$750 for “Bridgton at 250: Music of the Times“– Bridgton Historical Society, Bridgton As part of its season long commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Bridgton’s settlement, the Bridgton Historical Society is partnering with the Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival to present an informal concert of music from the period of settlement. The concert will be held… Read more

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$500 for “Beholdings: Making Connections with Collections” – Mount Desert Island Historical Society, Mount Desert Through an assortment of objects representing different eras, events, and personae in the island’s history, Mount Desert Island Historical Society will engage the public in an exploration of cultural history extending from southern New England to the outer islands in the Gulf of Maine…. Read more

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$2,300 for “Community Conversations“– Center for Small Town Jewish Life, Waterville “Community Conversations” will  bring together Waterville’s faith and community leaders with Colby College faculty and students to talk about political and social issues of common concern. The format will feature two thought leaders, one from the field of Jewish Studies and one from another civic leadership… Read more

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Are you a high school student working on a public project or program in your school or community? Does your project involve the humanities? Do you need funding to make it a reality? Then the Maine Humanities Council’s Student Humanities Grant is for you. FAQ What are the humanities? The humanities encourage us to ask “Why?”… Read more

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Originally published January 10, 2018 in the Sun Journal “Eighty 8th grade students were invited to create a professional exhibition that followed the guidelines of Museum L-A’s mission of connecting generations and cultures to help people experience the rich history of Lewiston-Auburn…This Kids as Curators exhibit was supported by grants from the Maine Humanities Council,… Read more

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  $660 for “Art: History & Hands-On“– Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill Area artist and former art teacher Margret Baldwin will run an innovative library program unifying major moments in art history with hands-on projects inspired by famous artists and styles.   $850 for “Burrow, Revisited“– Maine College of Art, Portland “Burrow, Revisited” is a collaborative… Read more

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$1,000 for “Changing Landscapes, Shifting Tides: The Story of Falmouth Event Series” – Town of Falmouth Falmouth will offer a year-long series of events, activities, and programs to mark the town’s 300th anniversary. Lectures, discussions, films, community dialogues, and an art show are among the free events being planned around town for all ages “to honor the past,… Read more

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$1,000 for “American Studies Lectures” – York County Community College, Kittery Point The grant will help support guest lecture events which enhance the YCCC’s new emphasis on American Studies under their Associate Degree Program in Liberal Studies. A number of accomplished speakers on relevant topics of American culture and history will make presentations during the 2017-18 academic… Read more

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Marguerite Zorach—An Art-Filled Life is an exhibition that brings together sixty paintings and textiles by Marguerite Thompson Zorach made between 1910 and 1965. In highlighting her contributions as a modernist who helped changed the course of American art, the Farnsworth presents the full range of her skills and tells the story of her career as a… Read more

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$1,000 for “In It Together: Welcoming Diversity with Anne Sibley O’Brien” –Bowdoinham Community School, Bowdoinham Bowdoinham Community School will host author/educator Anne Sibley O’Brien who will facilitate a trio of events in September 2017 related to welcoming diversity — a school author visit, teacher/parent workshop, and community celebration with a shared read. This will kick off a year-long,… Read more

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  $1,000 for “Center for Small Town Jewish Life Fall Shabbaton“– Colby College, Waterville The Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College will host its Fall Shabbaton on November 3 -4, 2017. A weekend of art exploration, community building, and Jewish learning, the Shabbaton is an opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds… Read more

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  $5,000 for “Compassion, Connection and Community“– Maine Wabanaki-REACH, Stillwater This grant will support Maine Wabanaki-REACH promote Wabanaki self-determination through reconnection with the land and each other through activities that educate, engage and help mobilize intrinsic Wabanaki value systems based on compassion and connection. This project will also examine white-privilege, colonial institutions and find ways to… Read more

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$1,000 for “Chart of the North Atlantic“– Great Cranberry Historical Society, Great Cranberry Island With design assistance from Willoughby Hastings, Archivist Anne Grulich will research, compose text and mount an exhibition of Great Cranberry Island’s 19th Century maritime history centered around its collection of ten 1855-1877 nautical charts used by Captain Meltiah Richardson and his navigator spouse,… Read more

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Originally published on November 28, 2016 on Broadway World. “Maine State Music Theatre will present “Magic Time: A Program of Story and Song” – combining classic fairytale literature with contemporary musical adaptations – on Friday, February 24, 2017, at 10 AM and 3 PM at the Morrell Reading Room at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.”… Read more

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  $1,000 for “Acadian Coloring Book”– Greater Grand Isle Historical Society, Grand Isle The Acadian Coloring Book will focus on the home, family, and food in the daily life of Acadians from the 1930s to today. The Acadian Coloring Book will be approximately 48-52 pages in length. It will include a two-page introduction, forty two pages of… Read more

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  $1,000 for “Welcoming and Safe Schools Youth Conference”– GLSEN Southern Maine, Portland The Welcoming and Safe Schools Youth Conference generates a safe and affirming place for middle and high school youth, along with their mentors and educators, to come together and share what they are doing in their schools and communities to increase understanding and… Read more

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  $1,000 for “Third Thursday Talks Lecture Series”– Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk The Brick Store Museum’s Third Thursday Talks series features monthly lectures (on the third Thursday of every month at 5:30pm) given by area scholars on a variety of humanities subjects, year-round.   $1,000 for “2016 Annual Meeting ‘Into the Woods’ with Kate Braestrup”– Mahoosuc Land… Read more

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$1,000 for “Anything Helps God Bless”- Snowlion Repertory Company “Anything Helps God Bless” will explore the panhandler/median-strip controversy in Portland through actual interviews with sign-bearers, research into court rulings, documented public reaction to the controversy, and the ‘due process’ aspect of the 14th Amendment, woven together into a theater piece.   $1,000 for “Created Equal”- University of Maine at… Read more

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  $850 for “Art in Exodus at MECA”- Maine College of Art  MECA plans to hold its second annual Art in Exodus exhibition in its flagship Porteous Building June 1-24, 2016, in recognition of World Refugee Day, which takes place every year on June 20 and will be celebrated this year in Portland at King Middle School… Read more

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  $4,500 for “Blood, Dust, and Mud”- The General Henry Knox Museum The General Henry Knox Museum is planning an exhibition, titled “Blood, Dust, and Mud” for the 2016 season. The exhibition will highlight the personal photographs of Beth Parks, an Army nurse who served from 1966-67 during the Vietnam War.   $3,000 for “Dawnland”-… Read more

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  $1,000 for “Adaptation in the Arts: Theory and Practice, An International Conference”- University of Maine at Farmington  This international conference, co-sponsored by the University of Maine at Farmington, USA, and the Université du Maine in Le Mans, France, will feature presentations on the theory and practice of adaptation in the arts. Areas of particular focus… Read more

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    $1,250 for “Bangor High School World Geography Symposium”- Bangor High School The Bangor High School World Geography Symposium will be held to create a forum for the exchange of ideas on geographic issues and challenges both within the State of Maine and across the world. Pulitzer crisis reporter Larry Price is invited to share… Read more

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$8,000 for “Beals Historical Society Lobster Boat Preservation Project”, Beals Historical Society, Beals The Beals Historical Society will construct a cold-storage building to house and display two historic lobster boats. Both boats provide a look into the evolution of lobster boat design, including the transition from oar-powered designs to the introduction of the internal combustion… Read more

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The Maine Humanities Council has received a grant of $34,300 from the Pulitzer Prize Centennial Campfires Initiative. The award will fund a special grant category for Maine-based organizations seeking to use Pulitzer Prize-winning writing, journalism, photography, drama, or music composition in their 2016 programming. The awards will range from $500 – $10,000. For more information… Read more

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The MHC awarded a $5,000 Major Grant to this project to support consulting fees for teachers, cultural associates, and evaluation work as the program expanded in 2012-2013. If you spend time talking with a member of one of Maine’s Franco-American families, you’re likely to hear a story of past cultural loss. Depending on the generation… Read more

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$1,000 for “Poetry as a Force for Social Dialogue: A Panel Discussion”, Belfast Poetry Festival, Belfast Poet Elizabeth Gordan McKim will design and moderate a panel discussion on “Poetry as a Force for Social Dialogue” at the 2015 festival. McKim will also lead a workshop and participate as a featured reader in the showcase events…. Read more

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$1000 for “Representing the Irish Troubles on Screen,” University of Southern Maine, Portland. Irish documentary film-maker Maurice Fitzpatrick will give a series of workshops at USM and other southern Maine colleges on feature and documentary films made about the Troubles in Northern Ireland (1969-1998). He will discuss the politics, aesthetics and ethics of these films,… Read more

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Grants with legs: the MHC funded an Infrastructure Grant for the initial effort to restore the panorama and make a replica that could be shown to the public. The book described here is the latest step in the project. By Jessica Skwire Routhier, coauthor (with Kevin J. Avery and Thomas Hardiman, Jr.) of The Painters’ Panorama: Narrative, Art, and Faith… Read more

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Picture the sumptuous, elaborate decorations that you associate with Victorian-era architecture and design. Now, picture work by modern designers. These two worlds seem vastly separate—in materials, motives, and tastes. But a recent partnership between Victoria Mansion and the Maine College of Art’s [MECA] Textile and Fashion Design department proved that one era of art can… Read more

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Housed in what was once a 1840s bank, the Maine Fiberarts gallery in Topsham forms a beautiful setting for their current exhibition, “Maine Indian Basketry,” supported by the MHC through an Arts & Humanities grant and a Community Outreach grant. Executive Director Christine Macchi described this exhibition as a departure from the usual fiber artwork… Read more

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This coverage of a Maine Humanities Council grant project was published May 21, 2015 on Fosters.com. “ALFRED – The Friends of Alfred Shaker Museum (FASM) and the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society are sponsoring a series of speakers on four Sunday afternoons during the coming tourist season. The guest speakers include two authors, a filmmaker and teacher,… Read more

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  $1,000 to “Micmac Warriors: Duty, Honor, and Culture,” Aroostook Band of Micmacs, Presque Isle Micmac Warriors is a photographic exhibit hosted by the Aroostook Band of Micmacs featuring tribal members who served in the United States military during the 20th and 21st centuries. As representatives of a long and proud warrior tradition within Micmac… Read more

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$1,000 to “A Closer Perspective: Furthering Access to Native Culture,” Mahoosuc Arts Council, Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce, Bethel The Arts Council, in partnership with the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce, will work to deepen community engagement in an on-going project to authenticate local native culture and provide community access to native arts and culture…. Read more

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Arts & Humanities    $1,000 to “Arts On The Hill,” Coastal Mountains Land Trust, Camden Arts on the hill celebrates the synergy between art and the natural landscape in the setting of Coastal Mountains Land Trust’s Beech Hill preserve in Rockport, with the goals of inspiring creativity, engaging new audiences and demonstrating the value of… Read more

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Maine Humanities Council, SPACE Gallery, and USM’s Center of Multicultural Affairs are delighted to present The Poets and The Assassin–Daughters of Iran in celebration of Women’s History Month. The play was written by MHC Board member Reza Jalali . Event information: March 12, 2015 | 6:00pm | SPACE Gallery, Portland Reza has provided the following summary of the play:  Although… Read more

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Arts & Humanities   “Emma Lewis Coleman: Maine” $1,000 to Museums of Old York, York The Museums of Old York will present an exhibit of photographs by Emma Lewis Coleman (1853-1942) from the 1880s, including images of local tradespeople and historic buildings and landscapes. Picture Writing: In Island Voices $1,000 to Partners in Island Education,… Read more

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Major Grants Maine is Home Profile Project $7,500 to Welcoming Maine, Portland Through the “Maine Is Home” profile project, Welcoming Maine will create five multimedia profile stories that will highlight positive cross-cultural relationships in the Lewiston/Auburn area. The project will bridge social boundaries between new Mainers and their native-born neighbors through interactive storytelling, thereby creating… Read more

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This article from the Maine Historical Society blog discusses one of the projects supported by the Maine Humanities Council’s grants program. The online exhibit “Anshe Sfard, Portland’s Early Chassidic Congregation” written by Susan Cummings-Lawrence can be found on the Maine Memory Network. Click here to read the article.    Read more

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This article by Beth Brogan on the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association appeared in the Bangor Daily News onJuly 13, 2014. It covers a project sponsored by the Maine Humanities Council grants program. . Read the article here.  Read more

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By Kate Webber “This is the next crusade, I think,” Waterville student Allie Richards said as she prepared to go onstage. “We really need to have everyone be equal.” On Friday, June 20, the Waterville Opera House hosted the opening night of “Gays of Our Lives.” The play was written, directed, and performed by Waterville… Read more

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By Kate Webber Walking through the lobby of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, Katie Rutherford was a contrast to the powerful images she had compiled for “The Lonely Fight: A History of AIDS in Maine.” Her compassion and enthusiasm were apparent as she described the decades of this disease in Maine and the stories of… Read more

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Commemorating the 100th birthday of the acclaimed poet, novelist, and memoirist who lived and worked in Maine for the last 22 years of her life, the May Sarton Centennial Symposium took place from May 3–6, 2012, in York. It focused attention on May Sarton as a major literary voice, building awareness of Maine as a… Read more

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By Diane Magras In the fall of 2010, the MHC awarded a $1,000 to Mayo Street Arts in Portland for “The Children’s Puppet Workshop,” teaching puppetry, reading, and creative writing to low-income youth from the Kennedy Park neighborhood, culminating in a performance and art exhibit. The first performances were in March, and now the puppets and… Read more

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By Karin France The Maine Humanities Council awards grants ranging from $500 to $7,500 to nonprofit organizations throughout the state. Committed to the idea that even small grants can make a difference, the MHC offers a simple application process with rapid turnaround times and, excepting larger grants, rolling deadlines. In reviewing projects, the MHC prioritizes… Read more

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By Diane Magras In February, the MHC funded a project at Portland’s King Middle School that narrated how an African American teenager took a big step for the Civil Rights movement in 1955. Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin was riding the bus home from school, her mind full of the day’s lesson on Harriet Tubman and Sojurner Truth,… Read more

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By Diane Magras It was a Sunday service at Chosen Land, the Shaker community near Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester, that sparked broadcast journalist Jeannine Lauber’s interest in the history of the Shakers and their modern role in Maine. In the preface of her new book, Chosen Faith, Chosen Land: The Untold Story of America’s 21st Century… Read more

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The Maine Humanities Council began life in 1976 as a granting organization, redistributing funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities to nonprofits statewide. Since then, the MHC has expanded its work, creating and implementing the many programs described in this report. Since 1976, the MHC has invested more than $4,000,000 in grants to Maine… Read more

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