Looking for something exciting to do on a night off, or an excuse to escape campus? Consider exploring 3s Artspace, where you’ll unravel your inner love for the arts. Located in the historic town of Portsmouth, 3s Artspace strives to host various shows that consistently appeal to the local community. With its modern architecture and rustic appearance, 3s is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes; you would be remiss not to check it out.

Many of the events that 3s Artspace hosts include a plethora of concerts, comedy shows, theater, dance, storytelling, art shows and a few other types. If you’re not necessarily into art or music shows, then you’ll probably enjoy the game nights or perhaps have your heart touched on a poetry night.

Nick Rocci, the box office coordinator of 3s, said that they like to “push boundaries” in their programming. “We try to bring things to the area that you can’t see anywhere else to give our community something different to experience,” Rocci said. “All of these events vary from national acts to local acts.”

Rocci and his team of volunteers choose events through a programming committee and ensure that they fit the mission of the art space.

3s thinks of the local community in every show that they host. They aim to please all areas of people’s passions and do it with creativity and originality. “Art and culture is something we feel is important at 3s,” Rocci said.

One of the acts that Rocci brought in was a queer punk band called PWR BTTM. Rocci offered some insightful reasoning as to why they chose an act such as this. “It gives you a different perspective of being a queer person in a world that still isn’t extremely accepting of that community,” he said. “I’d like to think that we’ve brought a lot of very exciting and different acts and that they’ve positively affected our community.”

But what about the prices? Don’t worry, 3s is incredibly affordable. Most concert prices range from $10 to $15, while some of the other shows such as storytelling are about $5 a ticket. 3s Artspace understands that we’re on a tight budget and offers students a year long membership for $25, which includes lower rates for shows and a discount at their restaurant, Block Six, after purchasing a ticket to an event. Not only is 3s affordable, but you can also hop on the Wildcat Transit and it will drop you off about a two-minute walk from the venue, making it an easy and enjoyable night out.

3s provides a space for those who love to experience new things. “Getting to see people from completely different backgrounds or even just going to a concert of someone I’ve never heard of really helped me discover my interests and my beliefs,” Rocci said. “We bring the same type of programming that can challenge your thinking and I think that is very important to college students.”

With a fairly small staff, they rely on the support from sponsors and the surrounding community. 3s is always making changes and is currently in the process of installing a new director, Beth Falconer, within the next month. 3s will continue to function as it normally does and hopefully be as successful as ever with some new insight.