CATA relocates to Dover

The Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy moved recently from the woodsy setting of Barrington to the restored mill building at One Washington Center in downtown Dover.

January 26 marked the start of the second semester of the school year, but applications are still being accepted, said CATA interim director Christy Cloutier-Holmes. She said the new location allows for growth at the 60-student charter school, a college prep school that integrates arts and technology into the curriculum.

The school also hosts many cross-curriculum arts events, she said. For instance, when a play is arranged, art students make the set, music students write and perform the score, and theater students perform as actors.

Students at the school have the opportunity to take more art classes than at a typical public school, she said, and they can use their artistic talents in other classrooms. An evidence-based grading system allows a student to be creative when completing an assignment.

“Art and technology work well together because it’s forward thinking that creates the technology of tomorrow and it’s forward thinking that creates the art of tomorrow,” said Cloutier-Holmes.

She said the new space is inspiring and the city contributes vitality. The school has intentions of becoming more involved in community service and being active in the thriving arts area, which an urban location allows for.

The Picker Building also has several artist studios, and Cloutier-Holmes said students can learn real-life experience from collaboration with professional artists.

The school is fundraising to obtain the first floor of the Picker Building, but is now located on the fifth floor. As of last week, another $60,000 was needed. This space would include a theater and art gallery, with events open to the public.

Visit www.ctatnh.org.

Pecha Kucha brings creative networking to Portsmouth

Pecha Kucha, Japanese for “the sound of conversation,” is a fast-paced series of creative presentations. Sidestepping the drudgery often associated with typical slide presentations, these public events use technology to deliver a compelling message through an integrated visual and verbal medium.

Calypso Communications, a local marketing firm, is hosting a Pecha Kucha Night for the first time in New Hampshire. The presentation and networking event is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Portsmouth Sheraton Harborside hotel on Market Street.
 
Each speaker gets 20 slides and 20 seconds of commentary per slide, keeping the presentations concise and the interest level high. It’s a new way for the creative community and the business world to share ideas.

“Death by PowerPoint is a real threat in today’s business world,” said Calypso communications director Mike Teixeira, in a press release. “The Pecha Kucha format reclaims the power of communication and encourages presenters to be daring, bold, concise, and quite often amusing.”  

Pecha Kucha was conceived in 2003 as an event where young designers could meet, network and show their work in public. Events are now held in more than 150 citiesworldwide. 

Moderated by Teixeira and media relations associate Jamila Taylor, the event will feature eight diverse speakers from the region.

Pam Tiberia, owner of Spruce Interiors, will speak on “Ways to Love the Room You’re with.” She is a certified interior stylist and a member of the Association of Design Education.
 
Brett Stillwell, from Cambridge, Mass., will give his presentation on “Pecha Kucha as Salon Meme.” A designer and technologist, he is co-founder of Pecha Kucha Boston and he is co-organizing the first Creative Commons Salon in Boston.

Nathan Walker, creator of the highly publicized “Giant Ant” sculpture in downtown Portsmouth last summer, will discuss “The Serious Business of Having Fun.” He has illustrated several children’s books and recently completed a mural for the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover.

Bill Truslow, of Bill Truslow Photography, will speak about the unique people he meets because of his profession.

“Using Your Intuition” is the topic of presenter Beau Esby, a psychic medium. Her spiritual training began with the Uchi Deshi program as an apprentice under Soke Bashaw, Grand Master of Kosho Hoho Yooga, a spiritual martial art.

Mark Moeller, design principal at architectural firm JSA, Inc., is presenting “Art: Hand Sketch vs. CAD.”  As a Rotch Scholar, he has traveled throughout the world documenting his adventures in the book “Graphic Reflections.”

Owner of Manchester-based Print Savvy, Lisa Landry will co-present at Pecha Kucha with Kristine Meier, owner of KLMeier Design, on the topic of “Birth.” Landry is a past president of the New Hampshire Creative Club and currently sits on the board of Catapult Seacoast. She is also the president and chair of the American Heart Association’s regional board of directors.

Meier moved to the East Coast in 2001 as art director for Hasbro Interactive and Atari. Changes in the video game industry led Meier to start KLMeier Design and become a full-time contract designer. 
 
John Herman is a Seacoast artist, writer, filmmaker and teacher whose recent projects include an a surreal musical comedy starring characters with food for heads, a one-minute film inspired by poet Emily Dickinson, improv comedy performances in Japan and a comic book. He is also working with various mainstream media outlets on initiatives to bring social media into the classroom. He will present “Crowd Sourcing Art Through Community.”

The event is free and open to the public. Details are available online at www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/portsmouth-nh/1.