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Explore the Mass Humanities funded projects awarded from 2000 to the present. Browse by grant type, city, region or keyword. Subscribe to our newsletter and receive news when grants are awarded.
Jack Kerouac Reading and Discussion SeriesUniversity of Massachusetts Lowellmore
Reading and discussion series focusing on books by Jack Kerouac.
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County
project director: Sara Marks
awarded on: 2012-12-21
amount: $1,000
Photo Digitization and ExhibitHassanamisco Indian Museum / Nipmuc Nationmore
Scanning, inventory, and electronic storage of more than 500 photographs in the Hassanamisco Indian Museum's collection.
South Grafton, MA, Worcester County
project director: D. Rae Gould
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $1,500
Helen V. Manning Archive Inventory ProjectAquinnah Cultural Centermore
Inventory of the archival pictures, research papers, and notes left by Helen Vanderhoop Manning, an Aquinnah Wampanoag leader, historian, and educator.
Aquinnah, MA, Dukes County
project director: Berta Welch
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $1,500
Art in WordsCommunity Foundation of Southeastern MAmore
An after-school reading and visual arts program for middle school students focusing on the connection between the novel Okay for Now by award-winning writer Gary Schmidt and the New Bedford Public Library's unique collection of James Audubon's Birds of America prints.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County
project director: Jill Horton-Simms
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $10,000
Youth Programs at the Royall House & Slave QuartersRoyall House Associationmore
Development of a youth curriculum for the museum-which features the only known "slave quarters" in New England-that is tied to the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks for third and fifth grade (when Massachusetts history is taught).
Medford, MA, Middlesex County
project director: Margen Kelsey
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $5,000
Sojourner Truth and 19th Century FlorenceCommittee for Northampton, Inc.more
A three-part effort to bring 300 Springfield students to Florence for a Sojourner Truth walking tour, which will include exploration of historic houses and places where African-American fugitives lived and worked during the antebellum period.
Florence, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Terrence O'Toole
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $9,566
A reading, discussion, and writing initiative in nursing homes, retirement facilities, hospitals, and care centers. Using Virginia Woolf's "On Being Ill" along with "Notes from Sick Rooms" by Julia Stephen (Woolf's mother), staff and residents in these facilities will explore the experience, meaning, and transformational aspect of illness and care giving.
Ashfield, MA, Franklin County
project director: Jan Freeman
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $5,000
An oral history project about immigration to Worcester, in which the oral histories are conversations between two people about migration to Worcester, recorded in a Story Corps booth.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County
project director: Lisa Long Feldmann
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $5,000
StoriesLive IIIMassmouth, Inc.more
A program in which professional Massachusetts storytellers teach 10th, 11th, and 12th graders in 10 Massachusetts high schools the art of personal storytelling while imparting formative public speaking skills and writing strategies. The program culminates in an intramural story slam (with cash prizes).
Brookline, MA, Norfolk County
project director: Norah Dooley
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $10,000
Community by Design: The Olmsted Firm and the Development of Brookline, MALibrary of American Landscape Historymore
Research, script development, image selection, location scouting, music, and more for a short film on the Olmsted architectural firm's role in shaping the design and urban plan of Brookline, Massachusetts
Amherst, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Robin Karson
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $5,000
Linking Past and Present: Slavery and Anti-Slavery Reform in the Northampton LandscapeHistoric Northamptonmore
Creation and installation of three historic markers about local history concerning slavery and abolition. The new markers will feature "QR codes" that, when scanned with a smartphone, will lead to Web resources that feature more information than the marker, such as short audio and video files.
Northampton, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Kerry Buckley
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $5,000
Fine Arts Work Center Year-Round Reading SeriesFine Arts Work Centermore
Honoraria for visiting authors of national repute and two chartered buses that will be used to transport seniors to readings held at the Center.
Provincetown, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Salvatore Scibona
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $5,000
Making Media Now Conference PanelFilmmakers Collaborativemore
A panel at the "Making Media Now," conference, that will offer insights and best practices to filmmakers on developing the most productive working relationships between humanities scholars and documentary filmmakers.
Melrose, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)
project director: Kathryn Dietz
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $1,200
Non-Violent Movements in the Modern WorldCenter for Nonviolent Solutionsmore
A 10-session professional development course for 20 teachers to study primary sources and teaching materials on notable nonviolent movements in the modern world.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Paul S. Ropp
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $10,000
Berkshire Festival of Women WritersBard College at Simon's Rockmore
A month-long, community-wide series of readings, lectures, films and discussions, writing workshops, networking events, and performances by and for women writers. The festival focuses on the concept of strengthening women's voices through writing.
Great Barrington, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)
project director: Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $5,000
See-Hear-Feel-FilmAmherst Cinema Arts Center, Inc.more
A program designed for third graders that uses a series of international short films to teach students the power of story, help them gain visual literacy, cultivate the analytical skills necessary for our media culture, and inspire their imaginations. Participants will hail from 66 classes in public schools in underserved districts throughout the Pioneer Valley, including Amherst.
Amherst, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Jake Meginsky
awarded on: 2012-12-14
amount: $5,000
Time EnoughForbes Librarymore
Reading and discussion group using Christian McEwen's "World Enough and Time: On Creativity and Slowing Down" as the basis for discussion, along with books and articles drawn from the library's own collection.
Northampton, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Lisa Downing
awarded on: 2012-12-08
amount: $1,000
Point A to Point B: The Literature of Traveling and TransformationSturgis Librarymore
Reading and discussion program on the literature of travel and transformation.
Barnstable, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Antonia Stephens
awarded on: 2012-11-06
amount: $500
Robbins House Interpretive Center InventoryDrinking Gourd Project, Inc.more
Surveyal of archives relating to the African-American history of Concord and its neighboring towns from 1750-1787 in preparation for programming at the newly restored Robbins House.
Concord, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Robert Gross
awarded on: 2012-06-15
amount: $1,500
Winn-Adams Family CollectionArlington Historical Societymore
Inventory of the images relating to the annual Barrington Fair (c. 1841-1980) that are part of the Domenic and Marie Tassone photographic collection.
Arlington, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Faith Ferguson
awarded on: 2012-06-15
amount: $1,498
Tassone Photo Exhibition: Great Barrington's Agricultural FairsGreat Barrington Historical Societymore
Inventory of the images relating to the annual Barrington Fair (c. 1841-1980) that are part of the Domenic and Marie Tassone photographic collection.
Great Barrington, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)
project director: Gary Leveille
awarded on: 2012-06-15
amount: $1,500
City of Champions: Youth Vision in ContextArtists for Humanitymore
A summer class for underserved youth. The six-week intensive course will explore the history of Brockton through documentary photography.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Haidan Hodgson
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $9,555
Hidden in Plain Sight: Freedom Seekers and Abolitionism in New Bedford, MANew Bedford Historical Societymore
A core exhibit examining the choices of citizens who harbored fugitives from slavery both before and after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made such sanctuary illegal.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Loretta D. Blake
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $10,000
Elizabeth Bishop and the Art of LosingIthaca Collegemore
Pre-production for a feature documentary on the life and unknown stories of poet Elizabeth Bishop.
Ithaca, NY, Tompkins County
project director: John Scott
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $4,000
Ancient Identities: Arms and Adornment in the Age of Bronze and IronHiggins Armory Museum - closed 2013more
A permanent exhibit on Bronze and Iron Age artifacts from the Mediterranean Basin. The exhibit will include arms and armaments but also everyday items that illuminate aspects of personal identity in the Ancient World.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Devon Kurtz
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $5,000
Co-op CityFilmmakers Collaborativemore
A documentary about the largest rent strike in American history, which took place in order to keep housing costs down in the Bronx. The planned film offers a powerful parable to today's housing controversies.
Melrose, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)
project director: Sarah Colt
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $10,000
African American Heritage TrailMount Auburn Cemeterymore
Development of a walking trail brochure, Web site, and online exhibit focused on 19th- and 20th-century African-American history in Boston, including the monuments of 14 African-American citizens interred at the cemetery.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Bree Harvey
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $5,000
The Treasures of Spectacle IslandSave the Harbor/Save the Baymore
Narrated boat trips to Spectacle Island for underserved youth that blends explorations in archaeology, history, environmental philosophy, and civics.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Bruce Berman
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $5,000
What's the Big Idea?Northampton Arts Councilmore
A program that uses popular film clips to teach middle school students lessons on ethics and philosophy. Topics range from bullying to lying, friendship, and peer pressure.
Northampton, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Julie Akeret
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $10,000
A Song of Hope: The Life Story of Pauli MurrayDocumentary Educational Resourcesmore
Pre-production for a film about Pauli Murray, an African-American woman who made historic contributions to civil rights, women's rights, and religious life in the U.S.
Watertown, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Margo Guernsey
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $10,000
Greenfield Annual Word FestivalThe Literacy Projectmore
A program that introduces adult education students to literature through poetry and creative writing workshops.
Greenfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)
project director: Judith Roberts
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $7,500
Kennedy to Kent State ProgrammingWorcester Art Museummore
A public lecture series that will serve as a companion to an exhibit on conflicts in the United States from 1960 to 1974, such as the Kent State riot, Vietnam, and the women's movement.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Honee Hess
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $10,000
A six-part radio program that takes on contemporary issues concerning the cultural and historical role of the Connecticut River in the Pioneer Valley. The episodes will examine economics, the environment, and the river's spiritual effects on the area.
Amherst, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Francesca Rheannon
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $5,000
Portholes: An Inside Look at the Commercial Fishing IndustryCommunity Economic Development Centermore
Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern, MA will organize and hold a series of monthly community events on topics and issues related to the commercial fishing industry. The topics range from sustainability to women in the industry.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Laura Orleans
awarded on: 2012-06-08
amount: $5,000
Understanding IslamBoxford Town Librarymore
Reading and discussion program aimed at helping the general reader to explore the roots of Islam through a variety of texts.
Boxford, MA, Essex County (Northeast)
project director: Nanci M. Hill
awarded on: 2012-04-04
amount: $500
More Than a Number ExhibitionLynn Museummore
An exhibition exploring local Cambodian refugee culture, Cambodian-American culture, and non-Cambodians during and after the 1975-1979 genocide. The exhibit will address a number of themes: tolerance, acceptance and hope; the meaning of genocide, survival, healing; and re-building.
Lynn, MA, Essex County (Northeast)
project director: Abby Battis
awarded on: 2012-03-09
amount: $5,000
Art in WordsFriends of the New Bedford Free Public Librarymore
10-week after-school program for children that will focus on reading and discussion of books and instruction in drawing and watercolor techniques.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Jill Horton-Simms
awarded on: 2012-03-09
amount: $10,000
Coexist and Teaching about Human DignityCenter For Independent Documentarymore
A program designed to engage new audiences in four public high schools to reflect on moral and ethical themes: responsibility to others, the meaning of human dignity, relationships that foster human flourishing, and respect and honor for difference.
Walpole, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)
project director: Adam Mazo
awarded on: 2012-03-09
amount: $10,000
Hilltowns History Conference and FairMary Lyon Foundation, Inc.more
A Franklin County history happening, to be held at Colrain Central School. The daylong event will consist of a free history fair with activities and booths for all ages presented by organizations and individuals from around the county, as well as an indoor history conference with about 20 breakout sessions.
Shelburne Falls, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)
project director: Susan Samoriski
awarded on: 2012-03-09
amount: $5,000
Generational Legacy ProjectOn With Living and Learningmore
A nine-month project, beginning with a series of workshops for previously incarcerated women, culminating in performances to be produced by the Fort Point Theatre Channel.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Michael Ricca
awarded on: 2012-03-09
amount: $10,000