Grants Awarded Fiscal Year 2004
Early Response Grants
Coming to America, Coming to Providence
Temple Emanu-El
$1750
This symposium on the immigrant neighborhoods of Providence examines the common and unique heritages in the immigrant neighborhoods of Providence through illustrated lectures, a site-walk, a workshop, and a panel discussion.
Women's History Walk
Rhode Island Historical Society
$1,500
A new walking tour of Providence designed to bring new research on the lives of several remarkable Rhode Island women before a broad public audience. This celebration of Rhode Island women begins at the John Brown House museum and winds its way through college hill and downtown Providence.
March into Reading!
A Children's Literacy Festival
Salve Regina University
$2,000
More than any other single skill, the ability to read – and read well – will help a child succeed in school, learn about the world and function effectively in society. March into Reading! will highlight the importance of reading as the cornerstone of education, enabling a lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Local authors, illustrators and book-makers will join with others to excite interest among children and parents alike by presenting storytelling as an accessible process.
An Inventory of Historical Resources in Pawtuxet Village
Cranston Public Library
$2,000
This initiative seeks to inventory and officially preserve various archives that have been independently collected by local Pawtuxet Village elders. These residents have served as historians of the Pawtuxet Village throughout much of its long history. Now their experiences and archives will be recorded and organized and made available to the public.
Ellis Island:
The Dream of America
Brown University
$2,000
This project brings composer and R.I. native Peter J. Boyle back to Rhode Island for the presentation of Ellis Island: The Dream of America and Titanic. The presentation is complimented by a free public lecture hat together present on Ellis Island and the experience of immigration to America in the early 20th century.
We the People:
A Celebration of the US Constitution
Bristol Statehouse Foundation
$2,000
The aim of this project is to foster a renewed awareness and critical reflection on the ideas and values presented in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The relationship of these defining American documents to the individual – elementary, secondary, university students and community adults – permeates a day-long series of varied presentations.
Social X Change
Rhode Island School of Design
$1,400
“Social xChange” is a multidisciplinary symposium bringing forth social discourses on sexuality, ethnicity, ability, race, and gender embedded in architecture and the landscape environment. In summary, the aim of the symposium is to critique the architectural representation of social life, offer a public exchange of ideas through presentations, and discuss the theoretical implications of a socially visionary future.
Journey to Freedom Lecture Series:
People and History
Touro Synagogue Foundation
$1,400
This lecture series aims to enhance the public's understanding of the diverse cultures of Rhode Island and how that diversity helped shape the concept of freedom of consciousness in America. These lectures will explore women's place in American Judaism, the social history of slavery, and religious diversity and toleration in early Newport, in Rhode Island and beyond.
Bee Free!
Families Talk about Civil Rights and the Secret Life of Bees
Providence Public Library
$450
Susan Monk Kidd's novel The Secret Life of Bee's, a Reading Across Rhode Island selection, will form the backdrop for a discussion of civil rights, African-American history, family and friendship and the importance of oral history. There will be a chamber music performance of civil rights songs with a discussion and a storytelling presentation of two courageous women from the civil rights movement.
The Time of the Spragues
South County Museum
$1,900
This exhibit and lecture series explores the Victorian era of William and Kate Sprague. The Spragues contributed significantly to the social, political and economic growth of Rhode Island and United States as they struggled to expand beyond their colonial roots into the more modern Victorian society. This yearlong series of programs examines everyday life in the 19th century – the lives of the working class, middle class and wealthy families, like the Spragues, on whose estate the South County museum now resides.
Study Guide Development –
Julius Caesar Gamm Educational Outreach Programs
Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theater
$1,700
This program accompanies matinee performances of the Gamm's production of Julius Caesar for student groups during the school day with study guides and scholarly essays. This opportunity for the participating Pawtucket high schools also offers a chance for collaboration with actors and artistic staff from the Gamm during classroom workshops.
From Schindler's List to Rhode Island
Rhode Island Holocaust Memorial Museum
$1,600
This program includes educational programs for local schools and a public exhibit in honor of the lives of Holocaust survivors Joseph and Rebecca Bau. The story of Joseph Bau--noted artist, poet and author--and Rebecca Bau will be told in area schools by their daughters using his drawings, paintings, poetry, and books. Bau was born in Krakow, Poland and trained as a graphic artist until the Nazis imprisoned him at Plashow in 1941. After their secret marriage, Rebecca helped arrange Joseph's transfer to Oscar Schindler's Czechoslavakian factory. Rebecca and Joseph were reunited in a Czech hospital, when the war ended.
Pocahontas' Legend and Reality:
An Algonquian Legacy
Providence College
$1325
This panel, comprised of Eastern Woodland Native Women, will be open to the public at the National Association of Women in Higher Catholic Education conference held at Providence College. Panelists will discuss the historical and social implications of the Pocahontas myth as well as opportunities for establishing Indigenous perspectives in educational curricula.
In From the Cold:
A Russian – American Reunion
USS Saratoga Museum Foundation
$1300
This week-long event which brings together Russian and American Cold War adversaries includes two educational components open to the public. The first is a day conference to be held at Brown University's Watson Institute with academic presentations as well as discussion about sub development and operations among Russian and American naval operations. The conference aims to bring new understanding to this vital period in naval historical development. Following the conference, a public screening of the feature film “K-19: The Widowmaker” starring Harrison Ford will take place at the Columbus Theatre in Providence with commentary by Captain Sergei Aprelev, the Russian Navy technical advisor in the making of the film.
Community by Design, Community by Storm
Westerly Public Library
$1700
Community by Design, Community by Storm is a pair of exhibitions, with six related discussion programs, exploring the theme of community-building. The first exhibit, Community by Design, will reflect on how our relationship to our physical surroundings affects our relationships to each other and how our physical plans and designs—and our losses—bring communities together. The second exhibit, Community By Storm, involves an oral history process which becomes part of the event itself as community members are asked to share their stories and photos of Hurricane Carol, thus marking the devastating storm's 50th anniversary.
Race and Justice:
Slavery and Its Legacies in New England
Brown University
$500
This panel discussion is a public session of the annual meeting of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR) at which the important role of slavery and the slave trade in the commercial and social development of Rhode Island and New England will be the focus.
2004 Gray Panthers' Summer Prowl
Gray Panthers
$2000
This film and discussion series takes place at four different senior centers across Rhode Island. The featured film is Maggie Growls, an award-winning documentary celebrating the legacy of Gray Panthers founder Maggie Kuhn. Ms. Kuhn sparked a potent social movement against ageism and demonstrated her leadership through her commitment to justice, peace, and freedom for all, regardless of age.
Stewards of Hope
Rhode Island PBS
$2000
In this project humanists work with teens from Roger Williams Park Zoo's teen environmental education program Zoo Power to develop stories about their work in under-served communities. These stories, and the stories from young leaders in remote villages in Papua New Guinea working to conserve critical habitat for endangered species, will eventually be intertwined in a 60 minute documentary.
A Vanished Vision:
Windshield Revisited
Artvision Communications, Inc.
$1986
This documentary tells the story of the rise and fall of the lost American Modernist landmark Windshield, of the collaboration of a brilliant benefactor and a visionary designer, of its troubled history and of its unfortunate demise. The story is framed by the relationship of Richard Neutra and John Nicholas Brown over the two-year period between 1936 and 1938 of the commission and construction of the house. Within this framework, the film examines the evolution of 20th Century Modernism, the emergence of its distinctive East and West Coast styles and Neutra's place within this spectrum.
The Henriad
Trinity Repertory Company
$2000
The production of Shakespeare's Henriad cycle of plays, to include Richard II, Henry IV (parts one and two), and Henry V, is aimed at exploring issues of power, leadership, and social responsibility in Shakespeare's time with an effort to link these issues to current events. Scholar essays and discussions following performances will provide historical, literary and political context for the plays; relate thematic issues of the plays to contemporary concerns and situations; and provide opportunities for audiences to reflect on and discuss these issues.
The Vikings are Coming-Again!
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University
$2000
This two-day public program will bring together humanities scholars and costumed interpreters with the general public to explore the world of the Vikings, Viking exploration and activity in North America, and the roles of Rhode Island and New England in understanding the Viking Age. First-hand experiences, led by experienced interpreters, and illustrated talks for the general public by renowned humanities scholars from Sweden, Canada, and the US will provide a balanced educational experience for the whole family.
Two Lectures and a Panel:
Monumenta Revisited
Arts and Cultural Alliance of Newport County
$1275
This public program features three evenings of ASL-interpreted lectures and discussions exploring the historic and current relationship between place and art creation: public art, site-specific art, and the processes of community engagement with art installations and endeavors. This project is being coordinated in partial commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Monumenta, a major outdoor sculpture exhibition that took place in Newport in the summer of 1974.
What Do You F#%*ing Know Dude?
The Politics of Women and Theatre in 2004
Perishable Theatre
$900
This moderated panel discussion serves to mark the opening of the Women's Playwriting Festival with a thoughtful exploration of the contemporary political and cultural landscape for women in the arts.
Hunger In America, 1938-2004
Theatre Department at University of Rhode Island
$900
This moderated panel discussion, following a performance of the Grapes of Wrath, focuses on the ethical and philosophical issues surrounding poverty and hunger.
Humanities Resource Grants
The Providence Athenaeum Archive Project
The Providence Athenaeum
$2,300
This project, guided by an archivist, conducts a needs assessment of its archives, designs a workable database, and creates archive policies and procedures for the Providence Athenaeum. Funds support archivist fees and software costs.
File Modernization Project
Bristol Historical & Preservation Society
$4225
This project aims to make the museum collections more accessible and useful to both the general public and academia by computerizing the files for all the museum's holdings.
Vanishing Orchards:
Documenting Rhode Island's Apple Growing Culture
Rhode Island Historical Society
$6898
This project will document and interpret the occupational folklife and oral history of Rhode Island's apple growing culture through direct interviews and still photography. Materials gathered during the project will be used to create an exhibit on Rhode Island's apple growing culture at the Museum of Work and Culture.
Independent Research Grants
Jazz in Rhode Island
Norm Grant
$1518.38
This project researches the history of jazz in Rhode Island through interviews with jazz musicians of different generations throughout the State. The research project culminates in a documentary film using the interview footage.
Armory District Photo Audio Documentary
Andrès Ingoglia & Debra Swanson
$2000
This project studies and documents the rapidly changing area of the historic Armory District in Providence. A multi-media snapshot of the people and the environments that give this diverse and continuously transforming neighborhood its sense of place will be captured through recorded interviews and photographic documentation. The research project culminates in an interactive public exhibition where attendees will be encouraged to reflect on their own lives through the voices and images of those depicted in the photographs and interviews.
Re-Discovering Neutaconkanut Hill
Elli Panichas
$2000
This project researches the history and nature of Neutaconkanut Hill Park (located in Providence) and its impact on the neighborhood and on all Providence residents as well as its significance to the Narragansett tribes that lived and worshipped on the Hill.
Media Production Grants
Gilbert Stuart:
A Portrait From Life
Gilbert Stuart Memorial, Inc.
$10,500
This half-hour documentary examines the life, times, and work of Rhode Island portrait artist Gilbert Stuart. The film considers Stuart's extraordinary life story and highlights the role of visual artists as chroniclers of history in an era before the advent of photography. Funds support production costs, travel, and publicity.
Sacco and Vanzetti
New York Foundation for the Arts
$7,500
This hour-long documentary tells the story of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were executed in Boston in 1927 following a controversial trial. The program draws on the story of Sacco and Vanzetti to raise questions about American history and culture. Significant to the film's argument is the possibility that the Morelli Gang of Providence may actually have committed the crime Sacco and Vanzetti were punished for. Funds support editing costs, archival costs, and travel.
Public Project Grants
Symposium on Cultural Property
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
$3,000
This full day symposium explores the significance of, and attitudes toward, cultural property – internationally, nationally, and locally – as exemplified in the ongoing efforts to preserve, reclaim, and salvage the heritages of peoples and nations threatened by neglect, ignorance, political and economic pressures, the wake of colonial occupation, looting and illicit trade, armed conflict, and terrorism. Funds support honoraria for speakers and moderators, publicity, and evaluation.
Southern Thames Street Survey
Salve Regina University
$4,000
This project facilitates the process of informing community members of the Southern Thames Street neighborhood of the purpose, status, and results of a survey of that neighborhood. The survey documents historic properties, dates of construction, and places the properties within a series of historical contexts reflecting the social, economic, and historical development in the neighborhood. A public forum and public lecture are planned to communicate the process and findings of this survey. Funds support the public forum, lecture, publicity materials, film and processing, and report preparation and production.
Rhode Island Capitol Forum on America's Future
Global Rhode Island
$3862.50
This year-long civics education program offers a unique opportunity for high school social studies teachers and their students to engage in a unique hands-on, participatory laboratory on democracy and international issues. The “Capitol Forum,” which gathers participants from across the state to deliberate on the role of the US in world affairs, will be held at the State House in the spring of 2005.
Pawtuxet Village:
One Space, Many Places
Cranston Public Library
$4700
This public program is an intergenerational exploration of the transformation of physical space into cultural place in Pawtuxet Village during three time periods (1600-1750, 1750-1950, and 1950-present), focusing on three major cultural groups (Native Americans, African Americans, and European Americans), utilizing the perspectives of anthropology, folklore, archaeology, history, and oral history in collaboration with artists and educators.
Script Development Grants
The Egungun Project
Iya Moopo Workshop, Inc.
$5000
This documentary film project examines the ancient West African art form and social institution known as the Yoruba ancestral masquerade, Egungun, through the lens of gender and culture. The filmmakers will investigate Egungun in selected sites as well as address the question of whether there are manifestations of Egungun society in Rhode Island.