NASHUA, N.H. (AP) - A new public art project called “ARTventures: Comeback Kitchen Table” will explore the role the kitchen table plays in family life and modern culture by creating 10 kitchen table and chair environments to be set up around downtown Nashua.
The collaborative project includes the work of thousands of participants, from professional artists to first-grade students.
“This project was inspired by my constant struggle to get my family around the kitchen table,” said Jerry Beck, project director, artist and Revolving Museum founder/director. Beck and his wife, Coraly Rivera-Beck, have five children.
“Technology is such a draw, kids want to be in front of the TV, their cellphones,” he said, adding that once his family started sitting at the table for family meals, the kids appreciated it.
Beyond the impact on family, “Comeback Kitchen Table” seeks to connect with pedestrians passing by, he said.
Each table and chair presentation will represent subjects of personal, social, cultural, ecological, health and economic significance. The idea is for members of the public to engage with the tables by considering the theme of each piece, but also by sitting down, talking, reading, eating and playing games.
“Nashua has one of the most beautiful downtown (areas) in New England,” Beck said. “A lot of the kids we talk to literally never went downtown. It’s not on their radar. It’s important to get families downtown to see the arts, the parks - it’s a great Main Street.”
The project harnesses the power of young artists, he said.
“Young people can bring a lot of creativity,” Beck said. “A lot of times when I do projects with kids, it has a truly phenomenal effect.”
Student artists and their schools are eager to share their work with the community, and the children encourage their families to see the projects as well, he said.
In support of the project, the Nashua Public Library and library graphic artist Rachel Boothby Gualco are collaborating with Gate City Charter School of the Arts, Nashua High School South, library visitors and the public.
At Gate City Charter School, first- through eighth-graders and teachers are working with Beck to create “A Bookish Banquet;” an all-book table, chairs and reading area that will be on display near the entrance of the library.
Gualco said the library pulled hundreds of books slated to be recycled to use for the project.
“They are all cookbooks, and we prioritized hardcover books because the table will be outdoors,” she said.
Gate City students have also created sculptures composed of recycled library books.
“It was hard to get them to take it apart, to rip them up,” Beck said.
The sculptures may be displayed in the library or coated with weather-resistant polyurethane and displayed outdoors, he said.
Beck and Gualco were at Gate City in March while students worked on their table.
“We’re so grateful for City Arts Nashua, the Nashua Public Library and Jerry Beck for coming back to work with our students,” said Karin Cevasco, principal of Gate City Charter School.
Beck worked with the school two years ago to create the large, illuminated sculpture of a blue boat that debuted in Nashua during the 2015 Winter Holiday Stroll.
Images from a citywide photo competition will also accompany the “Comeback Kitchen Table” at the library this spring.
“There is also going to be a photo exhibit; we’re asking Nashua residents, ’What does the dining room table look like at your house?’” Gualco said.
Aside from school communities, “Comeback Kitchen Table” will include arts groups, businesses and city departments to create the 10 kitchen tables.
The project will debut during the Nu Muse music and arts festival hosted by Great American Downtown on May 6.
“It’s going to go up with the big festival, it’s going to be a dynamic day of artistic expression, a full day of arts and music,” Beck said.
Attendees will receive a map with where to find each table environment in Nashua, he said. Locations have already been selected, and include public space by the library and the pedestrian road near California Burritos.
Groups participating in the project include Nashua High School South, Pennichuck Middle School, The Nashua Program at Brentwood in Merrimack, Academy of Science and Design, 2nd Nature Academy, Nashua Area Artists Association, Picker Collaborative Artists, Nashua Transit Authority and The Revolving Museum Teen Arts Group. The project is organized by the Revolving Museum and City Arts Nashua.
In a March 10 press statement, City Arts Nashua board President Kathy Hersh said the project “continues City Arts Nashua’s efforts to support artists of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to get involved in making Nashua a more vibrant, beautiful, safe, resourceful and unified city.” Hersh thanked Mayor Jim Donchess, the city of Nashua and the downtown community for supporting the project. City officials approved the project in July 2016 and the table environment sites in February.
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Information from: The Telegraph, https://www.nashuatelegraph.com
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