An expanded partnership between the N.H. Institute of Art and the University of New Hampshire Manchester brings opportunity to grow low-residency Master of Fine Arts offerings at the Sharon Arts Center. The one thing slowing it down is a lack of hotel rooms in the area, according to NHIA President Kent Devereaux.
NHIA and UNH announced the next phase in its association Tuesday, wherein their students may cross-register and take classes at either institution.
“It means a continued expansion of what we’re doing out there,” Devereaux said, referring to Peterborough and Sharon. “Our only limitation in Peterborough is the lack of hotel rooms.”
When NHIA acquired Sharon Arts in 2012, the focus was on stabilizing the organization, which was struggling financially, Deverueaux noted. With that accomplished, he said, NHIA began focusing on a three-year plan to upgrade Sharon Arts facilities, local partnerships and offerings.
The downtown gallery and store in Peterborough has been closed since late February, while it undergoes a $300,000 renovation; it is set to reopen May 13.
“We really want to have the premier exhibition space in the state right here in Peterborough,” Devereaux said. “We’re trying to bring it back to what it was originally. People came from miles away.”
Currently, low-residency MFA programs at the Sharon Arts campus have students in the area for two weeks in January and two weeks in July.
The next stage anticipated in the partnership between NHIA and UNH is bold, new graduate programs. “We’re looking at Sharon and Peterborough to do these low-residency MFA programs,” Devereaux said, but more temporary housing in the area is needed to make that happen. “We’re not in the hotel business, so we’re not going to take that on.”
Sharon Arts Campus Director Camellia Sousa commented on the issue, saying, “We’re looking to the future and we hope to see some solutions present themselves in the next couple of years.”
Pete Throop, director of Peterborough’s Office of Community Development, said the housing issue is a problem for which he wishes he had an immediate solution. He noted lodging is a priority for the community, as noted in the vision chapter of the town’s Master Plan.
“We’re constantly looking at ways to make changes to the zoning ordinances that would allow for these kinds of community needs,” Throop said. On the ballot in May, he noted, is a zoning amendment that, if approved, would expand the opportunity for bed and breakfasts in town.