 Ignition!
Promoting and advocating for our state’s history organizations at the Massachusetts History Conference.
Our 13th annual Massachusetts History Conference will inspire a passion for history in the public and boost organizations who share in this mission. Kids, legislators, tourists, historians, and audiences of all kinds will benefit from the gathering. The Mass History Alliance, a new organization committed to advancing the field, will launch at the conference. Liz Sevcenko, Director of the Humanities Action Lab, will be the keynote speaker.
REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE |
 Making Waves
Our grantee’s film on feminism opens to instant acclaim.
Heralded as one of the best films on Second Wave feminism, Left on Pearl is now making its way around the festival circuit and taking home awards. The film—which was more than ten years in the making—debuted at the Boston International Film Festival this month and won Best Documentary.
WATCH THE TRAILER |
 Humanities Happenings
See who we funded in our first grant rounds of 2017.
So far this year, we have awarded 19 grants to fund exceptional work in the public humanities. Our grantees this round offer diverse approaches to equally varied subjects, such as hip hop local history, cataloging LGBTQ rights social movement ephemera, and recording audio documentaries about immigrant culture.
CHECK OUT THE GRANTEE PHOTO GALLERY |
 Words with Power
Noted poets and authors draw crowds to our Community College Public Humanities Centers.
Our pilot Community College Public Humanities Centers are off to a flying start. Many events took place this month at Berkshire Community College and Middlesex Community College. All focused on the power of poetry and literature to address the timely concerns of immigration, language, culture, and identity.
SEE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENTS |
 Life & Labor
The House of Seven Gables embarks on a series that brings to life historical and contemporary aspects of work.
Labor history comes alive on the first weekend of each month in 2017 at the House of Seven Gables. Interpretive performers act out 17th century servant life, noted scholars discuss maritime history, tour guides narrate walks through Salem’s historic immigrant communities. These options and more are available in the coming months. The museum offers its series at no additional cost thanks to a Mass Humanities grant.
GET THE SCHEDULE |
 Cultural Spectacle
Dance, sing, fly, speak, paint, and perform your way through the center of Ashfield this June with our grantee Double Edge Theatre. The public performance and fair will be a celebration of Ashfield’s unique history of acceptance, freedom, and creativity. The arts, culture, and democracy combine for a unique experience led by the people of Ashfield.
JOIN THE FESTIVITIES |
 Best of Shows
The IRNE Awards recognize the extraordinary wealth of talent in the Boston theatre community, and this year’s list includes performers from two Mass Humanities supported productions. Both won for their supporting roles; Abby Goldfarb of New Repertory Theatre in Fiddler on the Roof and Bill Mootos of the Bostonian Society and National Park Service in Blood on the Snow.
SEE WHO ELSE WON AN IRNE |
 A Vote of Confidence
Sometimes Mass Humanities funding results in an event, a film, or new research. Other times, our investment in an organization is the kind of support that nets even more attention and resources and makes an even bigger project possible. The Duxbury Rural & Historical Society’s work to transform their Bradford House museum belongs in the second category and they have taken their work to new heights.
READ THEIR SUCCESS STORY |
 Authorial Intent
Mass Humanities partnered with Harvard Book Store to bring audiences five absorbing book talks this month. Whether you’re more intrigued by German religious history or 20th-century American politics, there is an event on our calendar for you. This month’s presenters include Corey Dolgon, Benjamin Goossen, Nina Sankovitch, Stephen Kennedy Smith, Douglas Brinkley, and Jill Lepore.
JOIN US IN CAMBRIDGE |
 Long Before Rosa Parks
On this day in 1853, more than a century before the galvanizing Montgomery Bus Boycott, Sarah Parker Remond refused to obey rules that enforced segregation in a Boston theatre. Her family led 19th century anti-discrimination efforts and made some of the first inroads against racial prejudice in Massachusetts.
READ THE HISTORY |
 Why Education Matters
Mass Humanities board member Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello went to Greece as a Fulbright scholar studying how the humanities can tackle today’s most pressing issues. She shared some of her experiences in a video for Fulbright Greece.
WATCH AND DISCUSS ON FACEBOOK |
 Evaluating Our Impact
The humanities enrich our lives in so many ways. A new website aims to demonstrate the number of important contributions the National Endowment for the Humanities makes to our communities, and why it deserves more support.
FIND OUT MORE ON TWITTER |
 Humanities Calendar
We list some of the best humanities programming in the Commonwealth on our event calendar. See what is happening this month at Mass Humanities. Publish your organization's public humanities events!
FIND EVENTS |