The Idaho Humanities Council (IHC), the statewide nonprofit organization devoted to enhancing public awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the humanities in Idaho, awarded $115,489 in grants to organizations and individuals. Thirty-four awards include twenty-eight grants for public humanities programs, three Research Fellowships, three Teacher Incentive Grants, and three other funded programs. The grants were supported in part by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Idaho Humanities Council’s Endowment for Humanities Education. The following projects were funded:
Public Programs:
Ada Community Library, Boise, was awarded $4,000 to support Read Me Treasure Valley in 2019. The community-wide reading program invites the community to read There There by Tommy Orange. The public will have the opportunity to attend book discussions, lectures, and other events, including a visit by the author. The project director is Mary DeWalt.
Caldwell Fine Arts Series, Inc., Caldwell, was awarded $2,000 to host a photographic exhibit titled Where Children Sleep, revealing bedrooms of children throughout the world. On display in November 2018, the exhibit explored the complex social and cultural issues of the world’s young. The project director was Alison Benson Moulton.
City Club of Boise, Boise, was awarded $5,000 to host non-partisan, luncheon programs to encourage constructive dialogue on relevant topics. Forums are also broadcast on Boise State Public Radio. The project director is Morgan Keating.
Department of English and Philosophy at Idaho State University, Pocatello, was awarded $1,999 to bring David Wanczyk, author of BEEP: Inside the Unseen World of Baseball for the Blind, to Idaho in November. He gave a public reading and held a public question and answer session regarding literary magazine editorialship. The project director is Bethany Schultz Hurst.
Global Lounge Incorporated, Boise, was awarded $3,000 for the World Village Fest 2019, a three-day multi-cultural celebration showcasing the community’s expanding blend of cultural arts and literature that are part of the many traditions and cultures around us. The project director is Dayo Ayodele.
Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Boise, was awarded $3,500 to present a condensed version of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It to students in junior high and high schools around Idaho. The performances are supplemented with study guides, question and answer sessions and workshops. The project director is Christine Zimowsky.
Idaho State University, Pocatello, was awarded $1,395 to support a series of Humanities Cafes held in Pocatello. These public symposiums will examine Global Idaho, with scholars and the public meeting together to explore Idaho’s global reach. The project director is Erika Kuhlman.
Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts & History, Lewiston, was awarded $1,800 for a January 21, 2019 evening performance of Nuestros Corridos. Nuestros Corridos involves a five-person group performing Mexican ballads and using the music as a way to illuminate the history and culture of Latinos/Latinas in Idaho. The project director is Charlette Kremer.
Lewis-Clark State College Native American Club, Lewiston, was awarded $2,000 for support of Native American Awareness Week in March 2019. The week provides a public forum to discuss and review contemporary and historical issues relating to Native Americans and culture. The project director is Bob Sobotta.
Magic Valley Arts Council, Twin Falls, was awarded $2,000 to offer the public free screenings of PBS’ Independent Lens films. The films are followed by moderated discussion to examine a variety of topics, including the opioid crisis, Native American influence on rock and roll, and the legacy of Mr. Rogers. The project director is Carolyn White.
Museum of Idaho, Idaho Falls, was awarded $4,000 to expand a new Way Out West exhibit. The exhibit explores the history of southeast Idaho and examines the lives of those who settled the area. The project director is Kimberly Lee.
Nez Perce County Historical Society and Museum, Lewiston, was awarded $1,000 for support of an exhibit that will highlight the history of local theaters in Nez Perce County. Small window exhibits will be displayed at the Liberty Theater in Lewiston, and other locations in the Lewiston Orchards, Culdesac, Lapwai, and Peck. The project director is Amanda Van Lanen.
Oneida Stake Academy Foundation, Preston, was awarded $1,155 to help restore historical drawings of Preston City, Idaho, depicting the town’s main street. They will be displayed at the Oneida Stake Academy, a historic school building. The project director is Alexis Beckstead.
Panhandle Alliance for Education, Summerville, was awarded $3,000 for a national early childhood literacy program for parents and grandparents of preschoolers. The program includes free educational workshops throughout the year. The project director is Kathleen Mulroy.
Pend Oreille Arts Council, Sandpoint, was awarded $650 to bring the multi-media, interactive program Living Voices “Our Revolution” to Idaho in January 2019. The program is the story of an African-American soldier in the American Revolution of 1776, and will be presented to the public and to students. The project director is Kathleen Mulroy.
Salmon Arts Council, Salmon, was awarded $1,590 to host Living Voices “The New American” February 19-20, 2019. The program examines the journey from the turmoil of the famine in Ireland to the promise of America, and will be presented to the public and to students. The project director is Susan Payne.
Stay-in-School Quinceanera Program Organization, Inc, Boise, was awarded $2,000 to research the history of the Weiser Labor Camp, ca. 1945-2000, and create a brochure. The project director is Kathleen Hodges.
The Cabin, Boise, was awarded $3,000 for support of its Readings & Conversations lecture series, bringing some of the best authors, thinkers, rabble-rousers, and cultural icons to Boise. Audience members have a chance to hear authors share their work, personal stories, and commentary on current events and culture. The project director is Kurt Zwolfer.
The Cabin, Boise, was awarded $2,000 for its Ghosts & Projectors reading series. The award will help bring National Book Award finalist Poet Danez Smith to Boise on November 27, 2018. The project director is Kurt Zwolfer.
The City Club of Idaho Falls, Idaho Falls, was awarded $4,500 for its 2019 luncheon series, promoting civil dialogue and discourse on all matters of public interest. Each month they present a new subject, encouraging broad participation by the community at large. The project director is Kelli Jenkins.
The Community Library, Ketchum, was awarded $3,000 for a community-wide read program in order to encourage literacy, literary engagement, and civil discourse around themes of immigration and race. The community will read Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea, and programming will include book groups in English and Spanish, film screenings, cultural conversations, and a keynote presentation and school visits by the author. The project director is Bethany Hull.
University of Idaho, Moscow, was awarded $2,400 to expand its oral history collection about the former Riverside Dance Hall in Potlatch, Idaho. They will collect more oral histories, create a web portal to host the collection, and present public programs exploring Potlatch history and its relevance on present issues. The project director is Diane O. Kelly-Riley.
University of Idaho-Dept of Modern Languages and Dept of History, Moscow, was awarded $5,000 for a film and lecture series entitled “The Weimar Republic, 100 Years After: Past Imperfect.” The films were chosen to help increase understanding and awareness about this historical period and German culture and society. The project director is Rachel Halverson.
Weiser High School / Weiser School District, Weiser, was awarded $3,500 to bring Marion Blumenthal Lazan, Holocaust survivor, to Weiser. While in Weiser she would present a firsthand account of her experience in a death camp in Nazi Germany to students and to the adult public. The project director is Michelle Chavez.
White Spring Ranch Museum/Archive Library, Genesee, was awarded $1,200 to preserve two documents in single copy hardback books and to provide copies to local libraries. The documents are a journal of Martha Lorang, daughter of Idaho Pioneers John and Mary Lorang, and a 1986 book The Legacy of John Lorang, an Architectural Classification written by Kurtis Zenner. The project director is Diane Conroy.
RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS:
Zackery Heern, Idaho State University, Pocatello, was awarded $3,500 to conduct research for a book on the history of state formation in Iraq during and after World War I. His book would advance the scholarship of the histories of Iraq, Britain, Shi’ism, and early twentieth-century world history. The project director is Zackery Heern.
Philip Homan, Idaho State University, Pocatello, was awarded $3,500 to conduct research on the experience of the South African War horse from Idaho to the Transvaal. Homan is continuing his study of Idaho’s horse dealer, Kittie Wilkins, whose horse ranch provided many of these war horses. The project director is Philip Homan.
Jennie Daniels, The College of Idaho, World Languages, Caldwell, was awarded $3,500 to conduct research in Argentina for her book studying Latin American novels. She seeks to promote an understanding of Latin America and its diverse peoples. The project director is Jennie Daniels.
TEACHER INCENTIVE GRANTS:
Garden City Library Foundation, Garden City, was awarded $1,000 for its Bells for Books program. The funds help the library provide access to library materials throughout the community via the bookmobile program. The project director is Melinda Gable.
Kevin Manhart, Grace School Dist. 148, Grace, was awarded $1,000 to improve a photography emphasizing local history through photography. Funds will help him purchase quality cameras for his students to develop an on-line community history photo gallery. The project director is Kevin Manhart.
Treasure Valley Family YMCA, Boise, was awarded $1,000 to support their program teaching high school students how to be active citizens. Students participate in the processes of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government. The project director is Carrie Magnuson.
OTHER FUNDED PROGRAMS:
Idaho Public Television, Boise, was awarded $12,000 for support of its 2018-2019 seasons of American Experience and American Masters. These two insightful documentary series chronicle important events and people in U.S. history. They air on Idaho Public Television statewide. The project director is Teri McColly.
Radio Boise, Boise, was awarded $5,000 to support a podcast and audio production program in 2019 for the community. They will offer workshops about podcasts and produce programs to air about Idaho’s history, culture, and traditions. The project director is Jessica Evett.
Idaho Commission for Libraries, Boise, was awarded $20,300 to support is statewide reading-discussion program. Eighteen libraries around the state participate in a community reading program. They select themed books to read in a five-part series and audience members participate in moderated discussions on each book. Themes include, but are not limited to “Connecting Generations,” “We Are What We Eat,” “Global Perspectives,” “Humor and Satire,” “Pulitzer Prize Winners,” “American Classics,” and others. The project director is Dian Scott.
The Next Deadline for IHC Grants:
The next deadline for Idaho Humanities Council grant proposals is December 15, 2018 for the initial application, and January 15, 2019 for the final submission. IHC strongly recommends that prospective applicants contact staff to discuss their project ideas before completing proposals. Grant guidelines and application instructions are available on IHC’s website at www.idahohumanities.org, or by calling (208) 345-5346.