It's fall - so it must be time for our annual Arts in Early Learning Conference for educators, care providers, librarians, and all those who work with children ages 2-8! Join us in Plymouth Saturday, October 15, or Derry Saturday, October 29. This year our theme is "The Four Seasons: Feeling Hot, Cold & Wet," and we'll be offering joyous, hands-on, literacy-related arts activities (music, drama, movement and visual arts) centered around the theme of seasons and the weather. Participants in this low-cost, high-energy conference, part of our Arts in Inclusive Learning partnership with VSA NH, earn professional development credits. Click here to learn more and register for the Plymouth conference, here for Derry.

We're honored to continue as coordinating partner and fiscal agent for the NH State Council on the Arts' Statewide Arts Education Partnership Conference, which includes a terrific line-up of speakers, workshop leaders, presentations and networking opportunities. Registration is now open. Click here to learn more about the conference, here to register.

We're excited that "Experience/Arts," our partnership with the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, has received one of only 15 national grants awarded by Aroha Philanthropies through its Seeding Artful Aging initiative. Artful aging programs are intended to inspire and enable older adults to learn, make and share the arts in ways that are novel, complex and socially engaging. The grant will fund a series of eight-week classes across Grafton County in 2017. We invite all those 55 and older to take our survey and let us know about classes that would be of interest to them. Read more about "Experience/Arts" here, and about potential classes here.

Our annual Write Now! conference for educators is set for Saturday, April 8, 2017! The theme: AMPLIFY! Digital Teaching and Learning. The presenters: Heinemann authors Katie Muhtaris and Kristin Ziemke. The location: Kennett High School, North Conway. Katie and Kristin will help amplify your literacy curriculum with guidance on explicitly teaching kids how to be effective digital readers and thinkers; giving students practice with closely reading images, infographics, and video; and emphasizing student ownership and creativity. Early-bird cost through September 30 is $35/registrant (breakfast & lunch included), $30 for teachers from AANNH member schools, $25 for AANNH individual members. Read more and register here.

Jude Valentine, our 2016-17 Artist in Residence, spent 5 days in August working on monoprints inspired by tree canopies, waterfalls and other views within the Forest. Working from drawings, she completed 5 large prints and worked out some technical challenges. She'll be accompanying soil scientists on a soil sample dig this fall and returning in January to complete more work. Learn more about Jude here.

We invite you to check out our school program page for information on upcoming regional residencies and professional development opportunities for educators and artists. Take advantage of our great rates on both teacher workshops and in-school arts opportunities! For more information on how to sign up, please email programs@aannh.org.

Middle and high school students from throughout northern New Hampshire are invited to participate in our Youth Arts programs! There are lots of workshops and events and plenty of volunteer opportunities being planned for fall. Click here to learn more and get involved.

Would you like to show "Mother Nature's Child," the award-winning documentary illustrating the importance and value of children's engagement with the outdoors, in your school or community? We're continuing our partnership with the Appalachian Mountain Club, NH Children in Nature Coalition and the UNH Cooperative Extension to make the film available for public viewings and discussions. Contact us at info@aannh.org if you'd like to show the film or learn more about it.

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.


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...



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.