Peter Osman works on display at Busiel Gallery

The current exhibit in the Busiel Mill Community Room Gallery highlights the work of Maine resident, Peter Osman. The brother of attorney David Osman, of the Martin, Lord, and Osman law firm, Osman is a 1975 graduate of New England College and has taken varied art courses at Columbia University. He has a masters in education degree from Columbia University and currently works as a teacher in an alternate high school setting in Windham, Maine. He has been displaying his work professionally for 25 years.

Osman grew up in New Hampshire but has spent many years in New York City where his work is exhibited in galleries across the New York metropolitan area. He has pieces in the Bronfman family collection, the De Beers corporate office, and the French Embassy. Garrison Keillor owns a piece and Osman’s work was shown on the David Letterman Show. His work has been shown in many juried shows and was selected by Ivan Karp in the Salon Show in New York City.

The exhibit in the Busiel Gallery is varied, consisting of heavily textured displays, wood carvings, wood block prints, etchings, and some sculptures. Osman’s work is offered unframed to allow interested buyers an opportunity to frame according to desire.

The Busiel Community Room and Gallery is located on the bottom floor of the Busiel Mill, and is “just about eye level with the Winnipesaukee River that flows only inches away from the gallery windows,” says Joe Adrignola, Administrator of One Mill Plaza, Inc. “We have a charming space here that we are pleased to offer to artists and share with the community.”

Listed in the United States Register of Historic Buildings the Busiel Mill was built in 1853 as a hosiery mill and was later used for the manufacture of clocks, electronic relays, and organs. In the height of Laconia urban renewal in the late 1960’s, both the Busiel Mill and its older sister, The Belknap Mill, were threatened by the wrecking ball. In 1971, the Busiel Mill was purchased by a local group of businessmen who spent two years restoring the facility as professional office space. Thirty years later in 2004, One Mill Plaza launched a major renovation project, restoring many previously hidden features and upgrading and adding tenant space. The brick exterior was cleaned and refurbished and the entire building was wired for broadband communications.

The Busiel Community Room and Gallery is open to visitors from 9 to 5 p.m. on weekdays and other times by appointment. Artists interested in displaying their work in this gallery should contact Joe Adrignola at 527-9176.