Spotlights
The State Arts Council’s Heritage & Traditional Arts Blog
Building Community with Social Media
It would be hard to pinpoint exactly what makes a contra dance or local festival focused on heritage so special. Is it the music? The thrill of watching someone create a thing of beauty from simple materials? Or maybe it is the fun of turning a community center or a grange hall into a dance hall for an evening or the way a demonstration of blacksmithing in a town center can inspire a youngster to want to learn this ancient tradition. All of these contribute to community identity and the way we build community bonds.
In order to share, connect, and document the vibrancy of the living traditional arts in New Hampshire and the communities that celebrate them, the NH State Council on the Arts Heritage & Traditional Arts program launched two social media platforms in the fall of 2013.
The NH Heritage Arts Blog provides insights into the range of traditional arts dances, workshops, performances, community presentations and other events that are hosted by local craftsmen, musicians, and heritage organizations. Blog posts also share the work being done by Master and Apprentice artist teams who have received a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts to pass on and preserve their traditional art form.
The Heritage and Traditional Arts program also has a twitter account, @NHTradArts. While many community members who practice traditional arts may be aware of when and where local events are taking place across the state, the goal of the twitter account is to share some of these events with local city chambers, town councils, and community organizations that can help spread the word on upcoming events.
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The Heritage and Traditional Arts Program of the NH State Council on the Arts identifies, documents, preserves, and promotes traditional arts and artists in New Hampshire so they continue to be a visible and vital aspect of the state’s living cultural heritage. The program administers grants, program services, and technical support to organizations and traditional artists.
For more information about the Heritage and Traditional Arts Program, contact the program coordinator, Julianne Gadoury.
Last updated:
June 23, 2016
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