Haverhill, MA (March 30, 2026) — Installation is complete on the newest exhibition in the Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace on the Haverhill Campus of Northern Essex Community College. Repurposed—Beginning with What Remains explores repurposing as both a creative practice and a way of thinking.

Curator Kristin Powers, NECC Adjunct Faculty & ArtSpace Gallery Manager, writes:

Working with fragments of the everyday – newsprint, metal, broken ceramics, organic materials – the artist gathers what is forgotten, allowing each object to shift, not back into what it was, but toward what it might become, extending its story rather than ending it.

Through processes of assembling, layering, and recontextualizing, familiar objects are reshaped while still carrying traces of their past. In this way, the exhibition connects to traditions of assemblage and material-based art, while remaining grounded in an accessible, process-driven approach to making.

Cracks, seams, and signs of wear are left visible as quiet records of time, touch, and use remind us that materials are not static; they hold histories and continue to evolve. By keeping these traces intact, the work highlights how meaning is not fixed, but shifts through context, attention, and care.

For students and viewers, the exhibition offers a different way of thinking about creativity. Together, these works suggest that creation does not always begin with something new, but with paying closer attention to what is already here. Repurposing becomes not only a strategy of reuse, but a practical and poetic gesture – one that values resourcefulness, sustainability, and imagination. Repurposing becomes a form of listening, honoring the quiet dignity of what has been overlooked and neglected.

The show features nearly two dozen works from six local artists, including Powers and NECC staff member Anne Hopkins.  Repurposed—Beginning with What Remains is open now through April 20. An Artist’s Talk is scheduled for Monday, April 6, 2026, from 2 – 4 p.m., and a Public Reception will take place Thursday, April 9, 2026, from 5 – 7 p.m.

The show is presented by the NECC Liberal Arts Division and the Art Department. The Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace is located on the first floor of the Bentley Library. Gallery events are free and open to the public. For more information on this exhibition, contact Kristin Powers.

Gallery Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: closed