Nominations open for the Monadnock Region's 10th annual Ruth and James Ewing Arts Awards

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.

Arts Alive brings creatives to blow glass, learn of arts day in Marlborough

On Saturday, April 20th from 10AM-12PM, Arts Alive invites artists and arts enthusiasts to join a hands-on Field Trip at the Hot Glass Art Center in Marlborough. Attendees will learn about two of Marlborough’s arts attractions, meet other creatives, and try their hand at blowing a glass ornament. 

Arts Alive visits First Proof Press in Brattleboro

Coffee and conversation begins at 10AM promptly. Attendees will hear from the glass center’s owner and operator Jordana Korsen, the Hot Glass Art Center’s owner and operator, will discuss her background as a glassmaker and educator. The group will hear about how she built and maintains her successful creative business before diving in to experience it for themselves. 

For an added perspective on the arts scene in Marlborough, Portrait of Jazz painter Michael Reilly will be present to discuss Marlborough Arts Day. The one-day local art celebration had its first run in early December 2023. The committee is planning a second, smaller open house for May. Attendees will hear about how the first arts day went, what the next one entails, and what it means to get involved with a town-specific arts celebration that highlights its artists of pottery, blown glass, sculpture, and painting, among other mediums.

From 10:30-12, Jordana will guide us through the art of blown glass to make an ornament. Hands-on, one-on-one instruction between teacher and each participant will give others in the group the chance to meet, chat, and discuss current creative projects and love of the arts. The hot glass session is beginner friendly and limited to a group of 8.

This Field Trip is $50, which includes the cost of refreshments and creating a glass ornament ($40 for Arts Alive members.) To register for the event and future trips, visit monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips. For information about accessibility, please call the Arts Alive office at 603-283-0944 or email nina@monadnockartsalive.org.

Arts Alive visits the Sharing Arts Ceramics Center in Dublin

Field Trips are casual events designed for artists, creatives, and art lovers to explore the local arts community in depth, network with similar souls, and learn about opportunities for professional and creative growth. These events are characterized by a laid-back atmosphere to spark friendly connection, learning, and creative inspiration. During Field Trips, attendees dive into local arts spaces and businesses to see arts spaces they might not otherwise explore, and learn about available resources and opportunities for community-building and creative growth. Coffee, tea, and light bites are a staple at these trips.

Arts Alive began organizing Field Trips to visual and performing arts venues across the Monadnock region in January 2023. Since then, local artists and creatives have been introduced to the story, programming, and opportunities for involvement in DublinArts & Muse Gallery, Sharing Arts Ceramics Center, 17ROX, Historic Harrsiville and Harrisville Designs, the Keene Public Library’s Kingsbury Makerspace, the Hannah Grimes Fine Arts Gallery, and more.

Field Trips have also brought Monadnock region artists to The Stone Church, Mitchell Giddings Fine Arts, First Proof Press, Epsilon Spires, and the River Gallery School of Art in the neighboring arts community of Brattleboro, Vermont.

Arts Alive launched the Field Trip series in response to a November 2022 arts community survey. Respondents communicated a need for connection, creative inspiration, and professional growth following the pandemic. Attendees have expressed the value of this program through feedback appreciating “Being with fellow artists and hearing people's perspectives and experiences,” “Having people of different expertise talk about their experience and connection to the local community,” and “Meeting people and learning about their work and other regional programs/galleries/events.” 

Arts Alive is supported in part by National Endowment for the Arts, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, and the Field Trip program is supported by a generous gift from C & S Wholesale Grocers.

Listening Sessions Address Arts Community Needs

In December 2023, Arts Alive held a series of Potluck Arts Listening Sessions at three different locations within the Monadnock region. Artists and staff of arts organizations and nonprofits were invited to share and listen to each other's stories and discuss solutions to unique challenges in the local arts community in this transformative time. 

The goal of the Listening Sessions was to address the questions:

• What’s changed for artists and arts organizations since the pandemic? 

• What are some trends in the challenges we’re all now facing? 

• What would you like to see for yourself, your business, your organization or community going forward? 

• How can Arts Alive adapt its resources and programming to continue to support artists and arts organizations?

The arts community reflects on the pandemic

Each session started with a guest offering their personal story as a starting point for conversation. We heard from artist and art educator Tristan Bridges, the Dublin Community Center, and the Peterborough Players on their observations and personal experiences as artists, nonprofits, and arts organizations navigating the new world left behind by the pandemic. 

Arts Alive’s first Listening Session at the Historical Society of Cheshire County in Keene, NH

We then asked attendees to create a three-part story for themselves, outlining how the pandemic affected them, where they are now in their art practice, and what they envision for the future. After taking several minutes to contemplate and write down their reflections, participants gathered in small groups. This was the most important part: Each person in the group shared what their goals and challenges were, and what they believed they needed to achieve their vision.

Artists and arts organizations share where they can use support

Overall, we heard a need for increased networking opportunities and community events for artists, as well as a greater awareness of available resources for education, support, and growth. Artists called for things like more affordable studio space, finding the right community for critique and growth, knowledge of resources like where to show work, and accessible opportunities for practical and creative development. 

Attendees write reflectively on their experiences at the second Listening Session in the Dublin Community Center

For arts and nonprofit organizations, we identified a need for increased intercommunication and collaboration, as well as effectively reaching and maintaining staff, volunteers, donors, and audience members. Arts organizations imagined receiving support in marketing and outreach, donors and funding, and better communication between each other to gain strength and stability after the pandemic.

Arts Alive collaborates with the arts community for new and helpful ideas

Google Jamboard with ideas from the sessions. A “+” indicates a “like” from another user.

In January 2024, Arts Alive consolidated all the perceived needs and solutions into a community bulletin on Google Jamboard. The Jamboard had two main pages: one for artists and one for arts organizations. The pages were further divided into categories of 1) the need for community and connection and 2) the need for skills and resources. The board was open for community members to respond to the ideas that felt the most relevant and helpful to pursue, as well as to contribute their own.

Finally, Arts Alive invited all Listening Sessions attendees to a meeting via Zoom to discuss all the ideas that came out of the sessions. The virtual meeting also gave those who could not attend an in-person session the opportunity to share their thoughts, visions, and feedback.

Through the Listening Sessions and Zoom discussion, we determined that these specific projects would be the most helpful:

• A series of bite-sized skill-building workshops over Zoom for artists and organizations

• Meetups and activities for artists of specific subgroups to connect

• A support group for nonprofit and arts organization leaders to connect and share resources

• An available and up-to-date list of venues that display artwork

• and more!

The thing is, we can’t do it all on our own! Reach out to the director, Jess at jessica@monadnockartsalive.org or the programming coordinator, Nina at nina@monadnockartsalive.org if you want support organizing a networking event, community gathering, or meetup for your specific arts subgroup. If you want to volunteer with other community building projects and resources, or learn more about all the different ways to get involved, fill out this Google Form!

Fill out our survey!

Arts Alive tours downtown Brattleboro arts

On Saturday, October 28 at 10AM, Arts Alive invites artists and creatives to connect to Brattleboro through its local arts spaces. The program will convene at the River Gallery School of Art in downtown Brattleboro VT. With the community art school’s gallery as the backdrop, participants will hear about a few local visual arts programs and businesses directly from the arts leaders who run them. Afterwards, participants will enjoy tours of the nearby Vermont Artisan Designs and Stone Church. Arts Alive will provide coffee, tea, and fresh baked goods. Registration at monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips.

To begin, River Gallery School of Art board member Carolyn DiNicola will give an introduction to the school, including a brief overview of its history, current programming, and various opportunities for artists and arts-enthusiasts to get involved. Following, Downtown Brattleboro Association (DBA) Creative Director Erin Scaggs will tell the story of Gallery Walk. As the current program's founder, she will describe the seasonal monthly event that enlivens Brattleboro downtown and unites the local creative community. As Program Director for the Stone Church, Erin will also share about the Victorian-Gothic concert and event venue and her role within it.

Afterwards, a short walk through the River Gallery School will segue into a tour of Vermont Artisan Designs - just down the street. Owner Greg Worden will lead participants through the two-level store and gallery space. During the tour, Greg will touch on the topics of 1) how he's created and maintained a stable downtown arts retail space and 2) how the business advocates for the market for American crafts. John Dimick, a Brattleboro-based watercolorist featured in the store, will converse about his work and relationship with Vermont Artisan Designs.

Finally, Erin Scaggs will offer a tour of the Stone Church. The 140 year-old structure, whose character has been preserved through careful restoration, is juxtaposed weekly with rock, punk, folk, and metal music concerts, among other events.

Field Trips are $12 to cover the cost of refreshments and $7 for Arts Alive members. Limited space is available on most field trips. To register for the event and check on future excursions, visit monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips. For information about accessibility, please call 603-283-0944 or email nina@monadnockartsalive.org.

Arts Alive field trips provide a unique perspective on a town’s arts community. “The Harrisville story is really special, so it was great to get such an insider view into it,” said one attendee to our Harrisville trip.

Field Trips intentionally build community for artists and lovers of the arts. “I enjoyed getting to intentionally experience the art studios,” said another attendee about our visit to the artist studios at 17ROX. “To have artists around to ask questions and talk about their art form and how to further build community. It was also nice to have a variety of creators; musicians, portrait artists, jewelers! Oh my!”

Arts Alive has led artists to explore a variety of large and small, new and old creative spaces in the New Hampshire towns of Dublin, Keene, Swanzey, and Harrisville, as well as in Brattleboro, Vermont. Locations included the Hannah Grimes Gallery, DublinArts & Muse Gallery, MAXT Makerspace’s Ceramics Center, 17ROX, Harrisville, Mitchell Giddings Fine Arts, First Proof Press, and individual artist studios. Arts Alive launched Field Trips in January 2023 to address needs in the artist community for creative inspiration and connection.

Arts Alive is supported in part by National Endowment for the Arts, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, and this program is supported by a generous gift from C & S Wholesale Grocers.

Groundbreaking Study Reveals Economic and Social Impact of $25 Million Nonprofit Arts and Culture Sector in the Monadnock Region

Keene, NH Oct 13, 2023—Arts Alive today announced that the Monadnock Region’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $25 million in economic activity in 2022, according to the newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), an economic and social impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts. That economic activity—$18.2 million in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and $6.8 million in event-related spending by their audiences, supported 521 jobs, provided $20.6 million in personal income to residents, and generated $5.3 million in local, state, and federal government revenue. Spending by arts and culture audiences generates valuable commerce to local merchants, a value-add that few other industries can compete with.

Arts Alive was founded with the idea that increasing investment in arts and culture in our community would increase our community’s well-being. This study continues to remind us of the economic and social impacts that the arts and arts institutions have across our region, says Jessica Gelter, Executive Director of Arts Alive. We are grateful to the 840 audience members and 68 arts and cultural organizations that participated in this study. It is our goal in the coming years to increase access to and visibility of arts and culture so that more folks can enjoy the benefits of participating in these meaningful community events.

Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 uses a rigorous methodology to document the economic and social contributions of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. The study demonstrates locally as well as nationally, arts and culture are a critical economic driver of vibrant communities.

We need to remember arts are businesses and that arts can be a powerful recruitment and retention tool for all employers, said Taylor Caswell, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs. Here at BEA, we work hard to tie the lifestyles found in our communities to the local economy, building sustainable economies that result in places where people want to live and work. Whether it’s access to arts, the outdoors, or whatever, that lifestyle component is critical and worth supporting. The info from the Arts Alive report helps us all tell the story.

Key figures from the Monadnock Region’s AEP6 study include:

• The region’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $6.8 million in event-related spending by its audiences.

• The typical attendee spends $32.51 per person per event, not including the cost of admission.

• 27.1% of arts and culture attendees were from outside the region in which the activity took place. They spent an average of $56.53. All vital income for local merchants.

• 87.6% of respondents agreed that the activity or venue they were attending was “a source of neighborhood pride for the community.”

• 85.7% said they would “feel a sense of loss if that activity or venue was no longer available.”

• 79.6% agree that the venue or facility where they were surveyed is “an important pillar for me within my community.”

Nationally, the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study reveals that America’s nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $151.7 billion industry—one that supports 2.6 million jobs and generates $29.1 billion in government revenue.

Arts and culture organizations have a powerful ability to attract and hold dollars in the community longer. They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from nearby businesses, and produce the authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists, and new residents, said Nolen V. Bivens, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. When we invest in nonprofit arts and culture, we strengthen our economy and build more livable communities.

AEP6 represents a reset from its previous versions, establishing a new benchmark in the AEP study series.

• Social Impact: For the first time, AEP6 expands beyond the economic and financial data to include social impact measurements of arts and culture’s effect on the well-being of communities and residents.

• Equity and Inclusion: AEP6 broke new ground by prioritizing equity, community engagement, and inclusivity. With the goal of reducing systemic bias, Americans for the Arts transformed its approach and expanded the inclusion and participation of organizations serving or representing BIPOC- (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and ALAANA - (African, Latine, Asian, Arab, Native American) identifying communities.

AEP6 demonstrates the significant economic and social benefits that arts and culture brings to their communities, states, and the nation. To amplify the study results and raise awareness of these widespread benefits with public and private-sector leaders, seventeen national organizations partnered with Americans for the Arts on AEP6:

• Actors’ Equity Association

• African Diaspora Consortium

• Arts & Planning Division (American Planning Association)

• Black Legislative Leaders Network

• Department for Professional Employees

• AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations)

• Destinations International

• International City/County Management Association

• Independent Sector

• National Association of Counties

• National Conference of State Legislatures

• National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations

• National Independent Venue Association

• National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women

• Race Forward

• Recording Industry Association of America

• The Conference Board

• U.S. Conference of Mayors

By measuring arts and culture’s wide-ranging impact, public and private sector leaders can work together to secure funding and arts-friendly policies that shape more vibrant and equitable communities.

The full report, a map of the 373 study regions, and a two-page economic impact summary for each, can be found at AEP6.AmericansForTheArts.org.

For more information, follow us @monadnockartsalive. The Monadnock region’s full report and 2-page summary can be found at monadnockartsalive.org/aep6.