Newburyport Art presents Featured Artist: Lance Hidy

Newburyport Art (NAA) is thrilled to introduce Then & Now – Works from 1980 to Present, a featured artist show by Lance Hidy. Born at the dawn of the Baby Boom generation in April, 1946, Hidy, now age 78, was one of only two art majors in his Yale class of ’68. After helping to launch David R. Godine, Publisher, in 1970, Hidy opened a graphic arts studio that he has run from his home for fifty years. 

Then & Now showcases over 40 years of Hidy’s artistic career, ranging from his well-loved silkscreen prints to his current series of images of trout flies, handmade by his father and master of the craft, Vernon S. Hidy. Longtime Newburyport residents may recognize Firehouse Alive, a silkscreen poster that first introduced Hidy’s distinctive poster style to Newburyport in 1986. This poster was used to raise money for the renovation of the former firehouse in Market Square, which stood dark and empty. Hidy’s love of books and printing can be seen in his posters for libraries, bookstores, a hand bookbinder, and David Godine’s publishing company. Also in this exhibition are the three U. S. postage stamps Hidy designed between 2002 and 2007: Mentoring a Child, Jury Duty, and Special Olympics. 

Part of this exhibition is devoted to Hidy’s high-definition, focus-stacked photographs of trout flies tied by his father, Vernon S. Hidy. As a child, Lance absorbed his lifelong understanding of design by watching the process of his dad designing these flies. Flyfishers have been at the forefront of efforts to keep rivers healthy, and to remove dams that interfere with spawning migrations of trout and salmon. These macro photographs are part of Hidy’s campaign to see the craft of fly tying finally be included in the canon of American crafts. Because of their tiny size, negligible monetary value, and because they are tied for fish, not humans, fly tying has yet to be included in craft magazines, or exhibited in craft museums. Hidy hopes to change that. Join Hidy for an opening reception on Saturday, November 23rd from 4:00-6:00 PM.