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From December 11, 2009

Upcoming Deadlines

The deadline for applying for an Arts in Health Care grant is January 4, 2010. Applications must be postmarked or dropped off at the Arts Council office (before 4:15 p.m.) by that date. For information: http://www.nh.gov/nharts/grants/partners/artsinhealthcare.htm.

National News

NEA Grants for Monadnock Music

Two New Hampshire arts organizations have been awarded grants through the first round of the National Endowment for the Arts’ fiscal 2010 grants. The MacDowell Colony and Monadnock Music, both in Peterborough, will receive funds in the category Access to Artistic Excellence.

The MacDowell Colony has been awarded $35,000 in the field of Artists Communities. The money will be used to support artist residencies for first-time fellows. Monadnock Music has been awarded $15,000 in the in the field of Music. The funds will be used to support free community concerts in the Monadnock region.

The funds are part of a total of $26,968,500 that the NEA has granted to support 1,207 projects nationwide. For more information and lists of winners in other states, visit http://www.arts.gov/news/news09/Announce12-09.html.

50 Tips from Americans for the Arts

In recognition of its 50th anniversary, and in response to the challenging economic climate, Americans for the Arts has dedicated its latest monograph to a compilation of lessons learned during the birth and development of the community arts movement. “We hope this compilation of 50 tips from the past will serve as a reference as you navigate the future of the arts in our nation-no matter what your specific role in the arts and culture sector might be,” writes AFA President and CEO Robert Lynch.

The monograph can be found here:
http://images.magnetmail.net/images/clients/ArtsUSA/attach/Monograph_December.pdf

New Hampshire News

Dudley Laufman Honored by Governor and Council

Governor John Lynch honored National Heritage Fellow Dudley Laufman of Canterbury with a proclamation at the Governor and Executive Council meeting in Concord Wednesday, Dec. 9. Laufman was one of 11 National Heritage Fellows from around the country who participated in a variety of ceremonies and a public concert in Washington, D.C., September 22 to 24. The fellowship is the National Endowment for the Arts’ highest honor for a traditional artist. These fellowships recognize lifetime achievement, artistic excellence, and contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage.

Arts Council Acting Director Lynn Martin Graton spoke at the Governor and Council meeting Wednesday. “It’s wonderful that the National Endowment for the Arts has recognized that traditional New England fiddling is among the traditions that the country holds dear,” she said.  

Since the inception of these awards in 1983, three New Hampshire traditional artists have received this distinction:  Newt Washburn of Bethlehem was honored for his split ash basket making, Bob McQuillen of Peterborough was honored for his contra dance piano and accordion playing, and now Dudley Laufman for his dance calling and fiddling. 

New nominations for this prestigious award are due to the National Endowment for the Arts on October 1, 2010. Click here http://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/index.html to learn more.

Saint-Gaudens Names New Superintendent

Rick Kendall has been named superintendent of Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish. He replaces BJ Dunn, who assumed duties as deputy superintendent at Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, in October.

Kendall is currently completing the NPS Bevinetto Congressional Fellowship in the Headquarters Office in Washington, D.C. As part of this fellowship, he spent 2008 working as a member of the legislative staff on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources. In 2009, Kendall has served as the liaison between the National Park Service director and the assistant secretary of the interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, working on national issues for the park service and the Department of the Interior.

Kendall began his career with the National Park Service in the backcountry office at Olympic National Park, Washington. Since then, his career as an interpreter and manager has taken him to Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Washington, as the park’s education specialist, Death Valley National Park, California, as supervisory park ranger, and the USS Arizona Memorial, Hawaii, as acting chief of interpretation.

Kendall holds a bachelor’s degree in archaeology from the University of Georgia and a master’s in archaeology from the University of Arizona. Kendall, his wife Laura, and two children, ages 6 and 3, will relocate to the upper Connecticut River valley area in January.

Congratulations

AANNH Launches Blog

The Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire has launched a new blog, Creative North, to highlight creative activities, entrepreneurs, organizations and businesses around the North Country region and keep readers informed about cultural news and events. Visit the blog at http://creativenorthnh.blogspot.com/.

Spotlight on Grantee Events

Square Dance, Integrated Arts Presentation December 11

As part of an Arts-Council funded project, Franklin Middle School sixth-graders will be hosting a square dance and integrated arts presentation tonight, December 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Middle Arts and Entertainment Center at the Franklin Opera House in Franklin, N.H. Students, along with professional artists, will be calling and dancing square dances. The public is invited to participate.

The Franklin Opera House, in partnership with Franklin Middle School, was awarded a $3,525 grant for the Arts Education Leadership Project, which is focusing on 120 sixth-graders.

Students will also present the five quilts that were made by members of the sixth-grade class with help from more than 20 community members, including women from the Tripp Center and area merchants. These quilts will be donated to organizations chosen by the students.

The sixth-graders, supported by the Middle New Hampshire Arts and Entertainment Center in the Franklin Opera House and a matching grant from the N.H. State Council on the Arts, joined forces in this integrated arts community-building project.

Students have spent the last month making quilt blocks and learning about music from the 1800s, square dancing, hamboning, and how these topics relate to their regular classes such as social studies and math. Students will make brief presentations on what they learned.

Leading the project is Ellen Carlson, a fiddler and former math teacher who is on the Artist in Education Roster for the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. “Quilting provides great ways to explore math in a hands-on way,” said Carlson. “The music and dancing fit in as well — many quilt patterns are named after square dance steps or songs. It is amazing to me how the community has supported this project and how invested the students became in learning.”

E-clips

From New Jersey: State freezes $10M promised to the arts
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-15/126032731118280.xml&coll=1

The Concord Monitor’s preview of last night’s poetry reading at Gibson’s Bookstore
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091203/ENTERTAINMENT/912030327/1014/entertainment

Foster’s Daily Democrat reports on a sculpture displayed at Children’s Museum
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091205/GJNEWS_01/712059932

David Carroll’s Hydromancer’s Notebook makes the Boston Globe’s Best Nonfiction of 2009 list
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/12/06/simply_the_best_nonfiction/

Last updated: December 14, 2009