Rhode Island Humanities is pleased to announce four public project grants and one research grant through the August 2024 mini grant cycle totaling $9,801.12. Recipients include:
Public Project Grants
Gail Burton, $2,000 to Story Circles: Confronting the Historical Grief of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Supports multiple engagement activities and discussions confronting the history of the Transatlantic slave trade in Bristol. Undertaken in partnership with the Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project, the project creates educational scaffolding for the upcoming unveiling of the Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker.
FirstWorks, $2,000 to Raise Your Voice: In Conversation with Artivists
Supports a panel discussion on the cultural and historical origins melding Americana roots and Indigenous traditional music, featuring Black folk musician and scholar Jake Blount and Odanak First Nation composer, bassist and vocalist Mali Obomsawin.
Newport Restoration Foundation, $1,900 to Naming the Houses: A Telling Stories Project
Funds support a community panel discussion on the naming conventions of historic house properties; how historic house names shape community understanding of a house’s history and importance; and Newport Restoration Foundation’s reconsideration of their house naming process to work towards more accessible and inclusive practices.
Virginia Thomas, $2,000 to Trans Women of Color Oral History Workshop with Queer StoRIes Project and Weber Renew
Supports oral history training sessions and the production of individual and group oral histories documenting the lives of transgender adults in Rhode Island. Completed oral histories will be uploaded to the Providence Public Library’s digital repository and shared at a public listening party.
Research Grants
Ryan Brown, $1,901.12 to Cultural Resilience through Silenced History
Funds support the collection of oral histories from Pokanoket tribal elders on tribal history and culture, and a multimedia public presentation of the histories alongside photographs, video clips, and diagrams. The research is part of a documentary film and media project.
