Patrick Ross Concerts Feature Bluegrass, Irish Fiddle Tunes
In Lancaster August 28, Lincoln September 4

North Country favorite Patrick Ross presents evening concerts of bluegrass and Irish fiddle tunes, folk songs and improvisational jams Thursday, August 28, at 7:30 pm at the Lancaster Town Hall and Thursday, September 4, at 7:30 pm at the Father Roger Bilodeau Community Center in Lincoln as part of our Community Concerts program. Ross -- who plays fiddle, guitar and mandolin -- will be joined by Steve Wright of Barnet, Vermont, on banjo and guitar. Ross's new CD, "Northern Bluegrass," will be available at the concerts. The Lincoln concert is presented in partnership with the Lincoln Public Library and Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society. Tickets, available at the door, are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and students 12 and older, $20 for families. For details, call us at 323-7302.

A former Vermont state fiddling champion, Ross has been featured on CBS' This Morning, opened for Charlie Daniels, performed in a CMT music video, taught music in New Hampshire and abroad, and acted in the film "Call of the Wild," set for release this November. The concerts are an opportunity for fans to hear Ross play before he heads for the West Coast this fall.

Growing up in Northern Vermont, Steve Wright picked up his first guitar at nine years old. As a teenager he immersed himself in a small but enthusiastic bluegrass community playing guitar, mandolin, bass and the five-string banjo. In the 1980s Steve received regional recognition, appearing with his group "Pickin' Up Steam" on the Grand Ol' Opry stage. For the last thirteen years, he has been writing, performing, and recording with the Gopher Broke Bluegrass band.

Arts, Culture & Heritage in the White Mountains: Summer 2008 to
Spring 2009 Brochure Offers Guide for Visitors & Residents

The North Country in summer isn't just a place to swim, bike and hike - it's also a true center for great music and theater, and for learning about New Hampshire heritage, art and craft. Each summer we print a brochure that helps visitors and residents of our region find exciting performance and viewing opportunities, highlighting more than 50 member organizations and businesses, large and small, and many of the performances, exhibits, and events they're presenting this summer – and beyond. If you would like to receive a print copy, you can pick one up at any NH state rest area and at cultural venues and information and hospitality sites throughout the region. If you'd like us to mail you a copy, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope big enough for a 9" X 4" brochure to AANNH Guide, HC64 Box 223, Wonalancet NH 03897. Or you can download the entire brochure as a pdf here or by page here - page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4. We encourage you to ask your hosts at inns and restaurants to share them with guests. If you own a hotel or business and want multiple copies to distribute, please give us a call at 323-7302 or 638-2858.

2008 Arts in Education Partnership Conference
Join Us for "Dreaming Mountains" September 26-28

Once again we are proud to be coordinating partners as the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts presents its annual Arts in Education conference, designed for educators, artists, and everyone else who is interested in making the arts basic to the education of all New Hampshire students. The theme for the conference is "Dreaming Mountains: Exploring the White Mountains through the Arts." This conference will focus on developing leadership skills for arts advocacy and quality arts learning. It will take place at The Highland Center at Crawford Notch. Download a one-page flyer and conference brochure, workshop descriptions and lodging information here. To be placed on mailing and e-mail distribution lists for more information, contact us at info@aannh.org, or call us at 323-7302.

Pilot Partnership Program Offers Professional Development
In the Humanities to North Country K-12 Educators

We're pleased to announce a pilot regional partnership with the New Hampshire Humanities Council, aimed at bringing professional development in the humanities to North Country K-12 educators. The partnership will include year-round high-quality, content-rich workshops, seminars, discussions and institutes – funded by the Humanities Council and developed by the Arts Alliance – based on the needs and interests of local schools. Many of the programs will be connected to cultural programs presented by North Country libraries, historical societies, and arts and community organizations. All those interested in learning more about the program are invited to contact us at info@aannh.org or 323-7302.

Northern New Hampshire Visual Arts & Crafts Map & Guide Project
Help Us Identify North Country Artists and Visual Arts Programs!

We've launched a project to celebrate and support our region's arts and crafts. We are currently gathering and updating information about North Country galleries, working studios and artists/craftspeople (arts businesses and individual artists) with the goal of supporting these businesses and individuals and the region's cultural tourism industry by producing and distributing a regional map and developing a comprehensive web presence highlighting White Mountain Art history and today's arts businesses, artists/craftspeople, and arts learning opportunities. We want to generate awareness of the richness of our artistic past and of the contemporary talent in our region, and to support artists and arts businesses -- and their organizational partners -- by steering both physical and internet travel their way. Contact us at info@aannh.org or call 323-7302 to learn more.
Painting, I Can See For Miles, by Michele Johnsen

AANNH School and Community Programs
Download Our Brochure

If you work at a North Country school, or for an after-school program, child-care center or pre-school, senior center or nursing home, or any other organization or agency that might be interested in presenting arts or cultural programs, we're happy to work with you to develop customized programming, or to offer you a chance to be part of a block-booking program with other presenters. AANNH programs for schools and communities bring outstanding professional performers and traditional, visual and literary artists to towns throughout our region. They can present school residencies, assemblies, classroom programs, community workshops, public concerts, and professional development sessions. Programs range from World Music to Franco-American fiddling to authors' visits to hands-on art making of all kinds. AANNH will work with your school and/or community organization to customize programs and address your particular audience, goals and themes through cultural experiences. Download our 2007-2008 brochure on Programs for Schools and Communities here. You can also view AANNH's listing of artists who are interested in coming to schools and communities throughout Northern New Hampshire. Click here. More...

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 at NH Visitor Information Centers throughout the state, and will soon be available at historical societies and heritage sites. You can also get a copy by mailing a stamped (63 cents), self-addressed envelope to our branch office, Peacefield, HC64 Box 223, Wonalancet NH 03897.

Poster copies of the map will also be available for purchase; email us at info@aannh.org for more information. Meanwhile, we invite you to check out the "Country Store" for books and historical items available for purchase from our member organizations.

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.

The guidebook is the cornerstone of the HandMade in the Northern Forest program, which is designed to build recognition of heritage crafts as a growing part of the region's economy, and to build a network among the region's artists and craft producers. Co- published by the Northern Forest Center and Businesses for the Northern Forest, the project was funded in part by Great Bay Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, John Merck Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, Northern New Hampshire Foundation, and USDA Rural Development in New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. HandMade in the Northern Forest retails for $19.95 (US) and is available from:
• Participant businesses
• Bookstores throughout the Northern Forest...and beyond
• amazon.com
• Enfield Publishing & Distribution
Call us for local vendors or if you'd like to buy a copy.

Arts Alliance Programming

Call or e-mail the Arts Alliance for details about additional programs. Click here for information on current programs. If you are interested in helping coordinate a local program, or just in attending one, let us know. Upcoming programs include:

• Heart of the Silk Road: A Two-Year Initiative supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Using the extraordinary history and arts of the Silk Road, and working with a group of outstanding artists, scholars, and teachers, this program will create a model for arts- and humanities-based interdisciplinary teaching that brings to life the ways in which studying and practicing the art of a region or culture illuminates its environmental, economic, religious, historical and political life and also offers a rich pathway to the teaching of mathematics, science, and the language arts. An array of opportunities will provide direct experience with Silk Road artforms to classroom teachers, special educators, and media-center resource people as well as to parents, students, and community members. Call or email us for details.
• Classroom & Community Concerts, with outstanding professional musicians presenting a wide variety of school and community performances and workshops from chamber music to African drumming and Franco-American fiddling.
• Workshops for artists, educators, and staff and boards of non-profit organizations, plus like-group meetings for presenters, galleries and museums.
• Heritage programs & workshops, including Community Story gatherings.
• Artist training for local artists interested in work in school and community settings.
• Music and other programs at senior centers and nursing homes.
• Math, Science & Art programs for families & schools, including "Learning Math and Science through the Arts" at North Country schools, funded by the Walker Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation, and "Interpreting Natural Science through the Arts: A Hands-On Workshop Series" presented in partnership with Tin Mountain Conservation Center. Call Tin Mountain at 447-6991 for details of the workshop series.