Grads

Grads

This past January Judy Chypre (MALS’99), Maggie Montgomery (MALS’99), Joan Kersey (MALS’96), and I visited the art exhibition displayed in the halls of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. While there we learned that one of the artists, Nan Darham, is a current MALS student from Montana. Since both Maggie and Joan grew up in the West, they were particularly mesmerized by her paintings, which reflected a strong influence of place.

On January 30 the MALS Alumni Chapter (MAC) held an evening mixer at Murphy’s on the Green for alumni and MALS students. This event was organized by Lyn Lord ’95 (MALS’98), the MAC board president, who was not able to attend on that evening.

On my way to the mixer I was convinced that Lyn had chosen a night of the worst possible weather and that no participants would come out in the heavily falling snow and blasting wind. I was wrong on both counts. The weather has constantly been much worse for most of the winter, and we had a great and vibrant turnout. Among the crowd were Michael Beahan (MALS’97), our former board president, who drove down from Lyme, New Hampshire, in spite of the snow and wind; Ethan Woodard (MALS’16); and Maggie Montgomery.

Maggie almost immediately found Nan Darham in the group. This resulted in an invitation from Nan to her fans Judy Chypre, Joan Kersey, Maggie, and myself to visit her Yellowstone exhibition at the Russo Gallery in the Dickey Center for International Understanding. Of course we went! A few weeks later we saw her vibrant paintings of bull bison and wolves, among others, while she pointed out different aspects of her technique. It was a marvelous afternoon. Some of her work can be found in the current edition of the MALS literary journal, Clematis, and in The Whitefish Review, which features art, literature, and photography. The magazine is edited by Brian Schott ’93 (MALS’13).

The annual MALS luncheon will be held this summer. We do not yet have a date, but if you have an idea of whom you would enjoy having as our speaker, please let me know.

One final note: Joan Kersey is currently living at the Genesis Senior Living Unit in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and she would very much enjoy hearing from her MALS friends.

—Jane Welsh, 175 Greensboro Road, Hanover, NH 03755; (603) 643-3789; m.jane.welsh.gr@dartmouth.edu