RI Humanities

CELEBRATE

Rhode Island Council for the Humanities hosts its annual Celebration of the Humanities each October to mark National Arts & Humanities Month. The event celebrates the people and projects that make Rhode Island a vital place to live and recognizes the work of extraordinary members of Rhode Island’s public humanities community. Proceeds from the event support culture, history, education, and civic engagement in our state.

This high-profile gathering of the Rhode Island community includes over 300 business, higher education, government, philanthropic, and nonprofit leaders and community members from across the state. The Celebration will feature an open wine and beer bar generously sponsored by Campus Fine Wines and hors d’oeuvres, raffle of unique humanities experiences, and a speaking program to honor the 2020 awardees. Due to the uncertainty resulting from the public health crisis, the date and location are still being determined.

This is a public call for nominations. Honorees will be selected by an award selection committee that includes event co-chairs, board members, past honorees and grantees, community leaders, and staff. Click here to submit a nomination for any of the following award categories.
Deadline EXTENDED: Friday, May 8, 2020 by 5:00pm EST

Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities
Recognizes creativity in topics, disciplines, and formats that extend the field of the humanities.

Innovation in the Humanities Award
Recognizes the innovative implementation of the humanities within an organization or a collaborative partnership between organizations to achieve a shared vision.

Public Humanities Scholar Award
Recognizes outstanding public humanities work in teaching and scholarship that advances the civic and cultural life of Rhode Island.

The Council also awards the Honorary Chairs’ Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities which celebrates an individual or group whose career achievements demonstrate humanities excellence, reflect the Council’s mission and core values, and enrich public life in Rhode Island. This award is nominated and selected by Council board members only.

Sponsorship Opportunities and Tickets

Proceeds of the Celebration of the Humanities benefit public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders. Sponsorship information will be available soon. Special thanks to our 2019 sponsors listed below:

 

PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS

Honorary Chairs’ Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities
Celebrating an individual whose career achievements demonstrate humanities excellence, reflect the Council’s mission and core values, and enrich public life in Rhode Island.

2019 • The White Family, Philanthropic Leaders
2018 • Rabbi Wayne M. Franklin, Temple Emanu-El, Providence; Leader of interfaith dialogues
2017 • Judge Judith C. Savage, former RI Superior Court Judge and Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Roger Williams University School of Law
2016 • Tom Roberts, Founding Executive Director of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and Senior Lecturer in History at the Rhode Island School of Design 2015 • Roger Mandle, Art Historian, Curator, and Former President of the Rhode Island School of Design 2014 • Morris Nathanson, Interior Designer, Artist, and Civic Visionary
2013 • George Wein, Co-founder of the Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festivals
2012 • William Vareika, gallery owner and specialist in 18th and 19th century American art
2011 • The Honorable O. Rogeriee Thompson, Federal Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
2010 • Bill Harley, Two-time Grammy-Award winning singer, songwriter, storyteller
2009 • Don Bousquet, Cartoonist and photographer
2007 • Judy Barrett Litoff, Ph.D, Professor of History, Bryant University
2006 • Charles Sullivan, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, English Department, CCRI, author, and community activist
2005 • The Honorable Claiborne Pell, former U.S. Senator from Rhode Island
2004 • John Nazarian, Ph.D., President Emeritus, Rhode Island College
Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities
Recognizing an individual whose work demonstrates an innovative approach to the humanities, and creativity in topics, disciplines, and formats that extend the field of the humanities. Established in 2001 by members of the Board of Directors, the $2,000 prize honors and celebrates the Founding Director of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.

2019 • Silaphone Nhongvongsouthy, Intercultural Program Director
2018 • Francis Parra, Co-Founder and Artistic Director, ECAS Theater
2017 • Len Cabral, International Storyteller
2016 • Lorén Spears, Executive Director of the Tomaquag Museum 2015 • Consuelo Sherba, Co-founder and Artistic Director of Aurea
2014 • Holly Ewald, Founder of the Urban Pond Procession
2013 • Christina Bevilacqua, Director of Programs and Public Engagement of the Providence Athenaeum

2012 • Jeannine Chartier, Executive Director of VSA Arts Rhode Island
2011 • Barnaby Evans, Creator and Executive Artistic Director of WaterFire Providence
2010 • Richard Kazarian, Historian, antiques dealer, and civic provocateur
2009 • Living History’s 14th Rhode Island Reenactor Program
2008 • Robert D. Billington, Ed.D., Founder and President, Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
2007 • Stanley M. Aronson, M.D., Founding director of the Brown Medical School, and author of weekly Providence Journal column intertwining the art of medicine and the art of language
2006 • Keith Stokes, Executive Director of Newport County Chamber of Commerce; and Theresa Guzman Stokes, freelance writer specializing in multicultural topics, historical fiction, and non-fiction history
2005 • Everett Dance Theater
2004 • Marilyn Meardon, actor, storyteller, and independent historian
2003 • Al Klyberg, Director Emeritus, Rhode Island Historical Society
2002 • Marc Levitt, writer, storyteller, educator, and host of Action Speaks
Innovation in the Humanities Award
Recognizes the innovative implementation of the humanities within an organization or a collaborative partnership between organizations to achieve a shared vision. 

2019 • Edible Schoolyard at Green Animals Topiary
2018 • Stages of Freedom
2017 • Little Compton Historical Society’s “If Jane Should Want to Be Sold” exhibition and programs
2016 • Providence Children’s Film Festival
2015 • Rhode Island’s Shellfish: An Ecological History – University of Rhode Island
2014 • Vartan Gregorian Elementary School PTO’s I WAS THERE Project
Public Humanities Scholar Award
Celebrates outstanding public humanities work in teaching, research, or advocacy that advances the civic and cultural life of Rhode Island. 

2019 • Joe Wilson, Jr., Educator, Advocate, and Actor
2018 • Taylor Polites, Writer, Educator, and Researcher
2017 • Valerie Tutson, Founding Member and Executive Director of Rhode Island Black Storytellers
2016 • Marta Martínez, Executive Director of Rhode Island Latino Arts 2015 • Matthew Lawrence, Writer, Editor, Curator, and Founder of Not About the Buildings
2014 • John McNiff, Park Ranger at the Roger Williams National Memorial