Arts education is vital to children’s development and is a primary focus of the NH State Council on the Arts.  Our arts learning grants and services encourage the study of music, visual art, dance, literature, media arts and theatre. We partner with K-12 schools  to develop arts literacy and lifelong skills that enhance students’ innate creativity. Arts education also enhances students’ ability to make critical evaluations and provides them with tools for better communication.

NHSCA’s arts education programs and services include: two grant programs, Artist Residencies in Schools and Youth Arts Projects for Creative Youth Development; an annual Arts in Education Partnership Conference; professional development opportunities; a juried roster of Arts in Education (AIE) teaching artists; the Poetry Out Loud High School Recitation Competition and more. The Arts Council is a leadership partner in the New Hampshire Arts Learning Network and works closely with the New Hampshire Department of Education and other partners on curriculum, data collection, arts integration and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) initiatives.

The goals of our arts education programs include:

• Promote the concept of arts as basic to education and deepen the understanding of and appreciation for the arts in schools and communities with educators, public policy makers, and the general public.
• Develop and strengthen programs in arts education, and assist in developing new strategies in sequential arts curriculum development, implementation, evaluation and assessment.
• Cooperate with other arts education agencies and organizations through partnerships to better meet the arts needs of schools throughout the state.
• Provide opportunities for professional artists to work in educational and community contexts and opportunities for students, educators, parents, and other community members to enter into creative dialogue with professional artists and one another through the arts.
• Support programming that both reflects the cultural richness and traditions of New Hampshire and draws from the diversity of cultures throughout the world.
  

• Arts educators and teaching artists learn new skills, working together on a mandala mosaic with teaching artist, David Fichter at the 2015 statewide Fall Arts Education Partnership Conference. 
  Photo credit: John Anderson

• High School student Danielle Corbett, the NH 2016 Poetry Out Loud Champion recites a poem.
  Photo credit: Allegra Boverman for the NH State Council on the Arts

• Students at Henniker Central School participate in a residency focused on the arts of India with teaching artist and traditional Indian dancer, Jasmine Shah.
  Photo credit: Michael Munhall

• Keene Middle School 7th grader Aman Dery gets help from artist in residence, Sherry Gould. Gould, a basket maker and member of the Abenaki tribe, is teaching students to make their own woven baskets using traditional materials. A grant from the NH State Council on the Arts supported this program.
  Photo credit: Michael Moore, Keene Sentinel staff