“Land, Liberty, and Loss” by Alan Taylor, below, is the eponymous leading essay for HNY’s newest initiative, a scholar-guided, multi-part exploration of our nation’s founding and how its history—or, more pointedly, misapprehensions of that history—often serves as an obstacle to full democratic and civic flourishing. The project is grounded in the historical and ongoing intersections between racial justice, including the centuries-long deprivations endured by Indigenous and Native Americans, and the evolution of the American landscape. “Land, Liberty, and Loss” is meant to prompt reflection on assumptions about the human connectedness between the natural and built environments, and to allow us to reconsider in a holistic sense how the Revolution that resulted in the United States connects to or disrupts indigenous histories, our use of natural resources, political development, and national expansion.
HNY SHARP Action Grants Awarded
NEW YORK CITY, NY – Humanities New York (HNY) today announced more than $360,000 in ARP Act funding to 43 New York cultural nonprofits affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. HNY “SHARP” (Sustaining the Humanities Through the American Rescue Plan) Action Grants, which range from $5,000 to $10,000, provide implementation funds for humanities projects that serve audiences throughout New York. These grants support honoraria for humanities experts, staff time, space rental, marketing, and other expenses for projects that respond to community needs and interests. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer applauded these new awards, saying, “As Majority Leader, I was proud to champion […]
History and the American Imagination: A George Saunders and Imani Perry Reading List
To help prepare you for the third annual History and the American Imagination, we have compiled a brief list of readings from George Saunders and Imani Perry. This list is by no means exhaustive, but we feel that this selection offers a taste of what will be on display for you on the evening of October 5: compassion, wonder, insight, and generosity. In the lead up to the event, HNY will be hosting an online Community Conversation at 8pm on Wednesday, September 29. This free conversation will be held via Zoom. For the purpose of that conversation, we will […]
Humanities New York Awards $1.2 million in ARP Act Funding
NEW YORK CITY, NY (September 20, 2021) – Humanities New York (HNY) today announced $1.2 million in ARP Act funding to 120 New York cultural nonprofits affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. HNY “SHARP” (Sustaining the Humanities Through the American Rescue Plan) Operating Grants focus on organizations with a core humanities mission, and range from $1,000 to $20,000, reaching every region in New York. These grants are to be used to cover day-to-day activities or ongoing expenses such as staff salaries, utilities, and rent, as well as for humanities programming and professional development. Timothy Murray, Chair, said from Ithaca that he […]
Post-Incarceration Humanities Partnership Grant
Request for Proposals Humanities New York, a public humanities organization with a 40-year history of creating, supporting, and sustaining civic dialogue and community engagement, is offering a partnership grant opportunity for New York State-based non-profit organizations that currently serve 1) individuals who are going through the process of societal reentry after a period of incarceration, or 2) the families of those individuals, or 3) both populations. HNY will also entertain applications from organizations that are working with issues of prison reform and/or abolition. Grant awards will range from $10,000—$20,000 for the implementation and/or the enhancement of an already established project. […]
HNY’s Struggle to Create an Inclusive Community
In the spring of 2020, as the global pandemic forced us into lockdown and new ways of running programs, HNY staff members including Director of Programs Michael Washburn corresponded with Pamela Conley, a Deaf professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, about how best to accommodate her participation in our Zoom-based online Community Conversations. It took a few tries, some of them frantic, but it worked quite well in the end to use Zoom’s ASL services, and ultimately, Pam’s perspective in the group discussions was extremely valuable and welcomed. We invited Pam to write […]
HNY SHARP Recovery Grants for Humanities Organizations
New York City, NY — Humanities New York (HNY) today announced new grant guidelines designed to distribute funding to New York cultural nonprofits affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Over $1.5 million in funding will be distributed in two rounds of SHARP (Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan) grants: HNY SHARP Operating Grants provide up to $20,000 in unrestricted funds to organizations with core humanities missions. HNY SHARP Action Grants offer up to $10,000 for the implementation of humanities projects. Grants will be made in every region in New York. A grantmaker for nearly 50 years in New York […]
Amended Episode 6: “Walking in Two Worlds”
When the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, a large number of Native American women still could not vote. The U.S. government did not recognize them as citizens. And if having U.S. citizenship required them to renounce tribal sovereignty, many Native women didn’t want it. But early-twentieth-century writer, composer, and activist Zitkála-Šá was determined to fight for both. In this episode, host Laura Free speaks with digital artist Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota) whose art is inspired by Dakota imagery and history, and by Zitkála-Šá’s legacy. Dr. Cathleen Cahill, author of Recasting the Vote: How Women of Color Transformed the […]
Amended Bonus Episode “Amended in Action: The Creative Team Behind Amended”
This bonus episode takes listeners behind-the-scenes of Amended. “Amended in Action” is a radio series hosted by Michael Riecke that expands on the themes of Amended and amplifies contemporary women’s voices. Michael’s a reporter for WRVO and assistant professor of broadcasting and mass communication at SUNY Oswego. For a recent broadcast, Michael interviewed Laura Free, Amended host and writer, and Reva Goldberg, producer, editor and co-writer, about what it’s like to make the podcast. Sara Ogger: Hi Amended listeners! I’m Sara Ogger, Executive Director of Humanities New York. We’re the organization behind Amended. On this show, you usually hear directly […]
Reading List: Community and Climate Change
This month, HNY’s Online Community Conversations will focus on “Community and Climate Change,” with a series of questions that focus on the collision of culture, science, and global warming. We will be hosting this conversation on April 21st at 8:00 p.m. HNY’s Zoom-based Community Conversations are free with registration. Register here. To complement this conversation, we have curated a selection of articles and books that explore the cultural and community impacts of the climate crisis. Like all of HNY’s Community Conversations, this one will use a single brief text to get things going. This text will be provided after registration. […]