Exeter art exhibit documents town history 

In an effort to support local artists and historical awareness, the town of Exeter will soon have a new art exhibit. Beginning on Saturday, July 21, the Seacoast Artists Association, in conjunction with the Exeter Arts Committee and the American Independence Museum, will host an exhibit entitled—quite simply—“Exeter.” The exhibit’s opening will be paired with the grand opening of the museum’s newly restored Folsom Tavern, a building that dates back to 1775 and has housed many important figures, including George Washington.

The exhibit, which runs through September 29, will feature “original art, usually oil, water color, acrylic or mixed media, focusing on scenes in the town of Exeter,” said Barbara Scott of the Seacoast Artists Association. “It’s great for local artists, and it’s also a great opportunity for people to get original art at a reasonable price.” In addition to seasonal galleries like the one in Folsom Tavern, the SAA hosts a year-round gallery in downtown Exeter and numerous artist workshops and classes. The organization also provides a yearly scholarship for graduating high school seniors who plan to pursue careers in the arts.

Submissions to the Exeter gallery are open to all artists, and the pieces will be up for sale throughout the exhibition. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds will go toward funding continued restoration of Folsom Tavern. Over the last couple of centuries, the historic building has undergone stints as a shoe repair shop, a Laundromat and a railway waiting station. The tavern has moved from its former Mill Street location to a site closer to its original position on Water Street, and it will soon be restored back to its 1780 appearance with $100,000 in funding from New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program. “That poor building should have wheels. I think it’s moved something like four times since it was built,” said Julie Tiebout, marketing and development director for the museum.

Tiebout hopes the tavern’s latest move will be its last. “Now it’s got a whole new foundation and new painting inside and out. We’re hoping it will be a place to hold educational programs, fundraisers and a venue place,” she said. “We’ve had a request from somebody who wants to have their wedding here.”

July 21 also marks the start of the museum’s yearly American Independence Festival, where visitors can learn about the region’s Revolutionary War history through staged reenactments of Colonial life. Some of the day’s activities include tours of various historic buildings, fife and drum marching performances, an opportunity to view an original draft of the U.S. Constitution and a particularly eye-catching event called a “duck race,” which involves a procession of yellow rubber ducks. For more information on the art gallery or the festival, visit the SAA Web site at www.seacoastartist.org or the museum’s site at www.independencemuseum.org.