In addition to each week's email edition of Dover Download, the City of Dover offers a weekly podcast. The podcast is hosted by Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker, who chats each week about the city's programs, services, public bodies and projects. Each episode also takes a brief detour to the past with a look back at the week in Dover's history.

The podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and at https://anchor.fm/cityofdovernh.

The creative and cultural industries are booming. Art galleries have become an increasingly important aspect of the economic engine that drives local economies. Over the last few years, the number of galleries in Dover has increased exponentially, as some of the galleries themselves have moved locations or expanded. I am continually surprised when I tell people that Dover has six galleries and even more businesses that display art on their walls. People always want to know where the galleries are, so this week, I thought I would share this information, their backstories, and some amazing events that are taking place. 

Aplomb Contemporary Portrait Gallery, at 15 Mechanic St., Ste.117. This gallery is owned by Danielle Festa-Keefe, who migrated to Dover back in 2016 from Somerville, Massachusetts. Danielle decided that Dover was where she belonged and immediately immersed herself into our vibrant community. She is a graphic designer by trade and owns DGraphics, which she opened inside of 1 Washington St., but soon realized that she wanted to contribute more to Dover’s art scene. Danielle partnered with Rebecca Proctor of The Art Center and a few other key stakeholders to create and host the Dover Art Walk. This event, which ran monthly for four years, helped showcase Dover as an art hub to be reckoned with. Over the last two years, Danielle transitioned the Dover Art Walk to The Dover Art Hub and also opened a gallery, Aplomb, on Mechanic Street, adding art classes and private art lessons to her array of talents.  

The Art Center, at 1 Washington St., Suite 1177, is owned by Rebecca Proctor. Rebecca has been an integral part of the Dover art community for more than 30 years and has been an instrumental connector who has given countless hours of her own time, energy, and space for artists to have a place to work and succeed. She started her gallery on the third floor of 1 Washington (formerly the RiverSea Gallery) and grew it to the 5,000-square-foot gallery known today as The Art Center. Rebecca has won several awards over the last few years, including the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce’s Community Arts Champion Award. The Art Center always has something interesting going on, including classes and workshops, and you can usually find some of the resident artists working away in their studios. 

Katzman Contemporary, at 42 Dover Point Road, is an independent artist-run project space that hosts group shows owned by a dentist/artist named Dr. Eric Katzman. The gallery, which opened almost a year ago, is currently hosting a Summer Blend show that will be displayed until the end of September. 

S.E.H. Studios, at 1 Washington St., Suite 1119, is owned by Susan Hannah. Susan is an extraordinary fine artist and features numerous self-works that adorn the walls of her gallery. She mainly paints landscapes, coastal scenes, garden scenes, and portraits, but there is much more to see inside her space. Susan also teaches students of all ages, and she can usually be seen instructing new students on the element of creation using various mediums. You can also find Susan’s works at events throughout the Seacoast.

The Woodman Museum is home to the Keefe House, where Thom Hindle Gallery is located. Patrons wishing to visit the gallery are allowed to do so for free during normal museum business hours. This gallery routinely presents works from various artists, and a percentage of the sales from those works goes to support the museum. If you plan on a visit to this gallery, please take the time to also visit The Woodman Museum. They recently welcomed a new director, Jonathan Nichols, and you will be pleasantly surprised at all of the amazing and unique history that the museum contains.   

Wrong Brain, at 66 Third St., Unit B1, is probably the most unique gallery in Dover. The team of artists that make up Wrong Brain moved to this location from 1 Washington a few years ago when board member and co-founder, Sam Paolini, reached out to the Office of Business Development in search of a larger space. The organization has since done some amazing events and is also responsible for a few murals around the City, including those located on the side of Chapel + Main. They are currently working on vendors for their 11th Annual Wrong Brain Holidaze Bizarre; artists wishing to submit an application to participate can do so here.

There are also many businesses around the city that support our local artist community, such as Chapel + Main, Cara's Irish Pub, Just the Thing, Adelle's, Amour 24, and My Country Story. These are just a handful of examples of the businesses that regularly contribute, support, and sponsor our local artists and help bring awareness to our thriving art scene.  

 

Congratulations to Flight Coffee Dover's new owner, Benjamin Cole. We wish the previous owner, Kelly Bower, all the best on his next journey and thank him for bringing us Flight Coffee and amazing music events over the last few years. Best of luck to you all!

We also want to wish Nova Mullineaux of Adelle's a congratulations on the recent sale of her business. We will miss her smiling face but look forward to a great relationship with the new owner. Thank you for all the years of memories!

A Southern Girl Bakery will be back in Dover in October of 2022 as Frankie & Lela’s at 10 Fourth St. The company has changed its name but not its product. They will be transitioning to an online and pickup service, and they will also be hosting classes. More to come on that soon! 

Do you have a question, story, or upcoming event related to businesses in Dover? Please get in touch at [email protected] to see it featured here!

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