Fine Arts & Craft in the Monadnock Region
Dublin’s painters, October studio tours and Peterborough’s world-culture collections give an art-focused visit a rich variety. You can see work in the places where artists make it, then explore the craft traditions that connect the region with the wider state.
A Painters’ Village
Monadnock Art’s history of the Dublin Art Colony traces its beginnings to Abbott Handerson Thayer, who arrived in Dublin in 1888. Artistic activity there lasted roughly sixty years, and the colony’s familiar name came into use much later. Thayer’s work reached beyond painting: he helped develop camouflage and took early action to protect Mount Monadnock from development.
George de Forest Brush came to Dublin in 1898; Rockwell Kent spent two summers as Thayer’s apprentice in 1903 and 1904. William Preston Phelps painted Mount Monadnock from different sides during his last twenty-five years. Frank Weston Benson spent four or five summers in Dublin, another strand in the village’s artistic history.
Open Studios in October
Monadnock Art / Friends of the Dublin Art Colony began with an artists’ tour in 1995 and adopted its present name in 2007. Its Open Studio Tour information describes a free, self-guided October drive through villages around Mount Monadnock, leading to 65 working studios over a three-day weekend. The tour falls during foliage season, making art and the surrounding landscape natural companions.
The published studio hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. each tour day. An accompanying gallery exhibition offers a sampling of participating artists’ work and a map for planning your route. Outside the tour weekend, studio visits are by arrangement with the artist. For the landscape between stops, consider the fall foliage overview.
New Hampshire’s Fine-Craft Tradition
The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen describes itself as a nonprofit with more than ninety years of support for fine craft. Its nearly 700 juried craftspeople work in media including pottery, baskets, printmaking, wood, jewelry, quilts, photography and folk art, bringing traditional and contemporary work together.
The League traces its beginnings to the mid-1920s, its establishment as the League of New Hampshire Arts and Crafts to 1932, and its first Craftsmen’s Fair to 1933. The first official League shop opened in Wolfeboro in 1932, and the organization adopted the League of NH Craftsmen name in 1968. The League describes its fair as the country’s oldest craft fair. Its Annual Craftsmen’s Fair information places the nine-day event at Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury, with juried work, demonstrations and curated exhibitions. The fair makes a day trip north to Newbury; the League’s six Fine Craft Galleries are elsewhere in the state, outside the Monadnock Region.
World Culture in Peterborough
The Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center was founded in Peterborough in 2002. Its name comes from the Spanish word for butterfly, which the museum describes as a symbol of transformation in many cultures. Its permanent collection holds objects from dozens of cultures and countries, while temporary exhibitions often include contemporary painting, photography, craft and sculpture.
Hands-on learning sits alongside monthly performances and programs involving music, dance, storytelling and film. The permanent collection and changing exhibitions give the museum both a world-culture focus and a place for contemporary art, a natural companion to the region’s studio tours.
Studios on Medal Day
MacDowell’s 2026 Medal Day announcement named composer and multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton as the 66th Edward MacDowell Medal recipient. It announced a free outdoor celebration for June 28, 2026, including performances and open studios with artists-in-residence. The medal has been awarded annually since 1960, with the discipline rotating.
Planning a Day of Looking
Pair a museum or studio day with the region’s broader arts and culture, then turn from looking to listening with an evening of music. Check current tour and fair dates and museum visitor information before setting out.