Artists celebrate the agricultural landscape of the Monadnock Region in triennial exhibit

When Jeanne Maguire Thieme looks at an old barn, she doesn't just see a weathered building. She imagines the families who once worked there, the animals that filled the stalls and the generations whose lives revolved around the land. Sometimes, she even brings those memories back to life on canvas. In one of her recent paintings, The Farmstead, Thieme depicts an abandoned property as it might have looked decades ago, complete with a family, sheep and chickens. Having raised animals and a family on a small farm in Swanzey, Thieme has seen firsthand what makes agricultural life so meaningful. She's also watched the landscape around her change, as once-working farms have gradually disappeared. Thieme is not alone in seeing something worth preserving in the region's farming traditions. Six other artists explore those themes in For Love of the Land: A Tribute to the Agricultural Way of Life, a triennial exhibit at the Jaffrey Civic Center's Cunningham Gallery. The group has now gathered for the exhibit seven times over nearly two decades, showcasing paintings and drawings inspired by the region's agricultural heritage, from its historic barns and open fields to the animals that call them home. "It's just such a special way of life, and it's really neat to see these artists want to portray that life," said Thieme, who specializes in watermedia. "Some of the artists are either farmers now, or they used to be. That's kind of a thread that goes through this exhibit, and everybody has their own different way of illustrating this lifestyle." Ann Sawyer, for example, is part of a seventh-generation farming family in Jaffrey. Her watercolor and mixed-media paintings often focus on the relationships between working farm animals and the people who care for them. More recently, Sawyer experimented with pearlescent watercolor paints on black paper, a technique she said she began exploring around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Oil painter Mary Iselin also draws heavily from her own experience as a farmer. She has raised sheep for nearly 50 years at her family's fourth-generation Earth Haven Farm in Marlborough. Her late husband worked the farm with draft horses, which remain among the subjects of her oil paintings. For Iselin, the importance of preserving the agricultural landscape extends beyond the farms themselves. She sees farming as essential to keeping land open, maintaining the region's rural character and helping people appreciate where their food comes from. Other artists bring their own perspectives on the subject. Francelia Mason Clark draws on her interest in local history and her experiences riding horseback to historic landmarks and farms, which she documented in her book, Circle Around Monadnock. David Bulger and Maryann Mullett, meanwhile, both find inspiration in animals. Bulger's oil paintings and drawings reflect his appreciation for their character and individuality. Mullett, a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists, finds inspiration in all animals, though cows hold a special place in her work. This year's exhibit also welcomes Peter Granucci, who paints from his studio at his farm in Gilsum. His work reflects an appreciation for land not simply as scenery, but as a resource that sustains livestock, produces food and supports the people and communities who depend on it. "There is something deeply worthwhile about land that is cared for, cultivated and allowed to fulfill its potential," Granucci said. For Thieme, that appreciation for agricultural life is rooted in more than nostalgia. Having watched working farms disappear from the region, she sees the exhibit as a way to keep their stories, and the people and animals who shaped them, alive. "Sometimes when I see a farm or an old barn, you can practically feel the ghosts in there," she said. "It's just a really deep-seated feeling of how precious this lifestyle was, and really still is." For Love of the Land: A Tribute to the Agricultural Way of Life runs through Dec. 19 at the Cunningham Gallery, located inside the Jaffrey Civic Center at 40 Main St. in Jaffrey. The exhibit is free and open to the public during gallery hours: Wednesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Artwork is available for purchase.