Praise for the Carroll House Art Gallery
To the Equinox,
The late writer Alex Haley advised us to “find the good, and praise it.” With his sentiments in mind, I visited the new Carroll House Art Gallery on Main and was impressed. Situated next to the county historical society, it gave me a twofer. I could visit the society’s recent train exhibit in the brick mansion that houses it, and see an adjunct professors artwork on display at the Carroll House.
What a splendid idea to do with the old Carroll House. I visited the new gallery once, the exact same number of times I’ve visited the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery in the center of campus during my 52 years of living here. Why so few visits to the latter? Accessibility. It is located in a sea of parking. Not too friendly to get to when on foot.
As a townie, I find it hard to take part in campus cultural events. There is no metered parking for visitors. College parking fines are far higher than the city’s $5 parking ticket downtown. The city apparently wants us to patronized the Main Street merchants. The college doesn’t seem to want us, if one goes by parking ticket prices.
The Redfern Arts Center, located at the end of a narrow access road beyond the Thorne-Sagendorph, is even more troublesome to visit. Again, no metered parking. It’s also a long walk for the elderly and disabled. Not well publicized either, although I take in Keene State Film Society movies at the Putnam when I can. I find the movie listings online.
So for me, the new Carroll House Art Gallery is a new change for the college. It’s a friendly face to the world. Offering us all exposure to art. I tip my hat off to the individual whose exciting new idea this was, and to the many others who brought the project to fruition. As they say aboard naval ships, well done.
Steven W Lindsey
State Representative
Keene, NH