Rochester Museum of Fine Arts

10/16/2026

Abstract painter Drew DiPasquale debuts his new solo exhibition, Almost Something You Know, at the New Hampshire Art Association (NHAA) in November.

DiPasquale’s latest collection features abstract mixed-media paintings that reflect a practice rooted in experimentation and discovery, inviting viewers to bring their own memories, associations, and interpretations to each piece.

DiPasquale’s Portsmouth studio offers a glimpse into his artistic philosophy: embracing imperfection, welcoming chaos, and playfully departing from the conventions of painting. Raw canvas is intentionally laid across the floor, gathering traces of daily life. Footsteps, spills, and drifting charcoal dust become marks that form the foundation for new paintings. The works unfold through a process of discovery as DiPasquale intuitively responds to the textures, colors, and unexpected compositions that emerge.

Formerly a representational painter, DiPasquale experienced a significant shift in his approach to art after taking a class with Aris Moore at PMAC. “Painting isn’t about making a ‘thing’ all the time—there’s so much more in life that I’m trying to put into these,” DiPasquale says, reflecting on his stylistic shift. His work now prioritizes experimentation, the expansion of his visual vocabulary, and the interplay between control and chaos.

Influenced as much by the imaginative world of his young children as by historical Abstract Expressionists such as Arshile Gorky, Philip Guston, and Grace Hartigan, DiPasquale has shifted in recent years from a representational style toward a more spontaneous visual language. Pattern, texture, and line unfold organically, forming unapologetic compositions that invite viewers to look deeper and ascribe their own meaning.

DiPasquale’s exhibition will be on view November 4–29 at the New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, located at 136 State St., Portsmouth, NH 03801. An opening reception will take place November 6 from 5–8 p.m., followed by a Meet the Artists event on November 22 from 1–3 p.m.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon–5 p.m.

10/13/2026

Don’t miss "You’ve Been Here", an exhibition featuring works by Stacey Durand in the Carnegie Gallery, open until December 4, 2026. Join us for a public reception on Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Everyone is welcome! The Carnegie Gallery is located in the Rochester Public Library, 65 South Main Street, Rochester, NH 03867. Visit rochestermfa.org to learn more.

10/03/2026

09/28/2026

We’ll be hosting a reception on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm to celebrate "Titanic" by Paige Speight in the Bernier Room. All are welcome to attend! The Bernier Room is located in the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center, 150 Wakefield Street, Rochester, NH 03867. Visit rochestermfa.org for more information. Hope to see you there!

09/21/2026

Join us in celebrating "Titanic", an exhibition featuring works by Paige Speight in the Bernier Room, on view until November 6, 2026. A public reception will be held on October 3, 2026 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. All are welcome to attend! The Bernier Room is located in the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center, 150 Wakefield Street, Rochester, NH 03867. Visit rochestermfa.org to learn more.

09/10/2026

We’re thrilled to announce "Titanic", an exhibition featuring works by Paige Speight in the Bernier Room, on view from September 8, 2026 to November 6, 2026. Join us for a public reception on October 3, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Everyone is welcome! The Bernier Room is located in the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center, 150 Wakefield Street, Rochester, NH 03867. Visit rochestermfa.org to learn more.

*Images brutally cropped by Meta.

09/10/2026

We’re so excited to announce "You’ve Been Here", an exhibition featuring works by Stacey Durand in the Carnegie Gallery, on view from September 8, 2026 to December 4, 2026. Join us for a public reception on November 7, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Everyone is welcome! The Carnegie Gallery is located in the Rochester Public Library, 65 South Main Street, Rochester, NH 03867. Visit rochestermfa.org to learn more.

08/30/2026

There’s still time to see "Heart Of The Wild", an exhibition featuring works by Mike Durkee. Check it out in person at Back Hill B**r Co., located in the Gonic Mill, 73 Pickering Rd, Rochester, NH 03839. Visit rochestermfa.org to learn more and explore upcoming exhibitions and events.

Mike Durkee is an artist, muralist, designer, and the founder of Durkish Delights Design Co. He specializes in large-scale, story-driven murals that bring energy, identity, and a strong sense of place to the environments they inhabit. His work has taken him across the United States, from ski resorts in New Hampshire to skateparks in Colorado, with each project shaped by the communities he engages and the landscapes he explores.

Durkee’s practice draws inspiration from culture, movement, and the textures and imagery he encounters through travel, resulting in dynamic, immersive compositions. He has designed and completed murals for the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts in recent years, and his work is included in the museum’s permanent collection. Whether collaborating with brands, schools, or local businesses, Durkee aims to create work that enlivens spaces and leaves a lasting, meaningful impact.

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08/30/2026

It’s the final week to experience "Community Shapes", an exhibition featuring works by Drew DiPasquale in the Pixel Room, located in the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center, 150 Wakefield Street, Rochester, NH 03867. Visit rochestermfa.org to learn more about upcoming exhibitions and events.

Drew is an artist and father of two living in Portsmouth, NH. He has built his practice through deep study of art history, collaborations with artists locally and internationally, and relentless experimentation in the studio. Every opportunity becomes a way to expand his visual vocabulary—one that exists before words, in the space where feeling and material meet. Each painting is a negotiation between control and chaos, memory and invention. His continuous practice connects him to the raw immediacy of seeing and making, where imagination does not need permission or explanation.

08/30/2026

It’s the final week to experience "Making Way", an exhibition featuring works by Denise Manseau in the Carnegie Gallery, located in the Rochester Public Library, 65 South Main Street, Rochester, NH 03867. Visit rochestermfa.org to learn more about upcoming exhibitions and events.

Denise Manseau (b. 1959, Massachusetts) creates paintings that are inventions in response to place—inner landscapes that transform the visible world into tangible form. Her work emerges through a process of discovery, where observation and memory converge to shape environments that feel both familiar and imagined.

For Manseau, the act of painting is a journey into the unknown. She follows each convoluted path with faith, inquiry, and intuition: considering what medium will provide the proper translucency, what color will bring an element forward, or whether an entire area should be obscured. Within the uncertainty of this process, she takes comfort in knowing that every decision makes a way toward an elusive understanding—that moment when the eye and the heart become one.

Manseau holds a BFA from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and an MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has attended the Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Maine as an Open Studio Resident and was a resident artist at the Vermont Studio Center. Paintings developed during her residency in Monasterace, Italy were included in a traveling exhibition at the Monasterace Museo and at Hillyer Art Space for International Artists in Washington, DC.

Recent exhibitions include 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Five Points Arts in Connecticut; Westbeth Gallery in New York; and The Gallery at Atlantic Wharf in Boston. She currently lives and works in Rye, New Hampshire.