The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities is pleased to announce $14,000 in mini grant awards from the May 2021 application cycle to support to support seven public projects ranging from an interdisciplinary book festival, to art installations and interpretive projects in partnership with Indigenous cultures, to archives, performances, and publications. Read on for more details.
Public Project Grants
Arts in Common, $2,000 to Bristol BookFest 2021
Supports free events as part of Bristol BookFest 2021, a two-day program focused on interdisciplinary study and discussion of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein among scholars, cultural critics, and the general public. Prior to the October Weekend, the BookFest will host small group discussions and a Frankenstein Film Series.
Historic New England, $2,000 to Three Sisters Sculpture Dedication
Supports a dedication ceremony at the historic Casey Farm for the Three Sisters Sculpture, a modern art piece representing Indigenous Eastern Woodlands culture. The ceremony, a celebration of Indigenous history and culture, will feature remarks and performances from Indigenous artists and singers, and will be recorded for online videos.
Ponaganset High School, $2,000 to Where the Rivers Meet
Supports work by Ponaganset High School students with Nipmuc and Wampanoag peoples to create interpretive signs on school grounds about Indigenous history; a land acknowledgment statement; and a virtual walking tour.
Providence Public Library, $2,000 to Queer Stories Project
Supports the training of LGBTQ+ youth in oral history methods; the collection of oral histories from Rhode Island LGBTQ+ elders; the incorporation of the oral histories into the PPL’s RI LGBTQ+ Community Archives; and a public listening party event.
Spectrum Theatre Ensemble, $2,000 to Neurodiversity New Play Festival (NNPF)
Supports playwright involvement with the Neurodiversity New Play Festival. Festival activities include the creation and production of six 10-minute plays, a Spanish translation, and a full-length play by neurodiverse artists.
Stages of Freedom, $2,000 to Digitizing “Disappearing Ink”: A Black Rhode Island Bibliography
Supports the creation, revision, publication, and dissemination of a digital version of Robb Dimmick’s Council grant-funded 2016 publication, Disappearing Ink: A bibliography of Books by and about Rhode Island African Americans.
The Wilbury Theatre Group, $2,000 to Capture the Block: Community Healing through Storytelling
Supports a four-day community-centric storytelling event during the 2021 Providence Fringe Festival centered on the lives of community members during this time of quarantine, social unrest, and hardship.
