This story has been changed from the original version. Due to incorrect information provided to the Ledger-Transcript, the schedule of events was incorrect. The Jaffrey Civic Center spring show and Greg Hunsaker will both be March 2 to April 6, with the reception for both shows March 9 at 6 p.m.
After closing on Dec. 20 for installation of new windows, a new sprinkler system and new flooring, the Jaffrey Civic Center is about to be back in action, including the opening of its annual spring show March 2.
The changes are to help “improve the efficiency of the building,” said new Executive Director Laura Adams.
Adams got the idea to become a part of the civic center from her mother, Marylise Reilly, who then helped her get recruited by the board of trustees. Adams explained that all people in the civic center community have been an “incredible help,” specifically mentioning former director Rebecca Fredrickson, and the president of the board of trustees, David Belletete.
Adams graduated from Gordon College with a BFA in history and art, and a concentration on museum studies and painting/printmaking.
She has prior experience in marketing, graphic design and art collecting, and believes the civic center is a real “hidden gem” in Jaffrey.
Adams hopes to “get it on the map” by not only using her personal talents, but also the power of the civic center’s community, whether it is the artists behind the work, organizers or art-lovers.
She said one of her biggest goals is to increase the number of art classes offered at the civic center and ultimately boost the age range of visitors.
Adams plans to achieve this goal by putting her marketing skills to work and spending more time working on the broadcasting and social media aspects of the center through outlets like YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Although Adams has many ideas, she also explained that 2024 “will look a lot like previous years” and that “their mission won’t look much different” to allow her to get the feel for the community and how she may fit into it.