Exhibition: Remembering Thom Adams
Thomas L. Adams, Jr.
July 15, 1942–August 3, 2023
Friend of the Institute of Art and Design at New England College
Please join us for an exhibition and memorial service to celebrate the life and work of Thom Adams. Gallerist, collector, benefactor, teacher, and friend to many, Thom Adams dedicated his life to promoting the arts.
Opening Reception: Sunday, October 1, 2023, from 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Exhibition Dates: Thursday, September 28–Friday, October 27, 2023
French Hall
148 Concord Street
Manchester, NH 03104
Thom Adams became quite interested in fine art photography later in life. He began collecting photographs when he was smitten by an Annie Leibowitz photograph of an Olympic rower taken in Hanover, New Hampshire. He then purchased a Todd Webb photograph of the influential American painter Georgia O’Keefe in Twilight Canyon. These purchases gradually led Adams to open a photographic art gallery in Portland, Maine.
After closing his gallery in 2008, Adams enrolled in the BFA in Photography program at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, now the Institute of Art and Design (IAD) at NEC, in order to pursue his love of the medium. In 2010, he made the decision to donate his extensive photography collection to the Institute.
His generous gift established a significant collection of high-quality photographs for students, researchers, and the public to explore the medium more fully in an academic setting. In 2012, he received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the Institute, and in 2023, IAD named the exhibition gallery in French Hall in Manchester the Thom Adams Gallery.
Please direct any questions to artatfrench@nec.edu.
Learn more about NEC’s Art at French exhibitions and art classes.
Photo Credit: Gary Samson
