To avoid a downpour, a crowd of local arts enthusiasts and supporters squeezed into the Picker Artists studio of Gail Moriarty for the launch of the 19th annual Nashua International Sculpture Symposium. Moriarty is president of the NISS board.
Mayor Jim Donchess was on hand to introduce this year’s sculptors and preside over the opening of the three-week public arts event
“It’s really my pleasure to be here again, even though it’s raining so much,” Donchess said. “As we came in, we saw the blocks of stone that they’re going to use. I was thinking it’s just amazing that they’ll be able to turn those very rough nothings into something beautiful. So we really admire you and just wish you the best here in Nashua.”
Commenting on the importance of the symposium, Donchess said, “As you all know, and I know you agree, the arts are very, very important to any community, to the quality of life. They bring so much in terms of not only economic activity, but just so much to our residents who enjoy sculptures. We have 56 sculptures across the city, and now it’ll be 60.”
This year’s artists are:
- Anna Multone of Borgosesia, Italy, who studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara.
- Margot Lasalle, also known as Soleil Noir, a sculptor from Brittany, France, who describes herself as a “stone peeler,” searching for the pre-existing sculpture within the stone.
- Pauline Berger of Germany, a multidisciplinary artist, sculptor, educator and herder.
- Sean Williams, a second-generation stone carver based in Barre, Vermont.
Jim Larson is in his eighth year as creative director of NISS. He shared his insights on the artists and methods that will be on display through May 18 at the Picker Artists studio at 3 Pine St.
“I’m thinking about the history that backs up the work of these four artists and how they are engaging these historical processes, these storied ways of working, and engaging this kind of necessarily historical material,” Larson said. “You have some old pieces of stone, building remnants, limestone from the oldest known coral reef on Earth, and these artists are processing that before your eyes, in front of the whole city. Not just processing — they are making something.”
“They are producing something at a time when you see unprecedented destruction in this world. And for me, that’s what this year is about. As a group of artists working on behalf of the public, we are here to try to match that level of destruction with our creativity, with the work that we do to make this community stronger and more effective.”
Larson also rolled out the red carpet to Nashua residents, encouraging them to visit and take in the creativity and effort.
“Come talk to our artists, say hi, ask them what they’re excited about, ask for their perspective on America, what it’s like being here, and ask about their ways of working,” he said. “They’re working with their bodies. They’re making this sculpture with their hands.
“It’s the most human process we could have right now — so analog. So please, now’s your chance. Artists are not in their studios. They’re not alone. They’re talking to each other, and they could be talking to you. And there’s a deadline — you have three weeks.”
