Amanda Whitworth of Ashland is New Hampshire’s eighth Artist Laureate and a teaching artist with a passion for interdisciplinary collaboration and networking.  She was recently awarded a Vermeil Medal from the Arts-Sciences-Lettres Société Académique d'encouragement et d'éducation in Paris, France for her work as a collaborative artist.  Named one of the state’s “40 Under 40”  impactful people in 2019, she continues to work as a performer of dance and physical theatre with choreographers and organizations both nationally and internationally. Whitworth is committed to diversifying her work and collaborates with partners on large-scale projects. 

As the Director of Dance at Plymouth State University, Whitworth has moved the curriculum toward interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative performances.  Highly unique in academia, the "Dance Entrepreneurship" degree concentration/track has spearheaded networks of growth, service and advocacy across New England through innovative partnerships with on and off campus constituents including Canterbury Shaker Village, Art Front- Manchester, Pemi Arts Region Community Group, Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire and Ashland Elementary School to name a few. 

Deeply passionate about the visibility and equity of dance across northern New England, Whitworth and a team of dance professionals founded the New Hampshire Dance Alliance, 501(c)(3) in 2015.  In her term as President, the NHDA played instrumental roles in revising the NH State Curricular Standards for Dance Education with the Department of Education, raised a voice for dance in the creative economy at the State House and Legislative round table sessions, and provided networking and professional development opportunities for dance educators and artists across private and public sectors.

Whitworth sustains a deep artistic practice and feels that the rigor embedded in the process of creating and performing art is at the core of all her endeavors.  A sought-after master teacher, choreographer and performer, she continues to work locally and abroad in works of dance, theatre, film and physical theatre. In the past decade, Whitworth, under the alias of Tributary Dance, has focused on collaborative and innovative projects that bring together thinkers from opposing disciplines.  Projects have infused dance into technology, design, 2D and 3D visual art, science, business, and public schools and beyond.

Whitworth is co-founder, along with colleague C. Robin Marcotte, MFA (actor) and partner Bobby Kelly, MD of ARTICINE.  Articine connects artists and medical professionals to create and implement collaborative wellness experiences for people across New Hampshire.

Photo credits:
John W. Hession (above);
Ryan Smith Visuals (below)