Nominations are now being accepted for the 10th annual Ruth and James Ewing Arts Awards, celebrating the diversity and excellence of artists in the Monadnock Region, and hosted by The Keene Sentinel with Arts Alive.
A jury of arts professionals from diverse fields will select up to 12 nominees to receive awards based on the criteria of excellence and community impact. The jury this year will consist of Laura Adams, Executive Director of the Jaffrey Civic Center; Cailin Marcel Manson, operatic and concert soloist, conductor, and master teacher; Petria Mitchell, celebrated artist and gallerist; Julianne Gadoury, artist and arts administrator with a focus in equitable access to the arts and arts education; and Marisol Zilske, the 2023 Student Award recipient.
Nominations are open to artists, ensembles, nonprofits, and businesses who reside or operate within the area commonly accepted as the Monadnock Region and southeastern Vermont. Individual artists, as well as groups are eligible. Self nominations are welcome.
Nominations are open from April 29, 2024, and midnight, May 14, 2024. They are being accepted online. Find more information at https://monadnockartsalive.org/ewing-arts-awards
All nominations must include a statement of no more than 500 words about why the artist, group, business, or organization should receive recognition for their excellence. Nominations must also include supporting information, which may include a resume, education, exhibitions, season schedules, honors, awards, reviews, press, or achievements, either in list form or in PDF and examples of work in one of the following forms: PDF, jpeg, video link, link to website/digital portfolio. For literary artists, we welcome a sample of work of no more than 2,000 words.
2023 Ewing Award Winners. Photo by Hannah Schroeder, Keene Sentinel Staff.
Each year four special awards are made - Lifetime Achievement, Excellence in Community Engagement, Arts Advocate, and Student Award. Lifetime Achievement nominations should describe a lengthy career or history in the arts. Recipients have a history of practicing the arts or serving as active institutions for many decades. Excellence in Community Engagement nominations should describe how the nominee has boosted community involvement in the arts in the Monadnock Region. Arts Advocate nominations should describe how the nominee has served as a voice for the arts in a town, state, national, or business environment and has helped make significant change that supports a thriving arts community. Lastly, the Ewing Arts Awards offer recognition to a student creating exemplary works of art in either college or high school with the Student Award.
Through the Ewing Arts Awards, The Keene Sentinel and Arts Alive partner to celebrate the diversity, excellence, and impact of arts in the Monadnock Region. The mission of this event is to bring hometown recognition to world-class artists and organizations that call the Monadnock Region home. Ruth and James Ewing Arts Awardees create and present art of excellence and contribute to the field of arts and culture in the Monadnock Region and beyond.
The awards are named in honor of the late Ruth and James Ewing, who made many contributions to the local arts community through their stewardship of The Keene Sentinel and through personal philanthropy. Both Ewings were directors at the artist residency program MacDowell in Peterborough. James founded the New Hampshire Humanities Council and established the James D. Ewing World Affairs Lecture at Keene State College. Ruth was active with the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music at and the Grand Monadnock Arts Council.
The awards recognize excellence in the creative community and acknowledge how these artists give back to their communities and their professions through their work. Winners are profiled in a special glossy magazine that is published each summer by the Sentinel and video interviews about their work are published to YouTube.
The evening prior to the publication's release, Arts Alive and The Keene Sentinel co-host a reception for the recipients to showcase their work and receive their awards. Details on the Ewing Arts Awards event, to be held July 18th at the Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College, will soon be available, and tickets are expected to go on sale in June. For more information on the event, contact Brendalee Edwards at brendalee@goshoppingnh.com.