April 1 —November 14, 2026
Portsmouth Historical Society is once again joining forces with New Hampshire Art Association in 2026. This exhibition will be a contemporary response to the themes addressed in “Betty & Barney.“
Originally incorporated in 1940, New Hampshire Art Association (NHAA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit contemporary arts organization dedicated to presenting and supporting emerging regional art and artists in New England. In 1990, the NHAA opened its doors in Portsmouth, New Hampshire at 136 State Street. Thanks to philanthropists, lenders, and leadership who recognized the need for a community space to support the visual arts.
The call for art for “Contemporary Currents” will focus on art featuring close encounters, fear of the unknown, civil rights, or feeling “other.”
More than forty artists from across the Seacoast and the state of New Hampshire have work on display in the balcony gallery in an astonishing range of media, techniques, and topics. All the works are available for purchase to benefit the New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth Historical Society, and most of all, the artists!
Judges’ Awards
As part of the jurying process, our three judges also chose three winners as well as three honorable mentions. The winners were awarded a monetary prize generously donated by the Puddle Dock Restaurant
carolynvibbertillustration
This paper sculpture in the form of a woman’s coat is crafted from large-format prints of celestial images derived from NOIRLab (the US National Science Foundation National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory). It is an homage to the artist’s Yakut Russian heritage, as well as (in her words) “a meditation on identity, belonging, and human presence within a vast and often unknowable universe.” The printed imagery suggests (again in her words) “humanity’s enduring impulse to look beyond itself in search of meaning, origin, and connection,” questions embodied in the work’s title and related to the Betty & Barney narrative.
Sheila Papetti
Who am I? And why am I here?
paper coat crafted from large-format prints of NOIRLab celestial images.
51x33x24.inches
$2,500
This small but powerful work shows us Betty & Barney in their ’57 Chevy Bel-Air driving through a mountainous, wooded landscape underneath a full moon and a distinctive constellation. This stellar configuration represents the star system described by Betty under hypnosis and later posited to be Zeta Reticuli. At center, a striking enigmatic passage shows a black vertical element that appears, perhaps, to be a tree trunk and roots, or, on the other hand, an alien claw reaching down to pluck the couple into the sky. As a whole, the work evokes the Hills’ experience in a poignant, beautiful manner.
Nancy Houlihan
Zeta Reticuli
Mixed media Acrylic monoprint with photo transfer
8×10 inches
$50
nancyhoulihan_artist
This small sculptural diorama of mixed materials expresses a dark sense of foreboding that perhaps echoes the experience asserted by Betty and Barney Hill as their alien encounter. The artist used special painting techniques to simulate the headlights and break lights on the meticulously crafted miniature car headed into a celestial abyss dominated by a giant eye in the sky. In all, the work allows the viewer to use their own imagination as a portal into the unknown, a fitting homage to the Betty & Barney experience.
Shawn Carlin Miniatures
Krysten Marche
The Interrupted Journey
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 36 x 1.5 inches
$2,000
An alien-like, greenish hue suffuses this haunting image of the interior of Betty & Barney’s 1957 Chevy Bel-Air. A close look at the rear-view mirror and side mirrors reveals reflections of stars, while several pairs of eyes, real or imagined, look out at the viewer in the form of dashboard knobs and dials, cup-holders (an anachronistic touch), and even two mysterious little white dots under the dash. The empty car interior suggests the temporary absence of Betty & Barney as their journey home was interrupted by their out-of-this world experience. Framed with thin strips of 1950s-style chrome, this painting stands on its own as an intriguing, enigmatic work of art while simultaneously encapsulating the themes of the “Betty & Barney” exhibition.
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