The Fiddling Thomsons Awarded 2023 Governor's Arts Awards for Folk Heritage

On October 23, 2023, the Governor's Arts Awards recipients were celebrated during a live streaming awards ceremony, filmed at Studio Lab in Derry. The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, in cooperation with the Governor's Office, biennially takes the opportunity to publicly acknowledge and recognize outstanding contributions to the state’s arts and cultural life made by individuals, organizations and communities through the presentation of the Governor's Arts Awards. 

The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts is delighted to announce the Fiddling Thomsons as the recipient of the 2023 Governor's Arts Awards in Folk Heritage. The Folk Heritage Award "recognizes a New Hampshire traditional folk artist who has made a significant contribution to his or her art form and the cultural community, reflecting a lifetime of achievement." The 2023 Folk Heritage Award was sponsored by Sanborn Mills Farm.

Photo: The Fiddling Thomsons at the GAA's. Photo by Abbigail Nelson.

Ryan and Brennish Thomson are a father and son duo who perform and teach a wide variety of folk music on multiple instruments. Known as The Fiddling Thomsons, they travel throughout New Hampshire, the U.S. and overseas, bringing the heritage of New England folk music to people everywhere.

Ryan learned to play via his mother, father, and extended family through the aural tradition. Brennish started playing fiddle at age 2 and grew up surrounded by music, accompanying his father to gigs and teaching activities. Thus, they both learned by the passing down of tunes through the generations. Brennish has also mastered guitar, mandolin, banjo, and hand- held percussion instruments including bones and wooden spoons. He teaches both children and adults in his surrounding community and at fiddle schools and music camps nationally.

Ryan is a multi-instrumentalist as well. He plays fiddle, 5 string banjo, pennywhistle, accordion, and piano, among others. He has authored numerous fiddling and fiddle books, recordings, and instructional DVD videos on various musical topics.

Together, The Fiddling Thomsons have performed at many New Hampshire venues, such as libraries, parks, festivals and dances. With their performances is often an educational component. They are both adept at engaging with their audiences, giving history of tunes and anecdotes. Their tunes were passed on to them in the aural tradition, from generation to generation, and they continue to pass on the musical heritage.

NHSCA FY24 Grant Opportunities

Youth Arts Project (YAP) Grants fund high-quality educational opportunities in the arts. Arts learning fosters positive social and emotional skills and bolsters creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. YAP grants broaden access to diverse forms of artistic and cultural practices and can engage youth in contributing to community goals. Grants fund programs in all arts disciplines including dance, theatre, media, music, visual arts, craft, and creative writing. Engaging teaching artists to lead the arts learning is a core element of this program. Deadline: April 7, 2023

Artist in Residence (AIR) grants fund artist residencies that bring juried teaching artists into classrooms and public schools to support creative learning and skills development in the arts. AIR grants funded by the State Arts Council are intended to show best practices for this work and can support residencies in a variety of arts disciplines. Deadline: April 21, 2023

Public Value Partnerships for general operating support of nonprofit cultural organizations are an investment in the cultural infrastructure and creative economy of New Hampshire. A limited number of competitive and matching grants will be awarded to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that demonstrate excellence in planning, administration and programming. Grantees are expected to provide high quality and broadly accessible arts experiences, activities and services for New Hampshire citizens. They are also expected to promote the arts as integral to the local economy by developing and maintaining close relationships with other community-based organizations and businesses and policy makers. Deadline: April 28, 2023

Arts in Health Project Grants support arts activities that occur in community spaces and health-based facilities; the latter may include hospitals, social service agencies, rehabilitation/ recovery centers, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, adult day centers, senior centers, veterans’ homes, hospice/grief programs, and correctional facilities. Deadline: May 5, 2023

Arts Conservation License Plate ("Moose Plate") Grants support the conservation of publicly owned artworks, artistic elements of publicly owned historic cultural facilities that serve as sites for arts programming, projects that improve public access to significant publicly owned artwork or arts documents, and projects that make publicly owned historic cultural facilities and the arts programming that takes place in them, more accessible to the public. LOI Deadline: May 5, 2023; Full Grant Deadline: June 23, 2023

Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants help communities preserve their cultural heritage through the learning and passing on of traditional arts– including crafts, music, and dance - so that future generations can continue to benefit from them. Apprenticeship grants fund a master traditional artist to teach an experienced apprentice in one-to-one sessions for a minimum of 65 hours over a period of six to ten months. Traditional arts are passed down from one generation to the next within communities through observation, conversation, imitation, and practice. They represent a sense of beauty, skills, knowledge, and community values refined over generations and are an important part of our living cultural heritage. Communities can be defined in many ways such as groups that share the same ethnic heritage, language, geographic area, religion, occupation, or way of life. Deadline: June 30, 2023

Arts for Community Engagement (ACE) project grants support community enrichment and public benefit by providing access to high quality arts performances, activities, and programs presented by community-based organizations, Main Street programs, and municipalities. This grant category supports a wide range of activities including performances, concerts, exhibits, workshops, community arts programming, and collaborative public art projects that engage the arts and artists for the benefit of New Hampshire residents and communities. Deadline: July 7, 2023

Folklife and Traditional Arts Project Grants support projects that focus on presenting and preserving folklife and traditional arts in New Hampshire. The goals of this funding category are to deepen the appreciation for and understanding of folklife and traditional arts so that they continue to be a meaningful and visible part of our community life, support traditional artists and cultural communities so that they can continue to preserve these living traditions, and sustain the variety of folklife and traditional arts so that future generations may continue to benefit from them. Deadline: July 7, 2023

Artist Entrepreneurial Grants recognize the importance of the creative workforce to New Hampshire’s economy. Artist Entrepreneurial Grants support opportunities that will benefit artists’ careers, including the development of business skills, participation in programs to raise the level and quality of their art, and participation in programs that will bring their art to the widest possible markets. Quarterly Deadlines: May 5, August 4 and November 3, 2023, and February 2, 2024

The Arts in Health Artist Directory is a resource for organizations in search of artists who are experienced and skilled in leading projects that deliver health and healing benefits within a variety of health care settings, or in leading public health-focused work in partnership with health-based entities and professionals. Artists may apply to either the Health & Healing Track or the Public Health Track, or they may submit separate applications to both. Performing, literary, media and visual artists are eligible to apply. Deadline: Rolling

The Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing is a directory of traditional artists, community scholars, and folklorists who are available for performances, demonstrations, workshops, and other community-based presentations in New Hampshire. The Heritage & Traditional Arts Program provides this service both as a resource for arts organizations, museums, community groups, schools, and other groups that want to include traditional arts and artists in their programs and for artists who wish to present their traditions in community settings. The Listing provides contact information, areas of specialty, and types of presentations artists can offer. Deadline: Rolling

Teaching artists on the Arts Education Roster work as both professional artists and experienced educators. They bring deep content knowledge and real world perspectives to facilitate hands-on project based learning. Teaching Artists supplement school curricular offerings and enrich learning opportunities in our communities, diversifying the artistic disciplines and forms that students experience. These professionals share their expertise to facilitate creative and meaningful engagement in the arts. Deadline: Rolling