Public life in private spaces: New Hampshire Art Association artist, Caitlin Little, presents rest/ROOM, the first in a year-long series of shows held in the immersive micro-gallery in the bathroom of the New Hampshire Art Association's Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery. The show is the first of many to be hosted in the newly branded W.C. Gallery throughout the year.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire – Have you ever been so drunk you had to cry or throw up in a bar bathroom? Or maybe you used the space to catch up with a group of friends or have a private conversation? Possibly you sought the solace of the bathroom to take a much-needed minute to think, nap, or check your social media. Bathrooms can be sacred spaces, and New Hampshire Art Association artist, Caitlin Little, wants to explore her obsession during a year-long residence in the bathroom of the Levy Gallery, now termed the W.C. Gallery.

Little has spent a lot of time in bathrooms throughout her life. When the artist was growing up, she said the bathroom was the only room with a lock. She would often escape there to read, relax, and take a break from her siblings, barricaded by the safety of the locked door. While her love of the loo dates back decades, the inspiration for turning it into art dates back to a bathroom redesign at one of her favorite bars in Omaha, Nebraska, her hometown. One day, the managers installed a full-length mirror that lined up perfectly with the toilet. Little noticed that she could view her reflection while using the bathroom for its intended purpose. As a joke, she started taking toilet selfies and sharing them with her friends, but her joke quickly transformed into a deeper look into the culture around the space.

“The bathroom is both a public and private space,” says Little. “It gives you a space to reflect and exist and have an experience with yourself, or one or two other people.”

The W.C. Gallery will launch its first show on April 5th titled rest/ROOM. The show, she says, is a deep look at her experience with bathrooms over the years. She hopes the intimacy of the space will allow an immersive experience for the viewers. “Not all the art will be pretty and straightforward,” she says. “But the space will lend itself to experience that forces people to change their ideas of what should be in a gallery.”

And gallery-goers will want to check back throughout the year as Little is planning a line-up of interesting shows, installations, performances, poetry, live-streamed events and more. Little formerly ran a community arts organization called BFF that worked to bring people together around art in Omaha, Nebraska. She will draw on that experience to develop an engaging and lively lineup of shows and events throughout the year.

Amanda Kidd-Kestler, the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Art Association, is excited by the unconventional approach to art. “The New Hampshire Art Association is open to avant garde installations and out of the box ways of using our space,” she says.

The New Hampshire Art Association will display Little’s rest/ROOM collection in the W.C. Gallery of the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery from April 5th to July 2nd. There will be additional shows and events held throughout the duration of 2023. Follow @wcgallerynh on Instagram for updates on this DIY immersive micro-gallery in the bathroom of the New Hampshire Art Association's Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery. The New Hampshire Art Association is hosting a reception on Friday April 7th, from 5 pm to 8 pm as part of the Art Around Town First Friday art walk in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The public is welcome. The Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery is located at 136 State Street in Portsmouth, NH. The gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 11 am to 5 pm; Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm; and Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm. Visit www.nhartassociation.org or call 603-431-4230 for more information.