Past Grants Awarded

A weeklong workshop between beginner musicians from a selection of Hill Towns (Ashfield, Plainfield, Hawley, and Buckland) and mentors conversant in regional folk classics in preparation for storytelling performances.

The fourth annual history fair on the Boston Common for third and fifth grade students. The fair has grown into an annual collaboration between FPG, the schools, and various history organizations that interpret, re-enact, and engage students in how the Common has been used throughout history.

Four dinner concerts and 10 lunchtime concerts, to be followed by scholar-facilitated discussions at the Center, a community organization that serves homeless and low-income people.

A new audio tour for Buckman Tavern, the gathering place for the Lexington militia before they encountered British soldiers in the first battle of the American Revolution.

Awarded to catalogue, re-house, and transcribe the "Paul White documents," a group of about fifty documents that date from the 1740's to the early nineteenth century, with an eye towards future public programming.

Reading and discussion series focusing on books by Jack Kerouac.

Scanning, inventory, and electronic storage of more than 500 photographs in the Hassanamisco Indian Museum's collection.

Inventory of the archival pictures, research papers, and notes left by Helen Vanderhoop Manning, an Aquinnah Wampanoag leader, historian, and educator.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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.

Honoraria for visiting authors of national repute and two chartered buses that will be used to transport seniors to readings held at the Center.

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.

A 10-session professional development course for 20 teachers to study primary sources and teaching materials on notable nonviolent movements in the modern world.

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.

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.

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.

Reading and discussion program on the literature of travel and transformation.

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.

Inventory of the images relating to the annual Barrington Fair (c. 1841-1980) that are part of the Domenic and Marie Tassone photographic collection.

Inventory of the images relating to the annual Barrington Fair (c. 1841-1980) that are part of the Domenic and Marie Tassone photographic collection.

A summer class for underserved youth. The six-week intensive course will explore the history of Brockton through documentary photography.
(project website)

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.

Pre-production for a feature documentary on the life and unknown stories of poet Elizabeth Bishop.

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.

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.

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.

Narrated boat trips to Spectacle Island for underserved youth that blends explorations in archaeology, history, environmental philosophy, and civics.

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.
(project website)

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.

A program that introduces adult education students to literature through poetry and creative writing workshops.

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.

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.

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.

Reading and discussion program aimed at helping the general reader to explore the roots of Islam through a variety of texts.