by Portsmouth Historical Society | Apr 15, 2025
A behind-the-scenes look at our current exhibition
Walk through “Winds of Change,” a retrospective of the work of Cabot Lyford (1925–2016), with Guest Curator Rachel Walls. Learn how Lyford’s experimental approach to different materials and his advocacy of environmental and political issues through his art can resonate with viewers as much now as it did in the 20th century.
Finish your tour with a visit to the complementary, contemporary exhibition upstairs featuring a juried selection of NHAA artists.
Tours happen at 12:00 and 5:30 pm.
This is a free tour, no registration required.
Learn more about the exhibition
by Portsmouth Historical Society | Apr 4, 2025
Take part in this Intergenerational Protest Button Making
On May 13th from 6:00-7:30 pm at Portsmouth Historical Society we will be having an intergenerational protest button-making event for the LGBTQ+ community and allies. We will take inspiration from the protest art of earlier eras. Come for music, community, and more! This is in collaboration with the Portsmouth Historical Society, AIDS Response Seacoast, and the Seacoast LGBT History Project.
image from New York Public Library
by Portsmouth Historical Society | Apr 1, 2025 | Exhibitions
April 4 —November 15, 2025
Portsmouth Historical Society is once again joining forces with New Hampshire Art Association in 2025. This exhibition will be a contemporary response to the themes addressed in “Winds of Change,” the retrospective of Cabot Lyford opening through November 2, 2025.
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 the themes of experimentation and advocacy through art, major themes addressed in “Cabot Lyford, Winds of Change” on the ground floor.
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
Lyford would have enjoyed this monumental, naturalistic sculpture of a flatfish that embodies his interest in unusual materials as well as animal forms (see his frogs, chickens, crabs, cats, and other forms downstairs). Halibut, massive in appearance, is actually relatively light in weight. Its large core is fashioned from Styrofoam coated with Aqua-Resin. Some of the details are cut with a woodburning tool, while the scary teeth are modeled in polymer clay. The bulbous, protruding eyes are colored with gold leaf, paint, and lacquer. In all, the work is an extraordinary tribute to a once-common but now endangered species.
Known for his direct carving of granite and other stones, Lyford would perhaps have been attracted to this view of a hard-working man’s outstretched hands holding shards and chips of a white stone. One perhaps first notices that these are roughened, callused hands, clearly used to demanding physical work of the kind necessary to create Lyford’s characteristic monuments and sculptures. A closer examination reveals that the person in the image is missing the index finger on his scarred right hand, testimony to the inherent dangers of hard manual labor.
Here, the artist has painted a landscape on fire, seen through a window, evoking the wildfires that have plagued California and other areas in recent years. A closer look indicates that the fire is moving inside (as the curtains have begun to ignite) and causes us to recognize the fact that some issues (well beyond wildfires) can occupy both inner and outer mental and physical spaces, and that, upon reflection, many problems that we think are only external can also be internal as well. Lyford would have enjoyed the powerful, yet subtle, thought-provoking nature of this work.
Krysten Marche
Domestic
Acrylic on canvas, handmade frame
36 x 36 x 2 inches
$2,800
Link to purchase
Marilene Sawaf
Currents of Life through Sea, Nature, and Music
Casein, claybord, gold leaf, glass, metal, resin, gold metal
30 x 24 x 2 inches
$3,500
This striking painting makes use of gold leaf, resin, metal, and glass, as well as acrylic and casein paint, to create a powerful, dramatic image that is a swirling symphony of color, figures, action, and massing. It relates well to Lyford’s interest in experimentation, diverse materials, and bold imagery.
Link to purchase
🌐 www.marilenesawaf.com
Beneath the abstract colorful appearance of this collage is a more sinister message. The small dots that appear to float in a waterscape are, on reflection, suggestions of the microplastics that are found in abundance in the ocean and that we ingest on a regular basis. Lyford was an advocate for protecting the environment and might well have been delighted with this subtle, yet powerful, condemnation of our reckless attitudes toward Nature.
🌐 www.joannadinolfi.com
@joann_adinolfi
@JoAnnAdinolfiStudio
JoAnn Adinolfi
Plastic Currents
Digital photographic collage
20 x 16 inches
$250
Link to purchase
At first glance, this painting appears to be a colorful, pleasing landscape of clouds, mountains, and people. A closer look reveals that the clouds are mushroom clouds, the figures are armed soldiers, and that little, three-dimensional toy missiles are raining down from the sky. With its combination of high aesthetic quality, use of a variety of materials, and underlying political message (also conveyed by its title), Absolutely Nothing is a worthy contemporary evocation of Cabot Lyford’s commitment to experimentation and anti-war sentiment.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
by Portsmouth Historical Society | Mar 20, 2025 | News
Event attendees bid in the silent auction on a variety of items including overnight stays in Portsmouth, lifestyle packages, and more.
The Portsmouth Historical Society will launch an exciting new exhibition “Cabot Lyford: Winds of Change” with a preview party celebrating the artist’s groundbreaking work on Thursday, March 27 from 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Lyford is the visionary behind some of Portsmouth’s most iconic public art, like “My Mother, the Wind” on Four Tree Island. The exhibition will also dive deep into his innovative career and his commitment to advocacy.
This evening also features a silent auction with adventures and experiences donated by generous local merchants. Up for bid will be a Prescott Park Arts Festival Family Pass Membership, a magnum of fine wine, a private day trip and tour for 10 at Wood Island Life Saving Station, and a staycation at Sailmaker House paired with a Nichinan gift card.
Proceeds directly benefit the Historical Society’s vital programs such as the 3rd-grade history program bringing history into the classroom and inspiring the next generation; the community-driven Gingerbread Exhibition; as well as the preservation of the Historical Society’s historic properties.
The Historical Society Galleries and Museum Shop open for the season on Tuesday, April 1. The John Paul Jones House opens Memorial Day Weekend.
More information can be found at https://portsmouthhistory.org/event/lyford-preview/
ABOUT The PORTSMOUTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Portsmouth Historical Society’s museums and programs connect the community to our past, present, and future through collections, interpretation, education, and preservation. It operates two facilities: the Welcome Center and Galleries and the John Paul Jones House. The Portsmouth Historical Society serves as a cultural hub for Portsmouth, providing visitors and the community with rotating exhibitions, dynamic programming, historic walking tours, and a museum shop of unique Portsmouth gifts and books. Located at 10 Middle Street, they are open daily from 10am-5pm, from April through December. For further information, please call 603-436-8433 or visit PortsmouthHistory.org.
by Portsmouth Historical Society | Feb 28, 2025
“Contemporary Currents” Opening Reception
Friday, April 4, 5–8 pm
Join Portsmouth Historical Society and the New Hampshire Art Association for the opening reception of Contemporary Currents during Art Round Town on Friday, April 4, from 5–8 PM. This dynamic exhibition explores themes of advocacy and experimentation in art, offering a contemporary response to Seacoast artist Cabot Lyford’s works on view in the adjoining gallery.
Enjoy an evening of art, conversation, and community. All works are available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting local artists, Portsmouth Historical Society, and the New Hampshire Art Association. Don’t miss this inspiring celebration of artistic innovation!
This event is free and open to the public.
See what’s happening at the NHAA:
