Plan to drop in at the library on Saturday, August 18th at 2:00 PM in the downstairs Lane Room to meet local artist Emily Kalina and learn about her experiences in making a living in the art world.  As she describes it, "To make art that sells in the world today, you have to wear many hats. One is the creator, the artist. But the artist needs to not only create the artwork, but also sell and market, while simultaneously promoting it on social media as well as managing a website where people can find your work.  If it seems like a lot, it is! However it can be done. Come join me to talk about what it means to make art work."  Some of Emily's work will also be on display in our Weston Gallery for the month of August, including digital prints on canvas, a selection of patterned scarves, and a handbag.

Emily graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 2003 with a degree in Illustration and immediately entered the gallery world in which she exhibited and sold her signature style of layered, textured, and patterned watercolors. As a young watercolor artist Kalina always had an eye for the interplay of color, texture and layering. This innate skill quickly evolved and expanded as in 2009 as she left the gallery world to pursue the exciting world of print and textile design. Using her watercolors as a basis for her prints, she combines her sharp eye for trends with an innate sense of color and style to produce vibrant designs that are appealing to a wide variety of clientele.

Kalina successfully transformed her 14 years of layered and textured watercolors into best selling scarves and a variety of products for Nine West Dress, Michael Kors, Barney’s New York, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Elie Tahari, Nordstrom, Target and TJX to name a few.

Join with other community members as we explore through sharing & storytelling the concepts of leadership. Anyone can be empowered to lead. Everyone is a leader. Our workshop seeks to inspire leadership skills & competences. Sign up online at:  http://bit.ly/welivewelead This year long series that addresses a new topic each workshop. New Guest Speaker Each Month!

September Event - Navigating Change

On Thursday, September 27th from 6:00 to 7:45 PM, participants will discuss change management and listen to featured speaker Kabria Baumgartner, an Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of New Hampshire. To survive and thrive we all need to know how to navigate change. Learn about the change cycle and how to react at every stage. Change is something that everybody experiences, and even a positive change can be difficult. Baumgartner will share the experiences of African American women students as they acted as leaders and change agents in the antebellum Northeast.

August Event -  Leadership versus Management.

The session's aim is to help the audience identify the main differences between a leader and a manager. Why do we need leaders? What does a great leader look like? Participants will focus on leadership characteristics.

• Introduction - 2 min
• Strategic Thinking Brainstorming - 3 min
• Leadership Characteristics - 10 min
• Draw Your Leader exercise - 25 min
• Reflections - 10 min
• Video - 5 min
• Speech - Tanisha Johnson, Associate Branch Director, Exeter YMCA - 30 min
• Wrap Up & Video - 5 min
• Survey - 5 min

Tanisha Johnson brings more than a decade of experience in coaching and program management. Tanisha earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Business Administration degree with a specialization in Leadership. She began her career in the non-profit sector in Pennsylvania, working to help families successfully manage a variety of challenges inherent in their daily lives. Tanisha held volunteer positions with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, and she began several community programs and partnerships at which girls learned to channel their inner confidence to be innovators and leaders. It was during these years of working with youth and families, that her true passion for coaching and leadership became abundant.

July Event - Strategic Thinking - Vision Statement

This session will focus on helping every individual draw a “road map”. A road map reflects how a person is looking at their future.  Participants will create a vision statement. Vision statements answer, “What is your dream?” no matter its size or indistinctness. A vision statement will help participants to identify their mission statement, which is how they will reach their dream. Finally, the last step will be about identifying the objectives and actions needed to achieve that dream, with each participant creating a Foot Print. By the end of the session, participants will have a life vision, have identified their passion, and the actions needed to achieve those goals.

• Introduction - 2 min
• Strategic Thinking Brainstorming - 3 min
• Strategic Thinking Presentation ( vision, mission and Objectives) - 10 min
• RoadMap Exercise - 25 min
• Reflections - 10 min
• Video - 5 min
• Speech - Joanne Knight, Senior Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch  - 30 min
• Wrap Up & Video - 5 min
• Survey     

June Event Strategic Thinking – Values
Wednesday, June 27th 5:30-8:00 PM

The first meeting will focus on exploring personal values to help improve self-awareness. By being self-aware participants can increase their ability to set clear goals and competence to build a vision of the future. These steps are part of the process towards reaching full potential and realizing dreams.

6:00 – 6:.05 pm Introduction:  Program’s objectives – Why we are here today?

6:05 – 6:10 pm Leadership: Brainstorming Leadership Definition.

6:10 -- 6:20 pm Strategic Thinking’s Concept

6:20 – 6:30 pm Inspirational Video

6.30 – 7:30 pm Value Tree Exercise: Explore your personal Values

7:00 – 7:30 pm Speaker: Rev Deb

7:30- 7:40 pm Book reflection

7:40- 7:45 pm Closing

Featured Speaker: Reverend Deborah Knowlton

Deb felt the call to be an ordained ministry in the Exeter Congregational Church and has served parishes over the last thirty-eight years in New Hampshire and Connecticut. She currently serves the First Congregational Church in Hampton, a town dear to her, as she grew up on a beautiful farm just outside of town. After her undergraduate studies at UNH, she earned her M.Div. degree from Andover Newton Theological School. She is the writer of Color Me Included her book that details her investigation into Hampton’s eighteenth-century African American church members. Rev. Deb has a wonderful way with words and a very special gift of making everyone feel completely welcome.

During the month of May, we are pleased to welcome local artist and teacher Bob Richardson and several of his students to the Weston Gallery.  Works on dislpay include oil paintings created plein air at locations such as Quebec City and Monhegan Island, as well as student works showing both art in progress and the finished composition. For those who would like to know more about how these works are created, Bob will present two lectures on the artistic process free of charge in our downstairs Lane Room.  The first is How To : From Sketch to Oil Painting on Saturday, May 12th and How To : Oil Painting from Photographs on Saturday, May 26th, both at 1:00 PM.  Bob and his students will also be on hand to meet members of the public at an artist reception on Tuesday, May 15th at 6:30 PM.

Bob Richardson paints to capture a moment or a place with the intention of imprinting his feelings for that place or moment. Through the use of Cezanne’s limited palette of eight colors, Richardson’s paintings are rich with color, space, light, and bold lines. Richardson worked for 20 years in creative product development, traveled extensively in Europe and Asia throughout his professional career in pursuit of the old and the new, lost and forgotten decorative arts manufacturing processes. Richardson taught painting at the Doylestown Community Conservatory School of Music, Arts, and Drama. He now teaches oil painting classes designed to help the serious beginner get started or for those artists looking for a new direction and approach to their art.

Bob lives in Amesbury with his wife Bernice and is a member of the NAA, the New Hampshire Seacoast Artist Association, the Exeter Arts Committee and the Exeter Seacoast Open Studio. In 2005 Richard received the Best Of Show Award at the 37th annual Gallery in the Park Festival, PA as well as the Walter Emerson Baum Award in both 2005 and 2015.

Attendees will learn the general progression of early literacy skill development while reflecting on early literacy experiences. Linda will connect early literacy experiences with the development of other important skills. She'll give an introduction to New Hampshire RSA 200:58-59 & what it means for struggling readers. The time with end with a question & answer session and a list of resources.

Linda Martin holds a M.Ed., CAGS, & AOGPE. She specializes in reading, writing, and handwriting tutoring while working with the Portsmouth Neuropsychology Center.  The lecture in our downstairs Lane Room is free and open to all, with elevator access.