HNY WELCOMES TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS Wendy S. Walters‘ current projects address the postindustrial city, intersections between writing and design, and organic form in arguments for the essay. She is the author of a book of prose, Multiply/Divide: On the American Real and Surreal, named a best book of the year by Buzzfeed, Flavorwire, Literary Hub, The Root, and Huffington Post. She is also the author of two books of poems: Troy, Michigan and Longer I Wait, More You Love Me. In 2018-19 she was artist-in-residence at BRIClab in Brooklyn. Other work appears in The Normal School, Fourth Genre, Full […]
Devoted: Alice Austen and Stonewall 50
As New Yorkers geared up for commemorations and World Pride celebrations, Humanities New York spoke with several partners who received Action Grants for Stonewall-related humanities programming. We begin a Stonewall 50 blog series by discussing the legacy of photographer Alice Austen and how her work is situated within LGBTQ history. HNY interviewed Victoria Munro, Executive Director of the Alice Austen House located on the North Shore of Staten Island. Don’t miss the rest of the series, join our newsletter. HNY: For those not familiar with the photography pioneer Alice Austen, why is she important to where we are now in […]
Puerto Rican Migration to New York, Then and Now
In September 2017, Hurricane María struck Puerto Rico, leaving its entire population in complete darkness and scrambling for basic resources. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of people left Puerto Rico to the continental United States in an effort to improve their quality of life and escape chaotic conditions. In fact, estimates show that more than 4% of the population left the Island, out of which tens of thousands alone came to New York State.1 As part of our mission to be responsive to cultural shifts, Humanities New York proudly supported Puerto Rican Migration Then and Now Through the Lens of Contemporary […]
HNY Board News
HNY WELCOMES THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS Herman Bennett is Professor of History at the Graduate Center who has most recently published: African Kings & Black Slaves: Sovereignty and Dispossession in the Early Modern Atlantic (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019). His previous books include: Africans in Colonial Mexico: Absolutism, Christianity & Afro-Creole Consciousness, 1570-1640 (Indiana 2003) and Colonial Blackness: A History of Afro-Mexico (Indiana 2009). Since 2013 he has been the Executive Officer (EO) of the Educational Opportunity & Diversity Programs (OEODP) at the Graduate Center. As EO of the OEODP, Director of the CUNY Pipeline Program, and the Project […]
HNY Awards 31 Grants for Public Humanities Projects
Humanities New York (HNY) announced just under $150,000 in awards to 31 grantees for innovative public humanities offerings. Awards were made in every region of the state, from the North Country to Long Island. “We are proud to support the vital cultural infrastructure of New York” said Executive Director Sara Ogger. “Without these funds many communities wouldn’t have the opportunity to engage with their neighbors, to remember the past, and to grapple with their future.” Action Grants to community presenters enable New Yorkers to reflect on their values and engage with others in their communities. Grant recipients creatively use history, […]
Into the Rainforest with Community Conversations
Starting with one conversation on the environment, Mambo Tse has seen how Community Conversations can bring people together, and how those conversations can lead to other fruitful projects. From discussions on immigration and food insecurity came an idea for project exploring the community’s relationship to African history and how it impacts them today, which was funded by an HNY Action Grant. In this interview, Mambo shares how public humanities programming has helped her group engage with youth across New York City, in classrooms and afterschool programs, as well as the general public and elderly populations at senior centers discussing topics […]
“Where it’s at” – Barbershops of Newburgh
Weighty book discussions at the barbershop? In Newburgh, located just across the Hudson River from Beacon, Naomi Hersson-Ringskog and Gabrielle Hill brought HNY’s Reading & Discussion program to places where conversation already hums. Contextualizing current events, these conversations provided a opportunity for further community work. At times, these conversations led to other projects. In Newburgh, organizers look forward to the celebration of Frederick Douglass’ birthday bicentennial as an opportunity to deepen the ties they have started with these conversations. In December, 2018, Humanities New York spoke with Naomi and Gabrielle to learn more. HNY: How long have you lived in […]
Place and Story
By Rick Bass We are pleased to share the introductory essay for our newest Reading & Discussion theme: “Place and Story.” Humanities New York commissioned noted novelist, essayist, and environmentalist Rick Bass to curate a selection of texts that explore the manifold ways the American landscape influences our experiences and way of life. As with all R & D groups, the texts selected–which include fiction, nonfiction, and poetry–explore the theme from a variety of perspectives. We also ask our R & D Scholar-Advisors to pen an original essay contextualizing the selected readings. Below, in the “Place and Story” essay, Rick discusses each reading in the series within the […]
HNY Board & Staff News
SARAH G. CARNEY APPOINTED CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sarah G. Carney will lead the organization’s Board of Directors as it enters a new phase of programming, which includes working with populations affected by mass incarceration, and the celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment (2020) and the fifty year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots (2019). HNY also continues its grant-making and direct programs that encourage in-person engagement with issues and challenges in our democratic society; all are available to tax-exempt entities in New York State. Sarah is the founder of Sarah G. Carney LLC. In nearly 28 […]
“There is No Texting at James Baldwin’s Table”
“James Baldwin’s America” continues to be one of the most popular and challenging discussion programs Humanities New York offer. Here, we check in with two of the discussion facilitators for the program as they recount how the program has changed their lives and the communities they have worked in. HNY: You talk in your essay about your initial encounter with Baldwin’s writing, and I’m wondering if there are any other experiences or history that you have reading Baldwin’s work, or moments that stand out to you that might have prompted your desire to share Baldwin with other people, or re-engage […]