Grants Awarded Fiscal Year 2003
Early Response Grants
Celebration of the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Providence Children's Museum
$1000
This program uses a book display, a performance, and an interactive presentation to teach children about the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement.
The Egungun Video Project
Iya Moopo Workshop, Inc.
$2000
The Iya Moopo Workshop is completing the research and organizational phases for the development of a documentary on Egungun, the Yoruba ancestral masquerade. Project directors are cataloging, transcribing, and translating materials collected to date and consulting with scholars on content and structure.
Buddy Cianci, Flawed Hero
Documentary Education Resources
$1800
Project director Cherry Arnold is producing a film exploring the Buddy Cianci's political career in Providence. The film will study the two sides of Buddy Cianci and the impact those two sides had on his career and on the city of Providence. At the film's core is the classic and universal story of the "Flawed Hero."
Folger Festivals Workshop
Rhode Island College
$1000
This one day workshop for middle- and high-school teachers is a hands-on, interactive introduction to methods for text-based and performance-based teaching of Shakespeare. The goal of the workshop is to give teachers the materials and the confidence to involve students in Shakespeare's plays and, thus, to increase their appreciation of Shakespeare's works and to improve their skills in reading and language arts.
Invested in Community:
Ethnomusicology and Musical Advocacy
Brown University
$2000
The focus of this conference is the vital role of the academic in advocating community music. The conference aims to foster dialogue between ethnomusicologists and community members about applying ethnomusicology to tangible and useful projects in both national and international communities.
Colonial Newport at Work and Worship
Society of Friends of Touro Synagogue
$1000
This lecture series brings well-respected national scholars in colonial history to Newport to expand the interpretation of the Touro Synagogue site. By exploring new perspectives on colonial Newport and colonial Jewish communities, the series will investigate Touro Synagogue and its history in a new way with an expanded frame of reference.
New England Women of Color Artists:
Emergence of Identity
Beneficent Congregational Church
$1,000
This exhibit, organized by women artists, displays works by 40 emerging and established women of color artists. Two lectures are featured during the opening reception. Marilyn Richardson of AfricanAmericana of Watertown, MA, presents on Edmonia Lewis, a 19th century African American sculptor who worked in Boston, MA around 1870. Dr. Jane Lancaster presents on Elizabeth Prophet, also a 19th century African-American sculptor who worked in Providence, RI, around 1923. Enhancing the exhibit, the lectures on the lives of these two 19th century women of color artists include slide presentations and opportunity for discussion.
Behind the News:
U.S. Military Presence Abroad
The Glimpse Foundation
$1,000
This conference series approaches an enduring international headline news story from historical and perspectives. It examines the U.S. military throughout history and in a variety of regions as a means of conceptualizing the Bush administration's past and present calls for war. A diverse panel of scholars and journalists provide balanced historical insights.
Great Books for Kid on Film 2003
Little Compton Community Center
$1,000
This literary film series increases the students from Wilbur/McMahon School and their families knowledge and enjoyment of literature by enriching their in and out-of-school literary experiences. The participants read great books, watch films based on the books and participate in engaging humanities workshops.
Nonfiction Rules -
A forum on journalism, storytelling and online magazine Six Billion
AS220
$1,000
This event features a collection of work in a variety of media thematically linked by the authors' creation of an obituary. After the participating authors, journalists, and new media artists present their work, a panel of scholars critiques and contextualizes this collection of creative obituaries. At the evening's end, the audience participates in discussion with both the scholars and the presenters.
Henry James in Newport
Redwood Library and Athenaeum
$1,000
These pamphlets exhibit the life of this key American author as well as his connections to Newport. Included in the pages are details of the significant people, places and events in James' life and writings.
Native Americans of Southern New England:
A K-8 Teachers' Institute
University of New Hampshire's Center for New England Culture
$2,000
This summer institute brings Rhode Island teachers together for three days of workshops with Narragansett instructors to research and develop curriculum materials for bringing the history and culture of the Narragansetts and other Native people who live in New England into their classrooms.
Sacco and Vanzetti
New York Foundation for the Arts
$2,000
This documentary film seeks to expose the political unrest, ethnic conflict, and government suppression of radical organizations that shaped American culture during the time of the Sacco and Vanzetti conviction and trial.
Hmong Immigrants:
A Generation Later
Rhode Island School of Design
$2,000
This documentary film looks at change over time in the lives of Southeast Asian refugees resettled in the United States, after the American withdrawal from the wars in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Specifically, it will look at the experiences of several Hmong families who were settled originally in Providence, RI in 1976 and where their lives have taken them. These families were introduced to Rhode Island audiences in the documentary project The Best Place to Live.
Gilbert Stuart:
A Portrait From Life
Gilbert Stuart Memorial, Inc.
$2,000
This documentary project examines the life, times, and work of Rhode Island portrait artist Gilbert Stuart. The film considers Stuart's extraordinary life story and highlight the role of visual artists as chroniclers of history in an era before the advent of photography.
Gray Panthers' Summer Prowl
Gray Panthers of Rhode Island
$1,570
This series of film and discussion events bring seniors together at five locations throughout the state to learn about Gray Panther founder Maggie Kuhn. A scholar will lead post-screening discussions and provide contextual information to the audience regarding the history of the Gray Panther movement and the political and social climate of the era during which the Gray Panthers formed.
Preserving Pawtucket's Historical Heritage:
"Weaving the Fabric from Past to Present"
Preservation Society of Pawtucket
$1,280
This project, involving a partnership between the Preservation Society of Pawtucket and the Boys and Girls Club of Pawtucket, enables elementary students the opportunity to gain an understanding and appreciation of the historical significance of both the people and places of Pawtucket, RI, that have "woven the fabric" and shaped the cultural heritage of the Blackstone Valley community.
Art Across Borders
AS220
$1,825
This panel discussion and public exhibition feature the artwork and experience of Iraqi and Palestinian artists, explore the rich cultural tradition of the arts in the Middle East, and investigate the violence and upheaval contemporary artists face in their struggle to create.
Democracy and Captivity
Brown University, Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance
$2,000
This series of lectures is a part of a year-long collaborative faculty project across humanities disciplines, which aims to critically explore the topic of "Incarceration, Narrative, and Performance." The Democracy and Captivity lecture series presents six public lectures by leading scholars, writers, and thinkers and offers opportunities for discussion.
Humanities Research Grants
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff Archival Collection
Herreshoff Marine Museum
$2,000
This project seeks to upgrade the Herreshoff Marine Museum library in order to preserve and protect materials and make holdings more accessible to researchers and the public.
The Rhode Island State Home and School Oral History Project
Rhode Island College
$7,760
This project documents the lives of former residents and staff of the Rhode Island State Home and School for Neglected and Dependent Children and the Dr. Patrick O'Rourke Children's Center. Through interviews, an oral history archive, workshops, and other public activities, this project will document and publicize the experiences of children who lived in Rhode Island's first public institution for destitute children.
Independent Research Grants
Everlasting
Ann Fessler
$1960
This project documents the experiences of women who became pregnant outside of marriage and surrendered their newborns for adoption between 1945 (the end of World War II) and 1973 (Roe v. Wade)
Excerpts from the interviews are being used in multi-media gallery installations and for the soundtrack of a film. At the conclusion of the project, the original interview tapes and transcripts become part of the permanent collection of the Schlesinger Library's oral history archive at Harvard University.
Situationist Interventions
Miranda Mellis
$2000
This project researches the aesthetic and political theories and projects of the Situationists, a European art movement most active in France between 1957 and 1972, and their relevance to the postmodern city. The research project culminates in a public program, including a presentation and reading, the screening of three short Situationist films, a post-viewing Q&A discussion, and a workshop at The People's School.
The Wilcoxes of Westerly
Sandra Laub
$2000
The project director, in consultation with a scholar, researches and develops a script for a play based on historical records of the lives of two prominent Rhode Island citizens, Mr. Stephen Wilcox and Mrs. Harriet Wilcox. Through the story of the Wilcoxes, audiences learn about this unique philanthropic partnership and their far-sighted civic-planning. The play is performed at the conclusion of script development and each performance is followed by a moderated discussion.
Five Years, Eight Mills
Scott Lapham
$2000
This project documents eight industrial mill buildings in Providence slated for demolition through photography and oral history. An exhibition and exhibition catalog with reproduced photographs and transcribed oral histories are planned to bring this work to the public.
Sissieretta Jones, "Black Patti"
Carol Landau
$2000
This project seeks to research and develop a biography for Providence performer Sissieretta Jones, also known as "Black Patti." Through the development of a Power Point presentation and discussion materials for youth, this project also seeks to use this narrative to help children understand local history, women's issues and race issues.
Public Project Grants
The Town Brass Band as a Popular Movement of Mid-19th Century American Society
Rhode Island Brassworks
$3850
This project examines the role of Brass Bands in American culture from 1845 to 1870. With a program that combines history and music, this presentation looks at the national effect this "popular movement" had on mid-19th century America, in addition to exploring the impact brass bands had both in New England and more locally.
War, Peace and Reconciliation in the Ancient World
Brown University
$3600
This colloquium at Brown University explores the many ways in which ancient cultures dealt with challenges that human societies have had to face throughout history. The focus of this event is to explore not only how ancient cultures organized for and fought wars, but how they ended conflicts, gained control over the forces unleashed by war, handled the consequences of war, established peace and normal relationships with former enemies, and returned to normal life.
Amble Through Historic Pawtuxet Village
ET Wyman Elementary School
$2,000
The purpose of this project is to involve students and their parents from the local public schools in a project designed to increase awareness in the historical significance of Pawtuxet Village, the oldest village n New England. Participants are involved in a weekly after school enrichment project that culminates in an historic walking tour where students communicate what they learned to the public.
The Providence Athenaeum's 250th Anniversary Series
Providence Athenaeum
$2800
The Athenaeum's 250th Anniversary series will focus on the library as a place for eductational and cultural discovery over the past two and a half centuries. Series topics include 19th century women writers, Providence history, the rise and fall of Roger Williams, the history of libraries in Rhode Island, the poetry of Sarah Helen Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe, and 18th and 19th century landscapes.
Humanities Rep
Trinity Repertory Company
$6465
Trinity Repertory Company continues it's successful series, Humanities Rep, where theater-goers and the general public have the opportunity to discuss the themes of a current production with the aid of a scholar moderator and supplementary essays in the playbill.
"The Boundless Deep…":
The European Conquest of the Oceans, 1450 to 1840
John Carter Brown Library
$3,835.25
This project is an effort to reconnect Americans to their maritime heritage, particularly with the history and literature of the sea during the era of European oceanic expansions. It includes a major exhibition or printed and graphic text materials to be mounted at the Newport Art Museum, an exhibition catalogue, and a lecture series.
International Fest 2004
Johnson & Wales University
$2,612
This series of events aims to investigate the links between culture and food. Scholars, students, and community members gather for a film and discussion series, a gallery night exhibition and panel discussion, and an international food festival, educating the public on the role of food in many cultural traditions.
Education, Arts, and Freedom:
an exploration of pedagogy and philosophy
Community MusicWorks
$4,865
This project involves a public lecture, a teachers' workshop, and a series of facilitated dialogues with youth in exploring the history of educational philosopher Paola Freire's work in an effort to inspire dialogue about freedom, oppression, and the arts.
Preservation PRIorities:
Conservation and Community in Rhode Island
Preserve Rhode Island
$4,400
This series of public presentations bring scholars and communities together to discuss community development, the preservation of community and neighborhood character, and Rhode Island's historic and natural resources. The presentations are designed to address issues that are identified by each community as most urgent and to relate those to broader social themes such as gentrification and sense of place.
Script Development Grants
A Volunteer for Justice:
The Martha Sharp Cogan Story
Keene State College
$4,786.80
Dr. Benaquist and Dr. Sullivan are developing a script for a 60-minute television documentary about the life of Martha Sharp Cogan. The film will present, through Martha Sharp's perspective and experiences, a unique examination of the great historical events and ethical issues that arose during the years 1939 to 1952. This is the tale of a native Rhode Islander who risked her life to save hundreds of refugees, internees, Jews, and political dissidents during WWII. During and after the war, she aided efforts to rescue European Jewish children and bring them to Palestine, and worked to secure the release of Jews from Morocco and Iraq.
Buddy Cianci, Flawed Hero
Documentary Education Resources
$5000
Project director Cherry Arnold is producing a film exploring the Buddy Cianci's political career in Providence. The film will study the two sides of Buddy Cianci and the impact those two sides had on his career and on the city of Providence. At the film's core is the classic and universal story of the "Flawed Hero."