STRATHAM — The Racial Unity Team was recently awarded the Governor’s Arts Education Award for its Arts in Action program.

The Governor’s Arts Awards, established in 2003, honor individuals, organizations, and communities that have made outstanding contributions to the arts and culture of New Hampshire and showcase the excellence, growth, and accessibility of the arts in the state.

In a live-stream ceremony at StudioLab in Derry in late October, Governor Chris Sununu remarked, “For more than 20 years, the Governor’s Arts Award has recognized and honored exceptional individuals all across this great state. Organizations and communities for their contributions to the cultural life — what makes New Hampshire so great. Here in New Hampshire, arts and culture — it’s one of the economic drivers of our state. It’s what really makes the Granite State what it is.”

Accepting the Arts Education Award on behalf of the Racial Unity Team was founder and President Ken Mendis of Stratham and Vice President and Arts in Action program creator Sylvia Foster of Durham. The program, piloted in Exeter High School, is now in its fourth year and has expanded to Bow, Oyster River, and Dover high schools.

“One of the things I realized in New Hampshire was that students were not being exposed to a diverse community,” Mendis said of Arts in Action. “We needed to bring the community to the classroom. So, Arts and Action helps students see the outside world because, ultimately, those students are going to be in the outside world.”

Mendis said Exeter High School’s Arts in Action program takes place in English literature classes, where students tackle the questions, “What is the message here? What is being left unsaid? Whose voice or perspective is missing?”

Performing artists and educators share how they use their art to make an impact on the world, which Mendis said ignites a passion for artistic expression and demonstrates the power of art as a catalyst for change. Student voices are amplified, he said, by providing them a platform to work alongside mentors to design creative solutions for stronger communities.

Hana, a Dover High School student, reflected on the Racial Unity Team’s Arts in Action mural project at her school.

“I loved the program… as a student, it’s a really great way to just express yourself, and students deserve a voice and to have a space where we could make art and do something impactful for the world,” she said.

“What’s exciting to me about this program is that the students talk to their parents,” Mendis said. “So, we are reaching the parents through the students, and that is exciting for me because parents are supporting their students, and that has helped us grow. Volunteers are the backbone of the Racial Unity Team.”

The Governor’s Arts Award trophy and the Racial Unity Team’s 2023 Art & Poetry Challenge exhibit will be showcased through December at Wiggin Memorial Library,10 Bunker Hill Avenue, Stratham. The Racial Unity Team is seeking volunteers to help continue its projects. To learn how to participate in the Art & Poetry Challenge, go to https://racialunityteam.com/art-and-poetry-challenge.