NEW YORK CITY, NY – Humanities New York (HNY) today announced $159,200 in awards to 32 grantees for innovative public humanities offerings. Awards were made to non-profits in eight regions of the state, from the Western New York to Long Island. This latest round of HNY funding will support primarily summer programming.
“HNY is proud to have distributed much-needed funding to our state’s cultural institutions through CARES and ARP emergency funds during the pandemic,” said Sara Ogger, Executive Director of HNY. “Now organizations are able to put on great programs for their communities.”
These grants are federally funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, thanks to the United States Congress.
Action Grants offer up to $5,000 to implement humanities projects that encourage public audiences to reflect on their values, explore new ideas, and engage with others in their community. Grants are awarded to organizations that connect audiences more deeply to the communities where they live, solidify community partnerships, diversify audiences, and creatively employ the tools of the humanities to respond to issues and ideas capturing the imagination and passion of New Yorkers today. Action Grants are offered twice a year with a Spring and Fall deadline.
Several grants support documenting and understanding the experiences of incarcerated people in New York State. In the Mid-Hudson Valley, Katonah Museum of Art will engage women incarcerated at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in guided dialogue and poetry writing in response to artwork on view at the Museum. In New York City, Thrive for Life Prison Project will co-produce a 10-episode podcast with returning citizens that elevates the voices and interests of formerly incarcerated people. Music on the Inside will host a monthly series of online concerts featuring performances by musicians in reentry, with professional jazz musicians and leaders in criminal justice.
The grants also provide funding for programs that explore the history and memory of urban renewal and design in New York State. El Museo Francisco Oller y Diego Rivera will highlight the unique architecture, public art, and graphic design of Buffalo’s Metro Rail system. In the Capital District, CREATE Community Studios Community will host conversations and art-making events on the history of displacement during urban renewal projects in Saratoga Springs. And in the Mid-Hudson Valley, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble will look closely at the long-term deleterious effects of Nyack’s 1960s-era urban renewal projects.
Grants also went to organizations offering programs on African Diasporic and African-American history and culture. In New York City, Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance will celebrate the life of Katherine Dunham, the groundbreaking African-American dancer, choreographer, author, anthropologist, and social activist. In Central New York, the Everson Museum of Art will host a free community day with humanities-based activities and events that celebrate African and African-American culture and heritage. On Long Island, The Whaling Museum and Education Center will research, design, and install a 2-year special exhibition exploring the role of Black mariners in whaling history.
View the full list of grants awarded.
Complete list of 2022 Grantees, sortable by region.