UNH Cooperative Extension
Planning and Land Use
The Cultural Landscape
Art History and Visual Culture
UNH Cooperative Extension
Current Employment- University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
- Community and Economic Development Field Specialist for Merrimack County, NH
- email: john.christ@unh.edu
- office:315 Daniel Webster Hwy, Boscawen, NH 03303
Team page at UNH
- Bio page at UNH
- University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
- Community and Economic Development Field Specialist for Merrimack County, NH
- email: john.christ@unh.edu
- office:315 Daniel Webster Hwy, Boscawen, NH 03303
Team page at UNH
- Bio page at UNH
Events and Activities- 20 November 2025, NHMA Annual Conference, panelist, "Overview of Planning Resources in NH"
- 6 November 2025, Museum of the White Mountains, organizer of panel discussion, "Housing at a Crossroads"New Hampshire Business Review
- 4 October 2025, NHMA Land Use Law Conference, co-host with Nate Bernitz of panel, "Bridging the Gap: Strengthening Collaboration between Land-Use Board and Planning Professionals"
- 18 June 2025, UNH Extension Webinar with Scott Slattery, "Local Housing Starts with Listening"
- 21 May 2025, UNH Extension Webinar led by Nate Bernitz, "Beyond Filling Vacancies: Building Strong and Enduring Municipal Boards"
- 20 November 2025, NHMA Annual Conference, panelist, "Overview of Planning Resources in NH"
- 6 November 2025, Museum of the White Mountains, organizer of panel discussion, "Housing at a Crossroads"New Hampshire Business Review
- 4 October 2025, NHMA Land Use Law Conference, co-host with Nate Bernitz of panel, "Bridging the Gap: Strengthening Collaboration between Land-Use Board and Planning Professionals"
- 18 June 2025, UNH Extension Webinar with Scott Slattery, "Local Housing Starts with Listening"
- 21 May 2025, UNH Extension Webinar led by Nate Bernitz, "Beyond Filling Vacancies: Building Strong and Enduring Municipal Boards"
Publications- 13 August 2025, "Building Stronger Boards: Strategies for Recruitment, Retention, & Engagement"
- 9 June 2025, "A Foundation for Housing," New Hampshire Business Review
- 13 August 2025, "Building Stronger Boards: Strategies for Recruitment, Retention, & Engagement"
- 9 June 2025, "A Foundation for Housing," New Hampshire Business Review
Planning and Land Use
Plymouth NH Planning Board
- Board member, former chair, 2020-present
- Board member, former chair, 2020-present
Plymouth Economic Development Committee- Committee member 2025-present
- link to Plymouth EDC website
- Committee member 2025-present
- link to Plymouth EDC website
Lakes Region Planning Commission
- Commissioner representing Plymouth, NH, 2023-present
- Executive Board, member at large
- link to LRPC website
- Commissioner representing Plymouth, NH, 2023-present
- Executive Board, member at large
- link to LRPC website
Other Activities - Plymouth Housing Committee, chair, 2022-2024
- Citizen Planner of the Year, Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association, 2024
- presentations TBA
- Plymouth Housing Committee, chair, 2022-2024
- Citizen Planner of the Year, Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association, 2024
- presentations TBA
The Cultural Landscape
Lowell National Historical Park, NPS, partner
- Ethnographic Overview and Assessment, PI
- Completed a funded research project in 2025 for the Lowell National Historical Park through a cooperative agreement between the National Park Service and Plymouth State University.
- Publication of final report forthcoming
- Ethnographic Overview and Assessment, PI
- Completed a funded research project in 2025 for the Lowell National Historical Park through a cooperative agreement between the National Park Service and Plymouth State University.
- Publication of final report forthcoming
Representation and Public Space: Then and Now
- Explorations of the "Right to the City" and individual and collective representation in public spaces through activism, the arts, urban planning, and everyday practices of occupying and making meaning in our shared spaces.
- Take Tompkins Square Park in NYC as an example: What were the goals of building a beautiful park in a working class neighborhood of NYC in the 19th century? How did local residents occupy this space to demand better living conditions and access to their open space? Why did a wealthy philanthropist install a Temperance Fountain? How and why was the park redesigned? What happened in the late 20th century when homeless NYers took up residency in the park and the city pushed back? Why did the artist William Pope.L perform one of his early "crawls" near this storied place?
- Other research has explored the Lowell Public Art Collection, the role of Bloomberg Philanthropies in transforming our cities in the 21st century through such projects as Breathing Lights in the Capital Region of New York, and the broader intersection and often antagonism of inclusive development and creative placemaking.
- More information, including on offering presentations and examples of writings and slide decks available upon request.
- Explorations of the "Right to the City" and individual and collective representation in public spaces through activism, the arts, urban planning, and everyday practices of occupying and making meaning in our shared spaces.
- Take Tompkins Square Park in NYC as an example: What were the goals of building a beautiful park in a working class neighborhood of NYC in the 19th century? How did local residents occupy this space to demand better living conditions and access to their open space? Why did a wealthy philanthropist install a Temperance Fountain? How and why was the park redesigned? What happened in the late 20th century when homeless NYers took up residency in the park and the city pushed back? Why did the artist William Pope.L perform one of his early "crawls" near this storied place?
- Other research has explored the Lowell Public Art Collection, the role of Bloomberg Philanthropies in transforming our cities in the 21st century through such projects as Breathing Lights in the Capital Region of New York, and the broader intersection and often antagonism of inclusive development and creative placemaking.
- More information, including on offering presentations and examples of writings and slide decks available upon request.
Plymouth Historical Society
- Board of Directors 2021-2025
- Volunteer for the Plymouth Historical Society. This work provides the opportunity to connect our past and present understandings of place and to serve the community by helping to weave together stories from the documents, artifacts, and knowledge collected by the Historical Society.
- Activities include event organizing, walking tours, historical talks, web admin, and more.
- link to webpage
- Board of Directors 2021-2025
- Volunteer for the Plymouth Historical Society. This work provides the opportunity to connect our past and present understandings of place and to serve the community by helping to weave together stories from the documents, artifacts, and knowledge collected by the Historical Society.
- Activities include event organizing, walking tours, historical talks, web admin, and more.
- link to webpage
Art History and Visual Culture
Landscape Tourism
- This work focuses on the history of landscape tourism from the 19th century through today with a focus on the transformation of the land into meaningful landscapes through visual representations, tourist infrastructure, and promotional practices, especially in New England.
- Handmade foldout book with birch bark cover created for Museum of the White Mountains (Plymouth, NH) display.
- Guide to Landscape Interpretation: single page handout designed for coursework
- Talk on the history of the Pemigewasset House in Plymouth for the Grand Hotels of the White Mountains exhibition organized by the Museum of the White Mountains (exhibition link). John also collaborated with students to create contributions to the exhibition and worked with museum staff to create interactive role-playing "keys" to guide visitors through the space, some examples of which can be seen here and here.
- This work focuses on the history of landscape tourism from the 19th century through today with a focus on the transformation of the land into meaningful landscapes through visual representations, tourist infrastructure, and promotional practices, especially in New England.
- Handmade foldout book with birch bark cover created for Museum of the White Mountains (Plymouth, NH) display.
- Guide to Landscape Interpretation: single page handout designed for coursework
- Talk on the history of the Pemigewasset House in Plymouth for the Grand Hotels of the White Mountains exhibition organized by the Museum of the White Mountains (exhibition link). John also collaborated with students to create contributions to the exhibition and worked with museum staff to create interactive role-playing "keys" to guide visitors through the space, some examples of which can be seen here and here.
Stuart Davis: Artist Activist
- This work explores how the artist Stuart Davis sought to reconstruct democratic life by aligning his work as an artist with his role as a political activist and organizer. A key element of this research is Davis's engagement with place and period conversations about nationalism and internationalism in politics and culture.
- Research and publications on Stuart Davis:
- dissertation: "Painting an Imaginary World: Stuart Davis and the Politics of Experience in the 1930s" (PDF)
- article in Oxford Art Journal: "Stuart Davis as Public Artist: American Painting and the Reconstruction of the Public Sphere"
- article in American art: "Stuart Davis and the Politics of Experience"
- unrelated article referencing Davis: "A Short Guide to the Art of Slumming, Touring, Wildlife, and Women for Hire in New York's Chinatown and Chinese Restaurants"
- This work explores how the artist Stuart Davis sought to reconstruct democratic life by aligning his work as an artist with his role as a political activist and organizer. A key element of this research is Davis's engagement with place and period conversations about nationalism and internationalism in politics and culture.
- Research and publications on Stuart Davis:
- dissertation: "Painting an Imaginary World: Stuart Davis and the Politics of Experience in the 1930s" (PDF)
- article in Oxford Art Journal: "Stuart Davis as Public Artist: American Painting and the Reconstruction of the Public Sphere"
- article in American art: "Stuart Davis and the Politics of Experience"
- unrelated article referencing Davis: "A Short Guide to the Art of Slumming, Touring, Wildlife, and Women for Hire in New York's Chinatown and Chinese Restaurants"
Teaching & Academia
- Plymouth State University, NH, 2015-2024, faculty in humanities and social sciences, including geography, political science, community planning, and art history.
- UMass Lowell, MA, 2004-2015, faculty in art history and visual culture in the Department of Cultural Studies.
- Temporary faculty appointments at Saint Anselm College, NH and Tufts University, MA.
- Plymouth State University, NH, 2015-2024, faculty in humanities and social sciences, including geography, political science, community planning, and art history.
- UMass Lowell, MA, 2004-2015, faculty in art history and visual culture in the Department of Cultural Studies.
- Temporary faculty appointments at Saint Anselm College, NH and Tufts University, MA.
