotton scraps to elaborate creations of brocade, velvet, and satin, this exhibition highlights the exciting range of this fabric art form. The exhibition also promises a number of surprises. Famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, an avid quilt collector, has lent an item soon to be revealed. The Seacoast African American Cultural Center, located within the Discover Portsmouth facility, has loaned a rare 1930s quilt crafted by workers at a rubber plantation in Liberia. On the second floor of the gallery, local expert quilters have loaned pieces in a variety of styles and techniques in a display of just how wide-ranging the modern art of quilting is. With everything from traditional to abstract quilts, classic baby blankets to inventive pictorial wall hangings, and even clothing, this show is bound to inspire crafter and art-lover alike.
A highlight of the exhibition will be the Community Quilt, now being assembled from more than fifty original squares created by New Hampshire and seacoast families during their months of “sheltering at home” due to the pandemic. Until the quilt is ready in September, individual squares will be on display in the gallery. In fact, the overwhelming response to this project has led PHS staff members to consider creating a second Community Quilt. Those wishing to contribute quilt squares are invited to download instructions at www.PortsmouthHistory.org the PHS website.
“Threads” is possible because of the generosity of several local businesses who have continued to donate funds despite these uncertain times. Corporate sponsors include Hoefle, Phoenix, Gormley & Roberts, P. A.; Performance Business Solutions; Charles Schwab/Charles B. Riopel; Piscataqua Savings Bank; and DTC Lawyers.
In addition to “Threads” in the adjacent Academy Gallery, the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center continues to offer regular historical walking tours, featuring wireless headsets that offer both excellent sound quality and safe social distancing. The Museum Shop is stocked with Portsmouth-oriented gifts, books, and souvenirs (including handmade facemasks!), the purchase of which helps support the Historical Society. Plus, the Society has virtual lectures on quilting and textile arts and regular updates on museum events and collections available through their website.
Meanwhile, at the Seacoast African American Cultural Center, accessible from inside the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, is “Obama: An Intimate Portrait,” a major exhibition of photographs by Pete Souza, former White House photographer for the Obama administration. This stunning show is accompanied by “Obama: An Ancestral Legacy,” an exhibit featuring objects from SAACC’s collection that highlight Obama’s African diaspora heritage and America’s history of foreign policy in Africa, curated by University of New Hampshire students. For details, tickets, and hours visit www.saacc-nh.org online.
For the health and safety of all guests, volunteers, and staff members, masks are required to be worn at all times and social distancing rules are to be observed. Free masks are available, and hand sanitizing stations are located strategically around the facility.
Portsmouth Historical Society’s air-conditioned Welcome Center and galleries at 10 Middle Street now feature over $250,000 in improvements, including new, universally-accessible restrooms and automatic gallery doors. Less modern but equally interesting is the 1758 John Paul Jones House Museum just across the street, the only historic house interior currently open in Portsmouth. For safety reasons, a limited number of guests will be allowed in the historic house at the same time. To avoid waiting, it’s recommended that tickets for self-guided tours be purchased in advance. Tickets may also be purchased online for walking tours of historic Portsmouth, led by expert guides throughout the day, departing from the front doors of the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center.
For hours, museum and walking tour tickets, Society memberships, and the latest updates, please visit www.portsmouthhistory.org or call 603-436-8433.
PHOTO CAPTION: A quilt square submitted for the community quilt, made in the classic mariner’s compass design, featuring the spire of North Church. The square celebrates what the maker calls her “Portsmouth adventures.”
Walking Tours Are the Perfect Portsmouth Adventure
Looking for the ideal outdoor activity during these unprecedented times? The Portsmouth Historical Society suggests its historical walking tours, which are totally affordable, super educational, and highly entertaining. They also provide outdoor exercise, allow for social distancing, and are a great way to get to know New Hampshire’s oldest city and only seaport.
The 2020 downtown walking tour season is scheduled to begin July 10. All tours depart from the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center at 10 Middle Street and last from 75 to 90 minutes. Walk-ins are welcomed, but for your safety and that of the guides, all tours are limited to six people this year, so reservations are strongly advised.
You can book your spot at www.PortsmouthHistory.org today. Tickets are $12 for Society members and $15 for non-members. Facemasks (required), hand sanitizer, and two fully renovated and universally accessible public restrooms are available at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center that is currently scheduled to open July 10. Walking tour guests will be greeted outdoors. Please plan to arrive at least 10 minutes early.
“We’ll be using our new whisper-quiet headsets,” says walking tour director Robin Lurie-Meyerkopf. “It’s like tuning into a tiny private radio station. The tour guide transmits a crystal-clear signal to all visitors taking a walking tour, so they can stay socially distant and still hear perfectly. The headsets also block out a lot of street noise. It’s a great high-tech system.” While the headsets are always painstakingly sanitized after every use, the receivers accept headphones with any 3.5mm jack, so visitors may use the sets provided, bring their own earbuds, or even purchase a pair for just $5.
The July 2020 walking tour calendar includes three fact-packed programs that focus on George Washington, the LGBTQ+ community, and (twice-daily) historic highlights of the city center. Additional tours and an expanded schedule are anticipated for August. Private tours led by Portsmouth Advocates founder Prof. Richard Candee are also available on request for an additional fee by calling 603-436-8433.
“Even locals may not know that George Washington slept here,” Lurie-Meyerkopf says. “He visited Portsmouth for four days in 1789. Our experienced guide will give you the low-down on where the first POTUS slept, worshipped, and dined—and even what he wrote in his private journal—while in town. The historic home of his controversial secretary, Tobias Lear, is just one fascinating stop along the way.”
Discover Portsmouth walking tour schedule:
Historic Downtown Portsmouth
This inspiring twice-daily 75-minute walking tour covers the streets, stories, and architecture of Portsmouth’s beloved city center.
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, & Mondays at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm, July through October
“Gay” Old Times: Stories of Portsmouth’s LGBTQ+ Community
An engaging 75-minute “hidden history” of LGBTQ+ clubs, organizations, and the people who impacted the seacoast of NH, narrated by tour guide Tom Kaufhold.
Sundays at 3:30pm, July 5, 12, 19, 26
The Portsmouth Path of President Washington
Renowned tour guide and former teacher Jeff Thomson leads you in the footsteps of recently elected George Washington during his historic four-day Portsmouth visit in 1789.
Saturdays at 3:30 pm, July 4,11,18,25
The Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center and the 1758 John Paul Jones Historic House Museum are scheduled to open for the season on July 10. Reduced 2020 summer hours are Friday through Monday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Guided tours of the John Paul Jones House can also be booked online beginning the week of June 28. The upcoming exhibition, “Threads: A Community Quilt for 2020,” centered around a quilt assembled from squares submitted by members of the greater Seacoast public, and showcasing the Society’s own quilt collection, is scheduled to open In the Academy Gallery on August 7. Please visit www.PortsmouthHistory.org or call 603-436-8433 for updates, booking tickets, membership information, and details of our virtual lectures, exhibitions, and other programs.
PHOTO CAPTION: Downtown historical walking tours will be as entertaining this summer as they were in the days before face masks were required. Photo courtesy of Portsmouth Historical Society.
PORTSMOUTH — “We are definitely ready!” insists Brian LeMay, director of the Portsmouth Historical Society. “We’re being cautious, but it really seems to be time now to open up and share all the great things we’ve got to offer during the second half of 2020.”
The Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center and the John Paul Jones Historic House Museum will begin a phased reopening on July 10. The schedule initially calls for the reduced hours of 11 am to 4 pm, Friday through Monday.
Located in a group of historical and modern buildings at 10 Middle Street, the Historical Society kicks off its belated 2020 season in a refurbished facility with a team of experts who can offer advice on where to go and what to see in a New Hampshire’s only seaport, a city rich in history, arts, and culture.
The Welcome Center, free to the public, now features universally accessible restrooms, newly renovated in a $200,000 project co-managed with the City of Portsmouth using state and federal grants. The center also features a Museum Shop with the region’s best selection of Portsmouth-related books, many of which will be on sale for $5, “and the kinds of gifts you can only find in a museum,” says the new shop manager, Beth Gross-Santos, a well-known figure in local retail.
A new season of historical walking tours will also begin on July 10, departing from the Welcome Center’s front doors. Some different perspectives on the town’s history will be explored in the tours this year. Details and tour registrations are available via www.PortsmouthHistory.org, the Society’s website.
The Seacoast African American Cultural Center, one of the Society’s non-profit tenants, accessible through the Welcome Center, will open July 17. Their exhibition, “Obama, an Intimate Portrait” will feature the work of former White House photographer Pete Souza.
In early August, the much-anticipated “Threads: A Community Quilt for 2020” exhibition will open in the Society’s galleries, accompanied by a number of special programs. Featured in the exhibition will be a special quilt from the private collection of a well-known New Hampshire celebrity. Those who still plan to contribute quilt squares to the “community quilt” will find details and deadlines on the website. Make sure your story is told as part of this unique community project, to be installed as the centerpiece of the exhibition this fall.
“When we open, we’ll be following all the latest recommendations of public officials and museum authorities,” says Gross-Santos, who also manages the Welcome Center “We’ll have disposable masks and hand sanitizer available for all guests so this can be the cleanest, safest, and most touch-free environment possible. We can’t wait to welcome you back.”
The 1758 John Paul Jones House at 43 Middle Street will also open July 10 for guided tours. Saved from demolition in 1917, this beautiful colonial mansion and fenced garden has been preserved for the public by the Portsmouth Historical Society since 1920. Legend says naval hero John Paul Jones boarded here twice during the American Revolution while awaiting two Portsmouth-built warships. Today the yellow gambrel-roof structure houses a unique collection of Portsmouth artifacts. Tickets are $7 for adults and free to Historical Society members.
About Portsmouth Historical Society
Founded in 1917, the Portsmouth Historical Society is a nonprofit agency devoted to championing the history, arts, and culture of the Portsmouth region through acquisitions, preservation, museum exhibitions, programs, and publications. For more information on becoming a member or a volunteer you may also call 603-436-8433.
CAPTION: Beginning its phased reopening on July 10, the century-old Portsmouth Historical Society operates the 1758 John Paul Jones Historic House Museum and the newly renovated Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, museum shop, as well as the Portsmouth Academy Galleries, located in an historic 1810-era brick building in the city’s downtown. (Courtesy photo)
The Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center and the John Paul Jones Historic House Museum will be open limited days and hours beginning on
July 10, 2020
Friday through Monday 11:00 am–4:00 pm
The Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center will be open to greet visitors and provide access to our new, universally accessible public restrooms!
Historical Walking Tours to resume!
The John Paul Jones House will be open for specially guided tours!
For this phased reopening, we will be following the recommendations of public health officials and museum associations. We will have disposable masks and hand sanitizer available for all guests, and we are working to have the safest, cleanest, and most touch-free environment as possible!
More links and details will be posted here as we have them.
The Portsmouth Historical Society’s Discover Portsmouth Center will welcome back residents and visitors with brand new doors. The three sets of plate glass doors leading into the exhibition galleries are a major upgrade to the 1810-era brick building at 10 Middle Street.
“The tricky part is being able to say exactly when we can re-open the Welcome Center, although our current expected date is Friday, July 10th. With the new gallery doors leading into our Academy Gallery, as well as our brand new public restrooms,” says PHS executive director Brian LeMay, “visitors and residents will discover a more accessible, more secure, and more attractive facility.”
Portsmouth Historical Society, which also operates the 1758 John Paul Jones House Museum, is cautiously optimistic about its plan for a phased re-opening, but “stay tuned for updates,” LeMay says. Meanwhile, staff and volunteers are creating the new “Threads” quilt exhibition, stocking shelves in the Museum Shop, assembling facemasks and filling hand sanitizer dispensers. The official re-opening will be determined by declarations from the state, and by guidelines issued by the CDC and by museum authorities, to ensure the safety of the Society’s guests, staff, and volunteers. “The ‘Threads’ exhibition may not be ready to open immediately,” says LeMay, “but you’ll still be able to see our curators at work hanging quilts through the new glass doors leading into the Academy Gallery.”
Known as “The Old Town by the Sea” in the Victorian era, Portsmouth rebranded itself in the 20th century as “The City of the Open Door.” That slogan is slowly becoming true again as businesses and Portsmouth’s many historic and cultural venues begin to re-open. The Historical Society’s Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center and Academy Gallery will once again become the hub of local history and culture, open to visitors Friday through Monday to start, and then with increased hours, as allowed.
One set of new swinging plate glass doors at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center will open to the first floor of the Academy Gallery. The city-owned downtown brick building was originally home to the 19th-century Portsmouth Academy and later the 20th-century public library. Two sets of doors frame the upstairs lecture and event space. Spearheaded by the Portsmouth Rotary, this $48,000 portion of a larger Rotary-inspired facilities improvement project gained special support from donors Bob and Sue Thoresen and Portland Glass. Donors to the Fund-A-Need effort at the Society’s annual fall fundraiser last year also had a significant impact on the “open door” project, as their contributions supported the Society’s efforts to make the new doors universally accessible at the building complex.
The accessible doors are accented by the completely renovated “hands free” public restrooms at Discover Portsmouth, a $200,000 project co-managed by Portsmouth’s Community Development Department and the Department of Public Works with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the “Mooseplate” license plate program, with additional support from BPS Construction, and The Design Center at Ricci Lumber.
“It’s an amazing project,” says Cleo Villaflores proudly. Now past president of the Portsmouth Rotary, Villaflores, along with her successor, current Portsmouth Rotary President Leo Gagnon, championed the “open door” project beginning in December 2018. “We worked with a lot of businesses to get it done and there were many busy weekends. It’s a great feeling having it ready in time for the reopening—whenever it happens,” Villaflores says.
According to exhibition manager Meredith Affleck and curator Gerald Ward, the new doors will allow for better climate control and added security in the galleries, both upstairs and down. That means the Historical Society can better care for objects on display in its continually changing museum exhibitions. And that greatly increases the Society’s ability to apply for grants and object loans for future shows.
When it opens, the “new and improved” Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center and Academy Gallery complex will feature the Society’s latest exhibition, entitled “Threads, A Community Quilt for 2020.” The exhibition will include historic quilts and bed-coverings from the Society’s collection, and the rich New England stories they tell. An impressive line-up of experts on historic textiles will offer online Zoom and live lectures—“circumstances permitting,” cautions Affleck.
“And don’t forget to turn in your quilt squares,” Affleck adds. The public is invited to create fabric squares featuring something they have especially loved about the seacoast and New Hampshire. These squares will be combined to build a post-pandemic quilt that will be displayed sometime late this summer behind the new open doors at Portsmouth Historical’s Academy Gallery. Instructions and guidelines for adding to the “Threads” quilt are available online at www.PortsmouthHistory.org/threads/.
About the Portsmouth Historical Society
Founded in 1917, the Portsmouth Historical Society is a nonprofit devoted to the history, arts, and culture of the Portsmouth region, through acquisitions, preservation, museum exhibitions, programs, and publications. It operates the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, with the adjacent Portsmouth Academy Gallery, and the 1758 John Paul Jones Historic House Museum, a national historic landmark. The Society also serves as the home of the Portsmouth Advocates for Historic Preservation, and the Portsmouth Marine Society Press.
Past Portsmouth Rotary president Cleo Villaflores (left) and current president Leo Gagnon (right) at the new doors on the second floor of Portsmouth Historical Society’s Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center. Photo courtesy Portsmouth Historical Society.
