Arts Alive to end operations after more than 15 years in Keene

Arts Alive did not say when the closure will take effect.

Arts Alive, a Keene nonprofit that has backed local artists and helped organize cultural events since 2009, is preparing to shut down because of financial strain, the organization announced Wednesday.

The group said its board is now working with community partners to move some or all of its programs elsewhere. It also said the executive director role has already been cut, and Hallie Driscoll, the program and communications coordinator, will stay on part time during the organization’s wind-down.

Arts Alive did not say when the closure will take effect. The nonprofit said questions remain about the future of its sponsored projects, Discover Monadnock, and other resources developed over the years, while noting that those details are still being sorted out.

Discover Monadnock, created with help from Arts Alive, serves as a regional site highlighting businesses, arts and festivals.

The organization said it had spent years trying to build a model that would support artists and arts groups in the region without competing for the same funding. In its view, that approach has become harder to maintain as public support has declined, federal arts priorities have shifted, and philanthropic dollars have tightened.

Financial setbacks over the past year added to the pressure. The National Endowment for the Arts withdrew a $25,000 grant it had previously awarded, as part of a nationwide pullback in NEA funding. Arts Alive also anticipated a separate $30,000 federal grant, but determined it could not accept it because of restrictions tied to Trump administration executive orders, including limits on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

In this year’s city budget process, the nonprofit requested $10,000 from Keene, matching the amount it sought the year before, but was awarded only $1,000.

Arts Alive was founded in 2009 and has long been associated with grants for local artists and with Keene ArtWalk, a free summer event that pairs artists with area businesses to display their work.