Building Creative Communities Through The Arts

For questions, call Judy Rigmont, judebythesea@msn.com, (207)439-7523

The State Arts Council provides a variety of grants and services directed at improving the quality of life in communities through engagement in the arts. We strive to make the arts accessible to all citizens and therefore support projects that reach out to underserved populations who have limited access to the arts owing to geographic isolation, economic barriers and health challenges. The State Arts Council also recognizes the importance the arts have in a healthy economy and therefore encourage local investment in the arts in order to strengthen the creative economy.

The State Arts Council has a variety of grants that support creative communities. To learn more, click here.

Creative Communities Network:

In FY2010, the State Arts Council initiated a partnership to support the emerging Creative Communities Network, a consortium of local arts councils, arts organizations, community commissions and agencies, municipalities, Main Street programs, chambers of commerce, and economic development agencies from around the state. Goals of the partnership are to:

• Encourage community members, organizations, and municipal/community leaders to strengthen the creative economy by supporting local arts programming, artists, and art businesses.
• Educate municipal/community leaders on the value of local investment in the arts by supporting the development of  cultural plans, local arts agencies/arts commissions, arts and economic development strategies, cultural tourism efforts, and public art programs.
• Support collaborative arts projects involving community members, organizations, and professional NH artists who engage community members in the arts-making process resulting in the creation of public art.
• Support and strengthen existing and new arts councils/commissions, alliances and consortia as well as non-arts organizations that offer arts programs on an ongoing basis.
• Promote model community, health care, economic development and cultural tourism projects involving the arts.

Last updated: May 4, 2011