VSA arts of New Hampshire

P.O. Box 908
Concord, New Hampshire 03302

Deborah Stuart
Transition Team Director

Tel.: (603) 228-4330

Organizational Profile:

Full-time Staff: 0
Part-time Staff: 2
Volunteer Hours: 1,000 hours/year
Projected Total 2008
Income: $58,910
(including In-Kind Contributions)
Direct Participants: 350
Indirect Participants: 3,400

VSA arts of New Hampshire is committed to creating a community where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. To accomplish this, VSA arts of New Hampshire has collaborated with art, education, disability, and community organizations to provide arts programs and professional development opportunities statewide. These programs have reached thousands of people with and without disabilities annually.

Programming Partners and Other Funders:

Spaulding Youth Center; New Hampshire State Council on the Arts; Plymouth Statue University; Plus Time New Hampshire; Northern New Hampshire Arts Council; Camp Mayhew; Lutheran Family Services

State Programs

Educational Programs and Artist Residencies

Artist Residencies for Youth

VSA arts of New Hampshire conducts artist residencies that engage at-risk youth and students with disabilities in visual arts, theatre, creative movement and dance, poetry and creative writing, and music, to assist alternative learning and esteem building. We also help link artist residencies to state Department of Education Frameworks.

After School Arts at Plymouth State University

These classes are held weekly for integrated groups of elementary aged students. Art Education majors have an opportunity to participate and in the spring they put on a regional arts festival for students from grades 3 and 4 from all the area schools.

FreedomWeavers Studio

In 2005, VSA arts of New Hampshire launched FreedomWeavers Studio, a non-traditional weaving studio open to the public for people of all ages and abilities. The studio’s philosophy is based on Saori weaving which was founded by VSA arts of Japan the late 1960s. Underlying principles include celebration of the whole person, acknowledgement that there are no “mistakes” in creative exploration, understanding that weaving in community creates both fabric and friendships, and realization that creativity that flows from the human spirit results in beauty that no machine could ever duplicate. Ongoing classes are accessible and affordable for all

Professional Development and Technical Assistance

VSA arts of New Hampshire responds to requests for in-service teacher training as well as training of VISTA volunteers who work in educational settings.

Public Awareness and Outreach

VSA arts of New Hampshire Website

The VSA arts of New Hampshire Web site, www.vsaartsnh.org, includes Web pages covering the organization’s history, frequently asked questions, programs, information on how to get involved, and resources in the areas of art, disability, and education. Our artist roster on the Web site allows VSA arts of New Hampshire program partners to see the artists who are available for workshops and residencies throughout the state.