To the editor:
I am writing to correct and add to information in two recent articles relating to the presentation of Governor’s Arts Awards to the Town of Mason (published December 31) and the Crotched Mountain School (published November 4).
Mason was recognized with a “Creative Communities” award for its embrace of the arts in celebrating its 250th anniversary. Crotched Mountain School was recognized with an “Arts in Health” award for the vital arts program that’s an integral part of its therapeutic work for children and adults with disabilities.
These awards, along with five others, were presented by Governor Sununu at a public event in Concord on October 21. Unfortunately, neither article mentioned that the Governor’s Arts Awards is a program created and administered by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, a state agency that promotes and supports the arts to ensure that arts thrive in New Hampshire and are accessible to all.
The State Arts Council originated the Governor’s Arts Awards in 1980 to honor the contributions of individuals, organizations and communities that make a difference in the quality of life in New Hampshire through the arts. The awards are presented every two years, not every three years as stated in the Mason article.
Award recipients are chosen by a panel that considers nominations submitted from around the state. Every governor since 1980 has been pleased to participate in the awards ceremony, but the governor’s office is not involved in choosing the recipients.
As a councilor serving on the appointed citizens’ council for the NH State Council on the Arts, I am delighted that two Monadnock Region organizations received Governor’s Arts Awards this year!
Sara W. Germain
Dublin