A Hive of Artistic Activity
by Greg Morell
A grand vestige of New Hampshire’s industrial past, Dover’s One Washington Center, a glorious old red brick mill of enormous size and height, is being re-invigorated as a hive of entrepreneurial enterprise and creative invention, serving as the new home of the RiverSea Gallery and headquarters of its companion organization, ArtDover-NH.
The genesis of this new arts endeavor is the partnership of Rebecca Proctor and John Arens, long-time tenants at One Washington Square. Proctor ran her RSP Studio Custom Framing shop in one unit of the building while Arens had a fine arts studio, Frederickson Fine Art, on the fifth floor.
They combined their resources earlier this year and rented out a 4,000-foot space on the third floor that serves as their gallery, art laboratory and office space. Proctor and Arens have a shared vision to serve the local arts community as a whole. Their initial goals include mounting exhibitions in three separate spaces within the cavernous space of One Washington Center, establishing a resource room for local artists and organizing an arts alliance membership organization, Art Dover-NH.
Their second formal exhibition, “Summer Fun and the Dawn’s Early Light: Works by Robert Weinstein,” will be on view at RiverSea through the end of September, with an artist’s reception for the painter slated for September 10. A vivid colorist, Weinstein’s canvases are alive with a striking painterly momentum. The technique is bold, with slashes of pigment strewn from a strong and deliberate hand.
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