discover monadnock arts:
at home!
Help our communities stay Busy, Grounded, and Sane!
The arts are miraculous - and we artists keep making, creating, writing, journaling, playing, exploring, thinking, dreaming. We want you to share your projects, live streams, videos, patreon projects, bandcamp sites, project ideas, project tutorials, online classes you're presenting OR watching. Keep our community inspired, hopeful, dreaming about the future - and taking small steps in the here and now to touch, see, hear, taste and smell(?) the present moment. Help other people tear away from the constant stress of news, homeschool assignments, and worry about ... well, everything. Give them a bit of joy - some arts at home.

Arts Alive! will utilize our platforms to host these ideas, resources, events, stories, opportunities, etc. Just like we do in "normal times" with our Discover Monadnock Happenings Newsletter - we'll be sharing your work through our social media, newsletter and websites - getting your good news out to the general public.
The more ideas we find or receive, the more we will have to publish! Send us your thoughts for online creativity and fun!
wkbk radio saturday morning:
sound off with Chris Coates
Chris Coates, Cheshire County Administrator, hosts Sound Off with Chris Coates , a weekly radio show on Saturdays from 9am -12noon. Once each month Chris, with co-host Carl Jacobs, dedicates his program to focus on the arts in the Monadnock Region . This Saturday, April 4, Arts Alive! will share the radio waves with some incredible artists and arts organization leaders. The schedule as of now will provide fun and educational listening. Tune in!

The line-up so far:
9:30       Maureen Ahern, Artistic Explorer and former Director of the Thorne Gallery

10:00     J.J. Prior and Emilia Whippie, Actors and teachers

10:30     Miriam Carter, Executive Director, League of NH Craftsmen 

11:00      Jessica Gelter, Executive Director of Arts Alive! How the Arts are stayng social while remaining distanced

staying connected:
weekly engagement
Arts Alive! wants to offer artists the opportunity to connect with each other. We are envisioning weekly "rise and shine" zoom calls with artists to have an invigorating activity and a group check in on how everyone is doing and a weekly "cocktail hour" with artists to check in and then discuss a big creative question. Let us know if these ideas interest you and we'll get the ball rolling in the next week or two!
We have already begun to offer Tuesdays at 2pm calls with the Monadnock region's nonprofit arts organizations with staff - meetings are for peer support, skill and resource sharing, and to invite guest speakers in to share valuable information. If you would like to join this group, please email Jessica: office@monadnockartsalive.org
other resources:
arts alive! is here for you!
Arts Alive! will work to keep updated resources on its website .

Some good news about the Stimulus ! The package includes $75 million for the National Endowment for the Arts to distribute to arts & culture nonprofits. Visit NH State Council on the Arts to stay updated

Unemployment has been extended to self-employed folks! Get your application in today - you can do it online. The system may not have been caught up to the new laws, so if you get an immediate denial message, have patience someone will follow up with you via phone or email with a new special worksheet to fill out so they can get your unemployment account moving. Learn more

Workshare - a NH program to help organizations cut employee hours without full layoffs, but also allows those employees to collect partial unemployment. Learn more   

SBA Emergency "Loans" for nonprofits, businesses & sole-proprietors - The CARES Act has opened up emergency loans for operations & payroll that may convert to grants if certain criteria is met. Learn more  

Equity, Inclusion, and Care: The US Department of Arts & Culture (a non-government organization) has this great and insightful blog post with resources on who to consider equity, accessibility and care for all of those that benefit from the arts. Here.

Even Arts Alive! needs some guidance in this crisis. See Americans for the Arts fantastic webinar .  
online coaching:
April 3, 13 & 27
By appointment on Zoom, Skype or Telephone
  • April 3, 10am - 3pm
  • April 13 & 27, 12pm - 4pm


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.
artisan opportunities:
look forward and put yourself out there!
2020 Art Walk in Downtown Keene- This popular, annual event is still planned.

 Here's your chance to show your work in a juried show with a huge audience! Get your work seen all over Main Street in Keene, NH! Application deadline is April 1 . (The volunteer committee will make a firm decision if the event needs to be canceled by or on May 4, in case the situation changes. )
ewing arts awards:
will still happen this year!
Nominations for these annual awards that celebrate artists in our community, will open the week of April 13 .

The Keene Sentinel and Arts Alive! partner to celebrate the diversity and excellence of artists in the Monadnock region. The mission of this event is to bring hometown recognition of world-class artists in the Monadnock region. These awards seek to recognize excellence in the creative community, and to acknowledge how these artists give back to their communities and their professions through their work.  Ruth and James Ewing Arts Awardees are creating and presenting art of excellence and contributing to the field of arts and culture in our community and beyond.
Stay tuned for details!
business after hours:
arts alive! co-hosting
Previously scheduled May 20 between 5:30 and 7 pm, this gathering of members of the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce hosted at the Robertson Building by Arts Alive! and the Monadnock Conservancy has been postponed to a future, unannounced date.
arts alive! is supported by:

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