Press Release // 2026 Gallery Season announcement

Portsmouth, NH Tuesday, February 10, 2026— 3S Artspace is pleased to announce its 2026 Gallery season, featuring an ambitious lineup of local and national artists working across painting, multimedia, and participatory practices. These exhibitions showcase artists exploring the human experience through a range of contemporary approaches.

“This year brought a substantial increase in applications, reflecting the growing reputation of 3S Artspace as a premier venue for innovative visual art. We extend our gratitude to everyone who helped in the selection process, whose insights and thoughtful participation were invaluable,” said Beth Falconer, Executive Director of 3S Artspace.

2026 exhibitions include both curated group shows and solo projects, with opportunities for audience interaction and participatory programs, reinforcing 3S Artspace’s mission of curiosity, creativity, and community.

The season has begun with Ecorhizome Stories (on exhibit through March 29, 2026), featuring animated works by Ezra Wube. Blending stop-motion techniques, painting, collage, video, and sound, Wube brings together a constellation of animated works that explore climate, culture, and collective imagination—asking how we understand place, belonging, and human impact on the natural world.

“Back in 2013, audiences in New York City had the opportunity to witness the magic of Ezra’s animation work displayed on the electronic billboards throughout Times Square as part of Times Square Arts’ Midnight Moment program,” said Beth Falconer, Executive Director of 3S Artspace. “How lucky are we to now have Ezra exhibiting here at 3S? We’re thrilled to share that captivating and magical feeling for audiences of all ages right here in Portsmouth through works by this accomplished multidisciplinary contemporary artist.”

Following Wube’s exhibition, Of All the Worlds We Could Have Dreamed by Samantha Modder (April 3 – May 31, 2026) transforms the Gallery through large-scale, digitally manipulated ballpoint pen drawings printed as immersive murals. Modder’s towering installations follow a Black woman and her alter-egos through imagined environments that function as both fairytale and speculative test site. Exploring power, resistance, rest, and the lived realities of Black women, the work centers the Black imaginary while inviting viewers into a world of wonder, vulnerability, and possibility.

From June 4 through July 26, 2026, 3S Artspace presents the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Artist Advancement Grant Exhibition, featuring 2025 award recipient Jihye Han alongside finalists Cozette Russell and Isabella Rotman. The Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant provides meaningful financial support to Seacoast-area artists, enabling them to deepen their practices while remaining rooted in the region. The exhibition celebrates artistic vision, experimentation, and the vital role artists play in shaping the Seacoast community.

Late summer brings two complementary exhibitions running August 7 through September 27, 2026: the drop falls by Elsie Kagan and Between Lines and Breath by Mina Kim. Kagan’s gestural oil paintings evolve through collaboration with AI systems, exploring climate anxiety, perception, and the recursive cycles of creation using water as a central metaphor. In contrast, Kim’s sculptural installations emphasize repetitive hand labor, transforming humble materials into intricate structures that speak to endurance, migration, cultural expectations, and the tension between visibility and silence.

The fall (October 2 – November 29, 2026) features three exhibitions exploring resilience, memory, and transformation. In 74 Days, Vesna Jovanovic presents an intimate drawing series created during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting illness, confinement, and digital life through daily observational practice. Kenneth Millington reworks the media of the comic book in New Aftermaths, combining watercolor, ink, and installation to examine entropy and our fractured relationship to the natural world. Light, Shadow, and Memory: Humans, War, and Nature, works by Chenlin Cai curated by Jun Dong, blends painting, projection, and light to reflect on war, environmental change, and human perseverance through the lens of traditional landscape imagery.

The year concludes (December 4, 2026 – January 31, 2027) with participation, reflection, and play. Carried by the Wind, a collaborative exhibition by printmaker Kristy Cavaretta and painter Alicia Ethridge, examines birds as messengers and symbols of meaning in an exploration of grief, memory, and connection to the natural world. In Stop Start Go Maybe, Corwin Levi dissects and reassembles vintage board games to explode the idea that players can all simply stay on the path and "win." He creates more true-to-life pieces where we don't all begin at “start,” and the finish, rules, and directions are unclear. Color as Language brings together Seacoast artists Forrest Elliott and Rebecca Klementovich, whose vibrant abstract works highlight color and subtle neutrals as a powerful emotional and communicative force.

Together, the 2026 Gallery season explores our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the world around us, celebrating 3S Artspace’s commitment to supporting artists and engaging the community in meaningful cultural experiences. The Gallery at 3S Artspace is free and open to the public. Throughout the 2026 season, exhibiting artists will participate in supplementary public programs including workshops, artist talks, and exhibition tours designed to deepen community engagement and access to contemporary art.

Gallery Exhibition Season Details
The Gallery at 3S Artspace is free and open to the public.
Location: 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan Street, Portsmouth, NH, 03801

• February 6 - March 29, 2026
  
  Ecorhizome Stories
  Artist: Ezra Wube
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/ecorhizome-stories
  
  

• April 3 - May 31, 2026
  Opening Reception / Meet the Artist: Friday, April 3 / 5 - 8pm
  
  Of All the Worlds We Could Have Dreamed
  Artist: Samantha Modder
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/of-all-the-worlds
  
  

• June 4 - July 26, 2026
  Opening Reception / Meet the Artists: Thursday, June 4 / 6 - 8pm
  // Art 'Round Town: Friday, June 5 / 5 - 8pm
  
  New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Artist Advancement Grant Exhibit
  Artists: 2025 award recipient Jihye Han and finalists Cozette Russell + Isabella Rotman
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/aag-2026
  
  

• August 7 - September 27, 2026
  Opening Reception / Meet the Artist: Friday, August 7 / 5 - 8pm
  
  the drop falls
  Artist: Elsie Kagan
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/the-drop-falls
  
  Between lines and breath
  Artist: Mina Kim
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/between-lines-and-breath
  
  
• October 2 - November 29, 2026
  Opening Reception / Meet the Artist: Friday, October 2 / 5 - 8pm
  
  74 Days
  Artist: Vesna Jovanovic
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/74-days
  
  New Aftermaths
  Artist: Kenneth Millington
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/new-aftermaths
  
  Light, Shadow, and Memory: Humans, War, and Nature
  Artist: Chenlin Cai / Curator: Jun Dong
  Learn more: details to come at 3sarts.org
  
  
• December 4, 2026 - January 31, 2027
  Opening Reception / Meet the Artists: Friday, December 4 / 5 - 8pm
  
  Carried by the Wind
  Artists: Kristy Cavaretta and Alicia Ethridge
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/carried-by-the-wind
  
  Stop Start Go Maybe
  Artist: Corwin Levi
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/stop-start-go-maybe
  
  Color as Language
  Artists: Forrest Elliot and Rebecca Klementovich
  Learn more: 3sarts.org/color-as-language

Grant support is provided by: Horizon Foundation, Little Bay Fund, and New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

3S Artspace is generously supported by: AC Hotel - Portsmouth, The Brook Casino, The Kane Company + Tidemark, Katzman Contemporary Projects, ListingTunnel.com, Raka, and Stirling Brandworks.

About 3S Artspace:
Curiosity. Creativity. Community.

Through the unique lens of contemporary arts experiences, 3S Artspace invites divergent perspectives and encourages lively discourse centered around issues of today.

The Gallery at 3S Artspace is an incubator of ideas, facilitator of original content, and is committed to presenting a diverse representation of contemporary visual artists. Each year, the Gallery presents exhibitions that highlight unprecedented innovation across disciplines, celebrate artistic excellence, encourage lively discourse, and foster an unwavering appreciation for the vital role that art plays in our community. 3sarts.org