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Posts Tagged ‘Maryland’

NEH Awards $17M in Awards for 208 Humanities Projects

From the National Endowment for the Humanities:

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced $17M in grants for 208 humanities projects.  The funding will support projects, fellowships for scholarly research, the creation of exhibits, digital tools and the preservation of humanities collections and reference resources.  Institutions and independent scholars from 42 states and the District of Columbia will receive NEH support.

A list of the Mid-Atlantic region’s 57 recipients after the jump, full list of recipients available here.

Read more.

War of 1812 Bicentennial Events, Exhibits and News

2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.  In honor of this event, we offer a list of War of 1812 events, exhibits, and news items.  This list is by no means complete, but will hopefully offer a number of entry points into the bicentennial celebrations.

Maryland

Running now until April 13, 2012 is the War of 1812 Portrait Exhibit at the Maryland House of Delegates in Annapolis, Maryland.  The exhibit features portraits rendered by Ann Monro Wood.

The Maryland Historical Society’s ongoing exhibit, With Broad Stripes and Bright Stars includes the original manuscript of the Star Spangled Banner, which has been incorporated into a new exhibit on Baltimore’s role in the War of 1812.  Another exhibit, In Full Glory Reflected: Maryland During the War of 1812, opens June 10, 2012.

On April 15th, the Maryland Historical Society presents Silver & Gold for War of 1812 Officers, an installment of the Francis Scott Key Lecture Series (PDF).  Ann Wagner, Associate Curator of Decorative Arts at Winterthur Museum will speak at 6:00 p.m at the Society.

Other upcoming speakers in the Francis Scott Key series include, Edward C. Papenfuse, Ph.D., Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents at the Maryland State Archives, and Carol Stoltis, Project Associate Curator, Center for American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Dr. Papenfuse, Ph.D., will present his  lecture Mapping Baltimore During the Era of the War of 1812  begins at 6:00 p.m. on October 4, 2012.  Stoltis’ lecture, A Pacifist and the Defenders: Rembrandt Peale and His Portraits of Baltimore’s Heroes of the War of 1812, will be held November 1A, at 6:00 p.m.

From June 13-19, 2012, Baltimore will host The Star-Spangled Sailabration.  An international parade of ships will sail into the Inner Harbor to launch the U.S. Bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812.   The ships will start passing by Fort McHenry on June 12.

Currently on view at Philadelphia’s  Independence Seaport Museum is Home of the Brave: The War of 1812 in Art, Story & Song.  The exhibit runs through December 31, 2012:

Comprised of objects from the collection of Independence Seaport Museum, as well as loans from the Dietrich American Foundation and other private collectors, the exhibition explores the naval aspect of the War of 1812 through the lenses of art, material and popular culture, as well as first-hand accounts of participants and on-lookers.

New York Humanities Council Events:

On April 14, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. Tom Shanahan will present a lecture, 1812: Uncle Sam’s First War at the New York State Library in Albany, New York.

Raya Lee offers a lecture, War of 1812: Fury, Frenzy and Honor at the Wood Library in Canadaigua, New York on April 18, 2012 at 6:30 p.m.

On April 19th, Dave Ruch offers a lecture/concert entitled The War of 1812: Songs and Stories from New York and BeyondThe event will be held at the Sardinia Meeting House in Sardinia, New York, starting at 7:00 p.m.

On April 23rd, at 6:00 p.m., Alfred Ronzoni will present From Battleground to Empire State: New York and the War of 1812 at York College, the City University of New York.

Robert W. Arnold III will present 1812: New York’s War, New York’s Impetus on April 25 at 7:00 p.m. at Herkimer County Community College.

From July 20, 2012 – July 21, 2012, the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site will host President Monroe Looks Back on the War of 1812.  First-person interpreter Dennis Bigelow will portray Mr. Monroe in this unique event.  http://www.nyhumanities.org/events/event.php?event_id=5066

Please note that a number of the New York Humanities Council events will be held in multiple locations in the next six months.  Please see their events calendar for details.

From June 15, 2012 – January 27, 2013, the Smithsonian will host 1812: A Nation Emerges in the Portrait Gallery:

This exhibition tells the story of the war that one historian called, “the second American Revolution.” Through portraits and objects, it explores key people who influenced the turn of events, including President James Madison and Dolley Madison, General Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and the powerful Indian leader Tecumseh. The exhibition also follows the stories of soldiers, slaves, financiers, industrialists, artists, architects, Native Americans, and women. The victory at New Orleans became a national holiday and added to a growing sense of American nationalism. The epic battles and the aftermath known as “the era of good feelings” are central elements of this story, linked by the biographies of the extraordinary and colorful leaders whose lives shaped its direction.

The New York Humanities Council is accepting War of 1812 Mini Grants from now until September 20, 2012.  Grants of up to $3,000 are available to present humanities-based public programs exploring the legacy of the War of 1812 in New York State.  Eligibility requirements and application procedures are available online.

Last summer, an archaeological dig at the Plattsburgh Air Force Base uncovered military artifacts which indicated that the site was a winter encampment for soldiers during the War of 1812.  Uniform buttons bearing the number 15 were uncovered, indicating that the U.S. Army’s 15th Regiment had occupied the site.  More excavations are planned at the site this summer.

The National Park Service at the National Heritage Area in Baltimore, Maryland has developed a War of 1812 traveling exhibit.  The exhibit is free and available to museums, libraries, and historical sites.

On the web:

Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission

Maryland Humanities Council War of 1812 Bicentennial: For information on special events, organizations, and media and archives collections.

The Official War of 1812 Bicentennial: a binational site with an events calendar covering events in Canada and the United States.

 

 

Event: MITH Digital Dialogue: Bill Ferster, “Historical Interactive Visualization: Coaxing Data to Tell Stories

From Maryland Institute of Technology in the Humanities:

On Tuesday, April 3, 12:30-1:45 pm,  the Maryland Institute of Technology in the Humanities is hosting “Historical Interactive Visualization: Coaxing Data to Tell Stories,” as part of its Digital Dialogue series.  The speaker, Bill Ferster, directs the VisualEyes Project at the University of Virginia.  His talk will look at interactive visualization projects done using the visualization authoring tool, VisualEyes, developed at UVa.

VisualEyes enables scholars to present selected primary source materials and research findings while encouraging active inquiry and hands-on learning among general and targeted audiences. It communicates through the use of dynamic displays that organize and present meaningful information in both traditional and multimedia formats, such as audio-video, animation, charts, maps, data, and interactive timelines.

The talk will be held in the Human Computer Interaction Lab, 2117 Hornbake Library (South).  It is free and open to the public.  MITH archives podcasts of their events for those unable to attend.  They also encourage you to access their Digital Dialogues Twitter account, @digdialog (#mithdd) as a means of following the conversation.

Maryland Historical Trust Preservation Honorees

On January 31, 2012, the Maryland Historical Trust awarded its Preservation Awards for 2012. The awards are presented annually by MHT’s Board of Trustees and represents the highest level of recognition for historic preservation and heritage education project in Maryland.  Fourteen awards across nine categories were awarded to individuals and organizations across Maryland.  Full descriptions of each project and its partners is available at the MTH press release (PDF).

Excellence in Media and Publications:

Annapolis: City on the Severn, A History

The War of 1812 in Charles County’s Backyard: A Virtual Tour

Montgomery County Historic Preservation Interactive Mapping Initiative 

Excellence in Community Engagement:

Cambridge City Hall Renovation Plans

Community Impact:

Rehabilitation of the Most Precious Blood Church for use as the Betterton Community Center

Frederick Visitor Center

Preservation Partnerships:

Rehabilitation of the Old Towson Jail

Rehabilitation of the Ridgeley Rosenwald School

Excellence in Commercial Rehabilitation:

La Banque de Fleuve

Outstanding Stewardship of Historic Properties by a Government Agency:

C&O Canal National Historical Park

Outstanding Stewardship of MHT Easement Properties:

Holly Hill

Outstanding Organizational Leadership at the Local Level:

Four Rivers Heritage Area; Carol Benson, Pat Barland, Donna Ware, Donna Hole

Outstanding Individual Leadership at the Local Level:

Louis S. Diggs

Elizabeth Scott Shatto

 

 

 

 

National History Day Receives National Humanities Medal of Honor

On Monday, February 13, 2012, President Barack Obama awarded the 2011 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal.  National History Day, a year-long academic program that encourages 6th to 12th grade students to engage in hands-on historical research, was awarded the 2011 National Humanities Medal.  The offices of National History Day are based at the University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. Cathy Gorn, executive director of NHD, accepted the award on behalf of the NHD staff, board and honorary advisory council.

National History Day had its beginnings at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, but now operates in all fifty states, Washington D.C., U.S. territories. There are international endeavors as well, with expansion into Europe, China, Indonesia, and South Korea.  In all, the program serves more than half a million children each year.

NHD culminates each year in a national competition held each June at the University of Maryland at College Park.

Read more about the program at National History Day.

A full list of recipients and their achievements is available at whitehouse.gov.

 

Economic Challenges: A Second Look

At the Jewish Museum of Maryland, artist Loring Cornish leads students from Commodore John Rogers Middle School on a tour of his work. While confronting the economic downturn, the museum has increased outreach efforts. (Staff photo courtesy of Jewish Museum of Maryland.)


As the economic downturn continues,
many mid-Atlantic cultural organizations have moved from short-term responses to long-term financial concerns.  In the Fall 2009 issue of Cross Ties, directors of three historical organizations explained their early responses to these challenges.  This month, Richard Burkert, president and chief executive officer of the Johnstown Area Historical Association, and Avi Decter, executive director of the Jewish Museum of Maryland, have responded to our invitation to provide updates on their situations.  How did their organizations’ plans in 2009 work out?  What new measures are their institutions taking to address more long-term financial concerns?  Their candid reports reflect the ongoing challenges faced by public humanities programs throughout our region. Read more.

Mid-Atlantic NEH Grant Winners

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced today $21 million in grants for 215 humanities projects.

This funding will support a wide variety of projects, including research fellowships and awards for scholars, the preservation of humanities collections at smaller institutions, traveling exhibitions, and humanities initiatives at historically black colleges, institutions with high Hispanic enrollment, and tribal colleges and universities. Grants awarded today will also support training for museum and archive staff to preserve and enhance access to their collections, while NEH Challenge Grants provide support for long-term humanities activities.  NEH announced awards in three special grant programs: Bridging Cultures Through Film, Bridging Cultures at Community Colleges, and Bridging Cultures Implementation Grants for Public Programs.

Mid-Atlantic Regional grant recipients:

Delaware: 2 awards, $595,000

University of Delaware, Preservation Education and Training, Project Director: Debra Norris.  Project title: Graduate Education in the Conservation of Historic and Decorative Arts, Objects, Furniture, Textiles, & Photographs.

Winterthur, Winterthur Museum, Challenge Grant, Project Director: Lois Price.  Project title: Endowing the Director of Conservation Position at Winterthur.

Washington D.C.: 9 awards, $1,242,439

Association of American Colleges and Universities, Bridging Cultures Community College RFP, Project Director: Caryn McTighe Musil.  Project title: Difference, Community, and Democratic Thinking: and NEH Bridging Cultures Prjoect.

American University, Fellowships for University Teachers, Project Director: Richard Sha.  Project title: Imagining the Imagination: Science and British Romanticism, 1750-1832.

George Washington University, Fellowships for University Teachers, Project Director: Gayle Wald. Project title: A History of “Soul”, the First Nationally Televised Program to Showcase the Black Power Movement.

Heritage Preservation, Preservation Education and Training, Project Director: Lori Foley.  Project title: Alliance for Response: A National Program on Cultural Heritage and Disaster Management.

American Historical Association, Bridging Cultures Community College RFP, Project Director: Robert Townsend.  Project title: American History, Atlantic and Pacific, An NEH Bridging Cultures Project.

Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Records, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Clarence Davis.  Project title: Preservation Assessment and Purchase of Monitoring Equipment and Storage Materials to Preserve Archival Collections.

Foundation of American Institute for Conservation, Preservation Education and Training, Project Director: Eric Pourchot.  Project title: Professional Development for Conservators: Providing Preservation and Access for the Humanities.

Unstaffed Independent Scholars, Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars: 1. Project Director: Jules Witcover.  Project title: Evolution of the Vice Presidency in Politics and Governance.  2. Project Director: John Perpner. Project title: Political and Social Activism in African American Concert Dance: Eleo Pomare and the Black Arts Movement.

Maryland: 2 awards, $55,885

Bowie State University, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Katherine Hayes.  Project title: Preservation Assessment of University’s Archives and Special Collections.

University of Maryland, College Park, Fellowships for University Teachers, Project Director: Robert Levine.  Project Title: The Lives of Frederick Douglass.

New Jersey: 6 awards, $564,929

Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts, NEH on the Road, Project Director: Nancy Maguire.  Project title: NEH on the Road: Wild Land.

Drew University, Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars, Project Director: Edward Baring.  Project title: The Spread of Phenomenology in Europe During the 20th Century.

Community College Humanities Association, Bridging Cultures Community College RFP, Project Director: David Berry.  Project title: Advancing the Humanities at Community Colleges: An NEH: Bridging Cultures Project.

NJ Institute of Technology, Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars, Project Director: Zeynep Celik.  Project title: The History of 20th Century Controversies Over the Possession of Antiquities.

Princeton University, Fellowships for University Teachers, Project Director: Christian Wildberg.  Project title: A New Text and Translation of the Hermetic Corpus, a Collection of Greek Theological and Philosophical Texts.

Montclair State University, Bridging Cultures Through Film, Project Director: Fawzia Afzal-Khan.  Project title: Female Singers and Muslim Tradition in Pakistan from 1947 to the Present.

New York: 27 awards, $2,777,882

Albany Institute of History and Art, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Tammis Groft.  Project title: Preservation Assessment for Archival Collections.

SUNY Research Foundation, Albany Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Karen Brown. Project title: Digital Preservation Readiness Assessment to Preserve Special Collections and Archives.

Bard College,  Challenge Grant, Project Director: Roger Berkowitz.  Project title: Endow Junior Fellowships, Humanities Lecturer, and Humanities Programs of The Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College.

Western New York Public Broadcasting, Bridging Cultures Through Film, Project Director: David Rotterman.  Project title: The Railway that Built a Nation.

CUNY Research Foundation, Queens College, Fellowships for University Teachers, Project Director: Karen Strassler.  Project title: Media and Political Communication in Post-Suharto Indonesia.

Hastings Center, Challenge Grants, Project Director: Erik Parens.  Project title: The Hastings Center Humanities Research Initiative.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars, Project Director: Anthony Cerulli.  Project title: The Study of Gurukula: South Indian Traditional Medical Education and Its Classical Texts.

Columbia University, Fellowships for University Teachers, Project Director: Mary Pollard Murray.  Project Title: The Prison as a Site of Literary Community and Writing in Early Modern England.

Barnard College, Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars, Project Director: Jonathan Rieder.  Project title: A Reinterpretation of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”.

New York University, Preservation Education and Training, Project Director: Hannelore Roemich. Project Title: Conservation Training for Preservation and Access.

Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Mary Anne Caton. Project Title: Purchase of Environmental Monitoring Equipment to Preserve Collections of the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum.

AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc., Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Carlos Porro.  Project Title: Preservation Assessment and Storage Materials to Preserve Archival Collections.

Century Association Archives Foundation, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Russell Flinchum. Project Title: Staff Training and Environmental Monitoring Equipment to Preserve Archival Collections.

City College of New York, Awards for Faculty, 1. Project Director: Emily Greble. Project Title: Islam and the European Nation-State: Balkan Muslims between Mosque and State, 1908-1949. 2. Project Director: Gregory Downs Project Title: The Ends of the War: American Reconstruction and the Problems of Occupations.

Women Make Movies, Inc., Bridging Cultures Through Film, Project Director: Riva Freifeld. Project Title: Buffalo Bill and the Influence of the American West on European Culture.

Leo Baeck Institute, Inc., Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Renate Evers. Project Title: Purchasing Preservation Materials to Preserve a Rare Book Collection.

New York University, Preservation Education and Training, Project Director: Howard Besser. Project Title: Graduate Education for Moving Image Specialists.

City Lore: NY Center for Urban Folk Culture, Bridging Cultures Implementation Grants, Project Director: Steven Zeitlin. Project Title: Poetic Voices of the Muslim World.

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Roberta Elliott. Project Title: Preservation Storage Materials to Rehouse the Photographic Archive.

Teachers College, Columbia University, Challenge Grants, Project Director: Anand Marri. Project Title: History Education for All: A Proposal to Establish a Center for History Education at Teachers College at Columbia University.

Rochester Institute of Technology, Preservation Education and Training, Project Director: James Reilly. Project Title: Sustainable Preservation Practices for Managing Storage Environments.

University of Rochester, Fellowships for University Teachers, Project Director: Janet Berlo. Project Title: Fakes, Replicas, and Other Vexed Identities in Native American Art History.

John Jermain Memorial Library, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Jessica Frankel.  Project Title: Preserving Collections Related to Early Rural Life on Long Island, New York.

Town of Southampton, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Sundy Schermeyer. Project Title: Develop Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan and Staff Training to Preserve Archives

Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: William Ayres.  Project Title: Purchase of Storage Furniture and Preservation Materials to Preserve Historic and Textile Collections.

Woodstock Artists Association, Inc., Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Josephine Bloodgood.  Project Title: Preservation Assessment to Preserve Art Collections.

Pennsylvania: 8 awards, $318,531

B.F. Jones Memorial Library, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Linda Helms. Project Title: Preservation Assessment to Preserve Archival Collection.

Franklin and Marshall College, Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars, Project Director: Bennett Helm.  Project Title: Defining Moral Communities: Respect, Dignity, and the Reactive Attitudes.

Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, Humanities Initiatives: HBCUs, Project Director: Marilyn Button. Project Title: Lincoln University of Pennsylvania’s Global Heritage and Legacy.

Millersville University, Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars, Project Director: Tanya Kevorkian. Project Title: The Musical Experience in German Baroque Towns.

Chatham College, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Rachel Rohrbaugh. Project Title: Purchase Storage Furniture to Preserve the University’s Archives Collection.

University of Pittsburgh , Fellowships for University Teachers, Project Director: Ronald Zboray. Project Title: The Bullet in the Book: Uses of Print Media during the Civil War.

Swarthmore College, Preservation Assistance Grants, Project Director: Amy McColl. Project Title: Preservation and Disaster-Preparedness Assessment to Preserve the Library’s Special Collections.

Pennsylvania State University, Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars, Project Director: Gonzalo Rubio. Project Title: The Earliest Semitic Literature: Ebla and Early Dynastic Mesopotamia.

For project descriptions and for winners outside our region, please visit the NEH website.

(From neh.gov)

Regional Winners of IMLS and MacArthur Foundation Grants

Today,the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced the first 12 winners of a national competition to build 21st Century learning labs in museums and libraries around the country. The winners—four museums and eight libraries—will receive a total of $1.2 million in grants to plan and design the labs. Inspired by YOUMedia, a new teen space at the Chicago Public Library, and innovations in science and technology centers, these labs will help young people move beyond consuming content to making and creating it.

The twelve recipients were selected from a pool of ninety-eight applicants from thirty-two states.  The process for awarding a second round of grants begins in Spring 2012.

The Mid-Atlantic regional winners for the 21st Century Learning Lab grants are:

Howard County Public Library, Columbia, Maryland  who, along with partners The Institute of Learning Innovation and MindGrub Technologies, LLC, will develop a Learning Lab for youth ages 11-18 at the Savage Branch library. Staff at the branch and system levels have identified the need for a dedicated space and activities to meet the increased usage of the library by teen customers, and to deliver effective, informal, learning involving digital media.

New York Hall of Science, New York, New York which will will plan and prototype a youth-centered, community-engaged Digital Making program within the museum’s new Cognizant Maker Space. Digital Making is a program that will empower diverse groups of middle- and high-school youth to investigate and communicate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics through digital media including sound, video, and games.

DaVinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology, Allentown, Pennsylvania which will partner with the Allentown Public Library to create a virtual studio environment for youth engaged in digital media and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities. Participation in the virtual environment will be supported by face-to-face outreach programs. Tools for the creation of digital content will be available on loan from the library.

Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which will work with a variety of local organizations to develop a comprehensive plan for a digital media Learning Lab in the new Parkway Central Library. The lab design will be based on current research, teen focus groups, input from local partners, expert consultants, and staff experience.

Please visit the Institute of Museum and Library Services for more information on all the winning proposals.

(From imls.gov)

 

 

 

 

 

Maryland Humanities Council Receives Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize

The Maryland Humanities Council has received the Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize for “Standout in Risk-Taking and Most Demonstrable Community-Changing Outcomes,” from the Federation of State Humanities Council for its “Practicing Democracy” program.

In its first year, “Practicing Democracy” brought Marylanders together for a series of forums, workshops, and interactive events which provided the opportunity for people of different opinions and points of view to come together for passionate, respectful, and effective civic conversation.  Programs addressed natural gas extraction, transportation, cultural diversity, and land use and development.  The program was supported by the Boeing Charitable Trust.  The full press release is available on the MHC website.

The Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize is awarded annually to up to three programs for outstanding work in public humanities.  It is awarded to councils for innovative programs that have a significant impact on citizens, organizations, or communities in their states.

(From mdhc.org)

MICA: Making History / Making Art Wins MARAC Book Award

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) awarded the 2011 Arline Custer Memorial Award to Douglas L. Frost for his book MICA: Making History / Making Art.  Frost, who is Vice President for Development Emeritus at MICA, tells the Baltimore institution’s nearly two-century history, from 1826 to the present day.  The book utilizes hundreds of documents—text and images—from sources held in the Maryland Institute College of Art Archives at the Decker Library & Media Resources Collection and in other collections in Baltimore and beyond.  MICA: Making History / Making Art was published by MICA.

Images of the book are available on argotandocre.com, as is a link to a Salon interview with author Douglas L. Frost.

The Arline Custer Memorial Award recognizes the best books and articles written or compiled by individuals and institutions in the MARAC region.  Works under consideration include, but are not limited to, monographs, popular narratives, reference works and exhibition catalogs using archival sources.

(From H-Maryland)