5th Annual Meri Goyette Arts Awards Luncheon and Auction
Champagne with the Greek Muses
Sky Meadow Country Club, Sunday, March 25, 2018, 11:00 AM
6 Mountain Laurels Drive, Nashua NH
We at City Arts Nashua want to thank everyone involved in the 5th Annual Meri Goyette Arts Awards Champagne luncheon – the sponsors, advertisers, entertainers, generous donors of both silent and live auction items, the many volunteers and all who attended for celebrating Nashua’s vibrant arts community with us and the Nashua Arts Commission.
This year, the proceeds we raised, which totaled about $12,000, specifically from the Fund-A-Need Initiative portion of the event’s auctions, will directly benefit the Nashua Performing Arts Center Endowment Fund. City Arts Nashua is the first organization in Nashua to donate such funds. Part of that sum was a matching donation of $1,000 from Nashua City Alderwoman Mary-Ann Melizzi-Golja and her husband Bogdan.
If you could not attend the event, but would still like to make a tax-deductible donation to City Arts Nashua, please use the button directly below. We appreciate any support you are able to provide.
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Congratulations to the 2018 Arts Awards Winners
From left: Sy, Janet and Fouad Mahfuz of Persian Rug Gallery, behind them is Michael Buckley of MT's Dining Group, Paul Shea, executive director of Great American Downtown, behind him is Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess, who gave the awards, Gail Moriarty, of Colibri Designs, Kathy and Mark Frank, of Renaissance Glassworks;
All Photos by Allegra Boverman
Happy Birthday
Meri Goyette !
We had Fantastic Entertainment
Dancing as various figures in Greek mythology from Gate City Ballet & Dance Center of Nashua, and musical numbers from The Actorsingers upcoming show "Sister Act"
Greek-inspired musical performance by Carol Coronis, of Portsmouth, live painting by artist Kristen Wolfe, of Nashua, and live illustration by illustrator Don Higgins, of Derry
Great food, great entertainment, and we raised $12,000 toward the
Nashua Performing Arts Center. Let's keep it going!
With this promising first donation from supporters at the luncheon, our hope is that others in the area and region will be inspired to do the same.
See You At Our Next Event!
For record, below is the original event description:
meri goyette
The Meri Goyette Arts Award Luncheon provides the Greater Nashua arts community and art lovers with an annual gala to Celebrate the Arts, raise funds to help support local arts projects, programs and promotion, recognize key arts supporters, and be entertained by local and state talent. live entertainment, champagne, a three-course lunch, live and silent auctions, fun games and more. This year’s event takes its inspiration from the Greek Muses, featuring Greek-influenced foods, with a nod to the event’s correspondence with Greek Independence Day.
This year, proceeds from the Fund-A-Need Initiative will benefit the Nashua Performing Arts Center Endowment Fund. City Arts Nashua is the first organization in Nashua to donate such funds. There will also be a matching donation of up to $1,000.00 from Nashua City Alderwoman Mary-Ann Melizzi-Golja and her husband, Bogdan.
A new performing arts center in Nashua would provide a new performing space, and therefore, new opportunities for community theater, music, dance and other groups of all genres from all over New Hampshire, and from out of state, to have another resource and location option for performances and programs.
The Nashua Board of Aldermen voted 14-1 in mid February to acquire 201 Main St. — the former Alec’s Shoe Store — for $2 million, and voted 14-1 to issue a $15.5 million bond to pay for the acquisition, construction and equipment costs of the 500- to 700-seat theater. Before the bond is issued, a $4 million private endowment fund must be secured, and City Arts Nashua wants to start the ball rolling.
Thank you to Sky Meadow for their hospitality and use of a beautiful facility.
sky meadow
All Photos by Allegra Boverman.
The 2018 Arts Awards Recipients: Presented by Mayor Jim Donchess
Arts Hero Award: Paul Shea of Great American Downtown.
Individual: Three-way tie for the three people who established the Picker Collaborative Artists, Gail Moriarty of Colibri Designs and Kathy and Mark Frank of Renaissance Glassworks.
Small Business: Persian Rug Gallery owners (Sy, Fou, and Janet Mahfuz, with Bowie).
Company: Michael Timothy Dining Group.
Three Course Luncheon with Entertainment: Each year the Meri Goyette Arts Award Champagne Luncheon and Auction features some of the best acts in the Nashua area, to keep you entertained while you enjoy your three-course lunch and to showcase our local talent.
jaja belle's - jessica
This year's courses feature Greek-influenced foods, with a nod to the event’s correspondence with Greek Independence Day.
Drool alert! And as a special treat, JajaBelle's will donate fresh homemade Greek pastries to our luncheon. Thanks, Jessica!
Live entertainment during this luncheon will include live painting by artist Kristen Wolfe, of Nashua, live illustration by illustrator Don Higgins, of Derry, dancing as various figures in Greek mythology from Gate City Ballet & Dance Center of Nashua, Greek-inspired musical performance by Carol Coronis, of Portsmouth, and musical numbers from The Actorsingers upcoming show "Sister Act"
Kristen Wolfe: “I have had a love for art for as long as I can remember,” says artist Kristen Wolfe; and it appears be a family trait, as her mother, grandfather and great-grandmother were also artists.
Wolfe graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2007 with a minor in fine art and “a love for acrylic painting.” After graduation, she lived in Boston, where she developed a love and respect for urban street art.
She moved to Nashua in 2014 and started to paint with Positive Street Art. As part of PSA, she contributed to the “Hearts and Minds” mural dedicated to veterans, on Water Street. She won first place in the 2017 Positive Street Art Live Art Battles.
Don Higgins: In 2017 Don was named Art Director and Art Lead for FASA Games 1879 line. Last year also saw the publishing of his first "art of" book with the release of "365 - A Character and Creature Concept Art Challenge".
Don's work has been featured by Publishers including Guild of San Marcos; Heroes of Altamira, 77 Worlds; Fireside Creations, Eldritch Enterprises, DwarvenForge, Loxley, and Dilly Green Bean Games.
Don also illustrates for children’s books, noir novels, and web comics. He has worked on two series of books, including the "Harding Hall Mysteries" and "Murphy the Cat" series. Plans are in the works to return to his webcomic “Dark Magic and Donuts”and also to introduce a two more webcomics for FASA games in the Steampunk 1879 setting titled "Ha'Penny Pie" and for Fireside Creations a SciFi Webcomic with the working title "Scum, of the Earth".
Don loves to teach drawing and promotes the philosophies that anyone can draw if they draw what they see, not what they know; and, what we see depends mainly on what we're looking for. Don’s work can be seen at www.donhigginsillustration.com
Carol Coronis: Seacoast musician and Spotlight Award nominee Carol Coronis has been firing up audiences with her energetic delivery of music in the Balkan/Middle Eastern, Celtic, rock, and American roots genres for two decades.
A member of the NH Traditional Arts and Folklife Listing, Carol performs on the cittern, a 10-stringed "mandolin-on-steroids." Whether performing solo or with her band, her high-energy vocals and compelling command of the instrument combine to deliver traditional music with an edge.
Coronis released her first album, "girl from thessaly" in 2013. A collection of thirteen traditional and original songs of music of Greece, Macedonia, Turkey, Arabia, and Ireland, the album features citterns, drums, bass with a visit from a fiddle and an accordion melding to bring this music to a heart-thumping crescendo.
Carol also hosts two radio programs on WUNH radio, keeping alive the traditions of Greek and Celtic music--Aegean Connection and The Ceili Show.
gate city ballet
Gate City Ballet: The Gate City Ballet contemporary companies were created in 2014 to serve as an additional performance outlet for dancers who excel in contemporary and modern. The company started as a program geared toward advanced dancers, but quickly grew to include intermediate and beginner dancers as well. The three companies now include 25 dancers between the ages of 10 and 18.
For our luncheon, they plan the following:
The advanced dancers are representing the Keres Sisters, malevolent spirits. In Greek Mythology, the Keres were female death spirits. Daughters of Nyx, the goddess of the night, and Erebos the god of darkness. They were the sisters of the three Moirai, the Fates, as well as other deities, including Nemesis, Oizys, Geras and Apate. They had a gruesome appearance and hovered over the battlefields in search of dying soldiers.
The intermediate dancers are representing Harpies. In Greek mythology, a harpy (harpies, plural) was a half-human and half-bird personification of storm winds. They were generally depicted as birds with the heads of maidens, faces pale with hunger and long claws on their hands. Some have depicted the harpies as beautiful women with wings while others have described them as human-vultures.
The beginner dancers are representing Water Nymphs. A nymph, in Greek mythology, is a minor female nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from other goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature. Nymphs are usually depicted as beautiful, young maidens who love to dance and sing. They are beloved by many and dwell in mountainous regions and forests by lakes and streams. Although they would never die of old age nor illness, they themselves were not necessarily immortal, and could beholden to death in various forms.
The Actorsingers: The Actorsingers are joining us at our luncheon on Sunday and will perform numbers from their upcoming musical "Sister Act!"
Once you see them with us, then go see them when they perform the full show coming up in May:
Join Actorsingers May 11-13th for their performance of Sister Act at Keefe Center for the Arts in Nashua. Sister Act is the feel-good musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film that has audiences jumping to their feet! Featuring original music by Tony- and eight-time Oscar winner, Alan Menken, this uplifting musical was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical! Show tickets and package deals are available at Actorsingers.org.
Silent and Live Auctions: Go to our auction page to check out our exciting array of 2018 Auction Items for your bidding pleasure including great wines, snacks, jewelry, apparel, beauty items, collectibles, gift certificates, and many other items from our generous local merchants.
Our live auction features a: Red Sox Experience, Lunch and Stroll with the Nashua Mayor, Surf Sushi Party, South African Photo Safari, Tour and Lunch at the Currier Museum, a Private Shopping Experience at Camaraderie Boutique, and Mixology 101 at Stella Blu.
