New Hampshire State Council on the Arts

06/08/2026

Request for Artist Proposals - Rochester Circuit Court; Deadline: July 24, 2026
The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, through the Percent for Art program, is requesting proposals for existing and newly commissioned art for public spaces at the new Rochester Circuit Courthouse. Construction contract of the new Rochester Circuit Court was approved in fiscal year 2025. https://www.nharts.dncr.nh.gov/programs/percent-art/overview-and-requests-proposals/rochester-circuit-court-request-proposals

06/02/2026

Attention Artists! Assets for Artists July and August professional development workshops are open for registration! These virtual workshops are free for all artists in New Hampshire. Check out the great offerings and register here:
https://www.assetsforartists.org/workshops

05/12/2026

A reminder that our Arts Project Grants Program is currently open for application and the deadline is Friday, May 22, 2026.
The Arts Project Grants category supports initiatives that use the arts to strengthen communities and individual wellbeing, enrich K–12 learning, and promote values that encourage creativity and positive impact for the project participants, ultimately helping to build stronger communities across New Hampshire. The intended program recipients are individuals across New Hampshire, including students, families, older adults, individuals with disabilities, military and veterans, law enforcement, and those experiencing physical or mental health challenges.
Deadline: May 22, 2026 for projects occurring between July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027. See website for full details - https://www.nharts.dncr.nh.gov/grants/find-grant/arts-project-grants

05/08/2026

I had the joy of experiencing Symphony NH's Link Up program this week at the Keefe Center for the Arts in Nashua! Link UpSNH, in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute’s national Link Up program, supplies music instruction resources free of charge to local elementary school students in grade 3. It was very moving and powerful to experience the performance of nearly 800 students along with the SNH musicians! Learn more here:
https://symphonynh.org/education

05/07/2026

In wrapping up our 2026 Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, congratulations again to our extraordinary State Champion, Summer Lin Brackett! Check out this great article featuring Summer's experience with Poetry Out Loud. And a big congratulations to the 2026 National POL Champion, Jayda Dawn of Indiana. Thank you to all who make POL happen in our state and nationally!

Summer Lin Brackett, a senior at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, has a lot of talent. From music to STEM to language learning, she’s seen plenty of success in four years. But

04/29/2026

Congratulations to our NH Poetry Out Loud State Champion, Summer Brackett, on her beautiful performance yesterday at the National Semifinals in Washington DC! Check out the National Final competition tonight at 7pm via the livestream. Complete information here: https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/poetry-out-loud

04/24/2026

The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest National Semifinals are next week on Tuesday, April 28th in Washington DC. You can experience them by livestream through the link below. Our wonderful NH State Champion, Summer Brackett, will be performing in the first round of the semifinals starting at 9:00 AM EST. Check it out - the national competition is really amazing!

A partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and participating state and jurisdictional arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud is a dynamic poetry recitation competition for high school students. In recognition of American250, the 2025-2026 Poetry Out Loud program will focus on poems that celebrat...

04/23/2026

Today we highlight the Poetry Society of New Hampshire! Many thanks to PSNH for their wonderful work in the state and their collaborations with our Poetry Out Loud program.
Their mission and purpose:
To celebrate and foster poets and poetry in New Hampshire
Promote awareness and appreciation of poetry within the state
Facilitate a strong and diverse state-wide poetic community
Offer poets opportunities to hone their craft
Provide opportunities for poets to showcase their work
Create a presence for PSNH in the greater poetry community
Learn more here: https://psnh.org/

04/21/2026

As we continue to highlight our amazing New Hampshire poetry community this month, we would like to feature Slam Free Or Die - Poetry Open Mic & Slam, a great partner for our Poetry Out Loud program. And this week, Slam Free or Die will host an event where a group of our Poetry Out Loud finalists will share their poems. Learn more about Slam Free or Die below and event information in the graphic.
https://www.slamfreeordie.org/home