The Mississippi Humanities Council is pleased to announce $72,000 in grants to 15 Mississippi organizations in support of public humanities programs. In addition to this direct support, each organization was required to present matching cash or in-kind cost share, pledging an additional $72,000 to humanities programming around our state. The humanities programs funded in this major round support projects exploring Native American culture, Mississippi’s blues and R&B music history, the human experience as expressed through graphic novels and cartoons, the photography of a Civil Rights-era artist, the vision of Mississippi Gulf Coast artist Walter Anderson, and more.
Dr. Stuart Rockoff, executive director of the Mississippi Humanities Council, said, “We are pleased to be able to support these important projects throughout our state. We had a large number of applications, so this grant round was particularly competitive. Taken as a group, these grants reflect the rich and diverse heritage of our state and the inspiring public humanities work going in Mississippi today.”
Humanities grants are awarded to Mississippi nonprofit organizations in support of programs that foster the public’s understanding of our history and culture.
Major grants are offered twice each year. Deadlines are May 1 and September 15. Please visit http://mshumanities.org/grants/, or contact Carol Andersen, carol@mhc.state.ms.us, for additional information.
The organizations and projects that were awarded grants, listed by community, include:
Statewide:
Mississippi Historical Society—$3,600.00
Mississippi History Now, an online publication
Online Mississippi history site featuring articles and corresponding lesson plans for educators.
Mississippi Heritage Trust—$3,500.00
10 Most Endangered Historic Places in Mississippi
Annual education/awareness campaign highlighting endangered historic structures across the state, with a goal of inspiring local preservation efforts.
Mississippi Gulf Coast:
Mississippi Film Alliance—$7,500.00
The Eyes of Katrina (oral history)
Documentary film and oral history project to incorporate the stories of photographers who covered Hurricane Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast into a larger project about photographers who documented the impact of the hurricane across the Gulf South. This project will particularly shine a light on the experiences of local photographers who suffered personal losses and did not have other assignments to move onto when the media focus shifted to other news.
Clarksdale:
Coahoma Community College—$7,500.00
2019 Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival
Twenty-seventh annual festival examining the life and works of playwright Tennessee Williams. The 2019 festival takes place over three days at locations throughout Clarksdale and will specifically examine the portrayal of female characters in Williams’ works and the local women who likely inspired them.
Cleveland:
Delta State University—$6,254.00
Re-Entry Mississippi: 50 Years of the Apollo Program
Local observation of the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo Program, through the lens of Mississippi Delta men and women who were involved in the space program. Events and activities will be part of the annual Delta Chinese reunion hosted by the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum, which is housed within the DSU Archives, including an exhibit, lectures, panel discussions and a space camp.
Greenville:
Winterville Mounds—$7,500.00
Native American Days 2019
Annual, youth-centered event celebrating the cultures of southeastern Native Americans by focusing on aspects of their lifeways.
Gulfport:
Gulfport School District—$1,500.00
Writing in the Humanities
Multi-component project to engage high school theatre students with their surrounding community on the topics of “what makes us human,” human expression through music and acting, and the role of humanity in sustaining life on earth.
Indianola:
From the Heart Productions—$3,000.00
Young Filmmakers’ Workshop/Sunflower County Film Academy
Summer filmmaking workshop for 15 students in the Mississippi Delta.
Itta Bena:
Khafre, Inc. $4,000.00
8th Annual Sweat Equity Investment in the Cotton Kingdom
Annual interdisciplinary two-day conference on the Mississippi Valley State University campus to study and celebrate the contributions of cotton/cotton pickers to the culture and economy of the Mississippi Delta. The 2019 conference will focus on the history and heritage of the Gullah/Geechee people of the southeastern coastal region, drawing connections between their experiences as the first Africans enslaved on the American continent and those who eventually inhabited the Mississippi Delta.
Jackson:
Mississippi Blues Foundation—$7,500.00
Documenting the post-WWII Jackson Blues and R&B Scene (oral history)
Oral history project to record and film musicians who were active in the Jackson blues/R&B/jazz culture from 1945 to 1970.
Jackson State University—$4,500.00
Let Us March On: Lee Friedlander and the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom
Photography exhibit and related programs on the Jackson State University campus on the work of Lee Friedlander, who documented a 1957 civil rights protest at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
University of Mississippi Medical Center—$4,624.00
“The Mississippi State Asylum, 1855 to 1935,” A documentary and presentations
Production of a short documentary film, expanding perceptions and understanding of the 80-year history of the Mississippi State Insane Asylum, followed by regional presentations across the state featuring the completed film, along with key researchers involved in the ongoing effort to excavate, preserve and interpret the findings at the former asylum site.
Ocean Springs:
Walter Anderson Museum of Art—$4,000.00
Voice and Vision
Two-part interdisciplinary initiative to engage/re-engage visitors with the Walter Anderson Museum of Art holdings through programming that encourages contemporary discussions around themes found in Anderson’s art.
Oxford:
University of Mississippi—$5,000.00
Graphic Novels and Cartoons across the Humanities
Week-long interdisciplinary conference on the University of Mississippi campus examining a range of human experiences as expressed in graphic novels and cartoons.
University of Mississippi—$2,000.00
Making and Unmaking Mass Incarceration
Three-day interdisciplinary conference examining the history of mass incarceration and re-imagining society’s response to criminal behavior. Activities include installation of an exhibit featuring artwork by incarcerated students.