Couple brings art and community together in downtown Hancock

Art at the center of community has been Erin Sweeney’s passion since the beginning.

“I think that building these little pockets of community wherever you are or in whatever situation you’re in, that’s the crux for me,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney and her husband Bob Petzold, opened Brick House Arts in downtown Hancock in the fall of 2024, offering artist workshops and a small retail space for local artisans. It wasn’t until the following year that the two fully committed and created a schedule for people to sign up for classes.

Workshops include, but are not limited to, bookbinding, book art, embroidery and a host of different classes for younger kids, usually involving lots more glitter and googly eyes.

Sweeney said a few weeks ago she worked with a group of kids of all ages to create personal monsters.

“We had a blast, and they made their creatures and there were pom-poms everywhere,” she said.

‘How I grew up’

Sweeney grew up in Peterborough and has fond memories of the close-knit community found in small New England towns.

She said her mom has always been an active member of the community and never stops showing up for her neighbors.

“That’s how I grew up,” Sweeney said.

On the other hand, Petzold had no experience of small-town living before moving to Hancock to pursue construction and handyman work. But he welcomes the change of pace.

The couple has become active members of the community themselves by partnering with the Hancock Town Library, Grapevine and Avenue A to facilitate art workshops.

At the Hancock Town Library across the street from Brick House Arts, Sweeney helps out with craft events and participated in the summer kickoff event this year. In partnership with Jean Mann, she also organized for students to be showcased in the library’s gallery last month.

Margot Swanson, children’s librarian, has known Sweeney for years and said her flexibility makes her great with the kids.

“She’s creative and she lets kids be what they need to be,” Swanson said.

Swanson remembers fondly when she was out of glue sticks for the weekly Thursday ‘Crafternoon’ event, so she texted Sweeney in her moment of need. She said Sweeney quickly ran over with glue sticks for the participants.

Swanson said she feels grateful for their informal partnership. “I’m thrilled that she’s here,” she said.

The couple also contribute to the Hancock community garden and donate to the fire department and fireworks committee.

“We just want to be part of it all,” Petzold said.

Brick House Arts

Sweeney and Petzold ended up in the cozy art studio in downtown Hancock by chance.

When the two met, Petzold was living in the now workshop and retail space and Sweeney had a studio in Peterborough.

Eventually, they bought the brick house and moved in. Now, the couple lives above the workshop space.

In the past, the classic-looking red brick building lived many lives as a blacksmith shop, post office, hair salon, boutique and now as an art studio.

Sweeney hosts most of the workshops on the weekends, but with summer starting, she will start offering classes for younger kids during the week after the Hancock summer camp ends around 3 p.m.

“I want kids in here. I want older people in here, everybody in here, all abilities,” Sweeney said.

The front of the space is dedicated to the shop, which features clay items, paintings, soaps, monster pillows made by Sweeney, cutting boards and lamps made by Petzold and so much more.

Both said they are very happy to be part of the Hancock community.

“There’s really cool stuff going on and awesome people and everyone in Hancock is just really curious and everyone’s really helpful,” Sweeney said.

Arts and teaching

When Sweeney is not volunteering at the community garden or planning a creative craft for another workshop, she works as an assistant professor at Plymouth State University. She teaches art education and art studio courses.

Before moving to Hancock, Sweeney became bored with the traditional art gallery scene and wanted to create something different while still making art.

Now that she’s begun to succeed, she wants to teach her college students a similar lesson about the importance of community.

“I want them to see what kind of things they could do in the future, not spending a whole lot of money and figuring out a different model,” Sweeney said.

Whether that’s creating art or teaching it, Sweeney wants her students to understand that community is essential.

“I want my students to also understand being an active part of your community, especially as a public school teacher,” she said.

This is exactly what Sweeney practices at Brick House Arts.

“I am thinking of the whole thing as my current art practice,” she said.

Future plans

The couple hopes to expand their class offering with Petzold offering simple cutting board making courses.

Sweeney plans to continue growing in the community and offering accessible art spaces and opportunities for kids and adults.

During the pandemic, before starting Brick House Arts, Sweeney made art kits for people stuck quarantining in their homes. She hopes to bring this practice back with the tons of donations she gets throughout the year.

She wants to create a “library of supplies” that people can choose from locally and cheaper than the big box stores.

“This is our dream,” Sweeney said.

This year, Brick House Arts is participating in the Handwork 2026 collaboration with Craft in America and PBS, showcasing art initiatives across the nation.

Learn more about this crafty couple on their website: brickhousearts.com.