Image courtesy of Newport Art Museum.
The list of FY2023 awards below is updated following the annual major grant cycle and each quarterly mini grant cycle (Nov., Feb., May, and August). Please check back regularly for the most current details of the public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement projects happening throughout the state.
Major Grant Awards (April 2023) – Over $130,000 to 15 Public Projects and Documentary Films
A free humanities course for veterans, a documentary on women fishing commercially in Southern New England, bilingual pláticas linking Latinas across generations, and research for a mobile museum of Asian-American and Pacific Islander history are among the 15 projects awarded a Rhode Island Humanities major grant in 2023. This year also marks the organization’s 50th anniversary.
Ranging from just under $5,000 to $12,000, grants have been awarded to documentary films and public projects that showcase the power of the humanities to connect communities, expand knowledge of our collective past and present, and celebrate the rich cultural diversity in our state. In total, the Council awarded $132,879 in the major grant cycle, with over a quarter of grantees receiving funding from Rhode Island Humanities for the first time. These new grantees include the Anarchestra Foundation, the Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island (AHARI), the Cultural Society of East Bay, and DESIGNxRI.
“These grant projects will tell Rhode Island’s many stories in compelling ways and ensure that more people learn about the diversity of heritages and experiences that are such strengths for our state. Rhode Island Humanities has contributed to civic vitality for 50 years, and these exciting projects take us into a future that is by and for all Rhode Islanders,” said Elizabeth Francis, Executive Director.
Several projects explore, document, and interpret local cultures and histories that have had a tremendous impact on Rhode Island, including AHARI’s Armenian Chronicles: A Living History, Community Library of Providence’s Quikuchá, Documentary Educational Resources’ Call Us Fisherman, and Rhode Island Latino Arts’ Las Abuelas Cuentan | Our Elders as Storytellers. These films and archives will help to ensure that these community stories will connect and inspire all Rhode Islanders for generations to come.
In keeping with Rhode Island Humanities’ sustained interest in the civic health of the state, several grants were made to projects focused on civic education, including Generation Citizen’s Rhode Island Civic Learning Week, the Manton Avenue Project’s Imagining a Healthier Democracy, and Oasis International’s Oasis Spring Break Youth Program.
Within the slate of wide-ranging and innovative projects, many use highly participatory approaches. For example, the team behind the film Quikuchá takes an iterative, community-centered approach to documentary research and development. As part of the process, the filmmakers will screen portions of the film publicly. Community members will then be invited to contribute their own stories and responses, some of which may later be incorporated into the film.
Read on for a full list of this year’s major grant projects.
Public Project Grants: In support of organizations that enrich and enliven the life of our state through public humanities programs.
Anarchestra Foundation, $5,245 to Exploding Sound: Lecture and Workshop Series
Supports “Exploding Sound!”, a lecture and workshop series for Pawtucket and Rhode Island K-12 students. The series will explore collaborative music-making through the context of liberatory political theory and the histories of outsider art and experimental music.
Cultural Society of East Bay, $5,000 to Preliminary Research for Museum of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (AAPI) History & Culture
Supports the research, planning, and development of a mobile museum and exhibit highlighting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history and culture.
DESIGNxRI, $12,000 to DESIGNxREDEFINE (DxRe)
Supports community conversations, story-capturing, and public installations and exhibits examining design’s definitions and relationships to diverse communities.
FirstWorks, $12,000 to FirstWorks “Hacking the Classics”
Supports humanities-focused community engagement events around Rennie Harris Puremovement’s “Rome & Jewels,” a reimagining of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Events include a roundtable conversation with scholars, a town hall conversation, and K-12 educational workshops.
Generation Citizen, $11,637.50 to Rhode Island Civic Learning Week
Supports Rhode Island Civic Learning Week 2024, a free week-long civic education program including webinars, workshops, and panel discussions for students, educators, policymakers, and leaders in the public and private sector.
Manton Avenue Project, $12,000 to Imagining a Healthier Democracy: Devising Workshops using Legislative and Image Theatre
Supports a series of workshops for elementary and middle school students exploring what makes a healthy democracy. The workshops will include legislative theater, songwriting, and the creation of a mural, and will culminate in a series of public performances and talk backs.
newportFILM, $12,000 to Community Impact Screenings
Supports partnerships with local organizations for four documentary screenings and conversations with audiences reflective of and centered in the films. Potential topics include gender, sexuality, faith, loss, anti-colonialism, and environmentalism.
Oasis International, $10,300 to OASIS SPRING BREAK YOUTH PROGRAM
Supports youth participation in a spring break program that includes field trips and multi-day seminars on culture and American history, governance, and civic duty and responsibility.
Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, $12,000 to Providence Clemente Veterans Initiative
Supports a free humanities course for Rhode Island veterans through the Providence Clemente Veterans Initiative. Classes and topics include philosophy, history, literature, and art history, guided by university professors and veteran facilitators.
Rhode Island Latino Arts, $12,000 to Las Abuelas Cuentan | Our Elders As Storytellers
Supports a bilingual and multigenerational project focusing on storytelling and writings on life experiences, memories, and cultural practices. The project will host bi-weekly pláticas (sharing circles) that include Latina elders and young counterparts, and will result in a living archive of the participants’ lives.
What Cheer Writers Club, $8,736 to “Regenerating and Sustaining” with RI Creatives of Color
Supports the work of the B/I/POC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Advisory Committee and a community-building program series including monthly coffee hours for writers of color; a physical and digital resource binder containing information related to the creative process; and an introductory writing workshop for emerging writers of color.
Documentary Film Grants: In support of documentary films that preserve Rhode Island’s stories and bring its history to life.
Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island, $5,000 to Armenian Chronicles: A Living History
Supports the script development of Armenian Chronicles: A Living History, a documentary about Armenian-American history, culture, and immigration through collected oral histories of families in Rhode Island, including the ongoing intergenerational impact of the Armenian genocide.
Center for Independent Documentary, $4,999.10 to Rum, Slavery, and the American Revolution
Supports the script development of Rum, Slavery, and the American Revolution, a 90-minute documentary film exploring Rhode Island’s leading role in the transatlantic rum and slave trade while simultaneously serving as an epicenter for abolitionist activity.
Community Libraries of Providence, $4,961 to Quikuchá
Supports the research, planning, and development of Quikuchá, a 30-minute documentary film exploring stories of (in)migration in human and non-human forms of life in coastal areas of Rhode Island.
Documentary Educational Resources, $5,000 to “Call Us Fishermen,” a documentary film on women in commercial fishing in Southeast New England
Supports the creation of a film treatment and advisory panel for Call Us Fishermen, a feature-length film documenting women fishing commercially in Southern New England and their impact on the economy, culture, and regional identity of the industry.
MINI GRANT AWARDS (August 2023)
Public Project Grants: In support of organizations that enrich and enliven the life of our state through public humanities programs.
The Empowerment Factory, $2,000 to Creative Squad After-School Programming for Underserved Elementary Youth
Supports research, curriculum development, and design of a bilingual workbook for “Nature Drawing,” a distance-learning virtual after-school program.
Newport Art Museum, $2,000 to ¡Qué Vivan los Muertos! A Day of the Dead Celebration
Supports three all-ages storytelling workshops related to the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday, the Museum’s participation in Conexión Latina’s Latino Festival, and a culminating community celebration at the Museum.
Norman Bird Sanctuary, $1,600 to Arts & Humanities Residency at Norman Bird Sanctuary
Supports an interdisciplinary lecture series and affiliated residency in celebration of the organization’s 75th anniversary. Arts & Humanities Resident Nina Elder will develop her place-based project, Sedimental; present a lecture; and invite the public to explore the complex relationships between humans and the environment.
Providence Art Club, $2,000 to Building Bannister Panel Discussion
Supports the “Building Bannister” panel discussion during the Fall 2023 Celebrating Bannister series, following the unveiling of a memorial to African-American artist Edward Mitchell Bannister. The live panel discussion, featuring a sculptor, historian, and Bannister collector, will be presented to a hybrid audience of in-person and virtual attendees.
Tikkun Olam Productions, $2,000 to Breakin’ Away
Supports research, planning, and development of a 10-minute proof-of-concept film on three Rhode Island-based BiPoC professional breakdancers who seek to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Research Grants to Individuals: In support of independent research that captures and illuminates Rhode Island’s stories.
Martha Koch, $2,000 to Deep mapping Providence’s artist-run collectives and land-use regulations
Supports archival research, interviews, and geospatial analysis exploring how Providence’s arts collectives have interacted with government land-use codes and real-estate markets to shape the city’s built environments over the last 30 years.
Sophia Richter, $2,000 to Rhode Island Fisheries Oral History Project
Supports the annotation and indexing of over three hundred community oral histories on the Rhode Island fishing industry. The printable index and digital annotated histories will be published and presented in collaboration with the South County Museum.
Ben Sisto, $2,000 to Reinsulator
Supports archival research on the history of insulators (a telecom device), the insulator collecting community, and publications celebrating and preserving insulators. The research will be shared via a public lecture and project website.
MINI GRANT AWARDS (May 2023)
Public Project Grants: In support of organizations that enrich and enliven the life of our state through public humanities programs.
All Saints’ Memorial Church, $2,000 to The Wisdom of the African American Spirituals Tradition
Supports a discussion program and interactive workshop with internationally recognized author, scholar, and singer Dr. Arthur Jones. Jones will explore the cultural, spiritual, and musical legacy of African American spirituals using recordings and group singing in an interactive community workshop.
Brown University, $1,996 to Reimagining New England Histories: Teacher Professional Development
Supports a one-day professional development session for K-12 educators to develop lessons foregrounding the experiences and contributions of Native Americans. The session will provide participants with access to current academic research and will allow educators to evaluate and create lesson plans that illuminate the historic and continuing contributions of Native peoples.
Hope Library Association, $2,000 to The Scituate Story Project
Supports a program of teen storytelling workshops and a series of community open mic nights and story/poetry slams led by Mark Binder and Christopher Johnson.
Newport Historical Society, $2,000 to French in Newport Living History Weekend
Supports French in Newport Living History Weekend programming, including living historians re-enacting social ceremonies and giving interviews; tours of the Museum of the American Revolution’s replica of George Washington’s tent; colonial baking demonstrations, and more.
Queer.Archive.Work, Inc., $2,000 to Queer/Trans Zinefest (QTZ) 2023
Supports Queer/Trans Zinefest (QTZ) 2023, an independent publishing zine festival celebrating the creations of queer, trans, and gender non-conforming writers, poets, cartoonists, independent publishers, and zine makers. The festival includes free programming such as an evening reading, workshops, panel discussions, and open studio days.
Research Grants to Individuals: In support of independent research that captures and illuminates Rhode Island’s stories.
Jessica Pearson, $1,915 to The radical space where dance and African American identity grew to its fullest potential
Supports archival research and interviews centered on the cultural and community impacts of Black woman-owned dance studios. The research phase of the project will culminate in a public panel discussion with Dee Dee Handy Morris, owner of Dee Dee’s Dance Center, and other Black dance studio owners and teachers from Rhode Island and New England.
MINI GRANT AWARDS (February 2023)
Public Project Grants: In support of organizations that enrich and enliven the life of our state through public humanities programs.
Friends of the Pokanoket Tribe Inc., $2,000 to Pokanoket Heritage Day Support
Supports the third annual celebration of Pokanoket and Indigenous history, contemporary culture, and impact on America.
Kingston Congregational Church, $2,000 to Witness Stones Project: Kingston, Rhode Island
Supports the installation of two Witness Stones, brass-plated stone markers commemorating enslaved individuals in Kingston, and a public installation ceremony.
Preserve Rhode Island, $2,000 to Jane’s Walk Providence 2023
Supports Jane’s Walk in Providence, a global week-long festival of walking tours led by community members.
Rhode Island Black Film Festival, LLC, $2,000 to 6th Annual Rhode Island Black Film Festival: Black Culture in Film
Supports the sixth annual Rhode Island Black Film Festival, a four-day long festival of screenings, panels, roundtable discussions, and author events celebrating diversity in filmmaking.
South County Museum Inc., $1,975 to Summer Speaker Series
Supports a free series of lectures and presentations by local historians, authors, and traditional craftspeople to mark the Museum’s 90th birthday. Series topics will include the connection of Rhode Island’s textile mills to the slavery economy, encounters among the Narragansett people and Roger Williams, and the history of trap fishing in the state.
Warren Preservation Society, $2,000 to Bristol County Enslaved History Project
Supports the research, planning, and public launch of a searchable database of all enslaved persons in Warren between 1680 and 1808, which will be merged with comparable data from Bristol.
Research Grants to Individuals: In support of independent research that captures and illuminates Rhode Island’s stories.
Matthew Lawrence, $2,000 to Scandalous Conduct / Senate Inquiry
Supports research on the post-World War 1 Newport Naval scandal, and specifically, on a 1921 Senate inquiry into the scandal. The project builds on research previously supported by an FY20 mini grant.
MINI GRANT AWARDS (November 2022)
Public Project Grants: In support of organizations that enrich and enliven the life of our state through public humanities programs.
Friends of Linden Place, $1,514 to Joseph Banigan, Samuel Pomeroy Colt, and the United States Rubber Company
Supports a lecture and Q&A by author and historian Dr. Scott Molloy on Joseph Banigan, Samuel Pomeroy Colt, the United States Rubber Company, and Irish immigrants in Rhode Island. The public presentation will also include a visual display of Bristol’s relationship with the rubber industry from partner organization Bristol Historical and Preservation Society.
GEAR Productions, $2,000 to We Go Way, Way Back (working title)
Supports research on the history of work and play in South Kingstown in celebration of the Tricentennial of the town. The research will inform a musical theatre production for 3rd and 4th graders in the South Kingstown School District as well as a series of informational placards.
Providence College, $1,869 to Rhode Island and the Politics of Slavery: The 1836 Debate Over the Gag Rule
Supports research on the 1835-1836 antislavery gag rule debates in the Rhode Island General Assembly. The research will inform resources for teachers and students in grades 9-12, including a publicly available teaching article and a research bibliography, shared on CommonPlace and the Dorr Rebellion Project website.
Rhode Island Center for the Book, $2,000 to Rhody Radio
Supports episode partner stipends, transcription services, and marketing for Rhody Radio: RI Library Radio Online, an internet radio and podcast channel produced by RI library staff and their communities. Rhody Radio provides listeners with access to library programs, lectures, reading recommendations, and library staff insights.
Research Grants to Individuals: In support of independent research that captures and illuminates Rhode Island’s stories.
Michael Simpson, $2,000 to On This Day Rhode Island
Supports archival research for On This Day Rhode Island, Twitter and TikTok accounts that post Rhode Island history facts. The research for the posts comes from newspaper archives, online databases, primary sources, and works of history.
Total of $176,264 awarded through 32 grants in FY2022
In FY2022, the Council awarded 32 grants in support of public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement. As Executive Director Elizabeth Francis noted, “[Awarded projects] include free humanities workshops to support a 90-day recovery program; a statewide nonfiction writing program for youth; a civic education and leadership collaboration between the Naval War College Foundation in Newport and a local high school; and exhibitions, programs, and documentary films addressing topics from the legacies of slavery to how we will remember and grow from a global pandemic.” For a full listing of grants awarded from November 2021 – October 2022, click here or on the image below to view the Council’s 2022 Annual Report.
Click here to download a PDF of the 2022 Annual Report.
Total of $760,00 awarded through 112 grants in FY2021
In FY2021, the Council awarded 112 grants in support of public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement. Throughout this second year of the pandemic, the Council maintained its standard grantmaking program while also establishing new grant opportunities to disburse federal relief funds and support civic engagement initiatives. For a full listing of grants awarded from November 2020 – October 2021, click here or on the image below to view the Council’s 2021 Annual Report.
