2007 Awards
The following
Humanities Initiative Grants were funded during the 2007 fiscal year. Support for this program is provided by a grant to the Indiana Humanities Council from the
National Endowment for the Humanities.
- Clinton Central School Corporation, Michigantown
Philip M. Boley, 765.249.2515
A broad coalition of school corporations, colleges and universities, together with the Indiana Department of Education, will use this grant as seed money to launch Global Indiana. The initiative is aimed at promoting international education, including helping outbound and inbound exchange students to learn about and understand their host cultures.
- Indiana Black Expo, Inc., Indianapolis
Marcia Bennett, 317.923.3046
A comprehensive effort to preserve the history of Indiana Black Expo, this program will establish a corporate archive, conduct an oral history project, and interpret IBE’s history through online materials and a series of exhibits at the summer festival. Grant activities will be under the guidance of the IBE's History Project committee.
- Dearborn Highlands Arts Council, Lawrenceburg
Marilyn Bower, 812.539.4251
The Music for Understanding series brings not only performances of classical and folk music to Dearborn County but also understanding of diverse cultures through their musical traditions. The arts council will partner with the Lawrenceburg and North Dearborn Public Libraries to bring in artists/lecturers from university music programs in the region. (Sept., Oct. 2007; Mar., Apr. 2008)
- IUPUI University Library, Indianapolis
Kindra Orr, 317.278.2338
The Herron Art Library will present a juried exhibit and lecture/discussion on book arts based on Kurt Vonnegut’s novels. Following the initial program, the exhibit will be transferred to the Indianapolis-Marion Co. Public Library and displayed in conjunction with its "One Book, One City" initiative. (Oct. 5- Nov. 5, 2007)
- Michigan City Public Library, Michigan City
Robin D. Kohn, 219.873.3049
Michigan City Public Library has been selected as a host site for the national traveling exhibit, "Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation." IHC funding will be used to sponsor three presentations showcasing music, memoirs, and literature from the Civil War period. (Feb. 23-Apr. 4, 2008, exhibit; Mar. 8 and 13, 2008 and one other date, programs)
- Jefferson County Preservation Council, Madison
Lillian Sue Livers, 812.265.0555
A special event for fall 2007 will enable people in Madison, Indiana, to learn about Native American arts and heritage. The public library, Historic Madison, and the county human relations commission are cooperating with the Jefferson Co. Preservation Council on this project. (Nov. 12, 2007)
- IUPUI, Indianapolis
Robert Harris, 317.274.8100
The Center for Economic Education at IUPUI will be offering an eight-day workshop for K-12 teachers, aimed at improving their ability to translate economic theory into meaningful classroom instruction. The topics will be economics in children’s literature for the elementary grades and economics in U.S. history for middle and high school teachers. (July 19-30, 2007)
- President Benjamin Harrison Foundation, Indianapolis
Erin Trisler, 317.631.1888
As part of the Spirit and Place Festival, Dr. Kim Nielsen of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will give a public lecture on Helen Keller, her writings, and her battle against discrimination. Dr. Nielsen is the author of numerous books and articles on Helen Keller. (Nov. 8, 2007)
- Bell Memorial Public Library, Mentone
Lorna Klein, 574.353.7234 x 11
Holocaust survivor Bill Meyer of Geneva, Indiana, will be the main presenter for a program hosted by the Bell Memorial Public Library in Mentone. Project cosponsors are the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation, the Mentone United Methodist Church, and Grace College. (Sept. 15, 2007)
- Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis
Stephen L. Cox, 317.232.1876
Professor David Blight of Yale University will speak on Race and Reunion The Civil War in American History, the topic of his award-winning book. The program is the third in the Indiana Historical Society’s Distinguished Speakers Series for 2007. (Nov. 29, 2007)
- Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western A, Indianapolis
James Nottage, 317.275.1322
A symposium on contemporary Native American art, artists, and cultural issues will anchor a weekend event marking the tenth anniversary of the Eiteljorg Fellowship program. In addition to two panel discussions with former fellows, there will be a keynote address by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, a distinguished Native American artist whose work reflects both her heritage and her views on the current conditions of Native peoples. (Nov. 10, 2007)
- Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society, Crawfordsville
Amanda Wesselmann, 765.362.5769
A week-long Youth Academy for middle school students in Crawfordsville will give them an opportunity to interact with scholars and participate in hands-on learning activities. The program, held on the grounds of Lew Wallace’s home, instructs students in art, architecture, inventions, surveying, literature, Civil War history, and Indiana history as exemplified by Wallace’s life and accomplishments. (July 10-14, 2007)
- Marion County Historical Society, Indianapolis
Virginia L. Terpening, 317.635.7329
A public lecture by Ralph D. Gray and teachers workshop on the selected writings of Meredith Nicholson will be sponsored by the Marion Co. Historical Society, in cooperation with the Indiana Historical Society and the Indianapolis-Marion Co. Public Library. (Dec. 19, 2007, lecture; spring 2008, workshop)
- Miami County Historical Society, Peru
Jean A. Musselman, 765.985.3435
Representatives of the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana and the Potawatomi Tribe of Indiana will offer instruction in their cultures at the Heritage Days Festival in Peru, Indiana. (Aug. 24-26, 2007)
- Ruthmere, Elkhart
Laurel Spencer Forsythe, 574.264.0330
A BookFest event at Ruthmere, a historic house museum in Elkhart, will celebrate the importance of books and reading and call attention to Ruthmere’s rare book library. A lecture on Dante Aligheri and Italian literature will be presented to draw attention to a sculpture of Beatrice, Dante’s muse, in the Ruthmere library. (Sept. 8, 2007)
- Bloomington Area Arts Council, Bloomington
Miah Michaelsen, 812.344.3100 x 101
The John Waldron Arts Center will host an exhibit of instruments made by traditional craft people, as well as related gallery talks and educational programs. Jon Kay, director of Traditional Arts Indiana, will help audiences to learn about the traditions of instrument making currently practiced in Indiana. (July 28, 2007, teachers workshop; Sept. 7-30, 2007, exhibit and programs)
- Wabash Valley Trust for Historic Preservation, Lafayette
Susan Hinesley, 765.420.0268
An update of the "Guide to Researching Your Historic Building" brochure will be published, and home owners and other interested citizens in Lafayette will have the opportunity to attend workshops on historic properties and their significance. Following a kickoff "Building Knowledge" workshop during Preservation Month, local neighborhood organizations will also host workshops. (May 2008, Preservation Month workshop)
- Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana, Peru
Erin Dunnagan Oliver, 765.473.1247
This grant will help to support the publication of a catalogue to accompany Chicago artist Deborah Boardman’s exhibit at I.U. Kokomo Art Gallery, in conjunction with a program on Miami Indian language and culture. The project is co-sponsored by Indiana University Kokomo. (Nov. 8, 2007, public lecture; Oct. 19-Nov. 18, 2007, exhibition)
- Elkhart County Historical Society, Bristol
Nicholas Hoffman, 574.848.4322
The Elkhart County Historical Museum will put together "Discovery Boxes" on four topics selected to enhance the K-12 curriculum in order to take museum programs to local classrooms. The programs will help students learn about the American Indian Experience in Elkhart County, Community Development, World War II in Elkhart County, and Comparative Ethnic Studies. (Aug. 2008, materials ready & available for 2008-09 school year)
- Ball State University, Muncie
Diana Saiki, 765.285.2293
An intergenerational program will pair students from Ball State University with participants at the Forest Park Senior Center to discuss costume styles from the early twentieth century to the present. Using BSU’s Beeman Historical Costume Collection as a reference, the students will create multimedia projects on vintage clothing and contemporary fashion to share with their senior collaborators. (Jan.-June 2008, spring semester)
- Purdue University, West Lafayette
Kristina Bross, 765.494.3745
As a highlight event in the "Prophetstown Revisited" conference, Native American filmmaker Chris Eyre will talk about his documentary, "We Still Remain: Tecumseh," part of a PBS series. The year of the conference marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of Prophetstown by Tecumseh and his brother, Tenskatawa, in 1808. (Apr. 4, 2008)
- The Polis Center, Indianapolis
Pam Blevins Hinkle, 317.278.2644
The Polis Center will begin its annual Spirit & Place Festival with a high-profile panel on the humanities, arts, and religion. The theme of "Living Generously" will be addressed by Patty Stonesifer, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, composer and scholar; and Nathan Dungan, author and founder of the Share Save Spend initiative. Indiana author Scott Russell Sanders will moderate the panel. (Nov. 4, 2007)
- Community Action of Greater Indianapolis, Indianapolis
Eunice Knight-Bowens, 317.524.6951
With the cooperation of the Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, and IUPUI’s Departments of English and Religious Studies, the Etheridge Knight Festival will feature a variety of youth-oriented presentations and activities focused on poetry and storytelling. (Apr. 5-6 & 12, 2008)
- Studebaker National Museum, South Bend
Tony Smith, 574.235.9714
A special exhibition at the Studebaker National Museum will celebrate the legacy and lore of "muscle cars," American-built high-performance automobiles that created their own subculture in the 1960s. The museum will also present a film series comprised of movies about these cars and their drivers. (Sept. 29, 2007-Mar. 16, 2008, exhibition; Jan. 2008, film series)
- Indiana University South Bend, South Bend
Deborah Marr, 574.520.5564
This innovative project combines "Shakespeare, Science, and the Songs of Whales" as the centerpiece of a timely IUSB campus theme on poetry and environmental science. Faculty in English, Theatre, and Science will facilitate the seminars and programs. (Jan. 15, 2008, SeaChange performance)
- Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis
Elaine G. Rosa, 317.234.0085
Workshops and consultations for K-12 students and teachers will be provided in conjunction with National History Day activities in Indiana. The program asks students to consider questions of time and place, cause and effect, change over time, and impact and significance related to historical topics. (Jan.-Feb. 2008; workshops; Mar.-May 2008, History Day competitions)
- IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, Indianapolis
Susanmarie Harrington, 317.278.1153
The American Shakespeare Center will visit Indiana to give six performances, including two performances for high school students in Indianapolis and Kokomo, as well as 16 workshops. The ASC strives to demonstrate the techniques of Renaissance theater while also illuminating contemporary themes such as bigotry and women’s rights. (Feb. 25-Mar. 2, 2008)
- Vincennes University, Vincennes
Joseph Fabyan, 812.888.5789
A distinguished panel featuring Harold Holzer and Stewart Winger will give an evening presentation in Vincennes, in cooperation with the Lincoln Bicentennial Bike Tour. This innovative format will give Knox County an opportunity to host Lincoln-related programming as part of the bicentennial commemoration. (Aug. 18, 2008)
- Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Committee, West Lafayette
Sarah Powley, 765.474.1488 x 4042
A week-long conference on the Holocaust will focus on the kindertransport (rescue of Jewish children from Germany and Austria in 1938-9). The event brings together the curriculum mandate to teach the Holocaust, children’s literature, scholarly examination, and widespread community involvement. (Apr. 4-10, 2008)
- Pioneer Power of North Central Indiana, Peru
Jodie Comerford-Schmitt, 765.438.3835
Demonstrations of culture and folklore by members of the Miami Nation of Indians, as well as Revolutionary and Civil War reenactments, will be featured in the Hoosier Heritage Fest of Miami County. (Aug. 22-24, 2008)
- Purdue University Cooperative Extention Service, Indianapolis
Carmen DeRusha, 317.275.9305 x 253
A coalition of groups including Purdue Extension-Marion County, the Governor's Office, and the Indiana Civil Rights Commission will sponsor a one-day MultiEthnic Conference, "Discovering and Understanding Common Ground." (Apr. 22, 2008)
- Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis
Steve Cox, 317.232.1876
A series of forums on Immigration--Past, Present, and Future--will take place at the Indiana Historical Society during spring 2008. The first program features a panel of historians comparing immigration yesterday and today, including issues such as economic factors, quota debates, and cultural adaptations to life in America. (Feb. 19, Mar. 20, Apr. 17, 2008)
