Wednesday, November 2, 2022

NH State Council on the Arts announces Folklife and Traditional Arts project grant awardees

The N.H. State Council on the Arts has announced that more than $60,000 in funding will be awarded in fiscal year 2023 through its two Folklife and Traditional Arts grant programs: Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants and Folklife and Traditional Arts project grants.

Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants assist in the preservation of traditional and heritage-based arts by funding a master traditional artist to teach a qualified apprentice in one-to-one sessions.

FY2023 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants were awarded to:

  • Aishwarya Balasubramanian, Nashua and Swathi Jaisankar, Cambridge, Mass.
  • Misty Batchelder, Concord and Janine Condi, Concord
  • Marina Forbes, Rochester and Eileen Riggs deCastro, Boylston, Mass.
  • Sherry Gould, Bradford and Anita Blanchard, Goffstown
  • William Gould, Bradford and Darryl Peasley, Contoocook
  • Garry Kalajian, Bradford and Jay Davini, Goffstown
  • Shyam Nepali, Manchester and Rewant Bagchand, Hooksett
  • TJ Wheeler, Hampton Falls and Lillian Buckley, Kittery, Maine

Folklife and Traditional Arts project grants support both ongoing and new projects that focus on presenting, cultivating, documenting and preserving folklife and traditional arts in New Hampshire.

Projects funded through FY2023 Folklife and Traditional Arts project grants are going to:

  • American Independence Museum, Exeter
  • Franco-American Centre, Manchester
  • Hopkinton Historical Society, Hopkinton
  • Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum, Warner
  • Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, Nashua

The State Arts Council’s Folklife and Traditional Arts program supports art forms that are passed informally from generation to generation through demonstration, conversation and practice. These arts reflect the cultures of community groups that can be defined by ethnic heritage or by occupation, religion, geography, way of life, language or familial groups.

The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, a division of the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, enhances the quality of life in New Hampshire by stimulating economic growth through the arts, investing in the creativity of students, making the arts accessible to underserved populations and preserving heritage arts. Learn more about the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts at nh.gov/nharts.