The arts have a unique role in Portsmouth where they helped transform the city decades ago from a rough and tumble port to a cultural and technology hub. Two ambitious nonprofits-3S Artspace and the Portsmouth Museum of Art-are now trying to make their presence known in the city, bringing contemporary art to the Seacoast.
The nonprofit, 3S Artspace, plans to turn the Fermentation Building of the Frank Jones Brewing complex in downtown Portsmouth into a multidisciplinary contemporary art space with a 300-capacity, flexible live performance venue; an 1,800-square-foot non-commercial art gallery; and a farm-to-table restaurant.
Led by co-founders Chris Greiner and John Gayle, 3S Artspace will focus on presenting emerging artists on its stage and in its gallery, from local artists to those who are internationally recognized. Greiner says the performance area can be used for plays, movies, concerts, and evenings with a DJ and dancing, among other performances.
He adds that the innovation they want to bring to their performing and visual art spaces will extend to the restaurant. "We believe in the idea of food as programming. The same values we bring to the curation of the gallery space and performance space, we want to bring to the restaurant, with an emphasis on local, on community and on creativity," Greiner says. He says 3S may also link themes between shows and the restaurant four times a year, such as a package that might include a dinner, featuring Italian cuisine, followed by a showing of the movie Big Night.
Greiner says 3S is meant to be a gathering place for the community. "We want it to be a place where people can feel comfortable and make connections," he says. Greiner, a musician and former manager of the box office at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, which he left to launch 3S, and Gayle have been working on the project for three years. They say it is now gaining momentum.
They established a board of directors and in August hired a consulting firm to conduct a feasibility study for the project.
3S Artspace is negotiating final terms for its new space and the board is launching a fundraising drive to raise about $2 million. The building is expected to be ready in late spring or early summer of 2012. The project is also competing for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant.
"We are bold and audacious and tenacious," Greiner says.
The Portsmouth Museum of Art is also contributing to the city's art scene. With only a year and half of operations under its belt, its focus is to showcase the work of emerging artists from around the world. So far its exhibitions have included the work of artists representing at least 15 countries.
The museum, which opened in June 2009 at One Harbour Place in Portsmouth, does not have a collection and does not plan on amassing one. Instead, it will present shows of contemporary artists.
"We show primarily 21st Century work and bring in the best work from around the world," says Cathy Sununu, the museum's volunteer director and president of the board of directors. "We bring in the new, what people have not seen before.
The museum's last exhibition, SugiPop!, which ended in January, brought wider attention to the museum.
That show focused on anime, manga, comics and their influence on contemporary art, and it received a glowing review in the Boston Globe, which Sununu says brought hundreds of visitors from Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Its current show, which runs through April, is I.Image: The Uncommon Portrait, a modern twist on traditional portraiture. Two other shows planned for 2011 will feature street art (and may include outdoor works with a walking tour of Portsmouth), and a contemporary Tibetan art show.
The museum operates on a shoestring budget of $30,000 and a volunteer staff. "We won't be able to exist that way as time goes on,"
Sununu says.
The museum is in the midst of a fundraising push, and it is pursuing grants. Sununu says with a year and half of strong programming under its belt, the museum expects to raise money based on its track record.
She says many people had a wait and see attitude when it came to funding. "With an incredible year behind us, those attitudes are starting to change," she says. "This is a critical year for us."
The museum's board of directors hopes to raise between $50,000 and $150,000 in 2011.
For more information on these venues, visit www.3Sarts.org or www.portsmouthmfa.org.
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