Community Survey:
survey opens February 1
For over a decade, Arts Alive! has been actively promoting, advocating for and providing technical assistance and resources to businesses and individuals engaged in the arts, culture, craftsmanship and the creative economy in the Monadnock region. We need your feedback on how to best use our resources, network, and tools in the coming years!

What matters to you?

Please take this 5-minute survey via Survey Monkey to let us know what ways you’d like to see us working to support a thriving arts community in the Monadnock region and beyond.
buy a bag!
support local arts when you do!

We happily share that Arts Alive! has been selected as a partner with the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program, which makes it easy for customers to contribute to their local community while supporting the environment.


For the month of February , each time a $2.50 reusable Community Bag is purchased at the Keene Hannaford, $1 will be donated to us!

Share our news! The more Community bags Hannaford sells during February, the more funding we will raise! Thank you, Hannaford!
artist spotlight:
terrapin glassblowing studio
In this spotlight we hear from Dominique Caissie, co-owner of Terrapin Glassblowing Studio in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Dom resides in downtown Jaffrey, with some roommates and her beloved rescue dog Pilar.  She is passionate about volunteering to make her community a more vibrant place. She is the past-President of TEAM Jaffrey (Jaffrey's Main Street Organization), a member of the Jaffrey-Rindge Lions Club and on the Executive Development Committee for the town. But most notably, she spends her time lovingly teaching glassblowing at Terrapin, Thursdays through Sundays. She told us a little bit about her business, how it began, and how she sees it fitting in to the Monadnock region’s creative community!
refer a friend:
live buy bank local

We appreciate the Savings Bank of Walpole ! You might find you appreciate a local bank too if you don't already. Refer a friend to bank at SBW and both of you can receive $25 and they will donate $25 to a local nonprofit. Arts Alive! is on the list! Thank you, SBW for your ongoing support!
artist to artist:
grants and taxes
This past month we held two well attended Artist to Artist workshops. The photo, right, shows the great turnout for  New Hampshire State Council on the Arts  director, Ginnie Lupi's workshop on finding and applying for artist grants, sponsored by our partners  Arts Alive Monadnock  and  The Hannah Grimes Center .

The second workshop all about taxes for artists, freelancers, and creative businesses was presented by Hannah Cole, founder of  Sunlight Tax.

For those who attended either workshop , we will offer an opportunity for peer check-in and support. Please plan to attend a potluck brunch to be held at the Arts Alive! office location, 15 Eagle Court on Saturday, February 29 at 10 am. Hope to see many of you there!

**REMEMBER to look for NHSCA grant guidelines soon!**
Check  nh.gov/nharts/   or - even better - sign up to receive "Art Starts" notifications.
arts alive! coaching:
February 7, 10, & 24
February 7 , 10am-3pm at Hannah Grimes Center
February 10 & 24 , 12-3 at the Peterborough Chamber
by appointment

Who: Artists, nonprofit arts staff, arts advocates, town planners, economic development professionals, and tourism industry workers.
Why: for referrals, creative economy and arts market data, to learn about workshops and opportunities (from grants to marketing), to discuss long-term cultural planning and arts integration for towns and businesses, to brainstorm ideas for partnerships, and to connect on communicating the value of arts and culture in a community.
With: Jessica Gelter, executive director of the organization for the past five years, will be in the coach’s chair. Gelter is also an artist, performer, playwright, past arts educator, and community arts organizer passionate about the arts for its transformative power in communities.
sharon arts update:
follow the transitions
Arts Alive! has been facilitating a community engaged process to address ways to support the displaced community of makers that emerged and asked for help when the Sharon Arts Center, Gallery and Store closed. We've organized and helped plan three community conversations with an average of 65 people in attendance at each, a community survey with almost 100 responses, several steering committee meetings, site visits, partner conversations, number crunching, newspaper op eds, and group visioning.

From all that has emerged "Sharing Arts"

Check out our first step in this new collaboration - its a series of decentralized workshops administered by MAxT Makerspace, intended to keep the creativity flowing by providing opportunities for artists to create art and connect with each other. They're happening all over the eastern side of the Monadnock region!
learn to draw!:
nourish your creativity this winter



Beginner art classes are available throughout the region! Here are a few to check out.
The River Gallery School in Brattleboro offers Drawing Introduction and Life Drawing.
At Creative Ventures in Milford, Beginning Drawing will run four weeks in February.
In Peterborough, MAxT offers Drawing Fundamentatals beginning in February.
At the Jaffery Civic Center you could take Basic Drawing beginning in March.
artisan opportunities!:
put yourself out there


Temporary work for the US Census The US Census bureau needs to hire 14,000 workers in the state of NH for spring and summer months. $20/hour, $.58/mile, 20-40 hours per week, flexible hours, paid training!
discover monadnock:
list your events!
The Discover Monadnock Calendar is chock full of events and seen by an ever-growing audience. The listings include concerts of all sorts, weekly events and rehearsals, craft and art shows, wine tastings and more. If the event is arty or beneficial to the region's charm in some way, it's there! Check it out and be sure to list your event! We might just select your event for the Discover Monadnock e-newsletter seen by hundreds of local residents!

If you need assistance with your posting contact Patti at the Arts Alive! office. You can also send her press releases . She can help you Tuesday - Thursday. Or you can call, 283 -0944.
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the arts are...
UNIQUE no matter where you go across our region!

The next step in our dynamic "arts are..." campaign is to tell the story of each town in our region. What is your town's arts & culture story? Take just a couple minutes, and share it with us.

We already have stories collected from:
  • Greenfield
  • Westmoreland
  • Nelson
  • Peterborough
  • Marlborough
  • Harrisville

What town arts story can you add?
arts alive! is supported by:

New Hampshire State Council on the Arts
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Hoffman Family Foundation
Eppes Jefferson Foundation
Putnam Foundation
C&S Wholesale Grocers
Carl & Ruth Jacobs
The Keene Sentinel
Acera Consulting
The City of Keene, NH
Southwest Regional Planning Commission
Savings Bank of Walpole
The Mountain Corporation
Dew Construction Corporation
Tom & Barbara Putnam
The Arts Alive! Board of Directors
Arts Alive! Members & Creative Businesses
And our greater community of donors!