Explore the Mass Humanities funded projects awarded from 2000 to the present. Browse by grant type, city, region or keyword. Subscribe and receive news when grants are awarded. Interact with a state map of grants awarded!
Worthington Historical Society RIG
Inventory of the Burr family collection to help elucidate the experience of farming in rural Western Massachusetts.
Worthington, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Patricia Kennedy
awarded on: 2007-06-09
amount: $910
Peacemaking Circle
Pre-production of a documentary exploring cutting-edge applications of a Native American tradition in which community members resolve conflict by convening a special ritual circle.
Walpole, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)
project director: Julie Mallozzi
awarded on: 2007-06-09
amount: $10,000
Hidden Walls, Hidden Mills, Exploring the Plainfield Landscape
Design of self-guided outings for a family audience that explore the history and ecology of the Plainfield landscape. Tours will involve participants in the 'discovery' of history.
(project website)
Plainfield, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Pleun Bouricius
awarded on: 2007-06-09
amount: $7,500
Living Off the Land in Falmouth, Then and Now
A trolley tour focusing on Falmouth's agricultural history including a visit to a modern farm and a local community garden.
Falmouth, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Carolyn T. Powers
awarded on: 2007-06-09
amount: $3,090
Working Waterfront Documentation Project
The Working Waterfront Documentation Project will document and present the history and culture of New England's commercial fishing and port industries in conjunction with the Working Waterfront Festival.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Laura Orleans
awarded on: 2007-06-09
amount: $9,320
John Quincy Adams in Russia
Series of regional performances of a historically accurate presentation of the role of John Quincy Adams in creating the lasting bonds between Russia and America.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: James D. Moran
awarded on: 2007-06-09
amount: $4,985
Left on Pearl: Women Take Over 888 Memorial Drive
Production of a film titled "Left on Pearl: Women Take Over 888 Memorial Drive, Cambridge". Employing multiple perspectives, this documentary will tell the story of a little-known but highly significant event in the history of the Second Wave of the women's movement. The takeover of a Harvard building was the surprise ending of that year's International Women's Day March.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Susan Rivo
awarded on: 2007-06-09
amount: $10,000
The Color Initiative
Radio reporting initiative that will examine complex global issues of democracy, liberty, culture, history and society through the framework of human perceptions and experiences related to skin color. Aired on WGBH/BBC/PRI's The World.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Phillip Martin
awarded on: 2007-06-08
amount: $10,000
Memory Breakdown?
Pre-production funds to support research, consultation with a scholar, and the usage of archival footage for the documentary film "Memory Breakdown?" The film will feature Nina Schuessler, a Massachusetts woman who takes a trip into the unknown and finds the place where her mother's friends were guillotined.
Harwich Port, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Stefan Roloff
awarded on: 2007-06-08
amount: $10,000
Martha Rosler: Bringing the War Home
A brochure and public programs for students and adults in conjunction with the exhibition. Includes a lecture by Howard Zinn and an artist talk by Martha Rosler.
(project website)
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Susan L. Stoops
awarded on: 2007-06-08
amount: $5,000
Attleboro Area Industrial Museum SIR
Research into Attleboro's great fire of 1898.
Attleboro, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: George Shelton
awarded on: 2007-04-15
amount: $2,500
Inquiry into the Role of African-Americans at Old North
Research on the lives of enslaved and free Africans and African-Americans who were members of the Old North congregation.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Christine Baron
awarded on: 2007-03-13
amount: $2,500
Our American Cousin
Peformances of a new opera with music by Eric Sawyer and libretto by John Shoptaw. Set in Ford's Theatre on the night of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, "Our American Cousin" provides and unusal lens on the events of that evening by telling its story both from the perspective of the actors who were onstage at the time and from that of President and Mrs. Lincoln as they watched the show from their box.
Amherst, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Eric Sawyer
awarded on: 2007-03-13
amount: $7,500
Thomas Paine: Voice of the Revolution
Documentary exploring Thomas Paine's contributions to democracy.
Brooklyn, NY, Kings County
project director: Karen Thorsen
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $10,000
"Uprising on King Street" The Boston Massacre" at the John Adams Courthouse
Performances of an original play examining the nature of justice during times of military occupation followed by a debate.
Jamaica Plain, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Derek Nelson
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $10,000
Art as Healer and Provocateur
A three evening event including an exhibition by Polish-Jewish artist and Holocaust survivor Mira Zelechower-Aleksiun, a presentation of Double Edge's original production, "Republic of Dreams," based on the life of WWII-era Polish-Jewish writer and artist Bruno Schulz, and a symposium featuring Mexican-Jewish writer/scholar Ilan Stavans, German-American author/scholar Sigrid Bauschinger, Congregation B'Nai Israel Rabbi Justin David and Double Edge artists Carlos Uriona and Stacy Klein.
Ashfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)
project director: Stacy Klein
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $6,631
Environmental Change and Society: Massachusetts as a Model
A 24 part radio series using Massachusetts as a model to document the connections between environmental change and human history.
Amherst, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Laurie Sanders
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $5,000
New England News Forum Outreach
Panel discussions in Boston and Springfield discussing the role of the press in society and introducing the audience to the New England News Forum.
Amherst, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Steve J. Simurda
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $2,350
300 Years of Mapping Orleans and Cape Cod, 1600-1900
Exhibit of antique maps showing how cartographic depictions of the area were used to not only assist with the exploration and trade commerce of the coastal area, but as a marketing tool for prospective colonists from the old world. Guest speakers will discuss the history, interpretation and collecting of antique maps.
Orleans, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Tamsen Cornell
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $2,000
Massachusetts Poetry Outreach Project
Creation of a database including MA poets, poetry organizations, poetry programs, readings, poetry societies, workshops and opportunities for public poetry for use by anyone seeking to promote poetry within the Commonwealth.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Michael Ansara
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $5,000
I Shall Ever Be Under Obligation to You: Sailor's Stories from the War of 1812
A theatrical production based on the lives of sailors and sailor's widows who applied for pensions after the War of 1812. The play is an outgrowth of research funded by MFH, NEH and IMLS.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Anne G. Rand
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $4,588
The Immigrant City: Then and Now
The project comprises an exhibit including oral histories and artifacts at the Somerville Museum and related activities before and during the exhibit period that will provide the materials to promote a public dialogue across generation and across various racial-ethnic groups in Somerville about similarities and differences in how these immigrants experienced the American dream of liberty and justice for all.
Somerville, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Warren Goldstein-Gelb
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $10,000
Presentation by Humanities Scholar During Jazz Performance
Salim Washington will speak between sets of a jazz performance by The Makand Project to discuss the broader social implications of trends in jazz.
Roxbury, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: John Kordalewski
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $600
imaginASIA
Program highlighting the connection between Eastern and Western cultures featuring an exhibit, gallery lectures, gallery programs, art courses and a festival.
Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)
project director: Melanie Mowinski
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $5,000
Linking Communities
A traveling history exhibition and installation of two bronze markers honoring four women from West Tisbury who in 1963 during the years of the Civil Rights Movement, took the great risk of leaving the safety of their homes and traveled to North Carolina to take part in protests against the denial of civil rights to African American people.
West Tisbury, MA, Dukes County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Elaine C. Weintraub
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $2,000
On the Road in Lowell
A multi-faceted commemorative event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jack Kerouac's ground-breaking novel. The celebration consits of a summer-long exhibition, a film and music series and a speaker series.
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)
project director: Dora St. Martin
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $5,000
Aspiring to Liberty: Middle Eastern Identities and Conflict in Context Summer Institute
A one-week summer institute cultivating teachers' understanding of the different ways liberty and justice are expressed in the Middle East. The institute will explore five themes: Colonialism and Modernity; Political Aspirations and Ideologies; Oil, Water, and Labor; Gender and Social Issues; and Ethnic and Religious Difference.
Watertown, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Deborah L. Cunningham
awarded on: 2007-03-09
amount: $7,500
Brockton Historical Society RIG
Archival of the personal and military papers of Captain Lucius Richmond a Brocktonian and an Officer in the Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry during the Civil War.
Brockton, MA, Plymouth County (Southeast)
project director: Derek Canavan
awarded on: 2007-02-01
amount: $1,000
Middleborough Historical Society Research Inventory Grant
Support to inventory the Lavinia Warren Bump (Mrs. Tom Thumb) collection in preparation for renewing their exhibition of material on the couple.
Middleboro, MA, Plymouth County (Southeast)
project director: Dorothy Thayer
awarded on: 2007-01-20
amount: $1,000
Research Inventory Grant
An inventory project for the Natick Historical Society to catalogue their collection of photographs.
Natick, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Jennifer Hance
awarded on: 2007-01-20
amount: $1,000
Herbert J. Harwood (1854-1910)
Description and analysis of the life of Herbert J. Harwood.
Littleton, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)
project director: Ann H. Himmelberger
awarded on: 2007-01-15
amount: $2,463
Partnership of the Historic Bostons
Proposal development for Partnership of the Historic Bostons.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Wilfred Holton
awarded on: 2006-12-27
amount: $500
They Had to Go Out
The installation a permanent exhibit on the history of the coastal lifesaving station whose headquarters the museum now occupies.
Hull, MA, Plymouth County (Southeast)
project director: Victoria Stevens
awarded on: 2006-12-08
amount: $4,780
Lighting the Way: The Life and Legacy of William Rotch, Jr.
The design and installation of an exhibit on the Rotch family and its role in New Bedford's whaling industry.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Kate Corkum
awarded on: 2006-12-08
amount: $5,000
Witch House Program Series
An expansion of the museum's family-oriented program series on colonial life.
Salem, MA, Essex County (Northeast)
project director: Elizabeth Seater
awarded on: 2006-12-08
amount: $3,413
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secrets of Government
Pre-production for a feature-length documentary focusing on Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who released the Pentagon Papers.
Berkeley, CA, Alameda County
project director: Judith Ehrlich
awarded on: 2006-12-08
amount: $10,000
The Late Indian War
Pre-production of a documentary exploring the social and spiritual impact of English colonization on eastern Indians from the perspectives of their living descendants.
New York, NY, New York County
project director: Ann Tweedy
awarded on: 2006-12-08
amount: $10,000
Far Out: Life on and after the Commune
A treatment and trailer for a documentary on two sister communes in Montague, Massachusetts and Guilford, Vermont.
Walpole, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)
project director: Charles Light
awarded on: 2006-12-08
amount: $10,000
Between Revolutions: The Federal Period
The production and dissemination of elementary and middle school curriculum materials on the Federal Period of U.S. history.
Waltham, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Susan Katz
awarded on: 2006-12-08
amount: $5,000
Memory of a Forgotten War Preproduction
Pre-production work on a documentary film on the impact and legacies of the Korean War.
Chestnut Hill, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: G. Ramsay Liem
awarded on: 2006-12-08
amount: $10,000