AANNH Artist Listing 2007-2008
(Listed Alphabetically)
Check our website for updates, additions & special events. We welcome your ideas!
Rick Agran
Writing, reading
All Ages
Rick likes to develop custom residencies, which dovetail with current curriculum and culminate in publication, art shows, assemblies,
and/or parent nights. He works to empower teachers to use poetry in unconventional ways in science, social studies, language arts,
outdoor education and experiential challenges, and the fine arts classrooms (art and music), and he enjoys partnering with teachers to build
and bring sensible, relevant poetry and writing experiences to the classroom.
Randy Armstrong
World Music
All Ages
Guitarist/percussionist Randy Armstrong performs on more than 25 instruments from around the world, including acoustic synthesizer,
classical guitar, and instruments from Africa, India, South America, and Asia. Note: Because of set-up time, Randy is available only for
several performances and workshops, including a possible evening concert, at one site per day.
Susan Bonthron
Bookmaking
All Ages
Paul Bourgelais
Jazz Music
All Ages
New England Brass
Brass Music
All Ages
Susan offers several workshops, including Field Journals, where students can create attractive sturdy, customized field journals for special
occasion field trips or everyday use. Available as an in-school residency for students or as professional development for teachers.
Paul offers Jazz Performances that include the history of jazz music through lecture demonstration as well as hands-on clinics with Concert
Band and Chorus students. He also conducts workshops on the History of Jazz: America's Classical Music; History of Guitar: Classical to
Jazz and Rock; Electronic Guitarist: Guitar Synthesis and Loop Technology; Bach and the Guitar; Frank Lloyd Wright and Music; History
of Jazz Guitar; and Guitar for the Public School Educator.
The New England Brass provides a fun-filled learning environment, exploring the rich and diverse music written for brass, including
classical, jazz, marches, Broadway, and rock and roll. An unrivaled performance style, combined with stimulating and hilarious antics make
the New England Brass a perennial concert favorite.
Simon Brooks
Storytelling
Grades 3-12, Community
Simon Brooks tells folktales from all over the world, taking listeners to a time and place, far away, where a talking spider tricks Sky Chief,
Raven finds light, Turtle races with Beaver, and Old Man Death finds himself stuck in a nutshell. Simon draws from hundreds of tales of
myth, legend and folklore, telling of heroes and heroines, talking animals, dragons, trolls, tales of pirates, Robin Hood, Merlin, and Wayland
Smith. He uses unique voices to animate his tales and adds expressive body language to bring the stories to life for children and adults
alike.
Susie Burke & David Surette
Folk music, songs, games
All Ages
Susie Burke combines one of the “finest, purest voices in folk music today” (Boston Globe) with her love of young children in programs
about the environment, friends, family, and the world around us, always with an emphasis on participation. Susie is an AANNH Artist
Partner in our ongoing effort to provide programs to Northern New Hampshire’s pre-school populations.
Michael Caduto
Storytelling, Environment
Grades K-8
Michael uses story, song, dance, instruments and a cast of humorous and dramatic characters to share Earth stewardship and cultural
understanding. Programs include "Earth Tales from Around the World," "The Rainbow Garden: Celebrating Cultural Diversity," " Native
American Thanksgivings," " Flying Turtles & Talking Bears" and "Abenaki Adventures."
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Kit Cornell
Pottery
All Ages
Circus Arts, Life Skills
All Ages
Kit provides enrichment activities for school and other groups. She enjoys developing handbuilding projects to dovetail with the
curriculum for elementary students, teaching advanced wheel skills to older students, and planning ceramics programs with interested art
teachers. Kit believes that clay should be an integral part of any arts curriculum, including early-childhood education.
Rick Davis
Rick’s Circus residency programs run 1-2 weeks. Rick will teach your students learning skills – and life skills -- through the practice of
circus arts such as juggling, plate spinning, devil sticks, diabolo, poi, tight-wire, unicycling, and acrobatics.
Regina Delaney
Irish Music & Dance
All Ages
Regina is a versatile traditional Irish harper, singer, and dancer. She sings in Irish and English in the sean nos style (ornamented and
unaccompanied) and also accompanies herself on harp. She performs hard- and soft-shoe step dancing, ceili (group) and set dancing;
teaches Irish children’s crafts; and demonstrates Irish cooking. She is a favorite with audiences from pre-schoolers to elders.
Mary DesRosiers
Folklore/Folk Music
Crescent Dragonwagon
Writing /Creativity
Grades K-8 (2-6 preferred)
Mary DesRosiers is a folklorist, singer, and dance leader who presents authentic NH tunes and stories arranged for voice, guitar, and
mountain dulcimer. Mary can tailor age-appropriate programs to curriculum goals and can engage students and teachers in New England
singing games--circle, dramatic play-party and guessing games--as well as games from Europe and Africa.
All Ages
Crescent offers several workshops aimed at releasing the writer, teacher, and creative spirit within. Author of many children’s books as well
as popular cookbooks, she offers writing-related presentations and short workshops for educators, arts administrators, and arts-education
advocacy groups, including “Food, Shelter, Story”; “Rollicking Recess”; and “Story: Giving Form & Pattern to Our Chaotic Lives through
Art.”
Jeff Erwin
Trash Can Music
Grades 5-12
Jeff’s work with youth in a workshop setting blends the disciplines of environmental science, language arts, technology, pop culture and
performance art, with a special emphasis on making music with reused and recycled materials. Residencies, extended workshops and camps
culminate with a rhythmic, multi-media extravaganza performed by the students.
Terry Farish
Writing
All Ages
Terry has worked with students of all ages from presenting family literacy programs to teaching college students. One of her enduring
interests since her early work for the Red Cross in Asia is in refugee families who have settled in the U.S. She has worked with and written
about immigrant families, and telling their stories continues to influence the themes in her writing. In “The Story Behind the Story" Terry
uses slides and readings to present the steps of creating a book. She talks about oral history, folktales and how stories come from particular
regions and communities. A reading-readiness version of the program is available.
Steve Ferraris
Drumming
All Ages
Steve is an arts educator and performing artist who plays a variety of ethnic percussion instruments and often collaborates with dancers
from Africa in performances and residencies. Steve offers African drumming and dance assemblies and drum-making residencies in which
he challenges, cajoles, entices and delights children and families. Children learn West African djembe drumming and traditional songs and
dances, as wellas a wealth of cultural information about the instruments and the role of drumming and dance in African culture.
Figures of Speech Theatre
Puppet theater
All Ages
Figures of Speech Theatre offers performances and Teaching Residency Programs including Japanese Bunraku Puppetry: The Language of
Gesture; Chinese Shadow Puppetry; Shadow Puppetry & Literature; Teacher Workshops in Puppetry; Maine Studies: Abnaki Stories with
Shadow Puppetry; and ACTION! CHARACTER! STORY!!
Marina Forbes
Traditional Russian crafts
Grades 3-12, Community
Marina introduces students to the rich folk tradition of Russian matryoshka (wooden nested doll) painting. Students will learn about the
matryoshka doll, her traditional Russian dress, and folk customs. In addition, they will learn floral and berry designs and traditional Russian
brush stroke/painting techniques. The ultimate goal is to produce finished pieces of Russian folk art on wood. During classes participants
listen to Russian music and learn some moves of the traditional Matryoshka dance
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Sara Glines
Family Dolls
Grades 5 and up
Local and personal history and the arts of woodcarving and problem-solving are combined in Sara’s workshops as she encourages
participants to research and interview family or community members, gathering information that will frame the process of carving a
wooden figure representing that person’s story and his/her interests, work, and hobbies.
Skip Gorman
Music of the American West
Grades 3-12, Community
Skip Gorman portrays the true flavor and history of the West using songs, stories, poetry and a variety of instruments including the crosstuned fiddle, guitar, clawhammer banjo, mandolin and limberjack. Skip focuses on the geography of the Westward movement, cattle
drives, Spanish "vaqueros," cowgirls, emigrant wives, black cowboys and the infusion of traditional Celtic music into life on the prairies and
high plains.
Becky Graber
Storytelling, Music
Grades PreK-5, Community
Becky Graber offers storytelling performances for young children and their families, and performances and workshops for older children,
or teachers and parents. Her performances always include some music (she leads a women's chorus in southern Vermont, and has years of
background in music). For school choruses and adults, she offers a workshop teaching part songs from the oral tradition.
Susan Gradual
American Folk Art
All Ages
Susan is the multi-talented visual artist behind Old Mill Studio. Her programs for schools (teachers and students) involve exploring the use
and value of folk art in engaging students in learning about American history, literature and culture. Participants review the history of
traditional arts and crafts, look at examples, and experience activities such as penny rugs and scrimshaw, using easily found and
inexpensive materials. Sue can also tailor programs to a wide variety of curricular themes.
Richard Hartshorne
Classical Music
All Ages
Weaving
All Ages
Richard brings laughter, hope, and inspiration through the music of Bach, together with poetry and stories, to school and community
audiences. He creates an intimate musical experience that changes ideas about music through enjoyable and unusual programs.
Children feel and learn about music up close, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions and be taught and entertained.
Sarah Haskell
Sarah Haskell, weaver and artist-in-residence, is a seasoned educator who easily communicates with people of all ages and abilities. Using
readily available, inexpensive materials and equipment, she teaches how weaving is a language that can be used to express feelings, thoughts
and stories. Weavings, from large collaborative tapestries to small personal weavings, have many curriculum connections extending from
history to language arts and beyond.
Donna Hebert & Liza Constable
French-Canadian Music
All Ages
Donna and Liza, as part of Chanterelle, have tremendous experience drawing from traditional sources, historical research and family stories
and original songs to convey the experiences of French-speaking immigrants to the U.S., including Québécois mill workers and Acadians
driven off their land by the English. They are also available to bring master-class workshops based on Donna’s book, “Fiddling
Demystified,” which cracks the code of fiddling styles and techniques.
Blair Hundertmark
Theater
All Ages
Blair's easy sense of humor, genuine ability to connect with kids, and collaborative nature make residencies and workshops fun and
meaningful for actors, educators, and audience. Regardless of whether it's a Shakespeare, Story Theatre, or Peer-Issue residency, Blair
creates a supportive environment where young artists feel empowered and respected.
Tracy Kane
Writing, Illustrating
Grades K-4, talks for older audiences
Families and students alike enjoy hearing Tracy, author of Fairy Houses, Fairy Boat, and Fairy Flight, read and talk about fairy house building.
Follow up by heading outside and building a fairy village using natural material on school grounds or in a community space. For older
students and adults, Tracy offers a talk on the creative steps involved with putting together a picture book, from conception through the
printing process.
Marty Kelley
Writing, Ilustrating
Grades 1-8
Marty’s author/illustrator visits are a fun-filled opportunity for students to see how books are created. He focuses on the processes of
writing and illustrating, relating them to the work that the students are doing in school, using rough drafts, rough artwork, finished artwork,
etc.. Marty shares lots of personal stories about how each of his books was created and presents drawing demonstrations. His Artist In
Residence programs allow students to work together to create a class book, going through each stage of the writing and illustrating process
and completing a student-generated book that they can keep in their classroom.
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Rachel Lehr
Multidisciplinary, Afghan culture
All Ages
Rachel is an artist, photographer, and linguist/scholar who works in schools and communities throughout New Hampshire. She is also cofounder and president of Rubia, the Afghan Women’s Handwork Project, a nonprofit organization serving rural Afghan women and
children through training, education, and promotion of their traditional handwork. One of Rachels’ many programs presents her own
photographs, video and original artifacts, to discuss everyday life and current conditions in Afghanistan. She is available for felt-making
workshops and residencies and for school and community talks and hands-on “Culture Trunk” experiences.
Jeanne Limmer
Movement, dance
All Ages
Dancer and choreographer Jeanne Limmer leads participants of all ages in movement exploration that introduces dance vocabulary and a
“toolbox” for movement in a highly engaging format that will have even reluctant participants moving before they know it. With advance
notice, she can bring teen dancers to demonstrate and lead large-group movement exploration. Jeanne can customize programs to present
curricular themes from literacy to science.
Kathy Lowe
Vocal, Instrumental Music
All Ages
Kathy is a NH native descended from a long line of vaudeville and circus relatives. She plays guitar, dulcimer, and an array of drums from
around the world. Kathy has five CDs available from children's music to original seasonal carols. She specializes in work with preschoolers and presentations at senior centers and nursing homes.
Howard Lyons
Native American music
All Ages
Howard Lyons is a member of the Mohawk Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee, most commonly known as the Six Nations Iroquois
Confederacy. Howard’s Mohawk and Clan name is Tahakierente, which means “He was first doing something”. This award-winning singer,
composer and musician extends a warm invitation, welcoming his audience to sing ancient songs of his people and learn about the
Iroquois way of life.
Theo Martey
African drumming, dance
All Ages
Theo Martey is a drummer, dancer, singer, and choreographer from West Africa who now lives and teaches in Manchester. He often
performs with Benjamin Apang, a drummer, guitarist, keyboard and traditional flute (atenteben) player, or with other Ghanaian musicians
who present programs as the Akwaaba Dance and Drum Company. Theo presents drumming workshops, talks about life in Africa, and
performs for school assemblies and community events.
Rodger Martin
Poetry, music, mask
Grades 3-12, Community
Writer, poet and editor Rodger Martin looses 'Power of the Word' upon audiences of all ages. His workshops and performances
incorporate music, song, mask, and costume to enhance language's rich oral tradition.
Tom McCabe
Storytelling, reading/writing
All Ages
In educational settings Tom's focus is literacy. (In his unique version of Cinderella, the heroine’s wish is to learn how to read. Oh, she gets
to the ball and meets a prince, but every detail supports reading and the library.) A Massachusetts Cultural Council Creative Teaching
Partner, Tom presents assembly programs, classroom writing workshops, teacher in-service trainings, parent programs and residencies.
Lorna McMaster
Woolworks, nature journals
All Ages
Lorna is an educator, shepherd and fiber artist, and owns Sunpower Farm. She offers The WoolWorks! Program and Nature Notebook
Woolworks! includes lessons in knitting, spinning, felting, braiding, and weaving as tools for learning about history, culture, science, math
and language arts. Learn how fiber arts can be an essential vehicle to learning for students who may possess non-traditional learning styles,
and how use of the hands can extend the memory and learning potential for all students. "Nature Notebook" is appropriate for any age
group and adaptable for use in many existing science, art and nature study programs. This workshop will teach you everything you need to
know about getting a "Nature Notebook" program started in your classroom.
Rodney Miller & David Surette
New England style fiddling & contra music
All Ages
Miller and Surette offer a musical window into the rich and varied New England contra dance music tradition. Both are seasoned dance
musicians, having played for dancers and callers from Maine to California, including numerous major festivals. They offer school
performances and evening concerts, and may be available, with a caller, for evening dances.
North Country Chamber Players
Chamber Music
All Ages
The North Country Chamber Players is an ensemble of world-class musicians and music teachers who perform regularly with orchestras
and chamber groups in New York City and around the world. They spend each summer in northern New Hampshire, performing in Sugar
Hill weekly and in other North Country communities as part of a regional outreach effort. This year they will also be doing a series of inschool concerts. The Players conduct a highly interactive assembly program, and also offer band workshops for motivated school bands.
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Alice Ogden
Basketmaking
Perry Alley Theater
Theater, puppetry
All ages, Basketmaking –grades 5 and up
Alice will introduce students of all ages to the delights of weaving with natural materials. Alice has been a basketmaker for more than 25
years. The materials she uses are gathered and harvested from local areas of NH. She uses the traditional methods of stripping off layers of
growth rings from Black Ash trees to supply her with basket splints, and makes clear the fascinating connections between basket and tree.
All ages
Andrew and Bonnie Periale (Perry Alley Theatre) have been bringing exciting, imaginative theatre to audiences for over 20 years. Their
original retelling of such favorites as Tom Thumb, Snow White, and The Princess and the Pea using puppets, masks, music, and sometimes
even kitchen utensils has made them a favorite around the country. Andrew also offers tailored, interdisciplinary puppet workshops.
Chi Potter
Vietnamese dance
All grades, K-6 preferred
George Radcliffe
Storytelling
All Ages
Jo Radnor
Folklore, oral history, storytelling
All Ages
Chi Potter, then known as Vu Thi Kim Chi, came from the coastal village of Da-Bac, where she learned traditional folk dancing at the age
of seven. This type of dance, which tells a story of the culture and history of Vietnam, was taught at the Buddhist temple in her village and
was frequently created and performed as part of religious celebrations. Her goal is to share her culture through dance and to teach children
how to communicate through Vietnamese dance and nature dance. Chi has worked at festivals, children's museums and in schools and
universities throughout New England, teaching children movement based on images of nature.
'Uncle George' Radcliffe, a retired school teacher from Webster, shares some of his unique collection of folk tales that he has made his
own by combining his original telling-style and sense of humor. George teaches people of all ages the art of the oral tale, with stories which
run the gamut from intense to humorous.
Jo Radnor offers a broad range of programs, including “Family Stories Are History!” -- a presentation of stories passed down in families,
showing how these contain and reveal important aspects of social and national history. Her stories deal with such topics as a pioneer
woman’s crucial ingenuity; an odd consequence of the introduction of automobiles into rural culture; and some unusual ways of surviving
the Great Depression. She is available for one-time programs and school and community residencies.
Mark Ragonese
Sculpture, interdisciplinary art-making
Grades 4-12
Veronica Robles
Latin music
All Ages
Robert Rossel
Ceramics
Mark designs his projects with schools and communities for each situation, using a wide variety of materials to make objects that illustrate
and tell a story. Mark is especially interested in working with students in making connections between math, science, and the process of
creating a large collaborative artwork. He stresses the importance of individuality, membership in a community, and the significance of a
handmade object. Some residencies may result in a permanent installation. His work in schools and after-school programs is fun and
energetic and designed to give individual attention to every student while illustrating the power and importance of group effort.
Veronica presents a variety of programs including school assemblies and school residencies focused on Mexican culture. Veronica
performs solo or with 1-4 members of her Mariachi group. Materials include luxurious authentic Mexican costumes, colorful folkloric
dresses and shoes and Pre-Hispanic musical instruments. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn songs and dances.
All Ages
Rob combines traditional education with a modern, impressionistic approach to the art of ceramics. He uses his skill and vision to
orchestrate a group of individuals as they create a large-scale mural made from textured, multi-glazed tiles. The result is a permanent,
community-created work of art. Rob also offers programs on the chemistry of ceramics.
Becky Rule
Writing, storytelling, humor
Jasmine Shah
Indian Dance
Grades 3-12, Community
Best known for her live presentations of humorous New Hampshire stories, Becky often performs with other writers and storytellers, and
also offers writing and storytelling workshops for all ages, from children to community writing groups and seniors. Becky’s programs
include “Storytelling with Audience Participation,” where students will learn how to live medium large from Perley, Mavis and their friends.
Becky expounds on Yankee Attitudes (and how to interpret them), Politics, Crime and Punishment, Hunting, Fishing, and Maturity.
Philosophical? Sort of. Funny? You bet. And educational, too.
All Ages
Jasmine is passionate about dancing and enjoys teaching it. A brilliant exponent of Manipuri and Bharat Natyam (classical) dance as well as
Indian folk dance, Jasmine has more than 35 years of training in both styles. Jasmine is available to present school performances, lecture-
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demonstrations, and classroom workshops. Dance presentations are integrated with music and art, languages and social studies to suit
curriculum studies and provide students and teachers with an in-depth education of India and its culture.
Shamou
Middle Eastern Music
All Ages
Shamou's music career began at an early age in his native Iran, where he studied and performed with the Iranian National Ballet as a
dancer. He began his formal music training in Tehran, studied with teachers from the Royal College of Music in London and completed his
training at Berklee College of Music in Boston. A well-known figure in the Boston music scene in the mid-90's, Shamou was the lead
singer and percussionist with several award-winning world music ensembles. He presents programs on Middle Eastern music and on
cultural understanding through music.
Gary Sredzienski (TA)
World Accordion Music
All Ages
A virtuoso player, Gary preserves the Old World tradition of the performing accordionist, showcasing a versatile instrument with roots in
many cultures. Hands-on activities include playing small accordions. Concerts and workshops for all ages.
Andrew Stewart/Slattery & Stewart
Traditional Dance Music
All Ages
Stewart & Slattery perform the exuberant soulful two-steps and waltzes of Cajun Louisiana and the upbeat fiddle tunes of French Canada
and New England. School performances focus on traditional Cajun songs, sung in Cajun French, including simple singalong opportunities,
and connections to American French culture can be emphasized.
Deborah Stuart & Will Cabell
Literacy through Music
PK-2, seniors
Kelly Stuart
Dance, Movement
All Ages
Deborah Stuart and Will Cabell offer "Singing Books," an interactive musical program for young children based on songs and children's
literature. Teacher literacy-through-song workshops, family concerts featuring participating children or community singalongs, jug-band
music, and programs in care facilities and senior centers are also offered.
Kelly works to enhance students’ understanding of dance as a theater art by introducing basic dance/movement concepts and involving
students in the process of creating a dance which will be performed for their peers and community. She prefers to tailor her residencies to
each school's specific needs, creating her lesson plans around classroom curriculum, literacy, art, music and PE connections.
Suzanne Tanner
Papermaking
Marianne Taylor
Cultural Dance
All Ages
Suzanne has been making, sculpting, and exhibiting paper for more than a decade. She offers workshops and residencies on hand
papermaking, felting, and batik. Students learn how to mold paper pulp like clay, to form sheets of paper, to embed other materials in
paper, and to use mold & stencils to create other unique designs.
Grades 3-12, Community
Marianne Taylor, a co-founder of the Folk Arts Center of New England, has traveled the world teaching traditional dances of many
cultures and countries (including traditional New England dances). Her teaching is joyful as well as educational.
Alia Thabit
Middle Eastern Dance
Two Fiddles
Traditional Music
All Ages
Alia Thabit, a dancer and choreographer of Lebanese and Palestinian descent, incorporates traditional and contemporary influences,
colorful costumes, and dynamic music to present a wide range of Middle Eastern dance styles. Alia’s performances demystify the culture
and art of the Middle East, and delight audiences of all ages.
All Grades, 2-5 preferred
Dudley and Jacqueline Laufman play fiddle tunes for traditional New England dancing: Virginia reels, circle dances, square and contra
dances. Curriculum-oriented programs are connected to NH history; a study guide is available.
Tony Vacca
science & music
All Ages
Tony offers many programs including “Math of Music” and “Science of Sound,” and “The Senegal America Project,” which includes
musicians and dancers from Senegal, West Africa, bringing social studies alive and emphasizing global awareness. “Get with the Rhythm”
uses percussion instruments from around the world, including students as performers. “Rhythm, Word, Drum” includes spoken word and
poetry set to music.
Jeff Warner
Traditional & Folk Music
All Grades
Jeff Warner performs the music of America's rural past, accompanying his songs with banjo, concertina and various "pocket instruments"
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such as bones and spoons. With warmth, humor and understated scholarship, he presents the oral literature of the American people:
ballads from old England and New England; songs of Revolutionary War heroes; work songs; African-American banjo tunes; and
Appalachian clogging. Jeff presents programs in schools and community settings, including local historical societies.
Michael Wingfield
African/Caribbean percussion
All Ages
A performer and educator of the African/Caribbean percussion arts & culture, Michael imparts the spirit and history of the African New
World in a way that speaks to today's issues of diversity. He presents school and community performances and hands-on drumming
workshops.
Chris Yerlig
Mime
All Ages
As Hoopoe, English mime Chris Yerlig blends silent pantomime comedy, movement illusions, sleight of hand magic tricks and balloon
wizardry, to create an original vaudeville show that is funny, imaginative and full of surprises. The unexpected is to be expected when
audience volunteers are invited to join Hoopoe on stage to assist with illusions. All ages unite through laughter as they follow the nonverbal antics of this unique performer to their humorous ends.
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