by Portsmouth Historical Society | Apr 18, 2025
Sustainability and Preservation are a perfect pair!
About the Presenter
Window Woman of New England was founded in 2003 by Alison Hardy. The inspiration for the business stemmed from years of frustration while residing in old houses with drafty, broken windows, coupled with dissatisfaction with available replacement options. Rooted in Yankee thrift, it seemed illogical to discard windows brimming with charm and character simply because they were weathered or painted shut. After enduring years of trial and error, extensive research, and growing disillusionment with her career in the textile industry, Alison began refurbishing not only her windows but also those of friends and eventually paying clients.
by Portsmouth Historical Society | Apr 16, 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 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 4, 2025
We invite our young visitors to explore their creativity with our 2nd annual Young Artists Contest!
Come visit our two exhibitions, “Winds of Change,” which features the sculpture and paintings of artist Cabot Lyford, and “Contemporary Currents,” which features many local artists across different mediums, and find a piece that inspires you. Take that inspiration, create your own piece of writing or visual art, and submit it to our contest to be eligible for a prize, which includes a gift certificate from Blick Art Materials!
Submissions are broken down into the following age divisions:
Ages 7 – 10
Ages 11 – 14
Ages 15 – 18
A winner and an honorable mention will be chosen for each age division in the categories of writing and visual art. Winners and honorable mentions will have the opportunity for their work to be displayed at the Portsmouth Historical Society.
The contest will be open from April 1st through May 31st. There will be a reception for all entrants and their families at the Historical Society at 5:30pm on June 13, 2025.
Content Note
While this exhibition does not contain anything graphic or obscene, please be aware that there are five pieces on display that depict female nudity.
What kind of art can I submit?
Writing: Short stories, poems, plays/dialogue, newspaper articles, essays, imagined interviews, and more are all potential options! Writing submissions have a max word count of 2,000. Visual Art: Any medium can be submitted, including (but not limited to) paint, colored pencils, charcoal, pastels, photography, collage, etc. Visual art will need to be photographed to be submitted. Please make sure your artwork is well lit and against a plain background. Have another idea? Reach out to sarah@portsmouthhistory.org with any questions!
How do I submit my art?
You can fill out our submission form online, or print out a paper form and drop it off or mail it to the Historical Society. Entries should be mailed to: Portsmouth Historical Society Sarah Robbitts-Terry 10 Middle Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 We can’t wait to see your work!
Is there a limit to number of submissions?
Each artist may submit up to three pieces of art, but each piece must be submitted with a separate form.
Thank you to our prize sponsors:
