Past Grants Awarded

A community conversation on historic approaches to social contract negotiation and achieving citizen rights and freedoms, and signage marking approaches to the subject by notable historical figures.

11th graders' dramatic reading of the voices of selected human rights leaders in a theatrical performance of "Voices From Beyond the Dark" by Ariel Dorfman.

A series of summer lectures offered by scholars, legal experts, and city officials, with contributions from recent immigrants to the Commonwealth on the history of immigration in the United States.

Documentation of the stories of detained immigrants in six short audio/video pieces and to present those in four moderated community film-and-discussion programs.

Preproduction of "Stephano: The True Story of Shakespeare's Shipwreck," a film project that will trace the life of Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins as part of the Center's "Hit and Run History" series.

Development of a trailer and a written treatment for a documentary about the security measure in American public schools of arming teachers.

A one-day conference for staff members of New England's literary house museums, entitled Creative Spaces: The Preservation, Interpretation, and Future of Historic Literary Sites.

An exhibition timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Boston's resistance to the British Stamp Act of 1765, as well as a summer teachers' institute for teachers in the Boston Public School district.

A series of six public conversations, entitled The Health of Democracy, that examine the proper role of government in promoting the general welfare of its citizens as well as shaping and overseeing the nation's social contract.

Performances of the play, "The Great War Theatre Company: Messengers of Bitter Truth," at Boston area high schools.

Community humanities programming to complement the play, "Mr g," for underserved youth and young and working adults, including faith-based communities of color.

Development and implementation of an exhibit with programming focusing on Portuguese immigration to Lowell, beginning in the early twentieth century.

Reading and discussion group centered around the theme of income inequality.

Scanning and inventory 1,000 photographic prints of New Englanders enjoying the outdoors between 1930-1950.

Inventory of 12 boxes of artifacts and records from the Proctor Comb and Button Manufacturing Company, a significant industry in the town from the mid-1800s into the early 1900s.

Inventory of negatives and photographs taken at Gardener's Colony for the Insane during the 1950s and 1960s and reproduce them in print for researchers and online for the public.

A reading and discussion series for fathers and their five-to-nine year olds based on our Family Adventures in Reading program.

Research, design, and installation of Work + House, an exhibit focused on workers' housing in the city's industrial past that began with the paper and textile mills.

A series of six events combining film, live performances, and conversations with community leaders and humanities scholars on Baldwin's life, work, and message of equality.

Transportation of 75 Commonwealth Academy students to Sojourner Truth's Florence abolition and slavery walking tour, which will also be overhauled with streamlined, age-appropriate educational materials and online resources.

A county-wide reenactment of the events of September, 1774, when the local British government was overthrown by weaponless militiamen.

An extensive collaborative program exploring art and human rights, to be held as interactive seminars, theatrical productions and public conversations at the Loeb Drama Center and participating schools and organizations.

Performances of a new musical play on the immigration history of Boston and honoraria for a humanities scholar and panelists for post-performance talk back in three communities.

A summer school for budding archaeologists from underserved area high schools.

Production of two performances of an adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" with performances at Springfield Historical Museum and including an educational outreach component to include Springfield youth participants and play development workshops in Greenfield.

Finalization of improvements to their accessibility measures for sight-impaired visitors, including experiential interpretation, and for a workshop sharing best practices learned from this project.

A partnership with upwards of ten faith-based groups of diverse traditions uniting to host five film-and-discussion events on civics and religion.

Documentation of the oral histories of the working-class life of women and/or their descendants during the 1910-1940 period.

Development of a thematic and comprehensive understanding of facilitated discussion with the fishing community recorded since 2004 on the Narrative Stage and preparation of the materials for archival storage and public access.

A county-wide reenactment of the events of September, 1774, when the local British government was overthrown by weaponless militiamen.

An online exhibit and curriculum unit to be developed within the existing Disability History Museum website using the story of Anne Sullivan (Hellen Keller's famous teacher and Agawam, MA, resident) to tell the story of disability rights and poverty advocacy.

A residency to produce the local history theatre piece Mill, Mountain, River: A Child's Eye View of Olde Colraine alongside third and fourth graders in Colrain, MA. The play tells the story of child workers in the Griswoldville factories and will be produced over two weeks and presented publicly as well as to the school community.

Support for speakers, scholars, and publicity materials for the seventh annual Boston Muslim Film Festival.

Two four-day summer institutes for 60 Boston-area teachers. The institutes are loosely organized around the theme of women in African American history.

Production and installation of outdoors signage to help visitors interpret the history of the precarious entrance to Boston Harbor as viewed from Stony Beach in Hull, including the stories of pilots, lifesavers, lighthouse keepers and more.

Pre-production of a one hour television documentary on the untold story of women clerical workers organizing for pay equity, advancement, and recognition. The 9 to 5 Project addresses a significant aspect of feminist social movement history in the U.S. and raises important questions about labor history.

Production of a short film about historical discrimination against the Irish in Lowell. Lowell's "Irish Problem": The Town Vote to Fund a School for the Irish will be incorporated into fourth grade curricula.

Creation of multi-lingual playbills for the company's Road to Tolerance cycle of five plays, to be presented to Boston Public School students.

Development and implementation a multi-lingual exhibit of census-based maps of Boston telling the story of recent immigration in the city.

Support for development of the film Seams, a poetic oral history of women's experiences of the conflict between Britain and Ireland.