New Hampshire State Council on the Arts

We are very excited to share that Genevieve Aichele has been named NH Artist Laureate! Genevieve has performed, directed and taught theatre arts nationally and internationally for over 40 years. She founded the New Hampshire Theatre Project, an applied theatre company in Portsmouth NH, and served as the Executive Director for 35 years. In addition to her appointment as artist laureate, she was also awarded the Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in Arts in Education in 2001. Under her leadership, NHTP received the 2021 Governor’s Arts Award for Arts in Health in recognition of its Elephant-in-the-Room Series, which utilizes performance and audience discussions to help normalize conversation about difficult topics such as substance misuse disorder, su***de and self-harm, human trafficking, mental health, school violence, eating disorders, and attitudes around death and dying. Genevieve is NH's tenth artist laureate. Forore information, including biographies of Aichele and previous New Hampshire artists laureate, and to review the press release, visit nh.gov/nharts.

Join the American Independence Museum on Saturday, July 13, from 10am - 4pm for the 34th American Independence Festival on the museum’s campus in downtown historic Exeter – admission is free. The American Independence Museum received a FY24 Folklife & Traditional Arts Project Grant to support the traditional arts demonstrations in the artisan village – we are proud to be able to help support the Festival! For more information, please visit: https://www.independencemuseum.org/american-independence-festival/

This Friday come out to a community dance at the Tamworth Town House from 6:00 - 7:30pm. This community dance is the first of three in this Summer Dance Series – June 21, July 19, and August 16. Jennifer McHone Villalobos will be calling the dances and music will be performed by the Trad Dance Band of Tamworth. It’s free to attend, all ages are welcome, and no experience is necessary as all the dances will be taught! This Summer Dance Series is the culminating community presentation for Jennifer McHone Villalobos, in which Jennifer apprenticed with Master Artist Jacqueline Laufman to learn New England traditional community dance music and dance calling through a FY24 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grant.

Drop by 3 Pine St. in Nashua through tomorrow 5/29 to see three sculptors from the U.S. and abroad as they put the finishing touches on their art. The sculptures will be permanently installed around downtown Nashua for the closing ceremony on June 1. The Nashua International Sculpture Symposium is a unique event that creates beautiful and distinctive spaces throughout Nashua, helping to attract visitors and enhance the local community by creating a vibrant artistic environment. With this event, NISS will have installed more than 50 sculptures across Nashua, with the support of numerous organizations and residents. The Arts Council proudly funds this annual event through its Arts for Community Engagement (ACE) grant program.

Nashua International Sculpture Symposium - See Artists Working Live An annual community event designed to elevate the awareness, access and appreciation of public art in the city, the Nashua International Sculpture Symposium invites artists from around the world to spend three weeks in Nashua, New Hampshire, creating public art. Residents host the artists in their h...

What a great visit with Phuong Lai-Matzker's art class at Southside Middle School where the students were engaging with Marek Bennett's COMICS WORKSHOP for his Artist in Residence project. Southside Middle School in Manchester is a FY24 Artist in Residence Grant Recipient. Thank you all for a wonderful visit! Learn more about the residency in this article from Southside: https://www.mansd.org/article/1607991

The Christa McAuliffe State House Memorial Commission Arts Competition is open to NH students K-12 in visual arts, poetry, or essay. Submissions are due on June 1st! Learn more here: https://www.governor.nh.gov/news-and-media/go-launch-christa-mcauliffe-state-house-memorial-commission-arts-competition

Have you heard about the Christa McAuliffe State House Memorial Commission Arts Competition open to NH students k-12? Submissions are due in just over 2 weeks! Learn more here: https://www.governor.nh.gov/news-and-media/go-launch-christa-mcauliffe-state-house-memorial-commission-arts-competition

Come check out Sycamore Community Garden Project's first hands-on workshop of the season, “Nepalese and Bhutanese Vertical Growing Techniques: Maximizing Space While Creating Shade,” lead by their gardeners Purna Pandey and Meena Pandey on May 19th from 10am-12pm at Sycamore Community Garden/NHTI campus. The workshop is free and open to the public. (A volunteer will be guiding attendees on where to park in the boat launch parking lot. From Fort Eddy Road: Entrance is the first dirt parking lot you come to and it will be surrounded by playing fields.) Purna and Meena will guide the group to build a repurposed wood lattice, while discussing the importance of these structures to Nepalese and Bhutanese cultural heritage. The Tangra structure will be used to support Bittermelon, which is a vital food and medicine for Nepalese and Bhutanese peoples. The workshop will take place within the Shared Learning Garden where they celebrate diversity and embrace agrarian folklife traditions. Workshops like Purna's offer a wellspring of educational opportunities, combining traditional and modern art forms to demonstrate environmentally sound, sustainable agriculture. We are delighted to be able to support this workshop in part through a Folklife & Traditional Arts Project Grant!

We had a great time in DC last week cheering on New Hampshire's Morgan Cole at the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest National Finals. Congratulations to the 2024 National Champion, Niveah Glover of Florida!

Niveah Glover from Florida Named 2024 Poetry Out Loud National Champion The NEA and the Poetry Foundation are pleased to share that Niveah Glover, a 12th-grade student at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida, is the 2024 Poetry Out Loud® National Champion.

NH Poet Laureate Celebration! Poetry Society of New Hampshire and New Hampshire Writer’s Project are giving a grateful farewell to our outgoing NH State Poet Laureate, Alexandria Peary, and a warm welcome to our incoming NH State Poet Laureate, Jennifer Militello.
Saturday, May 11, 2-4pm at the State Library, Concord; all are welcome to attend.
https://psnh.org/events/may-11-nh-poet-laureate-transition-celebration/

Congratulations to Morgan Cole on her participation in the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest regional semifinals this morning! It was amazing to be there in person and experience all of the phenomenal recitations from Morgan and students from around the country. The semifinals are livestreamed throughout today and the National Finals are tomorrow evening, Thursday, May 2nd at 7:00 pm EST. All livestreams available here:
https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/poetry-out-loud

We are so excited to cheer on our Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest NH State Champion, Morgan Cole of Portsmouth High School, this week at the POL National Finals in Washington DC. The events will be livestreamed: Northeast Regional Semifinal at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, May 1st and the National Finals at 7:00 PM on Thursday, May 2nd. More information here: https://www.arts.gov/news/press-releases/2024/high-school-students-across-nation-compete-poetry-out-loud-national-finals
Photo Credits: Jessica Arnold, Arnold Imaging LLC

The Newmarket Arts, Culture & Tourism Commissions has issued a call for proposals to create a mural to be displayed at Wiley House Central Park in downtown Newmarket. This is part of a project funded through a NHSCA Arts for Community Engagement Grant. Deadline to submit is 5/1/24. View Request for Proposals in our eOpps newsletter for more information: https://www.nh.gov/nharts/newsandcalendar/e-news/e-opps.htm.

The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest National Finals are quickly approaching and you're invited! Though the National Semifinals and Finals are taking place in Washington, DC, they’ll also be livestreamed. We encourage you to join in May 1-2 to help cheer on NH's State Champion Morgan Cole from Portsmouth High School. Both the Semifinals and National Finals can be viewed via a one-time-only live webcast.

Poetry Out Loud A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies, the Poetry Out Loud program encourages high school students to memorize and perform great poems.

Grant application deadline reminder for this Friday! The NHSCA Artist in Residence Grant applications are due this Friday, April 19th at 11:59pm EST. Artist in Residence (AIR) grants provide funding for public schools to invite juried teaching artists to lead rigorous educational experiences in the arts. More information here: https://www.nh.gov/nharts/grants/partners/artistresidencies.htm

A reminder that our NHSCA Youth Arts Project Grant applications are due this Friday, April 12th at 11:59pm EST! Youth Arts Project (YAP) Grants fund high-quality arts educational opportunities for youth in NH. Arts learning fosters positive social and emotional skills and bolsters creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Photo courtesy of YAP grantee, Upbeat New Hampshire.
https://www.nh.gov/nharts/grants/youtharts.htm

Your input is crucial to helping very small businesses effectively hire and support workers with disabilities! Join the “Advancing Disability Inclusion in Very Small Businesses” national online dialogue today to submit your ideas and comment and vote on ideas others contributed.

Visit SmallBusinesses.IdeaScale.com to participate.

Logos past, present...and future! Attention Graphic Designers: Request for Concept Proposal - New NHSCA Logo
Deadline: April 5, 2024. The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts will celebrate its 60th Anniversary in 2025. As we prepare to celebrate this milestone, we are seeking an artist to design and create a new logo, which will appear on the Council’s print and electronic materials from 2025 forward. Visit our website for full details! https://www.nh.gov/nharts/aboutus/newnhscalogo.htm

You don't want to miss Farmington High School's Movie Night on Tuesday, March 26th at the Rochester Opera House for their screening of "A Poison Tree." Farmington High School received a FY24 NHSCA Youth Arts Project Grant to support the film. The event is free to the public, but patrons are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to support the local food bank. Doors will open at 5pm with the movie starting at 6pm.
https://www.rochesteroperahouse.com/ #/

Congratulations to Morgan Cole of Portsmouth High School, our 2024 Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest NH State Champion! And to George Fortin of Holderness School, our Alternate Champion. We had a great night on Friday at our State Finals with a phenomenal group of 10 finalists! Congrats to all and thank you to everyone who participated and joined our event! More to come on Morgan's participation in the POL National Finals this April 30 - May 2. Photographs courtesy of Jessica Arnold, Arnold Imaging LLC.

Summer is on the way-Really! Many of our Public Value Partners have summer programs that are open for enrollment right now!
You can choose from theater, music, visual arts and dance! Check out New London Barn Playhouse, Library Arts Center, Andy's Summer Playhouse Page, Theatre UP, Weathervane Theatre, NCCA Jean's Playhouse, The Seacoast Repertory Theatre, New Hampshire Theatre Project, The Winnipesaukee Playhouse, AVA Gallery and Art Center, Kimball Jenkins, : Women's Rural Entrepreneurial Network, Rochester Opera House, Mountain Top Music Center, Manchester Community Music School, Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Concord Community Music School, Nashua Community Music School, Upper Valley Music Center, The Children's Museum of New Hampshire, Currier Museum of Art and MoCo Arts.

It's tonight! Join us to witness the amazing poetry recitations of our student finalists for this year's Poetry Out Loud State Championship, 5pm at our State House in Concord. The event is free and open to all. It will also be livestreamed on our FB page here. Photograph courtesy of Cheryl Senter.

This weekend is the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance’s Old House & Barn Expo - the one-stop-shop for old house owners and traditional craft enthusiasts. The Expo will feature hands-on crafts, exhibitors, hourly presentations, and live demonstrations on both Saturday and Sunday. We are proud to be able to help support the traditional arts demonstrations – including timber framing, woodworking, upholstery, and more - at the Expo through a Folklife & Traditional Arts Project Grant! For more information, please visit:

Old House & Barn Expo — New Hampshire Preservation Alliance This biennial event is the perfect one-stop-shop for old house owners and traditional craft enthusiasts. Meet preservation experts, tradesmen, product vendors, craftsmen, and more, all under one roof!

Creative Community Fellows: New England has opened applications for its next cohort! Elevate your arts-based approach to driving positive change in an incredible eight month fellowship. Gather support and learn strategies to support your work, while building a regional network of changemakers creating opportunity through equity and the arts. Apply thru March 31.

Creative Community Fellows: New England » NAS Join cultural trailblazers from across New England and learn to use the power of arts and culture to take your project to the next level, driving transformational change.

Littleton First Fridays emerged as a post-Covid downtown revitalization initiative and are still going strong! The Arts Council was an early funder, and we are excited to provide continued support as the the First Friday program grows. We can't wait to celebrate Littleton area artists this summer!

👀Exciting news, art and culture lovers! This year First Friday is getting an upgrade! 🌟 We’re bringing the Main Stage to a more central location, making the heart of the festivities even more vibrant. Get ready for a summer filled with creativity, performances, and unforgettable moments! Save the dates [June 7, July 5, August 2] and join us– where our community culture comes to life! 🎉

Public Value Partner Rochester Opera House along with the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts were recently featured in a segment of New Hampshire Life. You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itu9NM92MFI

Season 5, Episode 3 Rochester!

Congratulations to the Fledgling Artists Under 30 juried exhibition winners! Arts for Community Engagement grantee New Hampshire Art Association showcased young artists from across New England, with Portsmouth artist Richard Haynes serving as juror. Winners are Paige Leonas, First Place for "Violet"; Natalie Meulenbroek, Second Place for "Crescendo"; and Aimee Heinnickel Third Place for "Thalassa". Honorable Mentions are awarded to: Aaron Sekplorm-Awadzi, Abbey Skipper, and Rose Robinson. All works are on display and available for sale online and at the Levy Gallery in Portsmouth through March 31: https://www.nhartassociation.org/

Image: "Violet" by Paige Leonas, oil on canvas

Our 2024 Poetry Out Loud State Final Championship is just around the corner! Join us next week on Friday, March 15th at 5:00pm (snow date 3/18) in Representatives Hall of our State House in Concord. The Finals are free and open to the public. The event will also be livestreamed here on the NHSCA page. Come cheer on our amazing 10 finalists! Photograph courtesy of Cheryl Senter.

Public Value Partner Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music will be participating in the Diversity in Classical Music Symposium at Keene State College on Friday, March 8th. This event focuses on the music of African-American and Female composers through lecture recitals, master classes, seminars, and performances. The Symposium takes place from 9AM-5PM with an evening concert at 7:30PM in the Redfern Arts Center Alumni Recital Hall.
Tickets to the evening concert are $12.00 for the general public.

The Apple Hill String Quartet and guest cellist, Lizzy Cook, are thrilled to participate in Keene State’s Diversity in Classical Music Symposium! Next week Friday, March 8! After a day of fantastic educational activities, a concert at 7:30 pm features the AH Quartet, Christina Wright-Ivanova, Amadi Azikiwe, and Cailin Marcel Manson. Music includes Florence Price’s Piano Quintet in A Minor and William Grant Still’s Lyric Quartette. An evening not to be missed at Keene State College! See you then! 🌟

Check out this segment from NH Chronicle on the arts scene in Lebanon! It includes Public Value Partners Lebanon Opera House and AVA Gallery and Art Center as well as City Center Ballet and Lebanon Ballet School.

The Lebanon Art Scene A small city bursting with creativity