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N E W H A M P S H I R E A R T S N E W S
2007
Jeff Warner, Folk Singer &Musician,Portsmouth
[ Volume XXIV Number 3 Spring 2007 ]
Photo courtesy of the artist
ContentsT A B L E O F
Senate President Sylvia Larsen Remarks ..................1 Arts Council News ..............................................2-32006 AIE Conference ........................................4-5Widening the Circle ............................................6-7Extending the Dance Map ..................................8-9Artist Residencies in National Parks ................10-11Heart of the Silk Road ..........................................12ArtLinks: SYSC ......................................................13Poetry Out Loud ..................................................14Volunteer Poets in Libraries ..................................15Bayberry House ..................................................16Around the State ............................................17-21Regional/International ....................................22-23Grant Deadlines ....................................................24NH Arts News
NH Arts News is published quarterly. It reaches 6000 people free of charge.To change address information, pleasee-mail, [email protected], or write to NH Arts, New Hampshire State Councilon the Arts, 2 1⁄2 Beacon Street, 2nd Floor,Concord, NH 03301-4974.
State of New HampshireDepartment of Cultural ResourcesDivision of the Arts© NH State Council on the ArtsConcord, New Hampshire USA
Editor: Yvonne StahrProduction Manager: Julie MentoGraphic Design: Brian Page,
Dharma CreativeContributors: Arts Council Staff, SenatorSylvia Larsen, Frumie Selchen, RachelLehr, Sarah Haskell, Mimi White
On the Cover2007 Fellow and NH Roster artist Jeff Warner attributes hisinterest in both scholarship and musicianship to the work of hisparents, the well known music historians Frank and Anne Warner.At ages 3, 8 and 16 Warner accompanied his parents on a fewof their trips throughout the Eastern US and Canada and satand listened while they recorded the locals who rememberedthe old songs of their region and community. These significantrecordings are in the collections of the Library of Congress.
In describing his own work, Warner says: “I teach Americanhistory and culture through traditional song.” For him, oldsongs are like archaeological objects. He says, “…they’re livinghistorical artifacts that serve as evidence about the people whoused them and the times they lived in.” As a NH Roster artistWarner regularly takes his musical history lessons to schoolsand communities throughout the state.
Warner has recorded for Flying Fish/Rounder and other labels.His first solo compact disc, recorded in 2005, is Jolly Tinkeron Gumstump Records. Warner received the Parents’ ChoiceAward for his 1995 recording, Two Little Boys. He is the editorof Traditional American Folksongs from the Frank and AnneWarner Collection (Syracuse University Press, 1984), and producer of the set Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still: The WarnerCollection (Appleseed Recordings, 2000). He appears on theState Arts Council’s 2003 compact disc Songs of the Seasons,for which he also co-wrote the liner notes.
This newsletter is available electronically or in alternative
formats. Please call 603/271-2789
RemarksS Y L V I A B . L A R S E N , S E N A T E P R E S I D E N T
It’s the fashion these days to talk aboutthe arts in terms of what they do for theeconomy. But do we really need an economic justification for the arts?
The author, Franz Kafka might havebeen talking about books, but he couldjust as well have been speaking of all thearts when he said:
“I think we ought to read only books thatbite and sting us. If the book does notshake us awake like a blow to the skull,why bother reading in the first place?”
The arts have the power to shake us awake…
to deliver the shock of recognition,
to change forever how we perceivelight, color or movement,
to teach us the power of silencebetween the notes,
to examine the way the elements ofour lives play against each other,
…forcing us to look again.
The arts are the domain of contradictions,ambiguities, ambivalence.
Thank goodness… the arts don’t balancelike a checkbook.
And that may make them a little differentfrom the world of commerce, and the factthat the arts set you off balance whilecommerce deals with balancing ledgers.It’s vibrant. It’s stimulating. It’s exciting.
And all those things are good foreconomies and good for communities.The arts draw us together. They get ustalking and sharing. They create anenergy that attracts more energy. And,oh yes, we carry on those conversationsin local coffee shops and restaurants andspend money that stimulates downtowndevelopment.
So we are glad that the arts brought us an estimated $164 million in directand indirect spending in 2002 in New Hampshire.
And we will fight to make sure that New Hampshire law continues to requireus to set aside a percentage of the state’scapital budget for new construction orrenovations to place art in state buildings.
But we all know that’s not the real point.Yes, it stimulates the economy andattracts talented people to live and work in our state.
But if a work of art is any good, it is its own reward. Including the arts in ourlives allows us to LIVE and not just survive. Do we need any further justification to support the arts than that?
Editor’s Note: Sylvia B. Larsen delivered these remarks at the January 18th opening of the State
Arts Council’s exhibition New Hampshire Inspired: A New Hampshire Collection. She gave us
permission to share them with NH Arts News readers.
Senate President
Sylvia Larsen
addresses the arts.
Photo by Lynn
Martin Graton
1
Arts Council News
Staff/Council NewsKaren Burgess Smith AppointedChairperson of the NH State Councilon the Arts
Governor John Lynch has appointedKaren Burgess Smith of Exeter to Chairthe NH State Council on the Arts. She joined the Council in 2003.
Burgess Smith is the Director of theLamont Gallery at Phillips ExeterAcademy, where she also teaches artclasses, as well as being a professionalphotographer. She was the vice presidentfor academic affairs at the NH Instituteof Art and taught studio art and art historyfor 11 years at St. Paul’s School inConcord. While there, she also chairedthe fine arts department and curatedover 40 exhibitions in the school’s gallery.Smith says. “To me, the art gallery isjust an extension of the classroom.”
Her initial term on the State Arts Councilends in November 2007, but she hopesto serve a second term.
New Arts Councilor from the World of Dance Edra Toth
Governor John Lynch has appointedEdra Toth to the State Arts Council.
Born in Budapest, Hungary, Toth immi-grated to this country with her parentswhen she was a small child. The familyleft their native country during theHungarian uprising in 1956 and relocatedto Boston, MA where Boston Balletfounder E. Virginia Williams offered Totha scholarship to attend her school ofdance. Toth became Williams’s protégéand made her dance debut at the age of13. She became prima ballerina at age15 and danced with the company for thenext ten years.
Toth performed at the White House at theinvitation of the Johnson administrationand has toured internationally, performingwith well-known artists. She also studiedballet in Denmark, focusing on theBournonville technique.
Toth has dedicated herself to dance education and runs the Edra TothAcademy of Dance and Music inWolfeboro Falls. She feels that the rewardsof training, hard work and discipline notonly impact children’s abilities toexpress themselves through movement,
but also imprint them with valuable lifeskills. Fostering a lifelong interest in thearts is an added benefit. As she says“These are our future patrons, and ourfuture stars. You have them for life!”
Edra Toth’s term on the State ArtsCouncil will end in 2011.
Arts Councilor Paul Hodes Elected to U.S. Congress
While a member of the State Arts Council,Paul Hodes effectively advocated to support the arts in NH. He now can takehis arts advocacy to the national level asone of NH’s new Congress membersafter having won NH’s 2nd District in theHouse of Representatives.
Originally from New York City, Hodes is a graduate of Dartmouth College,where he studied theater, and has been a Concord resident for nearly 30 years.Hodes has worked in the arts as an actor,a playwright, a documentary filmmakerand a musician.
In addition, he has performed with hiswife Peggo (teacher and voice departmentchair at Concord Community MusicSchool) as the singing duo “Peggo andPaul” and as “Peggosus,” and produced
several popular recordings for familiesand children. Their CD “A PatchworkQuilt, A Celebration of American Spirit”received the Parent’s Choice Award andthey were invited to perform at theWhite House.
He was chair of the Capitol Center forthe Arts and has served on the boards of Tricinium Limited and the ConcordCommunity Music School. He was also a member of the NH Creative Economy Council.
Staff Member Julie Mento Named toNH Top 40 Under Forty List
Visual Arts Associate and manager ofnew Percent for Art Projects Julie Mentohas been honored withinclusion among NH’s top40 Under Forty. The listrecognizes NH citizensunder the age of 40 whohave exemplified leadershipqualities through their workand volunteer activities.Mento was featured in the January 29,2007 edition of the UnionLeader and was honoredwith her fellow designees atan event in March. An artistherself, Mento has spenther working life helping andadvocating for artists.
Karen Burgess-Smith
is the new Chairman
of the State Arts
Council.
Photo by Lynn
Martin Graton
State Arts Council
staff member
Julie Mento was
recognized as one of
NH’s 40 under Forty.
Photo by
Carey Johnson
US Congressman Paul Hodes.
Photo courtesy of US House of Representatives
New Arts Councilor Edra Toth joins her dance
students on stage after a performance.
Photo by Monika O’Clair
32
Deadline Reminder for Governors Arts Awards Nominations
Nominations for the 2007 Governors Arts Awards are due bythe postmark deadline of April 20th. Nominate your choiceof individual, organization, school or town. Awards in sevencategories recognize outstanding contributions to the excel-lence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in NewHampshire. Visit the State Arts Council’s website to downloadthe official nomination form at www.nh.gov/nharts.
The Sargent Center for Outdoor Education was thesetting for the 2006 Arts in Education Conference.The rustic site, alongside a beautiful lake inHancock, couldn’t have been more perfect for aconference which focused on Arts, Peacemakingand the Environment. Diana Beresford-Kroeger,renowned botanist, medical biochemist, agriculturalresearcher, writer and lecturer was the keynotespeaker and shared her knowledge of the health-giving properties of trees and plants and the impactthey have on the environment. She is the author ofArboretum America and A Garden for Life(University of Michigan Press, 2004).
Artist-educators were on hand to demonstrate andlead workshops on using natural elements for art-making in the classroom to convey lessons aboutour relationship with the environment.
The AIE Conference was presented by the State ArtsCouncil in collaboration with numerous partnersincluding the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire,the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum and the NH Alliancefor Arts Education. All remarks in quotation marksare reactions to the 2007 Conference by participantsand are taken from evaluation forms.
Save the Date for the 2007 Statewide Arts inEducation Conference
Moving Beyond Adequate: Transforming theEducational Landscape through the Arts
The 2007 NH Arts in Education Conference willreturn to the Boston University Sargent Center forOutdoor Education in Hancock the weekend ofOctober 5-7.
The featured keynote speaker will be award-winningschool principal Dr. Plato Karafelis from the HenryA. Wolcott Elementary School in West Hartford, CT.Karafelis is creator and co-founder of theConnecticut Higher Order Thinking (HOT) School program.
Full conference details, agenda, and registration forms are available atwww.nh.gov/nharts or www.aannh.org.
Professional Development for TeachersDrawing from Nature: Arts, Peacemaking and the Environment
Rachel (Rocky) Lehr’s
Along the Silk
Road workshop.
Photo by Yvonne Stahr
Working with NH AIE Roster
Artist and basket maker
Alice Ogden, teachers used
black ash splints, elm,
hickory and birch barks, to
each make a small basket.
In the process they learned
how tree rings, basket tools,
and basket styles fit into
any school’s curriculum.
West African drummer Theo Martey
and Vietnamese dancer Chi Potter
led conference participants in an
inter-cultural dance.
Eco-artist and community
educator Tim Gaudreau was
artist-in-residence for the 2006
Arts in Education Conference.
Here he conducts the workshop
Learn, Explore, and Develop an
Eco-Arts project On-Site.
Photos by Yvonne Stahr
NH Roster artist Alice Ogden works
with teachers in her traditional basket
making workshop.
54
Gilford art educator
Aaron Witham
(left) works with
sculptor and AIE
Roster artist Emile
Birch on plans for
an upcoming
residency project.
Mary Jo Slattery (left) of
The Offshore Aces performs
with music educator
Allison Aldrich of Symonds
Elementary School.
Photo by Lynn
Martin Graton
Botanist and author Diana Beresford-Kroeger
took her workshop participants outside on a
walk through the woods surrounding the
Sargent Center for Outdoor Education.
The Sargent Center
in Hancock was a
beautiful setting for
the 2006 AIE confer-
ence, which focused
on nature and the
environment.
Photos by
Rebecca Lawrence
“Wonderful conference! We all need to grow in sharing our arts and talents. All of this
conference (and past conferences) is a building and sharing of expression…the variety
enriches me and balances me in my abilities to reach out. Thank you!”
The 2006 Widening the Circle confer-ence, entitled “Artists and Youth,” tookplace in June at Wheelock College inBoston. The conference afforded anopportunity for fellow artist-educatorsand youth workers to gather for a daydevoted to the field of arts-based youthdevelopment. A variety of importantissues were explored: defining youthdevelopment work, developing arts-basedprojects, research and grant-writing,effective evaluation, working with adjudicated youth, gender-specific programming, and cultivating leadership.Participants enjoyed special performancesby young people and joined in art-making workshops.
Professional Development for TeachersArtists and Youth: Working Together to Discover Something New
Save the Date for the 2007 Wideningthe Circle Conference:
Joining Hands, The Arts and EarlyChildhood Education
The upcoming regional Widening theCircle conference for teaching artists,educators and early childhood specialistswill take place at the Wells School inMaine on June 27, 2007. Sponsored bythe New England Consortium of Artist-Educator Professionals (NECAP), theconference is open to artists from all disciplines who teach in schools, community settings or residential programsand to early childhood teachers andadministrators who support this work.
The “Joining Hands” conference offers a timely and important forum in whichartist-educators can connect with expertsfrom the field of early childhood educationwhile developing their professional skillsin this growing field. Arts-based earlychildhood programs often depend onartist-educators who are professional,competent and knowledgeable to reachearly learners through the creative andperforming arts. Research shows thatpre-school children engaged in the arts –in school or after school – have increasedchances of succeeding in the earlygrades and enjoying school. Even morecompelling, arts-based programs maybe especially effective in giving childrenwith special needs and challenges ahead start. Rick Mathews, Principal atthe New Boston Central School in NH(pre-K through grade 8) and an advocatefor both dance and arts programs, believesthat “a pre-K child’s ability to learn in a dance class can often be a strong predictor of his/her ability to read.”
Workshops will focus on a variety ofimportant issues including developingsuccessful arts-based partnerships,understanding the research, effectiveevaluation, safety, materials, child development basics, working with parents and community, plus somehands-on arts activities.
A panel of experienced artist-educators,school leaders, parents and agencyadministrators with relevant experiencein the field of early childhood learningwill offer their perspectives, ideas andinspiration. The conference also includesa resource/exhibit time and opportunitiesfor networking with colleagues.
“Joining Hands” is presented by the NewEngland Consortium of Artist-EducatorProfessionals (NECAP) in partnershipwith New England State Arts Agencies,the Arts Alliance of Northern NH, Wells Elementary School, ME, and theUniversity of Southern Maine’s EarlyChildhood Education Programs. By convening artists who share a commoninterest in both art-making and teaching,NECAP works to create and support anetwork for the professional developmentof teaching artists across New England.
For more information, contact FrumieSelchen, at the Arts Alliance of NorthernNH at 603-323-7302, or by email at [email protected]; or Arts in EducationCoordinator Catherine O’Brian of theState Arts Council at 603-271-0795, or by email atCatherine.R.O’[email protected] details and registration information will be posted at:http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/educationnews/necap_conference.htmland www.aannh.org as well as the NHwebsite: www.nh.gov/nharts and websitesof New England states arts agencies.
76
Teaching artists from
NH and the other
New England states
enjoy learning new
skills and
networking at the
2006 NECAP
Widening the
Circle conference.
Photos by
Dan Kahn
“a pre-K child’s ability to learn
in a dance class can often be a
strong predictor of his/her
ability to read.”
Rick Mathews
Partnership Project
Professional Development for TeachersExtending the Dance Map: NH Participates in North Country Partnership Project to Train Dancers
The Arts Alliance of Northern NewHampshire has been awarded a two-year,$50,000 Rural Initiative arts educationgrant by the Dana Foundation. The NHState Arts Council will be one of threestate arts agency partners of Extendingthe Dance Map/A Northern New EnglandRural Dance Project. This pilot project isaimed at training dancers across northernNew Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine to work as teaching artists in local public schools.
Coordinated in partnership with the NewEngland Consortium of Artist-EducatorProfessionals (NECAP), the state artsagencies and departments of educationof three states, the project will bringhigh-quality training to a hub site ineach state and develop an ongoing support and communication network for participants, connecting them toresources, schools, and the broaderdance education community. The projectalso aims to seed interest and authenticintegration of dance education learningexperiences in rural public schools.Activities include convenings, seminars,fellowships, and mentorships.
Project advisors and consultants includearts learning director for the ArizonaCommission on the Arts Alison Marshall,who is on the dance faculty at LesleyUniversity and also teaches at HarvardUniversity, Project Zero Institute and theGraduate School of Education; JanetRessler, co-founder of the Vermont DanceAlliance and formerly Director of ArtsEducation at the Vermont Arts Council;Nancy Salmon, Assistant to the Director/Registrar at the Bates Dance Festivaland former director of Arts Education for the Maine Arts Commission, and shealso co-authored the Maine DanceCurriculum Guide; David R. White,
dancer, filmmaker and former ExecutiveDirector and Producer of New York’s pio-neering Dance Theater Workshop (DTW).
The two-year pilot has three phases. InPhase 1, each state will host a conven-ing to introduce the project, followed byPhase 2, in which each state will host a
series of four day-long training seminarsled by master dance educators who havehad extensive experience in rural areasand represent a variety of dance forms,including folk and traditional dance.Seminars will include theory, practice,and time for reflection and evaluation. InPhase 3, participants who have completedthe seminars may apply for a NorthCountry Dance Fellowship which will
AIE Roster artist
Jeanne Limmer is
one of the dancers
who will partici-
pate in Extending
the Dance Map, a
project to recruit
and train dancers
to become teaching
artists in the North
Country.
Photo courtesy of
the artist
Selchen will work with Dance Liaisons to ensure that careful attention is paid tothe specific conditions governing bothdance and education in each state andto any dance-based coalitions andorganizations working with teachingartists. The Dance Liaisons will alsowork to recruit qualified dancers and to identify potential partner schools. “We want to build on local and regionalassets in a way that is respectful ofexisting conditions and sustainable, andto create a process that is replicable inother rural states and in other performingarts disciplines,” Selchen notes.
The Arts Alliance of Northern NewHampshire is a network with a missionto promote, support, and sustain arts,culture, and heritage in the North Country.The Alliance is coordinating partner forthe New England Consortium of Artist-Educator Professionals (NECAP), createdto support the professional developmentand economic well-being of the region’steaching artists. NECAP is a collaborationof the six New England state arts agencieswith other organizations and individualsworking in the field of the artist educator.The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic organization with particularinterests in brain science, immunology,and arts education. To learn more aboutthe project, contact the Arts Alliance at603-323-7302, email [email protected], or visit www.aannh.org.
fund work on an educational dance projectin a rural school. Fellows will developportfolios and create presentations abouttheir experiences. Throughout the project,participants will be linked to local, state,regional and national dance opportunities.
“Dance is the most underrepresented ofall the arts in our public schools,” saysproject coordinator and Arts Alliancedirector Frumie Selchen. “We hope tofind dancers interested in working in ourmost underserved communities and to
connect them with local schools, whilehelping them understand the conditionsand populations in those schools. At thesame time we hope to help rural educatorsunderstand the value of dance andmovement for students of all ages.”
98
1110
Artist Residencies
Artist Opportunity Grants Fund National Park Artist Residencies
Mimi White
NH Roster artist and Portsmouth PoetLaureate Mimi White was a recent artist-in-residence at Acadia National Park where
she wrote poems,explored the park,and worked withstudents fromMaine middleschools. As a finalactivity, she gave apoetry reading atthe Park which waswell attended.
Her goal was simple:to write poems. To Mimi’s delightthe poems had thelook and feel ofsomething new.She says, “I experi-mented with language that hadnot entered mypoems in the past
and I delighted at the sounds andrhythms that I discovered in these newwords. I successfully worked with stu-dents from Maine middle schools andeven inspired park rangers to try theirhand at poetry writing.”
Mimi White, who lives in Rye, is currentlyworking on the What Is Home PortsmouthNH Poet Laureate program that includescommunity workshops, publications andcitywide collaborations. She also regularlyserves as poet-in-residence in towns,libraries, schools, prisons, communitycenters and elderly residences throughoutthe state.
In the Mineral Darkby Mimi White (written at AcadiaNational Park, fall 2006)
In the cold petals of sleep,without mystery or trepidation,they fly. Fastened to whiteness,fugitive stars guide themto my empty meadows.
They brush my eyeswith their heated bodiesand forests rise from stone,the luminous flux of historywritten in flecks and swirls.
They trace the mineral darkwith their soft wingsand leaf by leaf trees rootin the freshet of the night.Blackbird by blackbird,
branches featherthe unfurnished dream.A small stream rises,ample, impossibly clear.
Sarah Haskell
These are excerpts from Sarah Haskell’sjournal documenting her time as anartist-in-residence at Acadia NationalPark. The NH Roster artist is a fiber artist and weaver.
October 2006. Schoodic Peninsula,Acadia National Park. I have been herenearly a month. Twice a day the tiderecedes, revealing rocks, seaweed, tidepools, mud flats and sea urchins. I amalso offered daily revelations as the tidepulls to open my heart to this beauty andthis moment.
Each day unfolds and exposes more lessons. I try to map and memorize eachdetail, to draw, photograph, and soak upevery smell and every sound. I want tocurl up in the curve of rocks that sweepalong the edge of Blueberry Hill. I wantto lie in the ferns on Little Moose Island. I want to sleep with the seals in the rockweed. I want to dive with the eider ducks.I want to weave myself into this world.
My long time collaborator, poet MimiWhite arrives with her husband Steve. On an unseasonably warm October day,we climb Schoodic Mountain whereFrenchman’s Bay is spread out before us
like a silver table cloth. In the warm sun,we sit lazily calling out the names ofislands, bays, hills and rivers.
The four weeks have cometo an end and it is time toreturn home. I become theleading edge of the tide,pushing forward to gather allthat has been revealed inmy month’s retreat.Gathering and encompassingall the surroundings.Embracing all that hastouched me; I swell up andreturn home.
December 2006. Home now.Opening the journals, touch-ing the pages that were part of my time at Acadia, I understand. The magic webof life at Acadia has becomea part of my skin. I am changed by thetime spent in the company with herringgulls and barred owls. Like the pinkgranite shoreline wrapped in morning fog,the hidden details of my lessons fromAcadia will be revealed as time unfolds.
Artist Opportunity Grants offered artists the chance to apply for professional development conferences and retreats such as these National Park artist residencies.The program, entitled Artist Residencies in America’s Parks, offers artists housing forthree to four weeks, travel reimbursement within the park, and in some cases a modest meal stipend.
Mimi White on the
doorstop of her
writer’s cabin.
The beauty of Acadia
inspired her poems.
Photo by Sarah
Haskell
Photo right:
A view from Raven’s
Nest at Acadia
National Park. This
site was enjoyed by
last fall’s artists-in-res-
idence.
Photo courtesy of
the artist
AIE Roster artist
Sarah Haskell-Fowler.
Photo courtesy of
the artist
This year, NH professional artists may apply for a quarterly Artist Entrepreneurial
Grant that supports professional development opportunities that will increase their
artistic and entrepreneurial capacity to develop and market their work. This grant
category supports a wide variety of opportunities that can advance the work of
professional artists, including, structured mentoring sessions between master-level
and emerging professional artists; professional development opportunities, such as
attending workshops, conferences or classes to increase their artistic and business
skills (i.e., marketing, developing a business plan, pricing their work, legal issues,
financial management); attending showcases to introduce arts presenters to their
work; and the development of promotional materials, including websites and printed
materials. For more information contact Judy Rigmont at 271-0794 or by email at
1312
In 2004, the State Arts Council partneredwith the NH Humanities Council and theArts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire(AANNH), to create a curricular andpedagogical model for arts-based, inte-grated, interdisciplinary teaching basedon closely studying the arts of the SilkRoad. The project started with the artisticideas of NH felt and fabric artist RachelLehr who also collaborated with textileartist Betsy Giberson to develop visualarts approaches to the project. Teacherinstitutes afforded teachers the chance totake this multidisciplinary approach into
their own classrooms. In addition, someartist residencies with a Silk Road focushave evolved at several NH schools.
The value of this approach has provedso successful that the work that wasintroduced through that partnership project continues to be practiced in theregion. It was most recently presented in“Personal Geography, Material Culture,and the Fabric of Society,” a graduatecourse for New Boston Central School.Lehr and Giberson used hands-on hand-craft and textile skills such as knitting,weaving, plaiting and dyeing as an entrypoint to help elementary teachers integratethe arts into their classroom curriculum.The theme of personal geography andthe road from self to society was exploredthrough classroom discussion, coursereadings, curriculum connections, andhands-on arts experiences. Teachersreflected on their own personal material-culture context in relation to the culturesof Central Asia and Afghanistan.
The course, the second taught byGiberson and Lehr at New Boston School,was offered through the EducationDepartment at Plymouth State Universityand coordinated by the AANNH as partof its ongoing “Heart of the Silk Road”arts-and-humanities program.
Professional Development for TeachersHeart of the Silk Road Partnership Project Continues
For the past two years, the State ArtsCouncil has funded quality artist residencyexperiences through ArtLinks grants tothe John H. Sununu Youth (Development)Services Center (SYSC) in Manchester.NH AIE Roster Teaching Artists whohave worked with students at the school(which provides rehabilitation, education,clinical and residential services) include:Kit Cornell, pottery; Terry Farrish, fictionand non-fiction writing; Rick Agran, poetry; Betsy Giberson, printing on fabric;Ron King, kitemaking; Emile Birch,
sculpture; and, Kelly Doremus Stuart,dance and choreography. As part of therelease of a recent research report, Dr. Robert Ross, pediatrician and CEO ofThe California Endowment, emphasizedthat, “involvement in the arts is anunparalleled means for young people todevelop the strength, resiliency, and self-image that allow them to participatein society on healthy terms”. For moreinformation on the California Endowment’snew report, visit www.calendow.org.
These artist residencies have been complemented by recent installations ofsite-specific art work in the SYSC’s newfacilities through NH’s Percent for Artprogram. The art work, which includes a mural, tiles, and a mobile, will addbeauty to their new 144 bed co-ed architecturally secure building.
The following poem was written by SYSCresidents as a collaborative exercise.
ArtLinksJohn H. Sununu Youth Services Center Scrapbook
Potter Kit Cornell
works with residents
of the Youth Services
Center in Manchester
during her artist
residency.
Photos courtesy of
the YDC
A “Design for Arts Learning” Workshop for newand experienced teaching artists will take placeon Friday, May 18, 2007, 9:30 - 4:30 inConcord, NH. The workshop leader will beAlison Marshall, a master-level teaching artist,performer/choreographer, consultant and artsadministrator.
The workshop, which is open to teaching artistsfrom all arts disciplines, is sponsored by the NHState Council on the Arts in cooperation with the
New England Consortium of Artist-EducatorProfessionals (NECAP) and the Arts Alliance ofNorthern NH (AANNH).
For more information, please contact CatherineO’Brian, Arts in Education Coordinator, NHSCAat 271-0795 or email,Catherine.R.O’[email protected] Workshop infor-mation will be posted at: www.nh.gov/nharts andwww.aannh.org.
Upcoming Workshop for Teaching Artists
Planting Sweet Peas at Sanders Just Before Memorial Day
It was all because of Christine’s poem about being outdoors.
Then they set off for Sanders to add something to the outdoors.
Ashley, Emily, Gabby, Christy, Mrs. Croto, and Terry.
Ashley carried the seeds – sweet peas. She wished shecould get her poems she had
Written in tiny letters on notebook paper that were in her room.
Mr. Blanchard let her in the cottage and she got Mrs. Croto along metal spoon from the cottage kitchen to dig up the dirt.
Emily, her hair long and flowing, sat on the edge of the garden, finding crickets.
I want the crickets to meet each other, Christy said.
Gabby pulled tiny weeds, imagining all of Sanders frontlawn as a garden.
Ashley spread the special seed-growing soil over the dirt.
Christy put her hands in the soil and mashed it all up.
The others dug it in with the long spoon.
Christine and Gabby smoothed the soil flat with their hands.
Make an S for Sanders, Gabby said.
They planted seeds in the shape of an S, 6 inches apart, 1 inch down.
Christy found a crawly bug and they screamed.
Gabby found a tiny brown ball, a spider’s egg, maybe.
They squeezed it and it popped and they screamed.
Mrs. Croto, who knows about gardens, wound the hosearound so that it reached the garden easy. Then she turnedit on and sprayed Mr. Barry.
She showed how you spray it gentle so you don’t wash the seeds away.
She sprayed till a glaze of water spread over the soil, just before the ground drank it all in.
Ashley had her poems.
Gabby got a letter.
Miss St. Pierre said they could plant flowers in all the garden areas around the cottage. It was safe to do, now that it’s Memorial Day.
They dream of flowers, they’ll add. Roses, violets, lady slippers,
Tulips, no petunias, petulips, Ashley says. I swear to god.
New Boston School teachers Deb Frairie and
Deb Croteau unpack their purses as a lesson
in Material Culture.
Photo by Rachel Lehr
1514
On March 18, after fierce competition,judges chose Exeter High School juniorLaura Messner as champion of the NH
finals competitionof the Poetry OutLoud NationalRecitation Project.The competitiontook place at theRedfern ArtsCenter of KeeneState Collegebefore an audienceof enthusiasticfamily, students,teachers andfriends.
Messner will represent New Hampshire inthe national competition April 29 throughMay 2, 2007 in Washington, D.C. Thethree poems she recited were “Still I Rise”by Maya Angelou; “Playing Dead” byAndrew Hudgins; and, “Nude Descendinga Staircase” by X.J. Kennedy. Studentsselected poems from an anthology ofpoems on the web that are juried by theNational Endowment for the Arts andThe Poetry Foundation.
Awards from the Poetry Foundationincluded $200 for Messner and $500 toher high school library for the purchaseof poetry books. The NationalEndowment for the Arts will provide anall-expenses paid trip to the Nation’sCapitol for Messner, and a chaperone,There she will compete against statechampions from the 49 states and theDistrict of Columbia for the national titleand opportunities to win almost $50,000in scholarships.
Joseph Harris, a junior from Milford HighSchool, finished second in the competitionand was awarded $100 from The PoetryFoundation. His high school libraryreceived $200 to purchase poetry books.The three poems he recited were
“On Virtue” by Phyllis Wheatley;“Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town” by E E Cummings; and, “In the Basement ofthe Goodwill Store” by Ted Kooser.
Taj Phimansone, a junior from NewmarketJunior Senior High School, and AlenaAllegretti, senior from Bow High School,rounded out the top four. Both are eligiblefor a full scholarship to The Frost PlaceYoung Poets’ Conference in April.
Judges included New Hampshire’s PoetLaureate Patricia Fargnoli; business leaders such as Jacqueline Kahle, whoserves as Vice-Chair of the NH StateCouncil on the Arts; state representativePeter H. Allen from County District 6,who also writes poetry; plus other published poets; English faculty; theatreartists; directors of arts organizations;and literature scholars.
The NH State Council on the Arts takesthe lead in bringing Poetry Out Loud toNH and the project involves many partners, funders and loyal volunteers,who support the program and competitionincluding, The Badger Fund of the NewHampshire Charitable Foundation; KeeneState College; The Frost Place; and theArts Alliance of Northern NH.
Listening to and Reciting PoetryResults of the NH State Finals of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Project
In April, known as National PoetryMonth, New Hampshire children enjoyeda special literary celebration of their own:Children’s Poetry in the Libraries Day.NH Poet Laureate PatriciaFargnoli designed the pro-gram as part of her goalas Laureate to endeavorto reach a larger public ofall ages with poetry. Shehas said, “My main interest,outside of writing, is tobring poetry to other people and to have otherpeople love poetry asmuch as I love it.”
Poetry in the Libraries hashelped realize part ofFargnoli’s vision. Poetsand volunteer readers throughout thestate partnered with participatinglibraries to host programs devoted toreading and writing children’s poetry.Libraries, with their poetry resources and their emphasis on fostering a love of reading, were the ideal hosts for sucha program.
This inaugural program was targeted atsecond through fifth graders. “I wantednot only to provide a program duringPoetry Month that many children wouldenjoy,” said Fargnoli, “but also toencourage parents and other adults tobring more poetry into children’s lives.”More than 40 libraries from across thestate participated by hosting such wellknown NH poets as Marie Harris, herselfa former NH Poet Laureate, Pat Frisella,
president of the NH Poetry Society, MimiWhite, Portsmouth Poet Laureate, andNH Institute of Art Liberal Arts chair RickAgran, among many others.
Hundreds of childrenenthusiastically participatedin the program that gavethem the opportunity tohear local poets who readchildren’s favorites from avariety of contemporaryand classic poets and tocraft their own verses.Each event was designedby the volunteer poet and library.
Patricia Fargnoli, the NewHampshire Poet Laureate,
is the author of 3 books and 2 chapbooksof poetry. Her latest book, Duties of theSpirit (Tupelo Press 2005) is the winnerof the prestigious 2005 Jane KenyonPoetry Book Award for OutstandingPoetry published by aNew Hampshire authorin the preceding twoyears; and her first book,Necessary Light (UtahState University Press),won the 1999 MaySwenson Book Award.
Volunteer Poets in Libraries
As the NH State
Finals Champion,
Exeter High School
student Laura
Messner will travel to
Washington, DC to
compete in the
national Poetry Out
Loud Recitation
competition.
Photos by
Joanna Maznek
More than 70 poems
by NH Poet Laureate
Patricia Fargnoli are
included in
Duties of the
Spirit (Tupelo
Press, 2005).
Marie Harris took part
in the first NH Poetry
in the Libraries
program. Harris is
the former state Poet
Laureate and lives in
Barrington.
Photo courtesy of
Marie Harris
NH’s Poetry Out Loud now has 14 highschools with over 4,000 students participating in 196 classrooms aroundthe state. Last year, NH’s state champion,Bow High School student Teal Van Dyck,finished second in the US and wasawarded a $10,000 scholarship.
Any public, charter or private NH highschool is encouraged to apply and participate in 2008. Letters of invitation
are sent out in the Fall to principals of every high school in the state. For more information on the Poetry OutLoud National Recitation Project visit:www.poetryoutloud.org or contactCatherine O’Brian, Arts in EducationCoordinator at the State Arts Council at 271-0795, or by email,Catherine.R.O’[email protected], or contact Rodger Martin [email protected]
Joseph Harris from
Milford High School
won second place in
the NH Finals of the
Poetry Out Loud
competition.
1716
Percent for ArtBayberry House: NH HospitalThe State Arts Council and the NH Hospital worked in partnership to form a Requestfor Artist Proposals and select artworks for the new Bayberry House, a transitionalhousing unit on the State Hospital Campus in Concord. This project is possiblebecause of state public art legislation passed in 1979, also known at “Percent forArt,” requiring that one-half of one percent of the bid contract price of construction of state buildings and facilities be used for the inclusion of art/craft work.
The total budget for this particular project was $1,900. Even with this small budget,NH artists responded with quality proposals. The selection committee recommendedeight artworks and the State Arts Council accepted the recommendations in Autumn2006. The following artworks now hang in Bayberry House.
Byron Carr, Contoocook
• Day Pond, oil on canvas, 8”x10”
• Hill View, oil on canvas, 8”x10”
• Sungate, oil on canvas, 16”x20”
• Valley Mist, watercolor on paper, 10”x21”
Gail Smuda, Concord
• Circle of Fruit, acrylic on paper, 27”x27”
Audrey V. Sylvester, Bradford
• Lily 2005, photograph, 18”x24”
• Iris Spring, 2006, photograph, 18”x24”
• In my Garden, photograph, 18”x24”
To learn more about the Percent for ArtProgram and upcoming Request forArtist Proposals, sign up to receive E-news service at www.nh.gov/nharts.
Audrey Sylvester’s
photos depict close ups
of flowers.
Photos by Julie Mento
Valley Mist, by Byron Carr watercolor on
paper, 10”x21”.
Photo by Rebecca Lawrence
Around the State
Congratulations to…
Jody Diamond, AIE Roster artist anddirector of the American GamelanInstitute, who has been awarded a nine-month National Endowment for theHumanities (NEH) Fellowship for 2007-2008 to prepare and publish annotatedperformance editions of the gamelanmusic of Lou Harrison. Diamond is aSenior Lecturer at Dartmouth College.
To the following recipients of the NationalEndowment for the Arts FY07 Access toArtistic Excellence Awards: The HopkinsCenter for the Arts received $45,000 tosupport the Visiting Performing ArtistSeries. The MacDowell Colony ofPeterborough received $35,000 to support first-time artist residencies. The National Film Preserve, Ltd., ofPortsmouth received $20,000 to supportthe 34th Telluride Film Festival, includingstudent symposia. Opera North ofLebanon received $12,500 to supportthe 25th season of their Young ArtistProgram for singers.
The Friends of the Concord Auditorium,who were recognized by the New EnglandTheatre Conference as the 2006 RegionalAward recipient for the unique public-private partnership which has preservedthe 102 year-old theatre. The theatre isowned and operated by the city ofConcord. The Friends group is theumbrella over all users of the theatreworking in partnership with city govern-ment to present homegrown productions,touring artists and community theatre.
Former NH Poet Laureates, MaxineKumin of Warner, and Donald Hall ofWilmot who is currently serving as the
US Poet Laureate upon the publication oftheir poems in the December issue of theNew Yorker Magazine.
Concord-born Dan Zanes, for theGrammy nomination of his album, CatchThat Train, in the Best Musical Album forChildren category.
Bill Humphreys, formerExecutive Producer at NHPublic Television and InterimDirector at Seacoast RepertoryTheatre in Portsmouth andfilmmaker, for landing a keyrole in The Bridge, a six-episodepilot for HBO. The series is setin Maine and will be filmedalmost entirely on the waterfront in Portland, MEstarting in early 2007.
Poet Pat Frisella ofFarmington, for receiving ofthe Anthony Piccione Memorial“Poets for Peace” Award. Frisellais the President of the PoetrySociety of NH. The award wasgiven in recognition of her editing of theanthology, The Other Side of Sorrow.
Poet and NH native Wes McNair forbeing one of the first artists nationwideto win a USA Fellowship from UnitedStates Artists. As a USA Ford Fellow, the former Colby Sawyer professor willreceive an unrestricted grant of $50,000to support his creative work. McNair hasauthored or edited 13 books of poetry,fiction and non-fiction, and has receivedmany awards and honors, including bothFulbright and Guggenheim fellowships.Many of McNair’s poems refer to his time in NH.
NH Poetry Society
president Patricia
Frisella has been
awarded the
“Poets for Peace”
Award for editing
The Other Side of
Sorrow,
Gail Smuda’s artwork
hangs in the dining
room area.
Around the State
Around the State
1918
Wolfeboro Folk on their new home in thehistoric 1780 barn on Tumbledown Farmin Brookfield, just 15 minutes fromWolfeboro. The barn has been transformedinto a first-class concert space for thepresentation of folk musicians. A dinnermenu of locally raised organic food,mostly from the farm, is also available.
Gary Sredzienski and the Serfs, of theSeacoast area, on receiving three nominations from the Just Plain FolksMusic Awards (aka Grassroots Grammys).Sredzienski is a member of the StateArts Council’s NH Artist Roster and NHTraditional Arts Listing. One of his compositions appears on the soundtrackof the 2005 film Bad News Bears.
The following NH arts organizations onbeing recipients of grants from the NH
Charitable Foundation of thePiscataqua Region: RochesterOpera House, $20,000 to support a marketing and financialanalysis; Strawbery BankeMuseum, $40,000 for multi-yearoperating support; PortsmouthMusic and Arts Center, $13,680to develop an outreach artsprogram for the PortsmouthAlternative Secondary School;Friends of the Music Hall,$20,000 to support Save anAmerican Treasure, Phase II;Portsmouth Women’s Chorus,$5,000 to support a performancehonoring the 250th anniversaryof the birth of Mozart; andPontine Movement Theatre,
$5,000 for the production of a playabout Wallace Nutting and the ColonialRevival Movement.
Main Street Bookends in Warner, forbeing selected as the 2006 Editor’s Pickby Yankee Magazine as the “Must-See”Book Store in New England. The storealso maintains an art gallery and presentsconcerts, poetry readings, and a varietyof workshops and classes.
Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern, directorsof The Trials of Darryl Hunt, which wonthe Grand Jury Award at the SixthAnnual NH Film Expo held inPortsmouth. Other winners included:Johnny Was, directed by Mark Hammondand written by Brendan Foley; Best ShortComedy film: Vacationland, directed byLance Edmands; Best DocumentaryFilm: Flock of Dodos, directed by RandyOlson; Best Animation film: The Toll,directed by J. Zachard Pike and producedby Marc Dole and Hatchling Studios;Best Student Film: Checkout, directed byDan Eckman; Best Screenplay: Unity, byEugene L. Langalis, III; and AudienceAward: Chasing Buckner, directed byChristoph Gelfand.
Concord Community Music School(CCMC), for being named a semi-finalistfor the 2006 Coming Up Taller Awardsby the President’s Committee on the Artsand Humanities. CCMC was recognizedfor its contributions to underserved childrenand youth through its financial aid programand Music in the Community Initiative.This recognition follows upon the Music School’s acceptance of the NewHampshire Governors Arts Award forCultural Access Leadership last April.Both awards honor the school’s commit-ment to its mission of making educationaccessible to people of all ages, musicalabilities and backgrounds.
Former NH Artist
Laureate Marguerite
Mathews is co-director
and founder of Pontine
Music Theatre, which
recently received a grant
from the NH Charitable
Foundation.
Photo courtesy of Pontine
Music Theatre
Kristen Vermilyea Harbaugh,Informational Representative in the Dept.of Cultural Resources, for winning BestNew Hampshire Film at the SomewhatNorth of Boston (SNOB) Film Festival inConcord for Straight Forward, a film noirthriller that she produced and starred in.
Writer Rebecca Rule of Northwood, onthe release of her new book, Could HaveBeen Worse, True Stories, Embellishments,and Outright Lies, published byPlaidswede Publishing of Concord.
The following recipients of New EnglandStates Touring Grants from the NewEngland Foundation for the Arts:Capital Center for the Arts in Concord,to present Opera New England;Community Partners of Dover, to presentFred Garbo Inflatable Theatre Co.;Freedom Elementary School, to present
John Porcino; Redfern Arts Center atKeene State College, to present SnappyDance Theatre; and Lebanon OperaHouse, to present Opera North.
The following 2006 Art and WritingAwards Gold and Silver Award winners:Joo-Hyun Lee, painting, Dublin School;Benjamin James Sacks, nonfiction writing, and Dara Fisher, humor, HollisBrookline High School; Dylan Jones, art portfolio, and Jesslyn Archambault,drawing, Keene High School; MarlanaLord, drawing, Manchester Central HighSchool; Eric Mele, art portfolio,Manchester Memorial High School;Angela Bartlett, drawing, and CaitlenBrown, sculpture, Monadnock RegionalHigh School; Aleks Banner, mixedmedia, Nashua High School South; TaraBurton, personal essay, memoirs, poetryand several short stories, Phillips ExeterAcademy; and Nick Arcidy, computerart, Souhegan High School. Thesenational awards, administered by theAlliance for Young Artists & Writers, recognize creative teenagers and offerscholarship opportunities for graduatinghigh school seniors.
David Carroll is Named a MacArthur Fellow
Naturalist, author, and illustrator DavidCarroll of Warner has been named a2006 MacArthur Fellow. The Award fromthe John D. and Catherine T. MacArthurFoundation was given to him for“employing the eye of an artist, the mindof a scientist, the voice of a storyteller,and the passion of a conservationist tohelp people of all ages see the beauty,history, and value in swamps, bogs, kettle ponds, and rivers.” The Fellowshiprecognizes people who are creative andoriginal and who have the potential to
The Concord Community Music School
regularly holds free lunchtime concerts for the
community. The school recently received
recognition from the President’s Committee on
the Arts and Humanities through the Coming
Up Taller Awards program.
Photo courtesy of the Concord Community
Music School
Around the State 2120
Around the State
make important contributions. TheFellowship, popularly referred to as “thegenius grant,” comes with an unrestricted$500,000 award.
Carroll is an active lecturer andturtles/wetlands preservation advocate.His art and writing, as well as his extensivefieldwork with turtles and wetlands hasbeen widely recognized, and been thesubject of many feature articles. His botanical and forestry paintings have earned him awards from the USDepartment of Agriculture and theInternational Society of Arboriculture. In 1999, he received an EnvironmentalMerit Award from the EnvironmentalProtection Agency. In 2001 he receivedthe John Burroughs Medal for Literaturein Nature Writing.
Welcome To...
Susan Cobler, of Kittery, ME, new coordinator of Art-Speak, the organizationformed by the City of Portsmouth to promote appreciation, awareness, partic-ipation and dialogue in the support ofarts and culture. Cobler has more than20 years of experience in project management and communications inboth the corporate and nonprofit sectors.Additionally, she has served on numerousnonprofit boards, including chairwomanof the Portsmouth Children’s Museum andthe Piscataqua Maritime Commission.
Cynthia Robinson of Moultonborough,who now serves as Director of Programsand Member Services at the ArtsAlliance of Northern New Hampshire,based in Littleton, NH. Robinson waspreviously Program Director at theFriends of the Arts Regional ArtsCouncil in Plymouth for eleven years.She also served as Educational Program
Development Consultant at the CapitolCenter for the Arts and has a backgroundin studio art (painting, sculpture, envi-ronmental art) and has also taught art.
Diane Cushing, new conductor of theNashua Symphony Orchestra.Acccording to Executive Director Eric Valliere, “She brings a wealth ofexperience both as a professional singerand as a conductor, and we’re lucky tohave found her.” Cushing also teachesVoice at Assumption College and KeeneState College, and is the Conductor ofthe Keene State College Choir.
Mary Rose Boswell, new ExecutiveDirector of Enfield Shaker Museum inEnfield. Boswell has enjoyed a 20 yearcareer as Executive Director of theHistoric Belknap Mill in Laconia. She has also held positions at theAssociation for the Preservation ofVirginia Antiquities, the NH HistoricalSociety, Canterbury Shaker Village. She received an award from the AmericanAssociation for State & Local History forone of the many books and articles thatshe has written about the Shakers.
The New Hampshire SymphonyOrchestra (NHSO), who announced theappointment of Jeth Mill as ExecutiveDirector. Mill comes to the NHSO fromthe Phoenix Boys Choir where he servedas Executive Director for three years.
Remembering…
Norman Leger of New London, owner/director of the New London Barn Playhousefor more than 50 years, died on December15th at age 81. After graduating from theUniversity of Nebraska in 1949, Legerwent to study acting for two years at theNeighborhood Playhouse. He came to
New London in 1951 where he participatedin several Barn Playhouse productions as either actor or director. He becameowner/producer in 1955, a position heheld until taking producer emeritus statustwo years ago. Leger was instrumental intraining several generations of theatrehopefuls, many of whom have gone onto successful careers in show business.Earlier in 2006, he received the presti-gious Lifetime Achievement Award at theNew Hampshire Theater Awards, held atthe Palace Theatre in Manchester.
Musician P. David Behm, 70, ofNorthwood passed away on December23rd at the Hospice House in Concord.In 1942, his love of music led him tostudy liturgical and classical Germanchoral music. Behm was a member of anAmerican Legion drum corps and sangin the Syracuse Liederkranz Chorus. Hewas a journeyman union bricklayer from1958 to 1980 when he became anapprentice wood turner and ran his ownwood-turning and chair-making shopwhere he also produced countless piecesof Shaker furniture for 20 years. Behmled a very full life which also included ayear in the Peace Corp (with his family);membership (guitarist/vocalist) in theAngel Band, a Celtic music group, for 12years; participation at Friday night Irishstyle jam sessions in the Press Room inPortsmouth for more than 20 years; andserving as reader of the Declaration ofIndependence on July 4th at DemmonsStore and West Nottingham Post Officefor the past 11 years.
Donald Murray
In late December, Donald Murray,columnist and founder of the journalismprogram at the University of NH, died inMassachusetts at age 82. Murray won aPulitizer Prize at age 29 for the editorialshe wrote for the Boston Herald. In additionto his column, “Now and Then”, whichappeared in the Boston Globe, he published numerous memoirs and bookson writing. In his last “Now and Then”column written 5 days before his passing,he wrote: “The flow of writing is always a surprise and a challenge. Click thecomputer on and I am 17 again, wantingto write and not knowing if I can.” At age82 he was about to launch a websitewhere aspiring writers could apprenticewith the aging master. His motto was:“Never a day without a line.”
Clifford B. West
Painter, muralist, documentary filmmaker,photographer Clifford B. West, 90, diedpeacefully in his home in Norwich, VT, inlate October. West was also an exhibitioncurator and book designer. His large-scalemurals from the 30s, 40s, and 50sdemonstrated a strong affinity with theMexican muralist movement. His mostrecent murals can be seen at ThreeTomatoes Trattoria in Lebanon. His artwork has received several awards withmany found in the collections of numerousmuseums and art institutions around thecountry and in Europe. West also had a 25-year career as an independent documentary filmmaker resulting in thirtyfilms, most of them on art and architecture.Since the 1980’s, West was a senior faculty member at AVA Gallery inLebanon where his wife Bente Torjusenserves as Executive Director.
Diane Cushing is the
new conductor of the
Nashua Symphony
Orchestra.
Photo courtesy of
the NSO
National News
National NewsResources on the Web for Arts EducationActs of Achievement: The Role of Performing ArtCenters in Education
This 168-page publication providesthe first study of K-12 educationprograms offered by performingarts centers nationwide, andshowcases 74 performing art center institutions, large and small,partnering with their local schools.http://www.dana.org/books/press/achievement
Arts and Learning Resourcesfrom the National Assembly ofState Arts Agencies
Dedicated to promoting theimportance of the arts, NASAA’swebsite includes many arts education links to fundingresources, news, research projectsand national and regional partner-ships. www.nasaa-arts.org
Arts Education Partnership
The Arts Education Partnership(formerly the Goals 2000 ArtsEducation Partnership) is a private,nonprofit coalition of education,arts, business, philanthropic andgovernment organizations thatdemonstrates and promotes theessential role of arts education.The website offers advocacyresources, funding opportunities andpublications. http://aep-arts.org
Arts with the Brain in Mind
This book by Eric Jensen, a leading neuroscientist, exploresresearch on the arts and its affect on learning.http://shop.ascd.org/ProductDisplay.cfm?ProductID=101011
Champions of Change: TheImpact of the Arts on Learning
Published jointly by Arts EducationPartnership and the President’sCommittee on the Arts andHumanities, this report compilesseven major studies that providenew evidence of enhanced learningand achievement when youngpeople are involved in a variety of arts experiences. The reportincludes an excellent executivesummary. http://aep-arts.org
Converge Online
In addition to publishing articleson K-12 and higher educationtechnology, policies, initiativesand major projects, ConvergeOnline also produces educationevents each year, and publishesother resources.www.Convergemag.com
Critical Evidence: How the ArtsBenefit Student Achievementresponds to the needs of policymakers, educators, parents andadvocates for fact-based, non-technical language documentingthe most current and compellingresearch on the value of artslearning experiences. To obtaincopies visit: http://www.nasaa-arts.org/publications/critical-evidence.shtml
Interactive Internet at the SanFrancisco Museum of Modern Art
This education site includes curriculum guides and artist biographies. www.sfmoma.org
National Association ofPartners in Education
Partners in Education is a nationalmembership organization devotedto its mission of providing leader-ship in the formation and growthof effective partnerships to ensuresuccess for all students. The website offers information abouttheir projects and access toresources. www.Napehq.org
The Power of Art: Teaching Students withLearning Disabilities
Learn more about this one-dayworkshop for art teachers whowork with students with learningdisabilities, sponsored by theRobert Rauschenberg Foundationat The Lab School of Washington,DC: http://www.labschool.org
Ten Steps toward Starting aCommunity School of the Arts
National Guild of CommunitySchools of the Arts offers a comprehensive, practical, how-tobook for community leaders,board and staff members, teachingartists, and aspiring communityschool directors. www.nationalguild.org
UNESCO, the United NationsEducational, Scientific, andCultural Organization, maintains a page called “Links to Education and Art” at:www.unesco.org/culture/lea. Hereyou will find resources, features,news, and more precise linksunder the following categories:disciplines, teacher training, andInternational Community. Thereare also links to activities andexperts, organized by region.
Looking north (from Canada)you might explore LearningThrough the Arts, a curriculumprogram at www.ltta.ca
“LTTA has become the largestarts-based program in the world,”one page brags. The sheer num-ber of lesson plans, which spanmany subjects and are searchableby keyword and seven categories,reinforces the statement. There isalso a “Discussion Zone”, a“Student Zone” (including agallery of projects), and more.
Inspired by the movie of thesame name, the Mr. Holland’sOpus Foundation, www.mhopus.org repairs donatedinstruments and distributes themto music programs and individualstudents in need. The Web siteincludes grant application infor-mation, photographs, links to otherarts education sites, and more.
From NH’s own gem, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Sitein Cornish, NH - their website:www.sgnhs.org offers curriculumwith lesson plans, student handouts/worksheets. This park is one ofonly two National Park Servicesites in the country interpretingthe life and work of a visual artist.They have an annotated list ofeducational resources that supportNew Hampshire State EducationGoals and Standards in art, language arts and social studies.Most lessons can be adapted forother grade levels.
In January NEA Chairman DanaGioia announced at the annualconference of the Association ofPerforming Arts Presenters inNew York City that a new component will invite the nation’sPresenters to participate inAmerican Masterpieces, a program that shares the best ofAmerican cultural and artisticlegacy through touring, presentation, and arts education.
“The Arts Endowment recognizesthat today Presenters are an integralpart of American communities,”said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia.“American Masterpieces:Presenting will allow Americanaudiences access to the excellentartistic work that is occurring incommunities, large and small,throughout the country.”
This is good news for the nearly40 presenting organizations inNH, from the Capitol Center forthe Arts in Concord to the Little
Church Theater and Center forCreativity in Holderness.Presenters identify the uniqueneeds of their audiences and selectlocal, national and internationalartists to present in their commu-nities. They are uniquely positionedto achieve the goals of the AmericanMasterpieces program.
American Masterpieces: ThreeCenturies of Artistic Genius is anNEA National Initiative that consists of three components –touring, local presentations, and arts education. Through theinitiative, the NEA provides sup-port for programs that presentacknowledged masterpieces in avariety of art forms to large andsmall communities across thecountry. American Masterpiecessupports performances, exhibitions,tours, and educational programsacross all art forms that will reachall 50 states.
New Component added to American Masterpieces National Initiative
Grant guidelines for
American Masterpieces:
Presenting will be available
at the NEA website in June
2007, and Presenters will be
able to apply in September
2007. Presenting organizations
of all sizes, genres, and
aesthetics will be encouraged
to apply. Panels of experts in
the field, as well as represen-
tatives from all the regions of
the nation, will recommend
projects for funding. For
more information, visit the
NEA website at
www.arts.gov.
2322
General Phone:603/271-2789
URL: www.nh.gov/nharts
Fax: 603/271-3584
TTY/TDD:800/735-2964
Office Hours: 8:15 am – 4:15 pmClosed all Stateand most Federalholidays
New Hampshire StateCouncil on the ArtsEstablished in 1965, the New HampshireState Council on the Arts and the NewHampshire Division of the Arts comprisethe state’s arts agency. Funding comesfrom appropriations from the State ofNew Hampshire and the NationalEndowment for the Arts, a federalagency. Volunteer Arts Councilors setpolicies, approve grants, and advise theCommissioner of the Department ofCultural Resources on all matters concerning the arts.
The State Arts Council’s mission is topromote the arts to protect and enrichNew Hampshire’s unique quality of life.The Director of the New HampshireDivision of the Arts administers theagency, which is part of the Departmentof Cultural Resources.
New Hampshire State Arts Councilors
Chair
Karen Burgess Smith, Exeter
Vice Chair
Jacqueline R. Kahle, Wilton
Randy Armstrong, BarringtonRichard W. Ayers, SanborntonRobert Begiebing, NewfieldsDr. Robert Duff, EtnaSara Germain, DublinPeter McLaughlin, HanoverElizabeth Morgan, AmherstToni H. Pappas, ManchesterGary Samson, ConcordTim Sappington, RandolphGrace Sullivan, DeerfieldEdra Toth, FarmingtonDorothy J. Yanish, Peterborough
Department ofCultural ResourcesVan McLeod, Commissioner20 Park StreetConcord, NH 03301603/271-2540
Division of the Arts Rebecca L. Lawrence, Director2 1⁄2 Beacon Street, 2nd FloorConcord, NH 03301603/271-2789
Division of Arts Staff
Marjorie Durkee, Grants & ContractsTechnician, 603/271-2789
Paul Ferguson, Chief Grants Officer, 603/271-7926
Lynn Martin Graton, Traditional ArtsCoordinator, 603/271-8418
Carey Johnson, Arts Research Specialist,603/271-0792
Julie Mento, Visual Arts Associate, 603/271-0790
Catherine O’Brian, Arts EducationCoordinator, 603/271-0795
Judy Rigmont, Community ArtsCoordinator, 603/271-0794
Yvonne Stahr, Programs InformationOfficer, 603/271-0791
New Hampshire State Council on the Arts DeadlinesArts Partners
Grant Name Deadline AmountArtLinks Grant April 30, 2007 (call for information)
Mini Grants July 2, 2007 $250-$1,000
Arts Organizations
Grant Name Deadline AmountAmerican Masterpieces: NH Inspirations May 7, 2007 $1,000-$8,000Mini Grants July 1, 2007 $250-$1,000
Individual Artists
Grant Name Deadline AmountIndividual Artist Fellowship April 13, 2007 $5,000
Artist Entrepreneurial Grant July 2, 2007 $250-$1,000
*Quarterly Deadlines:• July 2, 2007 for projects beginning on or after October 1, 2007• October 1, 2007 for projects beginning on or after January 1, 2008• January 2, 2008 for projects beginning on or after April 1, 2008
Note: All are postmark deadlines.
Calling all Professional ArtistsMark your 2007 calendars and register for free workshops for professional NH artistswho are seeking to enhance their business skills, promote their work, and networkwith other artists. To register, call (603)271-2789. Contact for more information:Judy Rigmont, Community Arts Coordinator, [email protected].
For grant guidelines
and application
forms visit,
www.nh.gov/nharts
For more informa-
tion: 603/271-2789
NH Relay Services
TTY/TDD:
800/735-2964
April 17, 2007 (snow date: April 18):
Pricing: For What it’s Worth
Workshop Facilitator: TBA. Learn how to effectively price your artwork or service. This session is offered in partnership with MicroCredit NH’sArtWorks-NH Program.
May 23, 2007 Back by populardemand...
I Think I Want/Need a Web Site, But Where Do I Begin?
Workshop Facilitator: Webmaster, Artist,and Marketer Dan Pouliot returns torepeat this popular session. Learn aboutthe benefits of having a website, how toget started, site architecture, pros andcons of creating your own site, how tomarket your site, and other useful tips.
24
Promoting the arts to protect and enrich New Hampshire’sunique quality of life through the arts since 1965.
Inside this issueRemarks by NH Senate President Sylvia B. Larsen
Arts in Education Conference
Widening the Circle
Extending the Dance Map
Coming up in future issuesTraditional Arts
Arts in Healthcare
Partnerships
PRSRT. STDUS POSTAGE
PAIDCONCORD NH
03301PERMIT #1478
New Hampshire State Council on the Arts21⁄2 Beacon Street, 2nd FloorConcord, NH 03301-4974
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
