This week we give thanks to all our supporters as we kick off our 2013 Annual Appeal. Our 2013-14 theme is "We're All In This Together," and all donations to the Annual Appeal will support our Arts in Education efforts. We're also encouraging both new membership and renewals; all those who join for the first time or renew their membership by the end of the year will be entered into a raffle for a beautiful print by Arts Alliance member Jeannette Fournier. We hope you'll consider supporting us during this busy time of year. We promise to make the most of your donations! Click here to learn more about the Annual Appeal, here to donate and here for membership information.

We are pleased to support the annual conference presented by Plymouth State's Educational Theatre Collaborative. The conference features professional development sessions with leading New Hampshire arts educators, including Marcia McCaffrey, Arts Consultant at the NH Department of Education, and music educator Heidi Welch, 2013 NH Teacher of the Year. Arts Alliance members get a 10% discount! For details and registration information, click here.

It's not too early to register for our annual Don Graves Write Now! Conference, set for Saturday, March 22, 2014 at Kennett High School. This year's conference brings back the extraordinary teacher, writer and speaker Kelly Gallagher, whose topic will be "Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts." Co-sponsored by the Arts Alliance and the Conway School District, with a fee of only $25 (morning coffee and brunch included), this is the year's best conference deal. Click here to download the conference brochure and registration form.

What a great conference! Stay tuned for conference images, videos and follow-up conversations on our Facebook Group. For conference handouts, click here. And click here to watch the video of "The Irreducible Core Essentials in Activating Creative Potential," the keynote address by Eric Booth.

Click here to learn about the work done by this year's wonderful Artists in Residence -- and to see images of some of their public programs.

The Weeks Act Legacy Trail is a new, self-guided driving tour of the White Mountains; you can check it out at www.weeksactlegacytrail.org. Helping travelers along the way are an audio tour and print tour as well as an online virtual tour and mobile tour customized for smart phones. You can also stop at a Forest Service visitor center to pick up a free trail brochure. Named after The Weeks Act, the watershed conservation legislation of 1911 that led to the creation of the National Forest System, the tour spans 100-miles and stops at 40 signature White Mountain destinations. Destinations are categorized by eight themes: Art and Literature, Conservation History, Ecology and Nature, History and Cultural Heritage, Kids and Families, Recreation, Scenery and Photographic Opportunities and Water. Each site is fun to visit on its own; together, they contribute to a meaningful understanding of the past, present and potential future of these protected lands The Arts Alliance is proud to be part of the team for this important project.

We're proud to be coordinating partner for the New Hampshire Arts Learning Network, a collaborative of individuals, organizations and groups with a common interest in arts education, working to support quality arts learning for all students in New Hampshire. Please join us on the network website to share information, resources and services; find out about arts education news and events; learn about federal and state policy and how local education agencies fulfill policy requirements; and access arts education advocacy tools and ideas. On the site you'll also find a toolkit to help you invite an elected official to your school or community arts site to witness first-hand the power of the arts in learning.



On Stage in the White Mountains Promotes Performing Arts Organizations
Check Out Our On Stage Google Map

Summer in northern New Hampshire is all about lakes, mountains, swimming, hiking - and spectacular music, theater, poetry, festivals and more! Check out this online map for listings of 25 Arts Alliance member organizations involved as producers or presenters of the performing arts. (To help you get to them, use our Google map; click here to see the On Stage map and find out more about these terrific organizations.).


We've Gone "Social"!
Become an Arts Alliance Fan on Facebook

The Arts Alliance is now on Facebook. Find us at Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire. Check out our postings and join us as a fan. We'll be keeping you up to date on events happening around the region, and invite you to let us know what you're thinking about.




Northern New Hampshire History and Heritage: A Map & Guide

The Arts Alliance, in collaboration with partner organizations throughout our region, has produced a brochure that serves as a map and guide to historic sites throughout the North Country, from Plymouth to Pittsburg. It includes a brief history of our region, great vintage photographs, and a comprehensive listing of historical societies, museums, and heritage sites.
We are in the process of adding a new "History & Heritage" section to this site, with additional information and links to related websites. We invite you to visit it – and comment on it – now, by clicking here. Free copies of the History and Heritage Map & Guide are available. More...



HandMade in the Northern Forest:

A guide to fine art and craft traditions in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York showcases our region through 13 driving tours that traverse the beautiful landscape and inviting towns of northern New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont and New York's Adirondacks and Tug Hill region. The Arts Alliance is a proud partner in this regional endeavor.
HandMade in the Northern Forest's 365 listings – among them Arts Alliance members like the ARTS Gallery, Chapel Arts New England, Contreras Gallery of Fine Arts, League of NH Craftsmen (Littleton), and Old Mill Studio – showcase a wide variety of craftspeople, from basket weavers and potters to painters and stained glass artists, furniture makers, woodworkers, blacksmiths, sculptors and others inspired by the landscape. It features studios where visitors can watch artists in action, as well as galleries, restaurants, inns and special attractions such as museums, historical sites and working farms. Each chapter includes colorful maps, local lore and detailed contact information for each listing. More...

ArtsNorth Cultural Event Bulletin

The North Country – from Plymouth to Pittsburg – is brimming with a wealth of arts, culture and heritage offerings and events not only during the summer, but throughout the year. In an effort to increase awareness of the programs, places, and performances that highlight our cultural lives, the Arts Alliance has designed an ArtsNorth calendar bulletin for you, your friends and your guests. To see our most recent Events E–Bulletin – and to sign up to receive new ones, click here.

ArtsNorth Calendar

Check the ArtsNorth Calendar for upcoming arts and humanities events all around our region. You'll be amazed at the variety and quality of programs. And let us know about what's happening in your school and community so that we can help spread the word.

AANNH Events & Programs

Go to our AANNH Events & Programs page to learn about and find registration forms for current Alliance offerings and ongoing programs and partnerships. We'd also like to hear what cultural programs you'd like to see in your community, and to help you make them happen.

Email us if you'ld like to receive our Fall/Winter Roster of Programs for Schools & Communities. It will be available by email and in hard copy at the end of September.

Visit Our Online Arts Gallery!

Check out the AANNH Online Arts Gallery, providing a web presence and links for North Country artists, arts businesses, galleries, and cultural organizations of all kinds.
The gallery has been made possible through the generous support of the Northern NH Foundation and the NH State Council on the Arts and the invaluable partnership of TechLink NH.

Click here to enter and view our Gallery. Be sure to click on the artwork for a better view- And visit often as the gallery grows, to learn about our region's talented artists, dedicated organizations, and exciting arts businesses.

Join us in our online Gallery: If you are an artist in music, theater, literary arts, visual and media arts, interdisciplinary arts, or crafts--this is a great, low-cost way to show and share your work to potential presenters, purchasers, patrons, or publishers. If you run an arts business or organization, here's a chance to reach artists and arts lovers in our region and beyond, and to show your support for, and involvement in, northern New Hampshire's cultural future.
To download a gallery information sheet in MS Word format, click here. Download the individual artist gallery registration form here and the organizations & businesses gallery registration form here.

North Country Cultural Plan

The Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire and its partners have been working to develop a regional cultural plan for the North Country, with the goal of offering strategic and realistic recommendations for action that can be taken at the regional, sub-regional, local and agency levels to enrich cultural life, improve access to programming, and increase educational and participatory opportunities in the arts and culture throughout northern New Hampshire.

The process is supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the NH State Council on the Arts and by generous donations from Public Service of NH and the Citizens Bank Foundation

Download the plan.PDF. Your suggestions, and ideas are most welcome – please call us at 323-7302 or email info@aannh.org-- with questions and comments.