A haunting art exhibition of masks, props and costumes created for, or inspired by, the Portsmouth Halloween Parade is currently hanging at The Press Room.

This year, many of the pieces have not yet been worn in the parade, and so they may disappear briefly on Monday, Oct. 31.

“We just let it stand as a display of the Seacoast’s creative juju, to emphasize the weirdness and diversity the parade inspires, and hopefully to spur other folks to be creative and express themselves and make their own costumes,” said Trevor Bartlett, a parade organizer.

Contributions from the community cover the pub’s brick wall, including leather masks handmade by Bartlett for Prescott Park Arts Festival’s summer production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

At the center is the sinister “Donkey” mask, which was worn by the character Nick Bottom.
Chris Smith’s multimedia “Four Scarecrows of the Apocalypse” was created specifically for this show, as were lustrous untitled masks with feathers by Andrea Abbott. There’s also “13th Fairy” by mask-maker Jeanné McCartin, and the papier-mâché “Big White Bull” by Shane Chick.

A new “spider web” umbrella custom made by Bruce Pingree will be raffled off as a benefit for the parade. Raffle tickets are available at the bar and the winner will be selected at Undead Beat Night on Thursday, Oct. 27—a Halloween addition to the regular monthly jazz and poetry reading.

Pingree said anyone leading a parade in New Orleans would carry a frightfully fancy umbrella, and he made his first one when asked to be the grand marshal of a past parade in Portsmouth. This year’s grand marshal is Denise Wheeler.

The exhibit is on display until Nov. 9 at The Press Room is at 77 Daniel St., Portsmouth, 603-431-5186.