On Wisdom and Vision: Humanities Organizations in Illinois During COVID-19

MARCH 2021 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On wisdom and vision: humanities organizations in Illinois during COVID-19

Overview COVID-19 relief grantmaking cases have played for more of $710,000, funded primarily than a century – there is a The 177 nonprofit public by the National Endowment clear need to better support humanities grantee partners for the Humanities through this sector, bring more visibility featured in On Wisdom the federal CARES Act, to 177 to its work and impact, and to and Vision: Humanities nonprofit public humanities invest in these organizations Organizations in Illinois organizations across the state, as community anchors which During COVID-19, have been provides a snapshot of the foster economic opportunity profoundly impacted by impacts of COVID-19 and a and build community resilience. COVID-19 operationally and window onto the ways in which programmatically. This group organizations are mitigating the About public humanities lost an estimated $9,742,000 effects of the pandemic within organizations in Illinois in revenue in 2020 and 14% their communities and across report fearing permanent the state. Humanities are necessary for closure. These organizations democracy and for enabling suffered significant audience Report findings describe a us to imagine what we want loss, reaching 1,700,000 fewer public humanities ecosystem in our society. Research people than they originally populated by diverse shows public humanities anticipated serving during organizations working locally organizations provide the kinds 2020. in ways that have heightened of experiences which enable relevance during – and post participants to be “more likely At this historic moment – when – pandemic. Many grantee to engage in civic life, and Illinois is reeling from the partners are operating in more likely to hold aspirations impacts of the pandemic, a areas in which households for improving the common racial reckoning, and economic struggle to make ends meet, good.”1 Furthermore, public devastation – the role of public and in which COVID-19 humanities organizations drive humanities organizations is has had a devastating (and significant revenue, particularly both urgent and profound. disproportionate) impact. Given in Illinois. the role these organizations Analysis of Illinois Humanities’ are playing – and in some Every county in Illinois has a

2 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report humanities organization and cultural assets; many are invisible to the funding and policy Figure 1: Map of 177 Illinois Humanities community. Rural communities, in particular, grantee partners have historically received less visibility and funding in relation to their WAUKEGAN metro peers2. ROCKFORD

CHICAGO COVID-19 relief funding for the humanities AURORA in Illinois MOLINE ROCK ISLAND The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) received $75 million in supplemental funding to assist cultural institutions and humanists affected by COVID-19 as part of the PEORIA $2.2 trillion CARES Act economic stabilization BLOOMINGTON plan; 40% of the appropriation ($30 million)

CHAMPAIGN was directed to the 56 state and jurisdictional URBANA councils, based upon NEH’s standard QUINCY DECATUR population formula. As the state affiliate SPRINGFIELD for the NEH, Illinois Humanities was tasked with distributing CARES Act relief funds and supplemented these dollars with money repurposed from general operations and EFFINGHAM dollars raised from private donors specifically for COVID-19 relief. ST. LOUIS

BELLEVILLE

Illinois Humanities COVID-19 Emergency MT. VERNON Relief Grantswere available in three rounds between April and June, 2020. Organizations with budgets of up to $1.5 million were CARBONDALE eligible to apply for multiple grants.

• General Operating Grants awarded $520,000 to 154 organizations for general operations including rent, The 177 grant organizations are located throughout Illinois. payroll, utilities, etc; Many are found in population centers such as Chicago, Rockford, and Peoria.Others are in small and rural • Program Innovation and Adaptation communities such as Shawneetown, Greenup, Rushville, Grants totaling $100,000 enabled 20 Ipava, Utica, Bishop Hill, and Savanna. organizations to innovate, adapt, and increase access to their programming; and

• Community Resilience grants awarded $90,000 to 15 organizations to make

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 3 community experiences follow the state’s population when public humanities during the pandemic distribution. Grantee partners organizations in Illinois are visible and highlight local from Cook County received mapped against demographic, resiliency. the largest proportion of geographic, and pandemic grant dollars. However, when contexts, it becomes clear Relief grants served as analyzed against funding-per- that humanities organizations singular opportunities for resident, counties with the are situated in communities many organizations that were largest dollars-per-resident that were under significant unable or ineligible to apply figures tended to be less- economic duress prior to the for other sources of federal, densely populated counties pandemic, and more than a state or private philanthropic (i.e. counties with fewer than third of grantees are located support due to size, location, or 10,000 residents) such as Scott, in places that have been capacity. Gallatin, Stark, Putnam, and disproportionately affected Schuyler counties. by COVID-19. Two thirds of “In the middle of April, we the 177 grantees are located were notified we received the The vast majority of grantee in zip codes where more than COVID-19 Emergency Relief partners have budgets 35% of households struggle to Grant,” said Erin Eveland, well under the eligibility afford basic needs and 29% are executive director of The HUB requirements of the Illinois located in communities where - Arts and Cultural Center, in Humanities COVID-19 relief the majority of households Rushville. funds: half of the grantee are experiencing poverty. partners have annual budgets Given the preponderance of “The knowledge of less than $100,000 and 82% grantee partners located in that we had have annual budgets of less zip codes experiencing high than a half a million dollars. levels of poverty, it may not be some relief funds Given that COVID-19 relief surprising that 38% of grantees coming gave grants ranged from $2,500 to are located in zip codes with $7,500, it is notable that for two more COVID-19 cases than the us the ability out of three recipients, grant statewide average. to move out of awards represented more than survival mode 5% of their annual budgets; Grantee partner experiences thirty two organizations and become received total grant dollars Grantee partners undertook creative again. representing more than 10% activities that support of their annual budgets and 10 stronger and more equitable "Because of the funds… we organizations received grants communities including hiring were able to focus on what our representing more than a humanists and artists, creating community needed and how quarter of their entire annual jobs, offering trainings, we could best serve them.” budget. These relatively “small” documenting and amplifying dollars had a significant impact. cultural identity and community Distribution of grant funds narratives, reframing their roles Grantee partner contexts in terms of why their missions Illinois Humanities COVID-19 matter, engaging communities relief grant funding patterns Report analysis found that in making, storytelling, and

4 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report creative expression, and using spaces in research about the role and experiences new ways. of public humanities organizations during COVID-19 specifically, and in times of severe By being extremely flexible, adaptable, and crises in general.3 Illinois public humanities promoting inclusivity, grantees pivoted in- organizations – like their national peers: person programs to new media and modes of service, relieved isolation and enlivened • Are looking for ways to work differently and communities, and resisted layoffs and staff in less isolation; reductions. They documented and amplified cultural identity and community narratives, • Are excited about, and anticipate, engaged communities in creating, storytelling opportunities for organizational and creative expression and, in some cases, transformation – particularly in terms of new found new ways to understand why their work – modes of engagement and new audiences; and their missions – matter. • Expect and want to give more attention to “We believe that these are equity and inclusion; historic times, our museum • Have a strong desire to network and connect has a responsibility in with peers through meet ups, trainings, and helping our community peer-skill-shares; and

members heal from the • Believe there is real value in developing social disruption and stay a shared language and understanding connected to one another,” of the overall landscape of humanities organizations. said Sue Scott, director of the Western Illinois Museum, located in Macomb. Recommendations

Illinois Humanities' COVID-19 relief grantee Illinois Humanities is working to understand partners’ experiences align with what we know and learn from the intensive experience of this about how humanities organizations respond past year. The recommendations that follow are during times of crisis. Grantee partners are rooted in the reported experiences of grantee serving as community anchors for trusted partners, research about the role of public information, for mitigating social isolation, for humanities organizations in fostering social enabling people to make and create objects cohesion, well-being and community resilience, and narratives that help them to process loss, and analysis of grantee partners’ geographic, trauma, and joy. They are also – while under demographic, and pandemic contexts. significant duress – finding ways to incorporate new technologies and new modes for delivering For Illinois Humanities on their missions. Our recommendations for ourselves at this time Experiences described by grantee partners include: strongly align with national and international

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 5 • Increase our capacity to support peer-to- For policy makers peer learning, technical assistance, and partnership infrastructure statewide; • Include representatives from public humanities organizations in the development • Look at the ways in which an equity and implementation of public health and lens, paired with data, can help inform community development strategies; grantmaking priorities; and • Promote, deploy, network, and hire • Evaluate the possibility of creating and humanists in recovery planning at the local, maintaining a public directory of Illinois regional, and statewide level; humanities organizations to bolster a community of practice and to help cross- • Quantify and communicate regularly about sector stakeholders connect with local and the economic impact of public humanities statewide organizations. organizations, particularly from rural areas; and For funders • Integrate and include humanities • Increase capacity to support peer-to-peer organizations in public/private partnerships learning, technical assistance, and support involving philanthropy and private investors. partnership infrastructure across our grantee partners and statewide partners; Conclusion • Look at the ways in which an equity lens, paired with data, can help inform Recipients of COVID-19 relief grants are grantmaking priorities; providing space, structure, and programming necessary to foster social cohesion. They • Invest in strengthening organizations’ enable people to become closer to one another, abilities to reflect local interests and develop a better understanding of the places identities and to participate in communities in which they live, and to create and share of practice and professional networks; narratives about their experiences. Public humanities organizations have something • Invest in organizations’ ability to create, substantial to offer during this pandemic and, as curate, and leverage digital and virtual well, throughout the course of our recovery. content; Overlooking this sector runs the risk of both • Consider what proportion of dollars support losing community anchors most committed to organizations serving rural communities; and preserving the artifacts, ephemera, and memory of Illinois’ history and identity, as well as failing • Of special note: relatively small grants to capitalize on an ecosystem ripe to contribute ($2,500-$7,500) can have transformative to the state’s ability to repair and heal the impacts for small organizations, especially triple pandemics of COVID-19, racial reckoning, when they are in areas overlooked or under- and disinvestment across rural and urban funded by philanthropy traditionally. communities.

6 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Attempts to “build back better” without these organizations at the table may leave Illinois bereft of the critical elements we need required to carry us into our post-COVID-19 state.

Illinois Humanities’ COVID-19 relief grants were made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities through the federal CARES Act and the generosity of individual donors who contributed during Illinois Humanities’ 2020 Public Humanities Awards.

1 Helicon Collaborative, “Creative Placemaking Field Scan #4: Environment and Energy; Farther, Faster, Together: How Arts and Culture Can Accelerate Environmental Progress” ArtPlace America, (February 2018), https://heliconcollab.net/wp-content/ uploads/2018/04/Farther-Faster-Together-1. pdf. 2 Robert Atkins, Sarah Allred & Daniel Hart, “Philanthropy’s Rural Blind Spot,” Stanford Social Innovation Review (Spring 2021), https://ssir.org/ articles/entry/philanthropys_rural_blind_spot?utm_ source=Enews&utm_medium=Email&utm_ campaign=SSIR_Now. 3 See AEA Consulting, “Arts Organizations’ Early Response to COVID-19 Uncertainty: Insights from the Field,” Wallace Foundation, (October 2020). About Illinois Humanities Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public Please cite as programs, grants, and educational opportunities Lyon, G., Hallett, M., Yoo, J., Miner, P., Bhat, A. that foster reflection, spark conversation, On Wisdom and Vision: Humanities build community, and strengthen civic Organizations in Illinois during COVID-19 (2021) engagement. We provide free, high-quality Chicago, IL., Illinois Humanities. Copyright: humanities experiences throughout Illinois, March 2021. Illinois Humanities. All rights particularly for communities of color, individuals reserved. Permission is granted for non- living on low incomes, counties and towns in commercial reproduction of this report, with rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, attribution to Illinois Humanities, 2021. and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration. Learn more at ilhumanities.org and Full report is available at on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn ilhumanities.org/covid19report @ILHumanities.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 7 On Wisdom and Vision: Humanities Organizations in Illinois during COVID-19

Report Credits Illinois Humanities 2020 Matt Meacham Gabrielle Lyon Team Members Meredith Nnoka Mark Hallett Rebecca Amato Nell Taylor Jenn Yoo Jane Beachy Zerline Thompson Patrick Miner Anisha Bhat Lauren Williams Anisha Bhat Toussaint Egan Tia Williams Michael Foley Tyreece Williams Illinois Humanities Board Chris Guzaitis Jenn Yoo of Directors Mark Hallett Ted Zervas Mae P. Hong, Chair Tess Landon David Woolwine, Vice Chair Cory Liang Report Data Visualization Mea Konopasek, Treasurer Karen Loda and Analysis Jai L. Winston, Secretary Gabrielle Lyon Patrick Miner Danielle Allen [ex officio] Matt Meacham John Bracken Luca Morris Graphic Design Dale Chapman Meredith Nnoka Sarah Sommers Design Teresa L. Córdova Julia Rossi sarahsommersdesign.com Susan Eleuterio Ned Schaub Deborah Epstein Magda Slowik Publication Date Virginia Gerst Zerline Thompson March 10, 2021 Juana Guzmán Tia Williams Alton Harris Tyreece Williams Illinois Humanities’ COVID-19 Jane Hays Jenn Yoo relief grants were made Joyce Higgins** possible by funding from Lowell Jaffe** COVID-19 Relief Grants Team the National Endowment for Susan Manning Rebecca Amato the Humanities through the Verett Mims Anisha Bhat federal CARES Act and the William Patterson H.O. Brownback generosity of individual donors Rikeesha Phelon** Eduardo Cabrera who contributed during Illinois Alyssa Rapp** Jessica DeSpain Humanities’ 2020 Public Gail Shiel-Mahoney Sue Eleuterio* Humanities Awards. Any Stacy Streur** Chris Guzaitis views, findings, conclusions, or Jennifer Wirtz Mark Hallett recommendations expressed Debra Yepa-Pappan** Gisele Hamm in this report do not necessarily Kimberly Jones represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

8 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report About Illinois Humanities Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement. We provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass ** indicates Gubernatorial appointee incarceration. Learn more at ilhumanities.org and * indicates Board Members on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn @ILHumanities. Please cite as Lyon, G., Hallett, M., Yoo, J., Miner, P., Bhat, A. On Wisdom and Vision: Humanities Organizations in Illinois during COVID-19 (2021) Chicago, IL., Illinois Humanities. Copyright: March 2021. Illinois Humanities. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for non-commercial reproduction of this report, with attribution to Illinois Humanities, 2021. ilhumanities.org/covid19report

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 9 MARCH 2021 Letter from the Executive Director & Board Chair

In the past year, we have hell.” It does not require a far consider not only the creativity witnessed the inequities stretch of the imagination to and resourcefulness Illinois of our society writ large in consider the possibility that humanities organizations have the devastating impacts of public humanities organizations brought in their responses to COVID-19. And we have known which, by design, foster COVID-19, but also the ways for some time that social community, inspire reflection in which they uniquely equip isolation enables polarization and provide context, may have Illinois to forge a better future and disunion. something substantial to offer for us all. during this pandemic and, as But we also know the power well, throughout the course public spaces have to mitigate of our recovery. In fact, it may Gabrielle Lyon, social isolation and to bolster be that attempts to “build Executive Director well-being. We appreciate back better” without these that coffee shops, bookstores, organizations at the table will and hair salons can serve as deprive us of the very materials the proverbial “hearts” of a necessary to carry us into our community. Libraries function post-COVID-19 state. Mae Hong, as “palaces for the people.” Board Chair Individuals, responding to In the report that follows, disasters create “paradises in we encourage readers to

10 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report CHAPTER 1: 12 On wisdom and vision By Gabrielle Lyon

CHAPTER 2: 18 In a year of duress, local humanities groups rise to meet the occasion By Mark Hallett

36 CHAPTER 3: The story the numbers tell By Gabrielle Lyon Table of contents Table

48 CHAPTER 4: From community, resilience

60 CHAPTER 5: COVID-19 and the humanities: arches and keystones By Gabrielle Lyon, Mark Hallett, and Jenn Yoo

66 Directory

84 Appendices Grantee partner list Illinois Humanities’ approach to grantmaking Photo credits Endnotes Bibliography

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 11 Identified

Ana Belaval - Watch Party #1 Identified Teaser

Official Poster Melissa Duprey - Watch Party #1

Featured stills from Identified

12 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report

Identified Official Webpage | Twitch Channel | Facebook Event: Identified Premiere ​ ​ ​ ​ Identified

Ana Belaval - Watch Party #1 Identified Teaser

Official Poster Melissa Duprey - Watch Party #1

CHAPTER 1

On wi dom and vision

What if paradise flashed up among us from time to time – at the worst of times? What if we glimpsed it in the jaws of hell? These flashes give us… a glimpse of who else we ourselves may be and what else our society could become.

– Rebecca Solnit, A Paradise Built in Hell

The arts and the humanities belong to all the people of the United States… An advanced civilization must not limit its efforts to science and technology alone, but must give full value and support to the other great branches of scholarly and cultural activity in order to achieve a better understanding of the past, a better analysis of the present, and a better view of the future… Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens… – National Foundation on the Arts and the Featured stills from Identified Humanities Act of 1965 (P.L. 89-209)

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 13

Identified Official Webpage | Twitch Channel | Facebook Event: Identified Premiere ​ ​ ​ ​ Introduction Act funding) to 177 organizations across the state provides both a snapshot of the ways As of March 2, 2021, there have been 1,189,416 in which humanities organizations have been total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois and impacted by COVID-19 as well as a window 20,583 people have died from the virus. The into the ways in which these organizations virulently disproportionate impact of the virus mitigate the effects of the pandemic within their on Black communities and communities of color communities and across the state. across the state has highlighted racial health disparities into stark relief. By being extremely flexible and adaptable, and promoting inclusivity, grantee partners The 177 nonprofit public humanities grantee pivoted in-person programs to new media partners featured in On Wisdom and Vision: and modes of service, relieved isolation and Humanities Organizations in Illinois During enlivened communities, and resisted layoffs COVID-19, have been profoundly impacted by and staff reductions. They also documented COVID-19 operationally and programmatically. and amplified cultural identity and community This group lost an estimated $9,742,000 narratives, engaged communities in storytelling in revenue in 2020 and 14% report fearing and creative expression and, in some cases, permanent closure. These organizations found new ways to understand why their work – suffered significant audience loss, reaching and their missions – matter. 1,700,000 fewer people than they originally anticipated serving during 2020. At this historic Who this report is for moment - when Illinois is reeling from the impacts of the pandemic, a racial reckoning, The goal of this report is to render the presence, and economic devastation - the role of contribution, and impact of Illinois humanities public humanities organizations is both organizations more visible, and to illuminate urgent and profound. the abilities of these organizations to increase community resilience, well-being, and equity. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) was established in 1965 as sustenance This report is developed with cross-sector for a democracy “that demands wisdom and stakeholders in mind, namely: vision in its citizens.” Public humanities give participants the opportunity to think about • nonprofit humanities and cultural what things mean – and why they’re significant organizations interested in understanding – with other people. The ethical thinking, the how their work fits into a broader ecosystem social change possibilities, and the variety of within Illinois perspectives that emerge enable the wisdom and vision that underpin the mechanics of • funders and philanthropists who are democracy. Cultural traditions, artistic and weighing the ways in which investments in humanistic inquiry, and community narratives the humanities, arts, and culture intersect provide the threads required to strengthen and are impactful civic fabric. • policy makers and planners involved in Illinois Humanities' crisis-relief grantmaking of developing approaches to enable strong, $710,000 (funded primarily by federal CARES equitable recovery from the pandemic

14 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report • researchers4, for whom questions about teamwork, decision making, and critical analysis the juxtaposition of the pandemic with are skills developed by the humanities and humanities, arts and culture organizations are actively sought by employers. Public humanities relevant and urgent spaces provide structure for gathering and meaning-making. Public humanities programs, What are the humanities and why do public in particular, create opportunities for citizens to humanities matter? think about why things matter, provide tools for conversation, and allow processes for giving Encyclopedia Britannica defines the and receiving feedback.5 humanities as “branches of knowledge that concern themselves with human beings and There is a close connection between their culture or with analytic and critical methods experiences with the humanities and civic of inquiry derived from an appreciation of human engagement. Because public humanities values and of the unique ability of the human emphasize curiosity, questioning, and dialogue, spirit to express itself.” they offer a mode of inquiry and conversation that enables participants to engage, support, The humanities are the or challenge the ideals, beliefs, tensions, and examination of what it prejudices of the communities in which they live. means to be human through “[Humanities] are about the interpretation and understanding how discussion of all forms of different and even opposed thought and expression. avenues may converge towards single common Humanities disciplines include history, literature, language, ethics, anthropology and archaeology, results, and this is precisely folklore, human geography, law, politics, religion, the issue currently at stake philosophy, and the interpretation of the arts. in the planet: how can

How do public humanities manifest in our day- different interests, when to-day lives? Adults reading for pleasure find considered from the point an improved sense of community and cultural of view of economy or understanding. Tourists travel to historical 6 sites and monuments for important family and society, converge?” personal trips. Viewing and talking about art, artifacts and monuments fosters observation skills and the opportunity for people to Humanities organizations contend against connect with history, culture, and each other. social isolation Understanding the past offers avenues for people to make sense of contemporary issues To ensure the safety of communities due to and events as complex, multifaceted and COVID-19, it was necessary to cancel events and ever-changing. Persuasive written and oral festivals and to close museums and heritage communication, creative problem solving, sites. While necessary, these actions erode

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 15 social cohesion and reinforce isolation. Isolation Collaboration,” presents a case for how obstructs the kinds of gathering and exchange collaboration between public health, arts required for civic engagement. and culture, and community development sectors is critical to addressing the issues and “Social exclusion” and “social isolation” occur conditions that limit health in America. The work when there is a lack of access to the kinds calls for “increased recognition of community of opportunities, connections, and resources assets such as knowledge, resilience, power, available to the majority.7 Research into the art, culture and lived experience,” asserting disparate community impact of the heatwave “community knowledge and community assets of 1995 in Chicago (which led to the deaths of must be placed at the center of advancing more than 700 people) exposed that even health and health equity.”9 within neighborhoods with similar racial and economic demographics, “shoddy social The humanities and crises infrastructure discouraged interaction and impeded mutual support.”8 Humanities Communities with higher social infrastructure organizations, through local and place-based are more resilient, recover faster, and are better programs, help mitigate social isolation by able to secure necessary resources. In 2018, illuminating lived experiences of those who the World Bank Group, evaluating the impact of have been unseen, unheard, or not understood cultural organizations in times of disaster and by neighbors or society. crises around the globe, called for “a culture- based approach for city reconstruction and Humanities organizations foster public health recovery in post-crisis situations.”10 Although COVID-19 is a first-of-its-kind experience in Beyond building social cohesion, public health this century in Illinois, the role of humanities research into the effhects of engagement organizations in aiding in resilience and in cultural and arts activities demonstrates recovery from natural disasters and public enhanced immune responses, a sense of well- health emergencies around the world offers being, increased community capacity, and important trends to learn from. increased abilities to communicate within and across communities and mobilize social change. In times of crisis, humanities organizations Humanities organizations are well-versed in provide: addressing some of the biggest challenges currently facing public health: creating social • Social cohesion, which is critical to connection and communicating across ‘bouncing back’ differences during a pandemic. In some cases, these organizations are also supporting the • A shared sense of unity and identity transformation of social movements and culture change. When organizations provide access • Well-being through social engagement, to the humanities they are, by correlation, in a enjoyment, and meaning-making position to help individuals cope with distress and support well-being during recovery. • Modes and media that support conversations about individual and group behavior, Developed pre-COVID-19, “Creating including behaviors that impact public health Healthy Communities Through Cross-Sector

16 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report • Inclusive dialogue that can incorporate cultural infrastructure that diverse cultural expressions and cultural strengthens social bonds... heritage and gives individuals the • A sense of ownership during conversations means and knowledge to about recovery develop their own cultural

Humanities organizations generate revenue resources.

Contrary to a general assumption that nonprofit They can have an enormous payoff that humanities organizations are “needy charities,” transforms access to culture, opportunity, and humanities organizations are not cost centers economic development.” in the state’s economy. The opposite is true: decades of economic data at the local, state Particularly in the time of COVID-19, the “cultural and national level show that the arts and culture infrastructure” humanities organizations provide sector is a major contributor to the economy. reduces isolation, builds resilience and, perhaps, The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported holds critical keys to recovery. This value in 2017 that arts and cultural production predates the pandemic and will be critical for an accounts for $30,348,386,960 and 3.7% of equitable recovery. the Illinois economy, contributing 224,102 jobs.11

The state of humanities organizations in Illinois

Throughout this pandemic, humanities organizations have endured as community anchors continuing their work and, in some cases, transforming it. The investment of $710,000 in 177 organizations has been meager in contrast to the estimated loss of revenue. But the pandemic has also given us an opportunity to re-evaluate the role, responsibility, and possibility these local places hold. The following chapter, "In a Year of Duress," powerfully illustrates, the ways in which humanities organizations are critical for providing relief, restoration, and community well being. Extensive research undertaken by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences indicates, “Communities need more than fresh asphalt to thrive; they need a robust

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 17 18 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report CHAPTER 2 In a year of uress, local humanities groups rise to meet the occasion

Illinois does not forget it beats. A heart, a muscle, a fulcrum For blood that runs deep, thrums In this state, this land of former Factories shuttered and farms That keep marching, moving Into relentless seasons, moon Cycles. Illinois, you persist.

– Poet Tara Betts (excerpt from “Illinois Bicentennial Poem”)

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 19 On March 16, 2020, things looked pretty dire to carry out an annual fundraising event. for Contratiempo, an alternative space where Along with this scheduled event went AAMSI’s the Latin American and immigrant literary, exhibition tours, reading spaces, collections, political, artistic, and academic scenes in and community programs, as well as multiple Chicago connect with the migrant community planned collaborations. in the city, across the U.S. and even in Latin America. Based in Pilsen and founded in 2004, In theory, all three groups the volunteer-driven organization, whose – facing such daunting flagship program has been the quarterly magazine bearing its name, had lost funding disruption – might have for its summer programs and its participation taken a hiatus. In some in a San Antonio writers conference, as well as its “Poesía en Abril” festival. Staff continued ways, it might have been to produce its radio programming from home, a good time for a break to because Co-Prosperity Sphere, where Lumpen reassess their situations. Radio has its studio, had to close due to the pandemic, and it was unknown when the print But that was not in the cards. magazine would be published again. Inspired by its longtime connection to immigrant At the same time, about 245 miles, or a four- thinkers, academics, artists and activists, and hour drive, to the south and west, Western aware of its unique position to connect and Illinois Museum (WIM) was seeing plans for an inspire during the pandemic, Contratiempo ambitious year quickly fall apart. The museum embarked on what executive director Moira is based in Macomb, a community with a Pujols describes as an ‘enormously motivating population of 20,000 located just south of creative journey.’ With all in-person public events the La Moine River and serves as the county and meetings canceled, Contratiempo figured seat of McDonough County. WIM considered out how to migrate all of its programming to 2020 as critical to a three-year expansion the digital world. Its print contributors began to strategy and had planned a total of seventy four produce podcast ‘capsules’ on poetry, books programs with the goal of increasing audience and cinema, under the guidance of radio and revenue. But when the Museum, whose producer Stephanie Manriquez. “Radio is a mission is to nurture “our history and culture,” natural for our Latinx audience,’ says Pujols. closed due to COVID-19, sixteen programs were “Hearing our voices tell stories places us in a canceled outright and other plans put on hold. vulnerable position, closer to them.”

Another 252 miles south of Macomb, the In Macomb, WIM director Sue Scott launched a African American Museum of Southern Illinois #COVIDMemory project, where area residents (AAMSI), whose mission is to identify, preserve could upload their written testimonials as well as and portray the outstanding achievements audio and visuals depicting how the pandemic of African American citizens, was facing an was affecting their lives. In addition, Scott (who equally daunting crisis. Located in the city of describes WIM as a “participatory” museum, Carbondale and in Jackson County in a region meaning that exhibits and programs are tools to sometimes informally known as “Little Egypt,” create an authentic social connection), began the Museum lost funding, as well as the ability to post video content for the community. The

20 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report March 2021 Illinois Humanities 21 videos are virtual tours of imminent, it launched an initial artifacts, telling the story of grants response through those who used them and why repurposed general operating they played a significant role dollars. With the additional in area history. Interns created support of funding from the scavenger hunts to have National Endowment for the people find historic sites in the Humanities (NEH) through the county. Scott also used videos CARES Act, Illinois Humanities to provide news to financial COVID-19 Emergency relief supporters, posting them on grants provided 189 awards the museum’s YouTube channel. totaling $710,000 A flood of comments, emails, to 177 humanities and cultural and even phone calls came nonprofit organizations back in response. between March and July 2020. The bulk of funds In Carbondale, the African were distributed as General American Museum of Southern Operating relief grants Illinois saw an opportunity to ($520,000) to humanities regroup and redouble efforts. organizations throughout It received funding from the Illinois with budgets of $1.5 city, albeit less than normal. million or less. Twenty Project It experienced an increase in in-person programming due Innovation & Adaptation grants individual donors’ support. It to the lockdown, and most ($100,000) supported efforts to digitized one of its most popular scheduled fundraising efforts create digital programming and programs, the book reading curtailed and corporate support content. Fifteen Community program for parents and largely suspended for the time Resilience Projects ($90,000) their children, and launched being, groups were initially at supported stories of community a contest for young people a loss for how to respond. But responses in facing COVID-19. to draw pictures in response armed with grit, imagination, to prompts around how the and resourcefulness, many The data submitted by groups children are experiencing community-based cultural through their applications, COVID-19. groups threw caution to the reports, surveys, and wind by creating digital individual interviews provides In short order, all three bounced content, supporting local an invaluable glimpse into back from a devastating responses to the pandemic, the state of humanities early 2020 and pivoted in and making appeals to local organizations across Illinois remarkable ways. And they individual donors, many and how they have responded weren’t alone – all across of whom responded in to challenges in 2020. Illinois’ 58,000 square miles unprecedented ways. Together they help give shape and 102 counties, community- to an often overlooked sector based cultural groups adapted When, in mid-March 2020, that has a foothold in nearly in response to the challenges Illinois Humanities saw a every county in the state. presented by COVID-19. lockdown in response to the With many shuttered from COVID-19 pandemic was

22 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report What is the public humanities to the 19th century. But many in them. My first thought was ‘sector’? are part of a newer crop. The how to get them out of there, HUB – Arts and Cultural Center, to a safe place,” she recalls. The humanities play out in in Rushville (an hour east of Returning the next day with people’s lives at the forty Quincy), was created “as a a rented truck and seven eight community colleges pipe dream” just five years friends, all of whom spoke across Illinois, the 3,859 public ago to foster a connection Lithuanian, they rescued schools with their two million to the arts, rural culture, and what they could and moved students, the state’s 643 local communities through items to storage. Among the public libraries, as well as at exhibitions and educational treasures discovered that chapters of other groups – say experiences. Surviving in what day were the journals of a the League of Women Voters’ executive director Erin Eveland Lithuanian American army forty one Illinois chapters and describes as a “no-man’s land chaplain who had served in the the National Association for of grants,” The HUB provides Pacific theater; they included the Advancement of Colored provocative programming, such psychological profiles of People’s 26 Illinois adult as a recent exhibit, “Arts Kuba,” Japanese prisoners of war. branches and seven youth and highlighting connections with college chapters. Here, though, Rushville’s growing African The LAP, which celebrated we are talking specifically immigrant population. its 10th anniversary in 2020, about the small, often is digitizing this material and volunteer-driven, community- In the case of the Lithuanian other archives saved from based cultural groups – the Archives Project, it all started Marian’s Chicago site, which 1,300 small museums and with a phone call. Audra no longer exists. Reflecting historical societies, the forty Adomenas, who was then on that phone call 10 years one members of the Chicago working at a library services earlier, Audra – now the LAP’s Cultural Alliance, the historic nonprofit, got a call one executive director – said: houses, cultural centers, literary morning from someone at the groups, and others working in Marian Fathers Monastery on “I didn’t know areas such as history, literature, Chicago’s south side. The caller that we would language, philosophy, and – who’d learned of Audra’s education; in other words, the interest in Lithuanian history be starting a organizations strengthening - said that due to renovation, nonprofit. But community fabric by producing boxes of old documents were oral histories, curating local being thrown away. Audra I did know that archives, creating virtual took off to visit the site, only the integrity of historic walking tours, using realizing when she arrived that the community’s the arts to explore history and she had spent much of her time identity, coordinating book as a little girl playing there – no history would be clubs, producing documentary surprise, since the community lost if we didn’t films and radio programs, and had shifted from Lithuanian do something.” designing digital curricula. to Latinx in recent years. “I saw a dumpster overflowing Some have been around for with books, archival materials, Most of these cultural decades, some even date back many with children’s drawings organizations are relatively

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 23 small, and in an almost Kartemquin Educational Films’ Freeport, had to close its doors inadvertent nod to E.F. leadership, with production and for months on end. The list Schumacher’s “Small Is shooting on hold indefinitely, goes on. Beautiful,” prefer it that way, much work in the documentary at least in some respects. As arena has dried up; in addition, According to Illinois Humanities Jeanne Schultz Angel, director the cancellation or postponing data, 90% of grantee partners of learning experience at Naper of film festivals removes the lost revenue, and 49% Settlement and president of the opportunity for filmmakers had to dip into savings to Illinois Association of Museums, to screen works for potential survive. Overall, across 177 puts it, “Small museums are not partners. This most strongly organizations, there was a puppies waiting to grow into impacts early-career and combined loss of $9,742,000, big dogs. They’re little dogs. marginalized filmmakers with some 35 organizations And if they were to disappear, without expansive networks. experiencing staff layoffs. In the you’d have a huge loss and an beginning, many faced hiccups incredible void in culture across Humanities groups across in trying to navigate the state’s the state.” Illinois were clearly hurting; lockdown rules; later, it was even the smallest are likely often the groups that rely And this tight-knit quality drives to have part-time staff, on ticket sales for revenue – mission. “We believe that these consultants, and monthly bills especially the historic houses are historic times,’ said Scott of to pay. The LAP had to cancel and children’s museums – that the Western Illinois Museum, its annual fundraisers, and on were hurt. and that our museum has a top of that had to move from responsibility in helping our its long-time office space. The This disruption came at a community members heal from Logan Square Chamber of hefty price. Melissa Ngan, the social disruption and stay Arts had to cancel a citywide executive director of Fifth connected to one another.” celebration of 1920 women’s House Ensemble, said right-to-vote activities. NAJWA “COVID-19 has put our entire How has COVID-19 impacted Dance Corps on the city’s field into an existential crisis. local cultural groups? South Side had to cancel all As a performing arts and events and performances. The educational organization, An American Alliance of Springfield Theatre Centre the support system around Museums study released in had to cancel most of its 72nd our work has been greatly July created quite a buzz in the season. The Stephenson impacted. We have been able museum world, concluding with County Historical Society in to shift many engagements the dire prediction that there was a ‘significant risk’ that more than 30% of museums might not survive 2020 due to COVID-19. Americans for the Arts data released in December showed that across Illinois, the median financial loss per arts group was at $15,500. According to

24 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report and projects to virtual formats, Alliance, or CLATA, migrated of people who can e-visit and but there are major questions its annual “Destinos” theater enjoy the museum and its around how sustainable this festival to “Destinos Al Aire,” programs and bring more to will be depending on how outdoor drive-in performances, our communities than ever long the pandemic lasts and in addition to creating new before,” she said. how it impacts the financial digital initiatives “Charlando” ecosystem of presenters and “Mini Tesoros.” 826CHI, In many cases there has been and funders.” after closing its store, quickly a silver lining to this pace made all of its after-school of change: it has helped to As one local cultural leader and in-school youth writing dramatically expand audiences said, early on in the pandemic, programs virtual. The Abe in new ways. Sara Chapman Lincoln Project in Pittsfield, of Media Burn Archive in “We’ve survived produced a tourism booklet. Chicago said, “An upside of natural disasters Repertorio Latino Theater had this pandemic is that it has to cancel programs from March forced cultural organizations – flooding, through October, but instead to completely rethink how we tornadoes, but decided to produce a film serve audiences, breaking project called “Sin Mascaras,” decades-old patterns.” Media nothing like this.” or without masks. Burn Archive has started virtual talks with video artists, where Then came the pivot(s) According to Mary Smith, filmmakers discuss film and interim executive director of social change, and now has In rapid succession, many the Evanston-based Mitchell audiences from all over the small groups threw caution Museum of the American U.S. and the world. “We are to the wind, tried out new Indian, the museum is creating a global community of digital tools, learned from expanding substantially its people who care about media mistakes, and marched on. This virtual programming, including and social justice and that will growth spurt seems a natural partnering with TriBraining to continue long into the future," next step for cultural groups, develop e-learning museum Chapman added. but also mirrored the ways tours with supporting that audiences themselves curriculum and lesson About Face Theatre Collective were quickly adapting under worksheets for teachers to (AFT) in Chicago was planning lockdown. Looking out for the use online. “Our goal," Smith a touring production of Power safety of their tour guides, The explained, "is to pilot the in Pride; instead, AFT worked Canal Corridor Association program, conduct focus groups with actors to adapt material in LaSalle transformed in- and teacher training, and fully and record in their homes to person tours into a recorded launch these e-learning tours create Power in Pride at Home. script. Chicago for Chicagoans as an alternative to in-person This pivot yielded a series of produced digital walking field trips. three to five minute videos, tours, virtual lectures, and all now streaming for free on in addition, contracted local “By raising the visibility and their website. This program artists to create pieces that reach of the museum through attracted a major donation, and were then used as postcards. virtual programming and tours, in addition, has helped build The Chicago Latino Theater we aim to expand the number AFT’s national audience.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 25 And Erin Eveland, at the arts organizations; two in 2001, used Innovation and Rushville-based HUB, said that education organizations; and Adaptation grant funds to the organization produced a cultural center, a public art produce monthly conversations virtual artist talks, livestreamed group, and a group that uses and a half-day event on its on Facebook and Zoom. book clubs, film screenings Chicago Black Social Culture and discussion to create map. These events, called “We had 200 community among people “Archiving Days,” were views. For us, with spinal injuries. Projects meant to document Black included using virtual platforms social culture from the Great this is crazy. to bridge urban and rural Migration through the early 21st Then we did a audiences, taking oral histories century, with a focus on the poetry reading, online, hosting discussions, emergence of house culture in producing a zine, helping the 1970s and 1980s. and had people to disseminate the work of from California, researchers, producing a “We are from all over the virtual tour of a community’s adapting to the murals, creating a toolkit for country. It was digital archiving, producing a pandemic by insane to see digital museum tour, making imagining new the attraction educational programs available ways to center of posting these to adults, celebrating an Illinois author, producing walking and connect with things online.” tours, producing a Spanish- communities,” language theater experience Innovation & adaptation on the impact of COVID-19, and said Meida McNeal, artistic and projects digitally curating the history of managing director for HPP. African Americans in southern At $5,000 per grant, the Illinois. Responding to community Innovation & Adaptation Project needs grants were meant to help Honey Pot Performance propel this work forward. This (HPP), a creative Afro- Some groups used lockdowns portfolio supported twenty feminist nonprofit launched as an opportunity to take organizations (out of 140 stock of collections in order applicants), to help humanities to serve their stakeholders organizations harness virtual better – sort of "rainy-day" tools to further their work. projects, but of the utmost Eleven of the twenty projects importance, nonetheless. The were scattered throughout Stark County Historical Society the state, nine based in Cook in Toulon moved forward with a County. plan to complete an inventory of its artifacts, purchasing a The pool of twenty awardees computer and software in order includes ten history sites or to take on the tedious task museums; three performing of putting records of all the

26 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report

Chicago Black Social Culture Map images – compilation from several 2018-2019 programs (@ Links Hall, Center on Halsted, Westside Justice Center, and Reunion Chicago) outside of the mainstream historical narratives, saw early in the pandemic that many of its teaching artists, visual artists, curators, and freelance writers were losing full-time jobs, part-time jobs, contracts, service jobs, and teaching gigs. The focus of editorial meetings shifted to how to create opportunities to support its team, especially those substantially impacted. “As a result," said Sixty Inches’ founder Tempestt Hazel, "we increased the paid writing opportunities and also created an internal mutual aid network between Sixty team members so that they could anonymously donate to a pooled fund for team members in need.”

According to Miriam Larson, executive director at The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, the UCIMC, which fosters media and art emphasizing artifacts into the system. The and create new exhibitions underrepresented voices Stephenson County Historical from them, but also to take and perspectives, prides Society, with museum doors on additional projects, such itself in being responsive closed for three months, kept as creating a catalogue of to community. After a local part-time staff employed donated artwork. community member passed cleaning, painting, taking from COVID-19, family members inventory of historic artifacts, Many groups pivoted in other reached out to station manager and eventually producing a ways, exploring the needs DJ BJ Clark at the Media traveling artifact kit for students of their communities in a Center’s volunteer radio (who would normally have responsive and even visceral station for help with a funeral come to the museum). The way. Sixty Inches from Center, a procession. The radio station employees of the Ukrainian Chicago-based arts publication set aside programming to air National Museum in Chicago and archiving initiative that the favorite music of the victim, decided to reorganize and supports and promotes art a dentist, so his widow and refresh permanent collections and writing that thrive primarily all the cars in the procession

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 27 could stream the music and honor their loved one as they proceeded.

Many others found ways to provide emergency services for community members. Artists ReEnvisioning Tomorrow partnered with Peoria Playhouse Children’s Museum to create art kits for kids; each included three lesson plans, materials for the three projects, and a booklet with additional ideas or cultural connections. The Chicago-based Puerto Rican Arts Alliance likewise created virtual programming and sent art supplies to the homes of participating students. The Public Media Institute provided more than 900 meals to people in its community. The Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, in Riverwoods, produced more than 1,200 mask-making kits as part of its Art Supply Exchange. They were distributed to Lake County hospitals, clinics, assisted living centers, and El pincel adolescente: Voces negras families. Produced with instructions in both English and Spanish, the kits appeared in early April – i.e. at a time when the need for protective equipment was particularly urgent.

A year of racial reckoning

But by far one of the most impressive, concerted themes – if you can call it that across 177 unique organizations - were efforts to respond to the public protests challenging systemic racism that followed the murder of George Floyd. For some, this meant continuing on a well-worn path, for others it meant exploring new territory.

Examples abound. The board of directors at the Center for Racial Harmony in Belleville started a podcast covering systemic racism and COVID-19. Crossing Borders Music in Chicago created a series of 20 videos on the music of Black composers. Deeply Rooted Dance is in the process of filming “Deeply 25: Black Edition,” to be aired early in 2021, along with a work entitled “Goshen,” which addresses issues of race and

28 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report equity. Definition Theatre, on Chicago’s South “No matter your race, ethnicity, class, gender, Side, produced eight stories on racial healing. age, sexual orientation or background, you have Design Museum of Chicago worked closely with much to gain by deepening your understanding blkHaUS studios to produce “Raising Products,” of how we got into this place,” Alexander a virtual series on art, design, and communities continued. of color about making and unmaking. 6018North produced a series of outdoor exhibits, as Community resilience projects well as Windows of the World, in which six curators conducted twenty five studio visits, Responding to the social justice movement responding to the prompt “How do we want and inequities was also a major theme in the to see the world when we come out?” The Al Community Resilience projects that received Raby Foundation, after canceling its summer funding. Of the 15 projects, each receiving lineup of programming, instead worked with $6,000 (and selected from ninety three students at Raby High School to do a Civil Rights applicants), eight are based in Chicago and History Challenge and gather oral histories. seven elsewhere in the state. All reflecting The Bronzeville Historical Society explored and community resilience under COVID-19, they championed the history of Nancy Green, the include: family stories from the Chicago original “Aunt Jemima.” Fifth House Ensemble neighborhoods of Auburn Gresham, Austin, and pivoted all of its social impact residencies – South Shore (BECOME: Center for Community such as its work with Deborah’s Place and Cook Engagement and Social Change); live-streamed County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center - dialogues on race and identity in the time into virtual platforms. of COVID-19 (Full Spectrum Features NFP); videos documenting the experiences of diverse Contratiempo, in Chicago’s Pilsen Chicagoans during COVID-19 (Collaboraction neighborhood, released a special pandemic Theatre Company); a podcast series produced issue, “En Estos Tiempos,” or “In These Times.” by Authors Circle alumni featuring stories In addition, its staff formed a translation from across the city (ConTextos); a comic book cluster within its editorial board. This group accompanied by street installations (Kuumba collaborated with African American Chicago Lynx); oral histories with leaders of cultural writers and artists, in reading, discussing, groups across the city (the Chicago Cultural translating, and publishing their work in what Alliance); and a print and audio series of would become the magazine’s first-ever interviews with community leaders (South Side bilingual issue, “Voces Negras.” Weekly in Chicago).

Addressing this challenge is ripe territory for Pilsen-based Changing Worlds, whose mission humanities groups. As Michelle Alexander, is to foster inclusive communities through oral author of The New Jim Crow: Mass history, writing, and art programs that improve Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness student learning, worked with Benito Juarez stated on the New York Times opinion page on Community Academy students to help them June 8, “If we do not learn the lessons of history process the effects and trauma from this time. and choose a radically different path forward, Under the guidance of Chicago Public School we may lose our chance at creating a truly (CPS) art teacher Liz Winfield, the students inclusive, egalitarian democracy. produced a mini-book of photos and writings, probing the questions,

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 29 How have our interview with Joseph Brown, individual and professor of Africana Studies at collective lives SIUC, is entitled “Always A Fight.” been impacted? What does “There’s a larger issue of healing look qualified Black people not being treated as if they are like? and What really that qualified,’ Brown does it mean to said. “And that’s because they survive during a don’t control the structure in which they have to work or pandemic? live," Brown added. "That’s the problem with equity. We will This work, in turn, became deny women. We will deny the focus of a WBEZ story by reporter Linda Lutton.

Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods presents nature- inspired programs in the arts and humanities for people of all income levels, ages and backgrounds. With Community Resilience funding, Brushwood Center worked with Waukegan ethnographer Carla Aldana and illustrator Janet McDonnell to shine a light on community leaders and their stories in a bilingual initiative called “Lake County Leads.”

Carbondale Community Arts, in partnership with the African American Museum of Southern Illinois and Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s (SIUC) journalism school, worked with area high school students to produce videos in response to the region’s Black Lives Matter movement. One, a nine-minute

30 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Black and brown people. We will deny people who are differently-abled. Because we’re not going to look at their credentials, we’re going to look at how comfortable or uncomfortable they make us.”

Other projects celebrated community resilience in other, equally creative, ways. These included a ceramic “memory wall” created by area youth (Atlanta Public Library District); a collection of photographs

and videos representing the stories of first responders (Aurora Regional Fire Museum); an evening of original music depicting “Covid-19 Galena, The Story in Song” (Galena Center for the Arts); and a “call to action” to small-town residents to express their experience of COVID-19 in various media forms (Savanna Historical Society).

The Effingham Public Library, which serves a largely rural population in Effingham County in east-central Illinois, took on an inspiring Community Resilience project: “Effingham: At the Crossroads of Education.” The library worked with renowned local photographer Tytia Habing to take portraits of local teachers, administrators and students with and without their masks; combined with personal interviews capturing how they

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 31 all pivoted to respond, these find ways to bolster funding that culture organizations challenged assumptions by providing convening like ours matter, that being about how school happens in opportunities and capacity- a culture-specific history the country. building sessions. These led to museum in Chicago matters,” other revelations about what said Tetyana Chervinska of the “On one level, the work humanities organizations need Ukrainian National Museum. celebrates collaboration – and what they can provide. “Such support gave us hope between parents, students, that things would work out and school support staff, and Staff hosted a two-day virtual helped us to keep going.” teachers as they work to keep workshop, on how to facilitate each other safe while providing small-group, reflective Kevin Wilmot of the African quality education,’ said Johnna conversations; a workshop American Cultural & Schultz, assistant director of on “Virtual Programs & Genealogical Society in the library. “But on a deeper Audience Engagement,” and Decatur said, “In the middle of level, the work acknowledges a two-day virtual workshop March, when the world as we the tension that the American “Best Practices in Using knew it stopped, our income promise of equal education for Social Media.” stopped. We lost all visitors all simply isn’t possible – and and many volunteer hours. We this pandemic has created While these convenings lost the opportunity to host our an education gap that will provided resource-sharing annual Juneteenth Fundraiser negatively affect many.” opportunities, they also – in banquet. This grant completed tandem with the grants – the financial resources to pay Like many other cultural illuminated the ways in which expenses for the first half of the groups, the library also stepped local humanities leaders are year. This grant saved the day!” up public services in other eager for opportunities ways during COVID-19; for to be in community among Juliene McCormick of the example, staff have taken colleagues. Savanna Historical Society laptops and WiFi to rural said, “When citizens were communities in the county “In the middle of April, we were informed that their stories to help people apply for notified that we received the would potentially be a part unemployment. COVID-19 Emergency relief of the ‘broader story’ state- grant,” said Erin Eveland of The More than dollars HUB. “The knowledge that we had some relief funds coming The grants made by Illinois gave us the ability to move out Humanities were relatively of survival mode and become small dollars in the world of creative again. Because of philanthropy, ranging from the funds… we were able to $2,500 to $7,500, but they focus on what our community played an impactful role during needed and how we could best the pandemic. Findings from serve them.” a survey of grantee partners on their priorities and needs “By receiving the IH general helped Illinois Humanities operating grant, we felt relief

32 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report wide, there were comments of disbelief that we, from our small, outside-of-Chicago- community, would be included in such a project.”

Making the call for action

Entering a hopeful, yet uncertain, new year, there are concerns across the sector. The ability of smaller organizations to remain flexible under duress has obvious limits. For one thing, many have had to dip into whatever savings they had pre-COVID-19, leaving them on less certain footing should lockdowns once again impede revenue-generating activities.

Some worry privately that the funders who have stepped up in this difficult time won’t be as readily available in the coming Making the case is a challenge actively inclusive dialogues, year. And some sectors, such for a sector whose brand has and to addressing inequities. as public libraries, as the Illinois been notoriously lackluster, It is clear that they inspire the Library Association’s Diane whose story has been so joy that lifelong learning brings Foote outlined in a September poorly told for far too long. with it – but is it a stretch to 2020 newsletter piece, depend This sector may be accused of imagine that they can also help primarily on local property being too divorced from 'real' address the next pandemic, taxes, which are expected to issues affecting communities, economic slowdown, urban be particularly hard-hit not perhaps too slow to respond to disinvestment or rural immediately but in the medium- breaking news and too white depopulation? What about to long-term. So, for the public to relate to the very real social climate change? Doesn’t the humanities sector, in broad inequities facing many of our commitment by these groups to terms, while there is a need for neighbors and friends. understanding shared humanity strategic partnerships – with allow us to imagine solutions media, tech, universities, and The picture that emerges we wouldn’t otherwise? And school systems – there is in 2021 is of a diverse and – when one considers the also, simply put, a need for dynamic sector, committed commonalities that emerge more supporters and more to sharing truthful and from this remarkable set of sustained support. unfettered histories, to creative stories from across the state storytelling, to respectful and – don’t these narratives in

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 33 aggregate debunk some of the clichés that tend conversation…The caliber of our words, the art to shape the story Illinois tells about itself? with which we yield them, is transformative… The humanities don’t let us take language, and Gisele Hamm, MAPPING program manager at arts, and expression for granted. In that regard, the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA), sees they give people tools of empowerment over culture as being core to the IIRA’s work with and over and over again.” rural communities. Based in Macomb, the IIRA’s MAPPING program facilitates strategic visioning Elaine Scarry, in her provocative defense of and planning sessions with rural communities thinking paired with rapid action as well as what who have experienced population drain, dying she refers to as ‘equality of survival,’ (Thinking newspapers, and a shrinking tax base, in order In An Emergency, 2011) stated: “The seduction to pivot and imagine locally-led, sustainable against thinking in an emergency comes, as growth. While 2020 presented many challenges we have seen, from two sources: first, from a to local civic engagement, Hamm sees culture false opposition between thinking and acting; playing a critical role in planning. second, from a plausible (but in the end, false) opposition between thinking and rapid action. “There’s a growing interest Now a third, equally potent, form of seduction in quality of life, not just in becomes visible: the acts of thinking that go on in emergencies are not recognized by us as acts recruiting big business,” of thinking.” As Scarry concluded, “We need to she said. “We’re seeing turn to this work of mutual protection. If we are more millennials at the late in beginning, we are not yet too late.”

table. Boomers went to the What wise words. It is not too late to do so. jobs; millennials clearly And to make sure that local, community-based want arts and culture.” cultural groups are at the table.

Danielle Allen, the renowned American classicist and political scientist at Harvard University (and one of the first instructors in Illinois Humanities’ Odyssey Project), in accepting the Public Humanities Award given in 2018, explained, “We understand lives through stories. We also understand them through the analysis that history and social sciences bring… It’s not just that we understand a life through the arts and humanities, we have the chance to understand our life together…That’s why [this] work is so important, of building community conversations, with the resources of the humanities – inviting people to work together to diagnose our circumstances, and find pathways forward to improved human flourishing together, through

34 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report March 2021 Illinois Humanities 35 CHAPTER 3 he story the numbers tell

COVID-19 put an unprecedented strain on non- profit organizations in Illinois and on the people WAUKEGAN ROCKFORD who make public humanities happen. Between

March and July 2020, Illinois Humanities CHICAGO awarded $710,000 through 189 COVID-19 AURORA Emergency Relief Grants to 177 humanities and MOLINE ROCK cultural non-profit organizations experiencing ISLAND financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

This chapter summarizes information about PEORIA the 189 COVID relief grants Illinois Humanities BLOOMINGTON distributed in 2020 to 177 unique grantee CHAMPAIGN partners and draws heavily on applications, URBANA QUINCY surveys, reports, interviews and other input DECATUR SPRINGFIELD from grantee partners, in addition to contextual data from local and national sources.12 13 14 Several general research questions related to grantmaking trends, trends among grantee partners, and the contexts within which grantee EFFINGHAM partners shaped this analysis:

ST. LOUIS

• How were grants distributed BELLEVILLE geographically? MT. VERNON

CARBONDALE

Figure 1: Map of 177 Illinois Humanities grantee partners

36 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report • What types of organizations received grants? artists, sustain staffing, and offer trainings; as well as document and preserve community • How are organizations being affected by and experiences through storytelling and dialogue; responding to COVID-19? use spaces in new ways; and reinforce and reframe why their missions matter. [See Chapter • How does the geographic location of 2, In a Year of Duress] Experiences reported by organizations compare with state and local Illinois Humanities COVID-19 grantee partners characteristics such as population density, align strongly with findings from the October income, and COVID-19 incidence? In other 2020 Wallace Foundation’s report, "Arts words, what is the context within which these Organizations’ Early Response to COVID-19 organizations are operating during this time? Uncertainty: Insights from the Field," namely:

How are public humanities organizations in • Increased urgency from the sector to address Illinois being affected by, and responding to, systemic racism and social justice the pandemic?

Every organization included in this report has been profoundly impacted by COVID-19, operationally and programmatically. This Figure 2: Organizational impacts of COVID-19 group of 177 humanities organizations lost an estimated $9,742,000 in revenue in 2020. Ninety percent of organizations lost revenue 150 159 and many organizations reported being at risk for layoffs; 14% reported fearing permanent closure.

Organizations suffered significant audience 100 loss. Collectively, grantee partners estimated reaching nearly 1.7 million fewer people 87 than they anticipated being able to serve during 2020. 50

Although nearly all grantee partners reported Number of organizations reaching smaller audiences – due in no 35 small part to the day-to-day challenges and 24 ambiguities of conducting outreach and 18 programming in a pandemic – grantee partners 0 e continued to find ways to serve an estimated nu ings 270,000 people through programs from June to ve Layoffs

September 2020. Losing space Losing re

While COVID-19 relief grants did not come close Dipping into sav Risk of perm. closure to meeting grantee partners’ financial needs, Type of impact it enabled organizations to hire humanists and

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 37 • Acceleration of digital programming lifelong learning in areas of humanistic inquiry such as literature, history, folklore, • Intense focus on emergency relief and art history.15 fundraising While some grantee partners have longstanding • Finding a diversified audience and broader relationships with Illinois Humanities over the reach through digital programming course of its 40-plus-year tenure as the state’s affiliate for the National Endowment for the What kinds of organizations were funded? Humanities (NEH), forty five of the 177 grantee partners were first-time applicants to Illinois COVID-19 relief grants supported organizations Humanities: 17 are located in Cook and collar with broad and diverse engagements in the counties, and 28 elsewhere in the state.16 humanities that provide critical access to educational and cultural resources for people As part of the effort to describe the grantee across Illinois. These organizations facilitate partner landscape, Illinois Humanities assigned

FigureOrganization 3: Organization categories categories

Organizations Organizations Category (Primary category) (Secondary category)

Arts: performing arts (theater, music, 57 32.2% 11 6.2% dance, etc.), visual arts, art centers

Civic and community engagement: social justice, advocacy, community 7 4.0% 27 15.3% organizing, chambers of commerce

Culture and heritage: cultural and 12 6.8% 25 14.1% ethnic awareness, heritage

Education: classes, schools, libraries, 2 1.1% 98 55.4% workshops, trainings, certifications

History: history museums and 78 44.1% 6 3.4% societies, historic preservation

Literature and writing: literature, 8 4.5% 3 1.7% reading, writing

Media: journalism, publishing, radio, 13 7.3% 5 2.8% audio, film, digital media, photography

TOTAL 177 100% 175 98.9%

38 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Organizations were asked to categorizethemselves into these seven categories. Mostorganizations picked a primary and secondarycategory. The most common categories(including both primary and secondary) were history, arts, and education.

Source: Illinois Humanities data.

categories to each organization drawn from a growing interest across communities in the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities the need for humanities organizations. The (NTEE) system used by the IRS.17 However, oldest organization was founded in 1873. Five when Illinois Humanities staff met with grantee organizations are more than 100 years old. partners during a December 7, 2020 virtual meeting, grantee partners pointed out that many Organizations with budgets of up to $1.5 million of the NTEE codes did not accurately reflect were eligible to apply for Illinois Humanities their work. As a result, staff developed seven COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grants. The vast categories derived from the NTEE descriptions majority of grantee partners have budgets well and definitions of “the humanities” from the under the eligibility requirements of the relief NEH to better describe and group “like” work.18 funds: 82% have annual budgets of less than a All 177 grantee partners were then asked to half a million dollars and half of grantee partners select up to two of these categories (See have annual budgets of less than $100,000. Figure 3). Given that COVID-19 relief grant opportunities The average age of grantee partners is 20 ranged only from $2,500 to $7,500, it is notable years: half of grant recipients were founded that for two out of three recipients, grant awards in the year 2000 or later, demonstrating represented more than 5% of their annual

Figure 4:O Organizationsrganizations by decadeby decade founded founded

50

40

30

20 Number of organizations

10

0 Before 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020 1920 Decade founded

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 39 budgets; thirty two organizations received total COVID-19 grants compared to reported 2017 grant dollars representing more than 10% of their foundation dollars; these include DeKalb, LaSalle, annual budgets and 10 organizations received Effingham, Jackson, and Logan Counties. grants representing more than a quarter of their entire annual budget. These relatively “small” Relief funding aligns with population density dollars had a significant impact. According to the United State Census Bureau, How were grants distributed geographically? 88.5% of Illinoisans live in urban areas and 11.5% live in rural areas. Similarly, 160 grantee partners 576 applications were submitted from 66 of (90%) are located in urban areas and seventeen Illinois’ 102 counties. The 177 grantee partners (10%) are located in rural areas. are located throughout Illinois in 55 counties; many are found in cities such as Chicago, 160 COVID-19 grantee partners (90%) are located Rockford, and Peoria. Others are in small, rural in urban areas and seventeen (10%) are located Grantscommunities by roundsuch as Shawneetown,and number Greenup, of applications in rural areas. Rushville, Ipava, Utica, Bishop Hill, and Savanna. TheApplications seventy six granteePercent partners from Cook Grant round Applications Grants were distributed throughout the County, (homefunded to 41% offunded the state’s population), state. Approximately one-third of applicants received the largest proportion of grant dollars. Round 1: General Operating 115 24 20.9% were approved in most regions. In 17 of 18 Overall funding patterns follow overall population Roundcongressional 2: General districts, Operating each district received 228 distribution.130 However, when57.0% analyzed against an average of $38,500 distributed across funding-per-resident, counties with the largest Round 3: Innovation & Adaptation 140 20 14.3% approximately eleven grantee partners. dollars-per-resident figures tend to be less Round 3: Community Resilience 93 densely populated15 counties16.1% (i.e. counties with COVID-19 relief grants were distributed in a fewer than 10,000 residents) such as Scott, All rounds 576 189 32.8% similar pattern to pre-pandemic foundation Gallatin, Stark, Putnam, and Schuyler counties. giving in Illinois.19 Several counties received a slightly larger share of Illinois Humanities

GrantsFigure 5: byGrants location by location

Population Applica Percent Funds % Funds Funds per Location Funded (2017 est.) -tions funded awarded awarded resident

Cook County 5,274,129 275 81 29.5% $343,000 48.3% 6.5¢

“Collar counties” (DuPage, Kane, Kendall, 3,325,693 42 16 38.1% $64,500 9.1% 2.0¢ Lake, McHenry, Will)

95 other counties 4,370,331 259 92 35.5% $302,500 42.6% 6.9¢

TOTAL 12,970,153 576 189 32.8% $710,000 100% 5.5¢

40 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Grants were distributed throughout the state. Approximately one third of applications were approved in most regions. The Chicago “collar counties” received fewer funds per resident due to a smaller number of applications.

Sources: US Census Bureau 2018, Illinois Humanities data. FigureCongressional 6: Funding per districts congressional district Figure 7: Grants by county Lorem ipsum

JO DAVIESS STEPHENSON WINNEBAGO MCHENRY LAKE Grantee G rant % G rant BOONE D istrict organizations Grantee organizations funds funds CARROLL per CongressionalOGLE District KANE DEKALB DUPAGE COOK WHITESIDE 1st 11 $49,500 7.0% 0 or 1 LEE 15 to 19

2 to 5 20 toKENDALL 25

2nd 0 $0 0% WILL ROCK ISLAND BUREAU HENRY 6 to 14 LASALLE GRUNDY MERCER PUTNAM 3rd 4 $15,000 2.1% KANKAKEE STARK MARSHALL KNOX LIVINGSTON 6 WARREN 4th 5 $28,500 4.0% WOODFORD HENDERSON PEORIA 10 14 IROQUOIS8 FORD 5th 17 $87,000 12.3% TAZEWELL MCLEAN 9 MCDONOUGH FULTON HANCOCK 5 7 MASON 11 4 6th 1 $5,000 0.7% VERMILION SCHUYLER DE WITT LOGAN CHAMPAIGN 3 ADAMS MENARD BROWN CASS PIATT 1 7th 27 $114,500 16.1% 16 MACON

17 SANGAMON DOUGLAS2 MORGAN EDGAR 8th 4 $10,000 1.4% PIKE SCOTT MOULTRIE CHRISTIAN COLES

GREENE SHELBY CLARK CALHOUN 9th 11 $43,500 6.1% CUMBERLAND MACOUPIN MONTGOMERY

JERSEY EFFINGHAM 10th 5 $31,000 4.4% FAYETTE JASPER CRAWFORD BOND MADISON 18 CLAY RICHLAND LAWRENCE 11th 3 $16,000 2.3% MARION CLINTON

ST. CLAIR WABASH WAYNE EDWARDS 12th 13 $43,500 6.1% WASHINGTON MONROE JEFFERSON 13 13th 14 $52,500 7.4% RANDOLPH PERRY HAMILTON WHITE FRANKLIN 15

JACKSON GALLATIN 14th 4 $12,500 1.8% WILLIAMSON SALINE

HARDIN 15th 11 $38,500 5.4% UNION JOHNSON POPE

PULASKI MASSAC 16th 16 $57,500 8.1% ALEXANDER 12

17th 19 $69,500 9.8% Organizations in 55 (out of 102)  18th 12 $36,000 5.1% counties received grants. Cook County, which is

TO TA L 177 $710,000 100% home to 41% of the state's population, includes 76 grantee organizations.

Number of grantee organizations per county In each Congressional District, an average of $38,500 was distributed to an average 0 2 5 or 6 of 11 grantee organizations. 1 3 or 4 More than 6

Sources: US Census Bureau 2018, Illinois Humanities data. Sources: United States Census Bureau 2018, Illinois Humanities.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 41 FoundationFoundation giving giving and COVID and COVID grants grants in Illinois in Illinois

Forefront:FigureForefront: 8:Foundation Forefront Foundation – Foundation giving giving to giving to to IllinoisIllinois Humanities:Figure Humanities: 9: Illinois COVID Humanities COVID grant –grant IllinoisIllinois recipients recipientsIllinois by recipients county, by county, by 2017 county, 2017 2017 COVID-19relief grant relieffunds relief funds by funds county, by by county,county, 2020 2020 2020

JO DAVIESS STEPHENSONJO DAVIESS JO DAVIESS STEPHENSONJO DAVIESS WINNEBAGOSTEPHENSON WINNEBAGO LAKE WINNEBAGOSTEPHENSON MCHENRY MCHENRY LAKE WINNEBAGOMCHENRY LAKEMCHENRY LAKE BOONE BOONE BOONE BOONE

CARROLL CARROLL CARROLL CARROLL OGLE OGLE OGLE OGLE

KANE KANE KANE KANE DEKALB DEKALB DEKALB DEKALB DUPAGE COOK DUPAGE COOK DUPAGE COOK DUPAGE COOK WHITESIDE WHITESIDE WHITESIDE LEE LEE WHITESIDELEE LEE

KENDALL KENDALL KENDALL KENDALL

WILL WILL WILL WILL ROCK ISLAND ROCK ISLAND BUREAU BUREAU ROCK ISLAND ROCK ISLAND BUREAU HENRY HENRY HENRY BUREAU LASALLE LASALLE HENRY LASALLE LASALLE GRUNDY GRUNDY GRUNDY GRUNDY MERCER MERCER MERCER MERCER PUTNAM PUTNAM PUTNAM PUTNAM KANKAKEE KANKAKEE KANKAKEE KANKAKEE STARK STARK STARK STARK MARSHALL MARSHALL MARSHALL MARSHALL KNOX KNOX KNOX KNOX LIVINGSTON LIVINGSTON LIVINGSTON LIVINGSTON WARREN WARREN WARREN WARREN WOODFORD WOODFORD HENDERSON PEORIA WOODFORD WOODFORD HENDERSON PEORIA IROQUOIS HENDERSON HENDERSON PEORIA PEORIA IROQUOIS IROQUOIS IROQUOIS

MCLEAN FORD FORD FORD FULTON TAZEWELL TAZEWELL MCLEAN TAZEWELL TAZEWELLMCLEAN MCLEAN FORD MCDONOUGH MCDONOUGH FULTON MCDONOUGH MCDONOUGHFULTON FULTON HANCOCK HANCOCK HANCOCK HANCOCK

MASON MASON MASON MASON SCHUYLER VERMILION SCHUYLER DE WITT VERMILION SCHUYLER VERMILION VERMILION DE CHAMPAIGNWITT SCHUYLER DE WITT DE WITT LOGAN LOGAN CHAMPAIGN LOGAN LOGAN CHAMPAIGN CHAMPAIGN ADAMS CASS MENARD MENARD MENARD BROWNADAMS BROWN CASS ADAMS ADAMS MENARD PIATT PIATT BROWN CASSBROWN CASS PIATT PIATT

MACON MACON MACON MACON SANGAMON DOUGLAS MORGAN MORGAN SANGAMON DOUGLAS SANGAMON SANGAMON DOUGLAS DOUGLAS MORGAN EDGAR MORGAN PIKE SCOTTPIKE SCOTT MOULTRIE MOULTRIE EDGAR EDGAR EDGAR PIKE SCOTTPIKE SCOTT MOULTRIE MOULTRIE CHRISTIAN CHRISTIAN COLES CHRISTIAN COLES CHRISTIAN COLES COLES GREENE SHELBY SHELBY GREENE SHELBY CALHOUN CALHOUN CLARK CLARK GREENE GREENE SHELBY CLARK MACOUPIN MONTGOMERYMACOUPIN MONTGOMERY CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND CALHOUN CLARK CALHOUNMACOUPIN CUMBERLAND MONTGOMERYMACOUPIN MONTGOMERY CUMBERLAND JERSEY JERSEY JERSEY EFFINGHAM EFFINGHAM JERSEY EFFINGHAM FAYETTE FAYETTE JASPER CRAWFORDJASPER CRAWFORD EFFINGHAM JASPER FAYETTE FAYETTE CRAWFORDJASPER CRAWFORD BOND BOND BOND BOND MADISON MADISON MADISON CLAY MADISON CLAYLAWRENCE LAWRENCE RICHLAND RICHLAND CLAY CLAY LAWRENCE LAWRENCE MARION MARION RICHLAND RICHLAND MARION MARION CLINTON CLINTON CLINTON CLINTON WABASH WABASH WABASH WABASH ST. CLAIR ST. CLAIR WAYNE WAYNE ST. CLAIR ST. CLAIR EDWARDS EDWARDS WAYNE EDWARDSWAYNE WASHINGTON EDWARDS JEFFERSONWASHINGTON JEFFERSON WASHINGTON WASHINGTON JEFFERSON MONROE MONROE MONROE MONROE JEFFERSON

PERRY PERRY HAMILTON WHITEHAMILTON WHITE RANDOLPH RANDOLPH RANDOLPH PERRY PERRY HAMILTON WHITEHAMILTON WHITE FRANKLIN FRANKLIN RANDOLPH FRANKLIN FRANKLIN

JACKSON JACKSON GALLATIN GALLATIN WILLIAMSON WILLIAMSON JACKSON JACKSON SALINE SALINE SALINE GALLATIN GALLATIN WILLIAMSON WILLIAMSON SALINE

HARDIN HARDIN UNION UNION JOHNSON JOHNSON HARDIN HARDIN UNION JOHNSONUNION POPE POPE POPE JOHNSON POPE

PULASKI MASSACPULASKI MASSAC ALEXANDER ALEXANDER PULASKI MASSACPULASKI MASSAC ALEXANDER ALEXANDER

$0 $1–10 million $0 $8,500–15,000 $1–100,000 $10–20 million $1–5,000 > $15,000 COVIDCOVID grant grantrelief $100,000–1relieffunds fundswere millio nweredistributed >distributed $20 millio in na similar in a similar pattern pattern to$5,000–8,500 foundation to foundation giving giving in Illinois.in Illinois. Several Several counties counties received received a slightly a slightly larger larger share shareof COVID of COVID grants grants compared compared to foundationto foundationForefront dollars. / Candiddollars. These map These source:include “Givinginclude DeKalb, in Illinois,” DeKalb, EŒngham, EŒngham,Illinois HumanitiesJackson, Jackson, map LaSalle, sources: LaSalle, Unitedand Logan.States and CensusLogan. 2019. Based on 2017 grants awarded by all U.S. Bureau 2018, Illinois Humanities. foundations available in the Candid database to recipient ForefrontForefront / Candid / Candidmap source: map source:“Giving “inGiving Illinois,” in Illinois,” 2019. B a2019.sed oBna 2se0d17 o gnr a2n0t1s7 a gwaranrdtse dawa byr adlel dU .bSy. faollu Un.dSa. tfiounnsdations availablaev ianiorganizations ltahbel eC iann tdhied Cd inatn Illinois.adbida sdea Includesttoa breacseip ti eoalln r tegrants ocripgiaen nofitz oa$1,000trigoannsi z iorna tI illionos iisn. Incllinloudise. sInc alllu gdreasn tasl lo gf r$a1n,00ts o0f o$r1 ,m00o0re or more awardedawa bmoreyr 7d,e5 awardedd7 7b Uy .7S,5. f7 oby7u U n7,577.dSa. tfio U.S.unns,d ifoundations,anctiolundis,n ignc 2lu, 5includingdi5n1 gIlli 2n,o5i 5s2,5511 f Iolliunn odias tfiounns.d ations. Illinois Humanities map sources: US Census US CensusBureau Bureau2018, Illinois 2018, Humanities Illinois Humanities data. data. Illinois Humanities map sources: Illinois foundations.

42 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Grantee partners' contexts Figure 10: Grant dollars per county resident Illinois is sometimes called the most “American”

JO DAVIESS STEPHENSON WINNEBAGO MCHENRY LAKE BOONE of states because the racial, ethnic and immigrant diversity, age, educational attainment, CARROLL OGLE

KANE DEKALB and economic statistics closely parallel the DUPAGE COOK WHITESIDE LEE overall United States. According to 2019 KENDALL American Community Survey data, Illinois has WILL ROCK ISLAND BUREAU HENRY LASALLE GRUNDY nearly 13 million residents, the median age is 39, MERCER PUTNAM KANKAKEE STARK and nearly 12% of people are living below the MARSHALL KNOX LIVINGSTON poverty line. Of the state’s population, 61% of WARREN WOODFORD HENDERSON PEORIA IROQUOIS Illinoisans are White; 17% are Hispanic; 14% are

FORD TAZEWELL MCLEAN Black, 6% are Asian and less than 1% are Native/ MCDONOUGH FULTON HANCOCK Indigenous.20 According to United Way, 35% MASON VERMILION SCHUYLER DE WITT LOGAN CHAMPAIGN of Illinois households struggle to afford basic ADAMS MENARD BROWN CASS PIATT needs. Such households are located throughout MACON

SANGAMON DOUGLAS 21 MORGAN the state. EDGAR PIKE SCOTT MOULTRIE CHRISTIAN COLES

GREENE SHELBY CLARK CALHOUN According to the United States Census Bureau, CUMBERLAND MACOUPIN MONTGOMERY

JERSEY 88.5% of Illinoisans live in urban areas and EFFINGHAM FAYETTE JASPER CRAWFORD BOND 11.5% live in rural areas. The differences MADISON CLAY RICHLAND LAWRENCE between urban and rural counties are myriad MARION CLINTON

ST. CLAIR WABASH in Illinois: urban counties have higher wages, WAYNE EDWARDS WASHINGTON MONROE JEFFERSON lower unemployment rates and higher levels of

RANDOLPH PERRY HAMILTON WHITE educational attainment than rural counties; rural FRANKLIN counties have less access to healthcare, public

JACKSON GALLATIN WILLIAMSON SALINE transportation, broadband accessibility, K-12

HARDIN education funding, and residents have shorter UNION JOHNSON POPE life expectancies.22 PULASKI MASSAC ALEXANDER

These contexts of race and ethnicity, socio- Counties with the largest dollars per economic levels, rural and urban differences, resident figures tend to be those with fewer and the disparate impacts of COVID-19 in than 10,000 residents such as Scott, Gallatin, Illinois underline the importance of situating Stark, Putnam, and Schuyler counties. humanities organizations within local contexts of geography, demographics, and the pandemic. Grant dollars per county resident

< $0.04 $0.13 – 0.21 Grantee partners operate in places with significant rates of poverty $0.04 – 0.07 $0.21 – 0.57 $0.07 – 0.13 Poverty spans urban and rural communities alike Sources: United States Census Bureau 2018, Illinois Humanities. in Illinois. Two thirds of the 177 grantee partners are located in zip codes where more than 35% of households are experiencing poverty.23 Fifty

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 43 Figure 11: Grantee Partners in urban & rural areas Figure 12: Organizations & community poverty levels

Legend Grant organization in rural area According to United Way, 35% of Illinois Grant organization in urban area households struggle to afford basic needs. Such Urban areas defined by Census Bureau households are located throughout the state Sources: United States Census Bureau 2019, Illinois Humanities. Percent of households below the ALICE poverty threshold (by ZIP code)

< 10% 20 to 30% 40 to 50% 10 to 20% 30 to 40% 50 to 60% > 60%

Sources: United Way 2020, United States Census Bureau 2018, Illinois Humanities.

44 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Figure 14: Organizations & COVID-19 cases as of Figure 15: Organizations & COVID-19 cases as April 2020 of January 2021

67 organizations (38%) are located in zip codes with more COVID cases per person than the statewide average. 25 organizations are in the most impacted zip codes where more than 10% of people have tested positive for COVID. Percent of residents who tested positive for COVID 0% >10%

Sources: IL Department of Public Health 2021, United States Census Bureau 2018, Illinois Humanities.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 45 two grantee partners (29.4%) are located in of grantees are located in zip codes with more communities where the majority of households COVID-19 cases than the statewide average. In (>50%) are experiencing poverty. fact, 25 grantee partners operate in zip codes where more than 10% of people have tested Grantee partners operate in places with positive for COVID-19. significant rates of COVID-19 Summary As of January 2021, Illinois had the fifth highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the For many grantee partners, COVID-19 relief country overall. And, in tandem with the rest grants were transformative. Not only did the of the country, African Americans and Latinx dollars provide urgently-needed relief, funds people have borne a starkly disproportionate enabled them to deliver on missions during burden of cases and deaths. As of the writing an unprecedented time. In some cases funds of this report, Black and Hispanic Illinoisans reached areas of the state that traditionally are being vaccinated at half the rate of white receive less funding. The geographic distribution residents.24 of grants ensured broad and diverse access to public humanities to communities experiencing Given the preponderance of grantee partners financial distress and areas suffering located in zip codes experiencing high levels disproportionately from the impacts of the virus. of poverty, it may not be surprising that 38% When grantee partners are mapped against demographic, geographic, and pandemic Figure 13: Organizations grouped by zip code contexts, it becomes clear that humanities poverty level organizations are situated in communities that were under significant economic duress prior to the pandemic and more than a third of grantee 50 to 80% partners are located in places that have been 150 of households in poverty 117 orgs disproportionately affected by COVID-19. (66.1%) are located in These data, when considered in sum, paint a zip codes landscape of an ecosystem populated by diverse with high organizations working locally in communities 100 35 to 50% levels of in ways that have heightened relevance during of households in poverty poverty and post-pandemic times. Given the number of humanities organizations operating in areas in which households struggle to make ends meet, and in which COVID-19 has had a

Number of organizations 50 devastating impact, including areas in which there is disproportionate impact on surrounding 9 to 35% communities, we need to understand the value of households in poverty of these organizations for increasing community resilience, social cohesion, and equity in a

0 profoundly new light.

46 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report The projects funded by Community Resilience grants, profiled in Chapter 4, illustrate the ways in which the operational and programmatic responses of humanities organizations are serving to individually mitigate the effects of the pandemic within their communities and, collectively as a sector, across the state.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 47 48 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report CHAPTER 4 From comm nity, resilience

Illinois Humanities awarded $90,000 in Community Resilience grants to 15 organizations across the state. The intent of the Community Resilience funding opportunity was to find ways to support humanities organizations to make visible the experiences of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight stories of community resilience throughout. Grant funds could be used to cover operating, documentation, and program accessibility expenses, as well as to pay storytellers, scholars, writers, humanists, artists, musicians, photographers, interviewees, and participants. Grantee partners were asked to document their story-capturing process and supported projects needed to be available to the public.

This particular call for proposals was inspired by community history and public humanities efforts including Paper Monuments; One Poem at A Time; Fill the Walls with Hope; the Pulitzer Center’s “Mother of Mothers;” and the national Works Progress Administration posters – projects that understand the power of the humanities to leverage and elevate the potential of communities and the particularities of place.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 49 Many of the Community Resilience projects were informed by the specific history of each community and drew on local assets and residents' stories. The descriptions that follow are in grantee partners' own words.

Atlanta Public COVID-19 summer, writing an Library District explanation of their drawing, and painting the images on Atlanta Public Library shines ceramic tiles. These tiles were the spotlight on an experience later professionally installed of the pandemic often in the arrangement of a mural. overlooked – the experience Photographs of the tiles and of children. Children in the student explanations are being Atlanta community had their assembled into a book and summers turned upside down. a map for visitors in addition The recreational opportunities to appearing on the library’s they had looked forward to website and social media. their communities safe. The throughout the school year Museum collected images of – library, swimming pool, firefighters with and without baseball diamond – were Aurora Regional PPE in order to highlight the closed. They were unable to Fire Museum human faces behind the masks meet with their friends across and to document the various town. Meanwhile, many families Aurora Regional Fire styles of PPE used during the struggled with illness, loss, Museum reached out to an pandemic, including improvised and financial strain. The library underrepresented subset and makeshift PPE used in the provided an opportunity for of the public – firefighters face of dire shortages. These kids to tell their stories through – to gather stories of their images and stories formed art, creating a permanent art experience working during the the basis of a public exhibit installation in the canteen of COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing open to visitors and shared the library’s children’s space. on Northern Illinois, but extensively over social media. Library staff worked with expanding across the state, the The museum’s social media the local school district to museum used online surveys presence has grown over 13% provide art supplies and guide to capture the stories of since the start of the pandemic, kids through the process of firefighters bravely confronting reaching more audiences sketching their memory of new dangers in order to keep than ever.

50 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report faith-based community representatives, nonprofit organizations, universities, and corporate representatives, BECOME has broadened the reach of resources and services in these communities and empowered residents to shape leadership decisions. The Maximizing Impact Initiative has also resulted in a comprehensive tool for connecting people to resources and three videos bringing attention to partner community’s context, situation, and acts of service and resilience. In a recent panel hosted by Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy, BECOME spotlighted South Shore Works, a resident- of 2020, BECOME mobilized founded and driven coalition. its networks on the South and West sides of Chicago immediately. Within a week Brushwood Center of Illinois and Chicago at Ryerson Woods issuing “shelter in place” orders, BECOME virtually Recognizing the intertwined convened strategy meetings impacts of COVID-19, racial with local and national and social inequalities, nonprofit representatives in and environmental health, order to address the needs Brushwood Center at Ryerson of marginalized Chicago Woods launched “Lake County communities. Out of these Leads: Stories of Environmental conversations, BECOME Justice and Empowerment developed the Maximizing during COVID-19.” Carla BECOME: Center Impact Initiative focused on the Aldana, a Waukegan resident for Community South Shore, Auburn Gresham and ethnographer with a Engagement and and Austin neighborhoods. passion for environmental Social Change By facilitating discussions, justice, conducted Zoom information sessions, and and phone interviews with When the pandemic first data-driven webinars among five extraordinary Lake gained momentum in March community members, County residents of various

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 51 intergenerational and cross- cultural conversation in rural Illinois communities about the pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and the future of the community. With the support of the Community Resilience grant, they partnered with Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Journalism to provide much-needed employment to Carbondale youth during the pandemic while also raising stories of resilience in Southern Illinois Black communities into public conversation. Through a seven- week program, youth and SIU student mentors collaborated to gather videos of oral histories of Black Carbondale and Southern Illinois residents about their experiences during the pandemic and in the Black Lives Matter movement. The students gained crucial technical and video editing skills while learning how to compile multiple stories into backgrounds and ages who storytelling products were a single video presentation. demonstrated resilience in disseminated throughout the The video testifies to many supporting their communities community, in partnership experiences of resilience, but during the pandemic. with the Lake County Health also seeks to be a resource for Stories include a librarian Department, as part of a digital future resilience. In addition who leveraged networks to campaign, including video to being shared widely distribute PPE and a Latina vignettes, comics, blog posts, through student presentations, mom who set up a food and social media posts. exhibitions, and online distribution center in her platforms, it will be preserved basement. Illustrator Janet in CCA’s archive and the McDonnell, in collaboration Carbondale African American Museum of with Aldana, brought the Community Arts Southern Illinois’ archive. themes from the community stories to life in a variety Carbondale Community Arts of artistic forms. The final (CCA) is creating space for

52 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Changing Worlds

For a changing community like Pilsen, a community already grappling with the effects of gentrification, pollution, and racial and economic inequity, the experience of COVID-19 was especially fraught and complex. Two Changing World artists and Pilsen residents Diana Solis and Jean Parisi worked with high school students at Benito Juarez High School and on their own to collect videos, audio, and photos from Pilsen residents answering the question, “How Chicago Cultural StoryCorps Chicago, 20 to have you failed, survived, Alliance 30 oral histories have been and thrived in the time of collected reflecting a broad COVID-19?” The materials were Arts and culture professionals range of arts and museum collaboratively combined into have been deeply impacted professionals and diverse a digital scrapbook intended to by the pandemic but are also cultural groups. SOAR will serve as a collective memory at the forefront of community serve as the foundation for of the pandemic. All the people healing. The Chicago Cultural a free, publicly-accessible interviewed identified strongly Alliance is collecting and archive stored in perpetuity with the Pilsen community archiving Stories of Arts at the Library of Congress. and lamented the loss of Resilience (SOAR) during This archive will serve as a interpersonal interactions the COVID-19 pandemic. In critical resource for the arts that lay at the heart of the collaboration with several community in Illinois and community’s strong ties. Still, artists, performers, archivists, nationwide to build solidarity, community members came oral historians, curators, heal, and envision long-term together to reimagine family museum administrators, planning in the face of crisis. traditions, support one another collections managers, graduate through unimaginable loss, and students, and researchers, provide for each other through Chicago Cultural Alliance food drives and caring for the conducted and recorded a homeless population. series of dialogic oral histories – two arts professionals interviewing one another – reflecting on arts resilience during the pandemic. Using StoryCorps Connect, an innovative tool developed by

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 53 Collaboraction Theatre Company

Collaboraction focused its efforts on amplifying the voices and artwork of ‘essential’ Chicago communities too often cast aside. Collaboraction hired five Chicago artists – Mia Park, Sami Ismat, Jasmin Cardenas, Teh’Ray Hale Sr. aka PHENOM, and Willie Round – to create short, personal videos bringing attention to the impact of the pandemic on their lives and communities. The artists speak from their varied, overlapping experiences as essential workers, as members of Asian-American, Black, and Latinx communities, immigrant and refugee communities, and neighborhoods spanning Little Village, Englewood, Kenwood, Austin, and North Lawndale. Each video was unique and reflected the artistic vision and personal insights of each artist. Cardenas’ video “Essential?...’Tengo que trabajar’” took the form of candid interviews with theatre artists and essential workers in Little Village while Ismat’s video “Transfixed” took the form of a solo video performance about his experience as a Syrian refugee caught in a fraught immigration system while grieving his father’s passing from COVID-19. The videos have already garnered thousands of views on multiple online streaming platforms and received glowing praise in the Chicago Tribune.

54 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report ConTextos

ConTextos is ‘Complicating the Narrative’ on COVID-19 and communities directly impacted by the criminal justice system, racism, and economic inequality in Chicago. ConTextos hired two of their alumni authors and founders of the podcast show Complicating the Narrative, Mariah and Tatiana, to produce six new episodes. The third season of the podcast features stories of community resilience during the summer of 2020 from a diverse group of organizational participants and partners. These participants and partners include Chicago Public School (CPS) students, IMAN (Inner-City Muslim Action Network), MAAFA Redemption Project, ConTextos Open Circle participants, and ConTextos alumni. These episodes, which were promoted extensively over social media to broad audiences, paint a picture of humanities organizations, community organizations, and diverse community members supporting each other through a summer of adversity and opportunity.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 55 Effingham Public Instagram page and on the Library library’s website to invite public conversations acknowledging Effingham is sometimes the extraordinary efforts of referred to as the “Crossroads community members and how of America” due to its location to best support all residents at the crossroads of Interstates going forward. 57 and 70. With the pandemic of 2020, the rural community of Effingham also found itself at Full Spectrum the “Crossroads of Education,” Features trying to find the right path forward. To honor Effingham’s Full Spectrum Features teachers, principals, parents, invited us to pause during and community members the pandemic, and to reflect who stepped up to support with humor and humility on students through this period the unique experiences of a of unprecedented change, subset of POC – performers Effingham Public Library of color. In collaboration with conducted interviews with Dominizuelan, a comedic duo and photographed teachers, made up of Chicago acting and administrators, and students theatre veterans Wendy Mateo from local schools. The photographs were intended to highlight the teachers and principals who cooked and delivered meals so students wouldn’t go hungry, ‘teacher parades’ were organized so young students could see their teachers, and locations were identified to distribute school supplies and technology for parents engaging in remote learning for the first time. Prints of these photographs were pasted onto concrete and brick surfaces of businesses around downtown Effingham using a special wheat-paste application method. The photographs, along with the interviews, were documented and shared online on a dedicated

56 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report To showcase the resilience of the arts community in Galena during this challenging time, the Galena Center for the Arts organized the virtual concert “Covid-19 Galena, The Story in Song,” inviting local songwriters to use the hardships of the pandemic as creative source material to write and perform original songs. Songwriters recorded their songs from home while sheltering in place and Galena Center for the Arts enhanced the videos and compiled them into a dynamic virtual concert incorporating photography from local photographers to increase visual impact. The series premiered on YouTube on October 29 and has been garnering views daily. It will and Lorena Diaz, Full Spectrum themes include: “Identity is Real remain freely accessible online Features created a short film & Also an Illusion,” “Identity is in perpetuity as a resource for featuring a series of humorous Profitable & Also Curated,” and the community. sketches highlighting the “Identity is Divisive and Also systemic racism that actors Unifying.” and other performers of Kuumba Lynx color experience every day. Full Spectrum Features also Galena Center for Kuumba Lynx worked with invited the public to engage the Arts residents of the Uptown and with the film through a series Englewood neighborhoods of weekly live watch parties Galena – a historic rural to promote intergenerational on Twitch and Facebook Live. town nestled among rolling conversation and create During these live watch parties, hills – has always depended new spaces and resources Lolo, Mateo, a special guest, on its talented musicians to for community resilience and the public engaged in a draw throngs of tourists into through creative writing and dynamic virtual conversation on the local establishments. art. Engaging their dedicated different aspects of race and COVID-19 hit Galena hard, teaching artists and restorative identity. The premiere watch especially its songwriters justice facilitators, Kuumba party, “Identity is a Construct,” and musicians who are at Lynx hosted 12 discovery attracted over 100 audience the backbone of the town’s sessions and writing classes members. Other watch party tourism-oriented economy. over Zoom this summer with

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 57 the pandemic, every member of Savanna’s community was impacted in different ways and faced unique challenges. Savanna Historical Museum’s COVID-19 Community Conversations Project sought to provide a shared virtual platform where these individual stories could emerge from isolation, gather, and commune. The museum asked community members from all walks of life – from the fire chief to the high school economics teacher to the funeral home director, to a family struggling with remote learning – to speak candidly about how they experienced the pandemic. The stories have been compiled on the museum’s website as a series of narratives, photographs, and videos that illustrate the vibrance and resilience of this community even in the midst of a pandemic.

50 participating artists, youth, artistic expression of these South Side Weekly and families. They discussed writings alongside quotes from their experiences of racism the summer writing sessions, Life during COVID-19 often and the impact of COVID-19 on that children and families feels like dystopia, especially their lives as intertwined issues, across Chicago can relate to for many South Side transmitting these reflections and use as an artistic outlet for communities on the frontlines through poetry and prose. their feelings. of multiple simultaneous fights Young artist Jaharri Brodnax against racial injustice and translated their writing into a economic inequality. The South series of inspirational posters Savanna Historical Side Weekly, a community posted in predominantly low- Society print and online publication, income Black, Latino, and invited community members to Arab neighborhoods across Savanna is a small, tight-knit envision new futures – utopias Chicago. Brodnax also created community on the banks of – for the South Side in the the Sprout Coloring Book, an the Great Mississippi. During midst of crisis. The organization

58 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report collected submissions of photography, poetry, audio pieces, comics, illustrations, and prose for compilation into the November 11 Future Visioning issue. In addition to 250 mail subscribers, the issue was available in free boxes on the street, in bars and cafes, libraries, community centers, and food pantries across the South Side. The issue is also available for free on South Side Weekly’s website, which reaches 60,000 audience members per month. South Side Weekly further partnered with community-based institutions with delivery services, such as the Market Box Program at the Experimental Station and South Side Blooms, a cut flower delivery service, to distribute copies of the issue to new audience members. By envisioning new futures, South Side Weekly engaged marginalized communities in an act of collective hope in pursuit of racial and social justice, and community wellbeing.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 59 CHAPTER 5 COVID-19 and the umanities in Illinois: keystones and arches

60 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report key·stone: a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together.

“A post-COVID-19 community should foster social inclusion, build accessible public spaces and civic institutions, safeguard all forms of cultural heritage, protect and support culture professionals, promote diversity, creativity and innovation, and integrate the arts and culture sector into its recovery and development."

– Culture & Community in a Time of Crisis: A Special Edition of Culture Track. Culture Track, 2020.

The 177 grantee partners featured in this report are not comprehensive of all humanities and cultural organizations in the state, but they set into stark relief the impact of COVID-19 on such organizations. They also, make radiantly visible the robust ecosystem and critical role these organizations are playing in making their communities healthier, less isolated and more resilient.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 61 As the state increasingly faces the need to and reflect their experiences grapple with its complex histories, public health disparities and a collective racial reckoning, • Many people who are participating in online humanities organizations can serve as the content had not physically visited these kinds keystones needed to enable us to arch towards of places in the past year the future. Perhaps the take-away most relevant to our Based on what is being learned nationally, Illinois ecosystem is the following: there may an emerging mandate: arts and culture organizations are being called upon “Americans want arts to be more active in their communities and and culture organizations more reflective of community stories and experiences. Notable findings from surveys and to become more active interviews from 124,000 respondents sourced participants in their from 635 cultural organizations, nationally (namely museums, collections, historical communities and they want societies, performing arts organizations, and to see their communities arts and cultural centers) about the role of better reflected in these culture and community engagement during 25 COVID-19 include: organizations.”

• Digital programming is providing needed These findings align strongly with what Illinois options. 53% of respondents reported humanities organizations are expressing: participating in one or more digital cultural activities • They are looking for ways to work differently and in less isolation • Support for creativity is providing much- needed solace. 81% surveyed reported • Organizations expect and want to give more doing something new and creative (cooking attention to equity and inclusion and baking), making something by hand (like pottery, quilting, knitting), making art, • Organizations are excited about, and photography, creative writing anticipate, opportunities for organizational transformation – particularly in terms of new • Content creators matter. 62% of people modes of engagement and new audiences are accessing cultural content from history museums and history attractions, • The desire to network and connect with peers performing arts centers and individual and through meet-ups, trainings and peer-skills- ensemble performers shares is high

• Inclusion and representation are urgent • Organizations believe there is real value matters. Respondents – particularly in developing a shared language and communities of color and indigenous understanding of the overall landscape of communities – are looking to cultural humanities organizations, and they want to organizations to tell stories that are relevant contribute to that community

62 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report What follows is a set of ideas and invisible to the funding and policy communities. recommendations drawn from the research, Public humanities organizations are insufficiently analysis and conversations with grantee visible as a sector and undervalued as a resource. partners that inform this report. Rural communities, in particular, have historically received less visibility and funding in relation to their metro peers.27 Overlooking this sector BIG IDEAS runs the risk of losing those community anchors most committed to preserving the artifacts, ephemera and memory of Illinois’ history and 1 Humanities are necessary for democracy identity, and simultaneously failing to capitalize and for enabling us to imagine what we want on an ecosystem ripe to contribute to the state’s in our society. Public humanities organizations, ability to repair and heal the triple pandemics of by design, provide the kinds of experiences COVID-19, racial reckoning, and disinvestment which enable participants to be “more likely across rural and urban communities. to engage in civic life, and more likely to hold aspirations for improving the common good.”26 5 Humanities organizations in Illinois are often operating in places in which people were 2 Public humanities organizations experiencing economic distress before COVID-19 contribute to individual and community and which have been disproportionately affected resilience. Recipients of COVID-19 relief by the impacts of the pandemic. The operational grants are providing space, structure and the and programmatic responses of grantee partners programming to foster social cohesion. They are serving to individually mitigate the effects are enabling people to become closer to one of the pandemic within their communities another, develop a better understanding of the and, collectively as a sector, across the places in which they live, and create and share state. Understanding the contexts in which narratives about their experiences. these organizations are operating amplifies the importance and significance of their humanities missions. 3 Illinois Humanities COVID-19 relief grantee partners’ experiences align with what research shows about how public humanities 6 Money counts – especially for organizations organizations respond during times of crisis. with smaller budgets. Relatively small grants Grantee partners are serving as community ($2,500 – $7,500) can have transformative anchors for trusted information, for mitigating impacts for small organizations, especially when social isolation, for enabling people to make they are in areas overlooked or under-funded by and create objects and narratives that help philanthropy traditionally. Public and philanthropic them to process loss, trauma, and joy. They are funds directed to humanities organizations should also – while under significant duress – finding be understood as investments, not diversions. ways to incorporate new technologies and new As outlined in Chapter 1, public humanities modes for delivering on their missions. organizations are not “cost-centers;” rather, they help bolster revenue in Illinois.

4 Every county in Illinois has a humanities organization and cultural assets; many are

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 63 RECOMMENDATIONS • Consider what proportion of dollars support organizations serving rural communities

For Illinois Humanities • Of special note: relatively small grants ($2,500-$7,500) can have transformative Illinois Humanities is working to understand and impacts for small organizations, especially learn from the intensive experience of this past when they are in areas overlooked or under- year. Given Illinois Humanities’ mission, capacity funded by philanthropy traditionally and core competencies, our recommendations for ourselves at this time include: For policy makers

• Increase our capacity to support peer-to-peer • Include representatives from public learning, technical assistance, and humanities organizations in the development partnership infrastructure statewide and implementation of policies, particularly public health and community development • Look at the ways in which an equity strategies lens, paired with data, can help inform grantmaking priorities • Promote, deploy, network, and hire humanists in recovery planning at the local, • Evaluate the possibility of creating and regional, and statewide levels maintaining a public directory of Illinois humanities organizations to bolster a • Quantify and communicate regularly about community of practice and to help cross- the economic impact of public humanities sector stakeholders connect with local and organizations, particularly those from rural statewide organizations areas

For funders • Integrate and include humanities organizations in public/private partnerships • Understand public humanities organizations involving philanthropy and private investors as integral to investments in resilience, well- being, community development, and equity

• Support mechanisms for connectivity among organizations with humanities missions

• Invest strengthening organizations’ abilities to reflect local interests and identities and to participate in communities of practice and professional networks

• Invest in organizations’ ability to create, curate, and leverage digital and virtual content

64 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report CONCLUSION

We will need an “all hands on deck” approach to address the plethora of plagues we are facing: COVID-19, racial inequity, economic devastation, and the social isolation these ills foment. Collective efforts are required to address our crises – and will be required for the long haul ahead in mending our shared civic fabric, frayed-for-decades.

As we look towards a post-COVID-19 horizon, what might it mean if we fail to include the very organizations that provide context “for ensuring intervention designs (whether programmatic, policy based, or infrastructural) suit their target populations both culturally and aesthetically?”28

In Illinois, we have an opportunity to redefine the role and invest in the value of public humanities organizations; in doing so we will be better able to imagine and to create a healthier, more connected, and equitable state.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 65 66 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report irectory

Illinois Humanities awarded 189 grants to 177 unique organizations. The following directory is a snapshot of all the organizations, listing their contact information and grant awarded. To view and download more details about each organization, visit ilhumanities.org/directory.

Directory Key: Organization name Indicates grant received Address General operations City, State, Zip Program Innovation & Adaptation County Community Resilience webaddress @handle @handle @handle Category – Primary | Secondary type Project – project webaddress

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 67 1820 Col. Benjamin Stephenson About Face Theatre Collective @evelynhood66 House 5252 N Broadway Ave FL2 Category – 409 S Buchanan Chicago, IL 60640 History | Culture and Heritage PO Box 754 Cook County Edwardsville, IL 62025 aboutfacetheatre.com Al Raby Foundation Madison County @aboutfacetheatre 7230 S Indiana stephensonhouse.org @aboutfacechi Chicago, IL 60619 @1820StephensonHouse @aboutfacechi Cook County @benlucystephenson Category – rabyfoundation.org @Stephenson1820 Arts | Education @rabyfoundation Category – @rabyfoundation History | Education Adler Arts Center @rabyfoundation 1700 N Milwaukee Ave Category – 6018North Libertyville, IL 60048 Civic and Community Engagement | 6018 N Kenmore Lake County History Chicago, IL 60660 adlercenter.org Cook County @theadlercenter American Blues Theater 6018north.org @theadlercenter 4809 N Ravenswood Ste 221 @6018north Category – Chicago, IL 60640 @6018north Arts | Education Cook County @6018north americanbluestheater.com Category – African American Museum of @americanbluestheater Arts | Civic and Community Southern Illinois @american_blues_theater Engagement 1237 E Main St Unit 1046 @americanbluesth University Mall Category – 826CHI Carbondale, IL 62901 Arts | Civic and Community 1276 N Milwaukee Ave Jackson County Engagement Chicago, IL 60622 africanamericanmuseumsi.org Cook County @AAMSICarbondale American Farm Heritage 826chi.org Category – 1395 Museum Ave @826CHI Culture and Heritage | Arts PO Box 606 @826chi Project – Greenville, IL 62246 @826CHI youtube.com/channel/ Bond County Category – UCgiFmaQ7RV3YEXj4O3G81Cg americanfarmheritagemuseum. Literature and Writing | Education | africanamericanmuseumsi.org/ com covid-19-art-project-s.html @americanfarmheritagemuseum Abe Lincoln Project/Looking for Category – Lincoln in Pike County African-American Cultural & History | Culture and Heritage PO Box 62 Genealogical Society of Illinois Pittsfield, IL 62363 235 W Eldorado St Artists Reenvisioning Tomorrow Pike County PO Box 25251 919 NE Jefferson Ave pikelincoln.com Decatur, IL 62525 Peoria, IL 61603 @AbeLincolnProject Macon County Peoria County Category – african-americancultural.org artincpeoria.org History | Education

68 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report @artincpeoria Essential Stories: Firefighting in a @BalzekasM @artincpeoria Pandemic Category – @artincpeoria auroraregionalfiremuseum.org/ Culture and Heritage | Education Category – essential-stories Arts | Education BECOME: Center for Community Backbones Engagement and Social Change Atlanta Public Library and PO Box 7334 207 E Ohio St Museum Prospect Heights, IL 60070 Chicago, IL 60611 100 NW Race St Cook County Cook County PO Box 568 backbonesonline.com becomecenter.org Atlanta, IL 61723 @BACKBONESONLINE @Become.Inc Logan County @backbonesonline Category – atlantapld.org @backbonesonline Civic and Community Engagement | @Atlanta-Public-Library-and- Category – Education Museum-379230795465483 Civic and Community Engagement | Project – Category – Education Maximizing Impact Initiative History | Education Project – youtu.be/Vyf9HrhmAOg | Project – bit.ly/3rx8m3C | bit.ly/3c5FV6k Summer of COVID-19 bit.ly/3v6lOh9 bit.ly/38i3vfa | Bishop Hill Heritage Association bit.ly/3v53uVM Ballet Quad Cities 103 N Bishop Hill St 613 17th St Bishop Hill, IL 61419 Aurora Historical Society Rock Island, IL 61201 Henry County PO Box 905 Rock Island County bishophillheritage.org Aurora, IL 60506 balletquadcities.com @bhheritageassociation Kane County @balletquadcities Category – aurorahistory.net @balletquadcities History | Culture and Heritage @AuroraHistory @BalletQC @aurorahistory Category – Bronzeville Black Chicagoan @aurorahistory Arts | Education Historical Society Category – Project – 10 W 35th St Ste 9D3-1 History | Education youtu.be/EFrjSnRRWPM | Chicago, IL 60616 youtu.be/SH-zfzXkLY4 Cook County Aurora Regional Fire Museum ; bronzevillehistoricalsociety. 53 N Broadway Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian wordpress.com Aurora, IL 60505 Culture @BronzevilleHistorical Kane County 6500 S Pulaski Rd Category – auroraregionalfiremuseum.org Chicago, IL 60629 History | Education @AuroraRegionalFireMuseum Cook County @aurora_firemuse balzekasmuseum.org Brushwood Center at Ryerson @aurora_firemuse @Balzekas-Museum-of-Lithuanian- Woods ; Category – Culture-170807661630, @Stanley. 21850 N Riverwoods Rd History | Education Balzekas, @BalticDisplacedPersons Riverwoods, IL 60015 Project – @balzekasmuseum Lake County

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 69 brushwoodcenter.org Arts | Education @ChangingWorlds1 @BrushwoodCenter Project – Category – @BrushwoodCenter COVID-19/BLM High School Arts | Education @BrushwoodCenter Journalism Mentor Program Project – Category – vimeo.com/476714239 bit.ly/2PFDjVf | changingworlds. Media | Education org/virtual-programs Project – Cedarville Area Historical Society Lake County Leads: Stories 450 2nd St Charnley-Persky House Museum of Environmental Justice and Cedarville, IL 61013 Foundation/Society of Architectural Empowerment during COVID-19 Stephenson County Historians brushwoodcentergallery.org/ cedarvilleareahistoricalsociety.org 1365 N Astor St lakecountyleads.html @CedarvilleHistoricalSociety Chicago, IL 60610 @cedarville_historical_society Cook County Bureau County Historical Society Category – sah.org/about-sah/charnley- 109 Park Ave W History | Education persky-house Princeton, IL 61356 @sah1365 Bureau County Center for Racial Harmony @sah1365 bureaucountyhistoricalsociety.com PO Box 296 @sah1366 @Bureau-County-Historical- Belleville, IL 62222 Category – Society-205135920951 St. Clair County History | Education Category – centerforracialharmony.org History | Education @Center.for.Racial.Harmony. Chicago Blues Museum SaintClairCounty PO Box 804423 Canal Corridor Association @Rharmony207 Chicago, IL 60680 754 First St Category – Cook County LaSalle, IL 61301 Civic and Community Engagement | bit.ly/3kU2QWu LaSalle County Education @Chicago-Blues- iandmcanal.org/about-us-canal- Museum-208904142563117 corridor-association Centralia Area Historical Society Category – @ilmicanal 240 S Locust St History | Culture and Heritage @iandmcanal Centralia, IL 62801 @IMCNHA Marion County Chicago Collections Consortium Category – facebook.com 2350 N Kenmore Ave 116D History | Education CentraliaAreaHistoricalMuseum Chicago, IL 60614 Category – Cook County Carbondale Community Arts ; History | Education chicagocollections.org 304 W Walnut St @ChiCollections Carbondale, IL 62901 Changing Worlds ; @chicagocollectionsconsortium Jackson County 329 W 18th St Suite #506 @ChiCollections carbondalearts.org Chicago, IL 60616 Category – @CarbondaleCommunityArts Cook County History | Education @carbondalecommunityarts changingworlds.org @CCA62901 @changingworlds1 Project – Category – @changingworldschicago bit.ly/3eiiJob |

70 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report bit.ly/30o973d poetrycenter.org Cook County @PoetryCenter civiclab.us Chicago Cultural Alliance @chicagopoetrycenter @CivicLab 641 W Lake St #200 @poetrycenter Category – Chicago, IL 60661 Category – Civic and Community Engagement | Cook County Literature and Writing | Education Education chicagoculturalalliance.org @chicagocultural Chicago Public Art Group Collaboraction Theatre @chicagocultural 3314 S Morgan St Unit 1 Company ; @chicagocultural Chicago, IL 60608 PO Box 10085 Category – Cook County Chicago, IL 60610 Culture and Heritage | Civic and chicagopublicartgroup.org Cook County Community Engagement @ChicagoPublicArtGroup collaboraction.org Project – @chicago_public_art_group @collaboraction SOAR (Stories of Arts Resilience) @ChicagoPAG @Collaboraction bit.ly/3cb5iUs Category – @Collaboraction Arts | History Category – Chicago for Chicagoans Project – Arts | Civic and Community 4954 N Spaulding Ave #2 sofaexpo.com | Engagement Chicago, IL 60625 vimeo.com/491298626 Project – Cook County Peacebook 2020: Essential chicagoforchicagoans.org Chicago Youth Shakespeare Perspectives @chicagoforchicagoans 641 W Lake St Ste 200 bit.ly/3kUdCfp | @chicagoforchicagoans Chicago, IL 60661 bit.ly/38h7oRF @chi4chicagoans Cook County Category – chicagoyouthshakespeare.org Colonel Davenport Historical History | Education @cyshakes Foundation @cyshakes PO Box 4603 Chicago Latino Theater Alliance @cyshakes Rock Island, IL 61204 (CLATA) Category – Rock Island County 180 N Michigan Ave Suite 305 Arts | Education davenporthouse.org Chicago, IL 60601 @coloneldavenporthouse Cook County Children’s Theatre of Elgin Category – clata.org 1700 Spartan Dr History | Culture and Heritage @latinotheater Elgin, IL 60123 @latinotheater Kane County ConTextos @latinotheater cteelgin.com 641 W Lake St Suite 200 Category – @cteelgin Chicago, IL 60661 Arts | Culture and Heritage Category – Cook County Arts | Education contextos.org Chicago Poetry Center @ConTextosChi 641 W Lake Street Suite 200 CivicLab @contextoschi Chicago, IL 60661 1643 N Larrabee St Unit I @contextoschi Cook County Chicago, IL 60614 Category –

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 71 Literature and Writing | Civic and Byron, IL 61010 Definition Theatre Company Community Engagement Ogle County 4850 S Drexel Project – crossroadsbluessociety.com Chicago, IL 60615 Complicating the Narrative: Season @groups/crossroadsbluessociety Cook County Three @Crossroads_IL definitiontheatre.org youtube.com/ Category – @DefinitionTheatre watch?v=NqldWf0ElwQ | anchor. Arts | Education @DefinitionTheat fm/complicating-the-narrative Category – Cumberland County Historical & Arts | Culture and Heritage contratiempo nfp Genealogical Society 641 W Lake St Suite 200 213 W Cumberland DeKalb County History Center Chicago, IL 60661 PO Box 582 Location: 1730 N Main St Cook County Greenup, IL 62428 Mailing: PO Box 502 contratiempo.net Cumberland County Sycamore, IL 60178 @contratiempo cumberlandcountyhistory.org DeKalb County @contratiempochicago @cumberlandcountyhistory dekalbcountyhistory.org @revcontratiempo Category – @DeKalbCountyHist Category – History | Education @dekalbhistorycenter Literature and Writing | Culture and @DeKalbCountyHis Heritage David Davis Mansion Foundation Category – 1000 Monroe Dr History | Education The Corn Stock Theatre Bloomington, IL 61701 1700 N Park Rd McLean County Design Museum of Chicago West Peoria, IL 61604 DavidDavisMansion.org 72 E Randolph St Peoria County @judgedavid.davis Chicago, IL 60601 cornstocktheatre.com @daviddavismansion Cook County @cornstocktheatre @DavisMansion designchicago.org @cornstocktheatre Category – @designmuseumchi @CornStockPeoria History | Education @designmuseumchi Category – @designmuseumchi Arts | Education Deeply Rooted Dance Theater Category – 17 N State 19th Floor Arts | Education Crossing Borders Music Chicago, IL 60602 1330 W Albion Ave Unit G Cook County Discovery Depot Children’s Chicago, IL 60626 deeplyrooteddancetheater.org Museum Cook County @DeeplyRootedDanceTheater 128 S Chambers St crossingbordersmusic.org @deeplyrooteddance Galesburg, IL 61401 @CrossingBordersMusic @drpdance Knox County @crossingbordersmusic Category – discoverydepot.org Category – Arts | Culture and Heritage @Discovery-Depot-356500137182 Arts | Culture and Heritage @discoverydepot1 @discoverydepot2 Crossroads Blues Society Category – PO Box 840 Education | Arts

72 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Project – Arts | History @5he bit.ly/2O9Ctj8 | Project – @fifthhouse bit.ly/3bj9q5r Effingham: At the Crossroads of Category – Education Arts | Education Easley Pioneer Museum bit.ly/3rv7DQr | Foundation bit.ly/3qqqESL Firebrand Theatre 230 W Broadway 7363 N Ashland Blvd Apt 1 Ipava, IL 61441 Elgin History Museum Chicago, IL 60626 Fulton County 360 Park St Cook County facebook.com/ Elgin, IL 60120 firebrandtheatre.org EasleyPioneerMuseum Kane County @firebrandtheatrechicago Category – elginhistory.org @firebrand.theatre History | Education @ElginILHistoryMuseum @FirebrandChi @elginhistorymuseum Category – East Bluff Community Center @elginhistory Arts | Civic and Community 512 E Kansas St Category – Engagement Peoria, IL 61603 History | Education Peoria County Free Write Arts & Literacy eastbluffcommunitycenter.org eta Creative Arts Foundation 1932 S Halsted St #100 @ebccenterpeo 7558 S South Chicago Ave Chicago, IL 60608 Category – Chicago, IL 60619 Cook County Civic and Community Engagement | Cook County freewriteartsliteracy.org Education etacreativearts.org @freewritechicago @etacreativearts @freewritechi Eastlight Theatre @etacreativearts @freewritechi 201 Veterans Dr @etacreative Category – East Peoria, IL 61611 Category – Arts | Literature and Writing Tazewell County Arts | Culture and Heritage eastlighttheatre.com Full Spectrum Features ; @eastlighttheatre Ethnic Heritage Museum Cook County @eastlightstage 1129 S Main St fullspectrumfeatures.com @eastlightstage Rockford, IL 61101 @fullspectrumfeatures Category – Winnebago County @fullspectrumfeatures Arts | Education ethnicheritagemuseum.org @fullspectrumnfp @ethnicheritagemuseum Category – Effingham Public Library Category – Media | Civic and Community 200 N Third St Culture and Heritage | History Engagement Effingham, IL 62401 Project – Effingham County Fifth House Ensemble Identified effinghamlibrary.org 332 S Michigan Ave Ste 121-F501 fullspectrumfeatures.com/ @EffinghamPL Chicago, IL 60604 identified @effinghamlibrary Cook County @Efflibrary fifth-house.com Galena Center for the Arts ; Category – @fifthhouseensemble 971 A Gear St

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 73 Galena, IL 61036 Genesius Theatre Foundation Category – Jo Daviess County 1120 40th St Arts | Education galenacenterforthearts.org Rock Island, IL 61201 @GalenaCenterForTheArts Rock Island County Greater Livingston County Arts Category – genesius.org Council Arts | Civic and Community @GenesiusGuild 209 W Madison St Engagement @genesiusguild Pontiac, IL 61764 Project – @genesiusguild Livingston County COVID-19 Galena-The Story in Song Category – artsinpontiac.org bit.ly/3eciuuY | Arts | Education @PCartcenter bit.ly/3bmTJdO Category – Glessner House Arts | Education Galesburg Civic Art Center 1800 S Prairie Ave 114 E Main St Chicago, IL 60616 Guild Literary Complex Galesburg, IL 61401 Cook County 641 W Lake St Ste 200 Knox County glessnerhouse.org Chicago, IL 60661 galesburgarts.org @GlessnerHouse Cook County @galesburgarts @GlessnerHouse guildcomplex.org @galesburgcivicartcenter @GlessnerHouse @GuildLiteraryComplex Category – Category – @guild.literary.complex Arts | Education History | Education @guildLITcomplex Category – Gallatin County Historical Society Glidden Homestead and Historical Literature and Writing | Civic and 434 Main St Center Community Engagement Shawneetown, IL 62984 921 W Lincoln Hwy Gallatin County DeKalb, IL 60115 Hairpin Arts Center/Logan Square gallatincountyhistoricalsociety. DeKalb County Chamber of Arts webs.com | gliddenhomestead.org 2810 N Milwaukee Ave 2810 N GallatinCoHistoricalSocietyIL. bit.ly/30jl6z0 2nd Floor vistaprintdigital.com @glidden_homestead Chicago, IL 60618 @Gallatin-County-Historical- @JFGhomestead Cook County Society-413940078733590 Category – hairpinartscenter.org Category – History | Education @HairpinArtsCenter History | Education @hairpinartscenter Global Girls @HairpinArts General John A. Logan Museum 8151 S South Chicago Ave Category – 1613 Edith St The Global Studio Arts | Civic and Community Murphysboro, IL 62966 Chicago, IL 60617 Engagement Jackson County Cook County loganmuseum.org globalgirlsinc.org The Haitian American Museum @generaljohnaloganmuseum @GlobalGirlsInc 4654 N Racine Ave Category – @globalgirlsinc Chicago, IL 69640 History | Education @globalgirlsinc1 Cook County hamoc.org

74 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report bit.ly/3ruCVqY Email: hinckleyhistoricalsociety@ Project – @hamoc_1804 gmail.com honeypotperformance.org/if- @hamoc1804 Category – then | honeypotperformance.org/ Category – History | Education chgpblksocialculturemap Culture and Heritage | Civic and Community Engagement Historical Society of Quincy and Hoogland Center for the Arts Adams County 420 S Sixth St Hamilton Wings 425 S 12th St Springfield, IL 62701 14 Crescent St Quincy, IL 62301 Sangamon County Elgin, IL 60123 Adams County hcfta.org Kane County hsqac.org @hooglandcenterforthearts hamiltonwings.com @hsqac @hcfta @hamilton.wings Category – @HCFTA @HamiltonWings History | Education Category – Category – Arts | Education Arts | Education History Center Lake Forest Lake Bluff The HUB-Arts and Cultural Center Hegeler-Carus Foundation 509 E Deerpath 210 N Congress St 1307 Seventh St Lake Forest, IL 60045 Rushville, IL 62681 La Salle, IL 61320 Lake County Schuyler County LaSalle County lflbhistory.org thehubart.com hegelercarus.org @lflbhistory @thehubart @hegelercarus @lflbhistory @thehubart @hegelercarusmansion @lflbhistory @thehubart @hegelercarus Category – Category – Category – History | Education Arts | Education History | Education Project – bit.ly/3egUoPU | youtube.com/ Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project Heterodyne Broadcasting/WDBX watch?v=frLqZQNJS8I 1045 S 5th St Radio Springfield, IL 62703 224 N Washington St Honey Pot Performance Sangamon County Carbondale, IL 62901 5014 N Springfield Ave #1 illinoisroute66.org Jackson County Chicago, IL 60625 @ILRoute66 wdbx.org Cook County @illinoisroute66 @WDBX91.1 honeypotperformance.org @ILRoute66 Category – @honeypotperformance Category – Media | Arts @honeypotchicago History | Education @HoneyPotPerf Hinckley Historical Society Category – Illinois Rural Heritage Museum, 145 E Lincoln Ave Arts | Civic and Community Inc. Hinckley, IL 60520 Engagement 187 Fairground Rd DeKalb County PO Box 58 hinckleyhistoricalsociety.com Pinckneyville, IL 62274 @HinckleyHistoricalSociety Perry County

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 75 illinoisruralheritagemuseum.org Media | Civic and Community @jacksonville_main_street @Illinois-Rural-Heritage- Engagement @JaxMainStreet Museum-106382779425685 Category – Category – International Children’s Media Civic and Community Engagement | History | Culture and Heritage Center Arts 625 N Kingsbury St Illinois State Historical Society Chicago, IL 60654 Jefferson County Historical 5255 Shepherd Rd Cook County Society Springfield, IL 62703 icmediacenter.org 1411 N 27th St Sangamon County @ICMediaCenter Mount Vernon, IL 62864 historyillinois.org @ICMediaCenter Jefferson County @Illinois-State-Historical- @ICMediaCenter historicjeffersoncountyil.com Society-112877422100328 Category – @jchsil Category – Media | Education Category – History | Education History | Education Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Illinois State Museum Society Outsider Art Joliet Area Historical Museum 502 S Spring St 756 N Milwaukee Ave 204 N Ottawa St Springfield, IL 62706 Chicago, IL 60642 Joliet, IL 60432 Sangamon County Cook County Will County illinoisstatemuseum.org art.org jolietmuseum.org @IllinoisStateMuseum @intuitartcenter @JolietMuseum @ilstatemuseum @intuitartcenter @jolietmuseum @ILStateMuseum @intuitartcenter @Joliet_Museum Category – Category – Category – History | Arts Arts | Education History | Education

Imagine Hillsboro Theater Group Iroquois County Historical Society Kartemquin Educational Films PO Box 234 103 W Cherry St 1901 W Wellington Ave Hillsboro, IL 62049 Watseka, IL 60970 Chicago, IL 60657 Montgomery County Iroquois County Cook County ihtg.org iroquoiscountyhistoricalsociety. kartemquin.com @pg/ihtheatergroup com @Kartemquin Category – @oldcourthousemusem @kartemquin Arts | Civic and Community Category – @kartemquin Engagement History | Culture and Heritage Category – Media | Civic and Community In My Brother’s Shoes Jacksonville Main Street Engagement 435 W Diversey Pkwy Suite 2 PO Box 152 Chicago, IL 60614 222 W State St Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts Cook County Jacksonville, IL 62651 and Humanities inmybrothersshoes.org Morgan County 1005 Pennsylvania Ave @inmybrothersshoes jacksonvillemainstreet.com East Saint Louis, IL 62201 Category – @JacksonvilleMainStreet Mailing:

76 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report PO Box #6 East Saint Louis, IL 62202 LaSalle County Historical Society Project – St. Clair County 101 E Canal St Box 278 bit.ly/3l0Ekmr | bit.ly/3sYk4ok kdcah.org Utica, IL 61373 @KDCAH LaSalle County Lincoln Log Cabin Foundation @kdcah lasallecountyhistoricalsociety.org 402 S Lincoln Highway Rd @kdcah @lchsmuseum Lerna, IL 62440 Email: [email protected] @lchs.utica.burgoo Coles County Category – @LaSalleCoMuseum lincolnlogcabin.org Arts | Education Category – @lincolnlogcabin History | Education Category – Korean Cultural Center of History | Education Chicago Lawrence County Historical 9930 Capitol Dr Society Lithuanian Archives Project Wheeling, IL 60090 619 12th St 4641 N Ashland Ave Cook County PO Box 425 Chicago, IL 60640 kccoc.org/wps/en Lawrenceville, IL 62439 Cook County @kccoc Lawrence County lithuanianarchivesproject.org @kccoc_chicago lawrencelore.org @LithuanianArchivesProject Category – bit.ly/2ObIOKW @lithuanian_archives_project Culture and Heritage | Arts Category – Category – History | Education Culture and Heritage | Media Kuumba Lynx ; 4501 N Clarendon Ave Lincoln Heritage Museum Livingston County Historical Chicago, IL 60640 300 Keokuk St Society Cook County Lincoln, IL 62656 115 W Howard St kuumbalynx.com Logan County Pontiac, IL 61764 @kuumbalynx20 museum.lincolncollege.edu Livingston County @Kuumbalynx @LincolnHeritage livchs.org @Kuumbalynx @lhm1865 bit.ly/3rtTTpi Category – @lhm1866 Category – Arts | Civic and Community Category – History | Education Engagement History | Education Project – Looking for Lincoln Heritage SPROUT (Spitting Powerful Rhymes Lincoln Highway Interpretive Coalition Organically Unleashing Truths) Center #1 Old State Capitol Plaza #1 kuumbalynx.com/asiam 136 N Elm St Springfield, IL 62701 Franklin Grove, IL 61031 Sangamon County La Grange Area Historical Society Lee County lookingforlincoln.org 444 S La Grange Rd illinoislincolnhighwayassociation. @LookingforLincoln La Grange, IL 60525 org @lookingforlincoln Cook County @LincolnHighway @Looking4Lincoln lagrangehistory.org @LincolnHwyAssoc Category – @Lagrangehistorical Category – History | Education Category – History | Arts History | Education

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 77 Project – @mchenrycountyhistory Rockford, IL 61107 bit.ly/3rpK8Iv | bit.ly/3eeHqC0 Category – Winnebago County History | Education midwayvillage.com Macoupin County Historical @RockfordHistory Society McLean County Museum of @midwayvillagemuseum 920 W Breckenridge St History @Midway_Village Carlinville, IL 62626 200 N Main St Category – Macoupin County Bloomington, IL 61701 HIstory | Education mchssociety.org McLean County @MacoupinCountyHistoricalSociety mchistory.org Midwest Writing Center Category – @McLeanCountyMuseumofHistory 401 19th St History | Education @mchistorymuseum c/o RIPL @mchistorymuseum Rock Island, IL 61201 Madison County Historical Category – Rock Island County Society History | Education mwcqc.org 801 N Main St @MidwestWritingCenter Edwardsville, IL 62025 Media Burn Archive @mwc_qc Madison County 935 W Chestnut St Ste 405 @mwc_qc madcohistory.org Chicago, IL 60642 Category – @madcohistory Cook County Literature and Writing | Education Category – mediaburn.org History | Education @mediaburnvideo Mitchell Museum of the American @mediaburnarchive Indian Magnolia Township Preservation @mediaburnvideo 3001 Central St Association Category – Evanston, IL 60201 110 N Peoria Street Media | Civic and Community Cook County PO Box 23 Engagement mitchellmuseum.org Magnolia, IL 61348 bit.ly/30lyhzi Putnam County Mexican Cultural Center @mitchellmuseum magnoliatpa.org 103 W Washington St Category – @MagTwp West Chicago, IL 60185 Culture and Heritage | History Category – DuPage County History | Education mccdupage.org Museum of the Grand Prairie ; @MexicanCulturalCenterDuPage 950 N Lombard St McHenry County Historical Society @MexicanCultural Mahomet, IL 61853 & Museum Category – Champaign County 6422 Main St Culture and Heritage | Civic and museumofthegrandprairie.org PO Box 434 Community Engagement @museumofthegrandprairie Union, IL 60180 Project – @museumofthegrandprairie McHenry County facebook.com/ @musgrandprairie mchenrycountyhistory.org watch/?v=980807889062948 Category – @pages/McHenry- History | Education County-Historical- Midway Village Museum Project – Society/109520782418180 6799 Guilford Rd bit.ly/30pNzTS | bit.ly/3elsMsQ

78 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Musical Arts Institute National Public Housing Museum Arts | Education 9244 S Lafayette 625 N Kingsbury St Chicago, IL 60620 Chicago, IL 60647 P.A.S.T. of Union County Cook County Cook County 102 S Main musicalartsinstitute.org nphm.org Jonesboro, IL 62920 @musicalartsinstitute @thenphm Union County @musicalartsinstitute_mai @the_nphm @friendsofpast @MusicalArtsInst @the_nphm Category – Category – Category – History | Culture and Heritage Arts | Education Culture and Heritage | Media Project – The Paper Machete Group Muslim American Leadership http://bit.ly/3rxgGjZ | 1133 W Pratt Blvd Unit 2 Alliance http://bit.ly/3v0jVCN Chicago, IL 60626 47 W Division St #159 Cook County Chicago, IL 60610 NON:op Open Opera Works thepapermachete.org Cook County 2419 N Drake Ave FL 1 @thepapermachete malanational.org Chicago, IL 60647 @thepapermachete @MALANational Cook County @thepapermachete @MALANational nonopera.org Category – @MALANational @NONopera Arts | Media Category – @nonopera Arts | Culture and Heritage @nonopera Peoria Historical Society MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe Category – 611 SW Washington St 159 Cottage Hill Ave Apt 215 Arts | Civic and Community Peoria, IL 61602 Elmhurst, IL 60126 Engagement Peoria County DuPage County peoriahistoricalsociety.com mwah.net Old School Museum @PeoriaHistoricalSociety @mwahtroupe 110 E Cherry @PeoriaHistorica @mwahtroupe Winchester, IL 62694 Category – @mwahtroupe Scott County History | Education Category – oldschoolmuseum.org Project – Arts | Education @OldSchoolMuseumIL peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/ Category – posts/1500 NAJWA Dance Corps History | Education 1631 S Michigan Ave Unit #103 Pilot Light Chicago, IL 60616 OPEN Center for the Arts 1516 W Carroll Ave Ste 1 Cook County 2214 S Sacramento Chicago, IL 60607 najwadancecorps.org Chicago, IL 60623 Cook County @najwadancecorpsorg Cook County pilotlightchefs.org @najwa.corps opencenterforthearts.org @pilotlightchefs @ndc2015 @OPENcenterforthearts @pilotlightchefs Category – @opencenterforthearts @pilotlightchefs Arts | Culture and Heritage @OpenCenterArts Category – Category – Education | Civic and Community

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 79 Engagement @coprosperitychicago, Media | Culture and Heritage @lumpenradio, @buddy.chicago PlayMakers Laboratory @lumpenradio Ray Bradbury Experience 4021 N Broadway Suite 1 Category – Museum Chicago, IL 60613 Media | Arts 13 N Genesee St Cook County Waukegan, IL 60085 playmakerslab.org Puerto Rican Arts Alliance Lake County @playmakerslab 3000 N Elbridge raybradburyexperiencemuseum.org @playmakers.laboratory Chicago, IL 60618 @RBEMuseum @PMLaboratory Cook County @rbemuseum Category – praachicago.org @RBEMuseum Arts | Literature and Writing @PuertoRicanArtsAlliance Category – @puertoricanartsalliance History | Literature and writing Preservation and Conservation @PRAACHICAGO Project – Association of Champaign County Category – raybradburyexperiencemuseum.org/ 44 E Washington St Culture and Heritage | Arts centennial Champaign, IL 61820 Champaign County Quad Cities Jazz Festival The Rebuild Foundation pacacc.org 719 17th St 6918 S Dorchester bit.ly/3v2lwYM PO Box 166 Chicago, IL 60637 @paca_champaign East Moline, IL 61244 Cook County Category – Rock Island County rebuild-foundation.org History | Civic and Community facebook.com/polyjazzheritagefest @rebuildfoundation Engagement Category – @rebuild_foundation Arts | Civic and Community @rebuildfdn Preservation of Egyptian Theatre Engagement Category – 135 N 2nd St Arts | Civic and Community DeKalb, IL 60115 The Raupp Museum Engagement DeKalb County 530 Bernard Dr egyptiantheatre.org Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 Red Mask Players @dekalbegyptiantheatre Cook County Location: 601 N Vermilion @egyptiantheatre rauppmuseum.omeka.net Mailing: PO Box 814 @egyptiantheatre @RauppMuseum Danville, IL 61834 Category – Category – Vermilion County History | Arts History | Education redmaskplayers.com @RedMaskPlayersinc Public Media Institute Que4 Radio Category – 3219 S Morgan St 2643 W Chicago Arts | Education Chicago, IL 60608 Chicago, IL 60622 Cook County Cook County Reddick Mansion Association publicmediainstitute.com que4.org 100 W Lafayette St @lumpenradio, @Quennect4Tribe Ottawa, IL 61350 @coprosperitychicago @que4radio LaSalle County @lumpenradio, Category – reddickmansion.org

80 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report @ReddickMansionandGardens Carroll County sixtyinchesfromcenter.org Category – savannamuseum.org @SixtyInchesFromCenter History @savannamuseum.org @sixtyinchesfromcenter Category – @fromthecenter Repertorio Latino Theater History | Culture and heritage Category – Company Project – History | Media 913 N Monticello Ave COVID-19 Community Conversations Chicago, IL 60651 savannamuseum.org/home-1 South Side Community Art Center Cook County 3831 S Michigan facebook.com/repertoriolatino Shabbona-Lee-Rollo Historical Chicago, IL 60653 @repertoriolatino Museum Cook County Category – 119 W Comanche sscartcenter.org Arts | Culture and Heritage Shabbona, IL 60550 @SouthSideCommunityArtCenter Project – DeKalb County @southsidecommunityartcenter youtu.be/fJ8zm6POHAs slrmuseum.com @sscartcenter @slrmuseum Category – Robbins Historical Society Category – Arts | Culture and Heritage Museum History | Education PO Box 1561 South Side Weekly ; 3644 W 139th Street Silent Theatre Company 6100 S Blackstone Ave Robbins, IL 60472 4154 N Tripp Ave #1 Chicago, IL 60608 Cook County Chicago, IL 60641 Cook County robbinshistorymusuem.org Cook County southsideweekly.com @robbinshistorymuseum silenttheatre.com @southsideweekly Category – @silenttheatrechicago @southsideweekly History | Civic and Community @silenttheatre @southsideweekly Engagement Category – Category – Arts | Media Media | Education Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Project – 810/816 S Hennepin Ave Silk Road Rising Envisioning New Futures Dixon, IL 61021 150 N Michigan Ave Ste 1970 bit.ly/3esK4UG | bit.ly/3qtIc0g Lee County Chicago, IL 60601 reaganhome.org Cook County Springfield Theatre Centre @reaganhome silkroadrising.org 420 S 6th St @reaganhome @SilkRoadRising Springfield, IL 62701 Category – @silk.road.rising Sangamon County History | Education @Silk_Road springfieldtheatrecentre.com Category – @SpringfieldTheatreCentre Savanna Museum & Cultural Culture and Heritage | Arts @springfield_theatre_centre Center Category – ; Sixty Inches From Center Arts | Education 406 Main St 436 E 47th St #308 PO Box 124 Chicago, IL 60653 Savanna, IL 61074 Cook County

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 81 St. Charles History Museum Still Point Theatre Collective Third Coast International Audio 215 E Main St 4300 N Hermitage Ave Festival dba Third Coast St. Charles, IL 60174 Chicago, IL 60613 PO Box 410726 Kane County Cook County Chicago, IL 60641 stcmuseum.org stillpointtheatrecollective.org Cook County @StCharlesHistoryMuseum @SPTCchicago thirdcoastfestival.org @stc_history @stillpointofficenetwork @thirdcoastfest @STCHistoryMus Category – @thirdcoastfest Category – Arts | Civic and Community @thirdcoastfest History | Culture and heritage Engagement Category – Media | Education St. Clair County Historical Society Strategy for Access Foundation 701 E Washington St 4800 S Chicago Beach Dr Suite 1707s The Ukrainian National Museum Belleville, IL 62220 Chicago, IL 60615 2249 W Superior St St. Clair County Cook County Chicago, IL 60612 stcchs.org fun4thedisabled.com Cook County @stcchs @fun4thedisabled ukrainiannationalmuseum.org @STCCHS @fun4thedisabled @UkrainianNationalMuseum Category – @fun4thedisabled @ukrainiannationalmuseum History | Culture and heritage Category – @UkrNatlMuseum Media | Civic and Community Category – Stark County Historical Society Engagement Culture and Heritage | History 318 W Jefferson PO Box 524 Tazewell County Genealogical & Urbana-Champaign Independent Toulon, IL 61483 Historical Society Media Center Stark County 719 N 11th St 202 S Broadway Ave #100 facebook.com/ PO Box 312 Urbana, IL 61801 StarkCountyHistoricalSociety Pekin, IL 61555 Champaign County @starkcountyhistoricalsociety Tazewell County ucimc.org Category – tcghs.org @ucimc HIstory | Education bit.ly/30pPAPH @uc.imc Category – @UCIMC Stephenson County Historical History | Education Category – Society Media | Arts 1440 S Carroll Ave Thebes Historical Society Freeport, IL 61032 519 Sunset Dr The Vegan Museum Stephenson County Marion, IL 62959 2100 N Racine Ave Unit 3B stephcohs.org Williamson County Chicago, IL 60614 @StephCoHS thebescourthouse.com Cook County @stephcohs @ThebesCourthouse veganmuseum.org @StephensonCoHS Category – @thevegmuseum Category – History | Education @thevegmuseum History | Culture and heritage @thevegmuseum Category –

82 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report History | Education McDonough County @youngchicagoauthors Project – wimuseum.org @YoungChiAuthors youtube.com/channel/ @wimuseum Category – UCdwJFkhPm1o3KvwNPKctFmQ @wimuseum Literature and Writing | Education @wimuseum The Voices and Faces Project Category – 47 W Polk St Ste #170 History | Culture and heritage Chicago, IL 60605 Cook County Wheels O’ Time Museum voicesandfaces.org 1710 W Woodside Dr @TheVoicesandFacesProject Dunlap, IL 61525 @thevoicesandfacesProject Peoria County @VoicesandFaces wheelsotime.org Category – @wheelsotimemuseum Literature and Writing | Civic and @wheelsotime Community Engagement Category – Project – History | Education voicesandfaces.org/workshop | voicesandfaces.org/lectures- Williamson County Historical trainings Society 105 S Van Buren St Wabash Roots’n’Que Festival Marion, IL 62959 801 W 9th St Williamson County PO Box 305 wcihs.org Mt Carmel, IL 62863 @wchsillinois Wabash County Category – rootsnque.com History @MarketStreetMTC Category – Y’all Rock Carbondale (Libre) Arts | Education 215 N Washington Ave Carbondale, IL 62901 Washington County Historical Jackson County Society yallrockcarbondale.com 326 S Kaskaskia St @yallrock618 PO Box 9 @yallrock618 Nashville, IL 62263 Category – Washington County Arts | Education bit.ly/2MXfEia Category – Young Chicago Authors History | Education 1180 N Milwaukee Ave Ste 2 Chicago, IL 60642 Western Illinois Museum Cook County 201 S Lafayette St youngchicagoauthors.org Macomb, IL 61455 @YoungChicagoAuthors

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 83 Appendices

Grantee partner list Chicago Blues Museum, Cook Organized by grant type Chicago for Chicagoans, Cook Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Cook General operating support Chicago Poetry Center, Cook Listed by organization name and county Chicago Youth Shakespeare, Cook Children's Theatre of Elgin, Kane 1820 Col. Benjamin Stephenson House, Madison CivicLab, Cook 6018North, Cook Collaboraction Theatre Company, Cook 826CHI, Cook Colonel Davenport Historical Foundation, Rock Abe Lincoln Project/Looking for Lincoln in Pike Island County, Pike contratiempo nfp, Cook About Face Theatre Collective, Cook Crossing Borders Music, Cook Adler Arts Center, Lake Crossroads Blues Society, Ogle African American Cultural & Genealogical Cumberland County Historical & Genealogical Society of Illinois, Macon Society, Cumberland Al Raby Foundation, Cook David Davis Mansion Foundation, McLean American Blues Theater, Cook Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Cook American Farm Heritage, Bond Definition Theatre Company, Cook Artists Reenvisioning Tomorrow, Peoria DeKalb County History Center, DeKalb Aurora Historical Society, Kane Design Museum of Chicago, Cook Aurora Regional Fire Museum, Kane Easley Pioneer Museum Foundation, Fulton Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, Cook East Bluff Community Center, Peoria Bishop Hill Heritage Association, Henry Eastlight Theatre, Tazewell Bronzeville Black Chicagoan Historical Society, Elgin History Museum, Kane Cook eta Creative Arts Foundation, Cook Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, Lake Ethnic Heritage Museum, Winnebago Bureau County Historical Society, Bureau Fifth House Ensemble, Cook Canal Corridor Association, LaSalle Firebrand Theatre, Cook Carbondale Community Arts, Jackson Free Write Arts & Literacy, Cook Cedarville Area Historical Society, Stephenson Full Spectrum Features, Cook Center for Racial Harmony, St. Clair Galena Center for the Arts, Jo Daviess Centralia Area Historical Society, Marion Galesburg Civic Art Center, Knox Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation/ Gallatin County Historical Society, Gallatin Society of Architectural Historians, Cook General John A. Logan Museum, Jackson

84 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Genesius Theatre Foundation, Rock Island Magnolia Township Preservation Association, Glessner House, Cook Putnam Glidden Homestead and Historical Center, McHenry County Historical Society & Museum, DeKalb McHenry Global Girls, Cook McLean County Museum of History, McLean Greater Livingston County Arts Council, Media Burn Archive, Cook Livingston Midway Village Museum, Winnebago Guild Literary Complex, Cook Midwest Writing Center, Rock Island Hairpin Arts Center/Logan Square Chamber of Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Cook Arts, Cook Museum of the Grand Prairie, Champaign Hamilton Wings, Kane Musical Arts Institute, Cook Hegeler-Carus Foundation, LaSalle Muslim American Leadership Alliance, Cook Heterodyne Broadcasting/WDBX Radio, Jackson MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe, DuPage Hinckley Historical Society, DeKalb NAJWA Dance Corps, Cook Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, Non:op Open Opera Works, Cook Adams Old School Museum, Scott Hoogland Center for the Arts, Sangamon OPEN Center for the Arts, Cook Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project, Sangamon P.A.S.T. of Union County, Union Illinois Rural Heritage Museum, Inc., Perry Pilot Light, Cook Illinois State Historical Society, Sangamon PlayMakers Laboratory, Cook Illinois State Museum Society, Sangamon Preservation and Conservation Association of Imagine Hillsboro Theater Group, Montgomery Champaign County, Champaign In My Brother's Shoes, Cook Preservation of Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb International Children's Media Center, Cook Public Media Institute, Cook Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, Cook Cook Quad Cities Jazz Festival, Rock Island Iroquois County Historical Society, Iroquois Que4 Radio, Cook Jacksonville Main Street, Morgan Red Mask Players, Vermilion Jefferson County Historical Society, Jefferson Reddick Mansion Association, LaSalle Joliet Area Historical Museum, Will Robbins Historical Society Museum, Cook Kartemquin Educational Films, Cook Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home, Lee Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Savanna Museum & Cultural Center, Carroll Humanities, St. Clair Shabbona-Lee-Rollo Historical Museum, DeKalb Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, Cook Silent Theatre Company, Cook Kuumba Lynx, Cook Silk Road Rising, Cook La Grange Area Historical Society, Cook Sixty Inches From Center, Cook LaSalle County Historical Society, LaSalle South Side Community Art Center, Cook Lawrence County Historical Society, Lawrence South Side Weekly, Cook Lincoln Heritage Museum, Logan Springfield Theatre Centre, Sangamon Lincoln Log Cabin Foundation, Coles St. Charles History Museum, Kane Lithuanian Archives Project, Cook St. Clair County Historical Society, St. Clair Livingston County Historical Society, Livingston Stark County Historical Society, Stark Macoupin County Historical Society, Macoupin Madison County Historical Society, Madison

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 85 Stephenson County Historical Society, Museum of the Grand Prairie, Champaign Stephenson National Public Housing Museum, Cook Still Point Theatre Collective, Cook Peoria Historical Society, Peoria Strategy for Access Foundation, Cook Ray Bradbury Experience Museum, Lake Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Repertorio Latino Theater Company, Cook Society, Tazewell The Vegan Museum, Cook The Corn Stock Theatre, Peoria The Voices and Faces Project, Cook The Haitian American Museum, Cook Y'all Rock Carbondale (Libre), Jackson The HUB-Arts and Cultural Center, Schuyler The Paper Machete Group, Cook Community resilience The Raupp Museum, Cook Listed by organization name and county The Rebuild Foundation, Cook The Ukrainian National Museum, Cook Atlanta Public Library and Museum, Logan Thebes Historical Society, Williamson Aurora Regional Fire Museum, Kane Third Coast International Audio Festival dba BECOME: Center for Community Engagement Third Coast, Cook and Social Change, Cook Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, Lake Champaign Carbondale Community Arts, Jackson Wabash Roots'n'Que Festival, Wabash Changing Worlds, Cook Washington County Historical Society, Chicago Cultural Alliance, Cook Washington Collaboraction Theatre Company, Cook Western Illinois Museum, McDonough ConTextos, Cook Wheels O' Time Museum, Peoria Effingham Public Library, Effingham Williamson County Historical Society, Williamson Full Spectrum Features, Cook Young Chicago Authors, Cook Galena Center for the Arts, Jo Daviess Kuumba Lynx, Cook Savanna Museum & Cultural Center, Carroll Program innovation & adaptation South Side Weekly, Cook Listed by organization name and county

African American Museum of Southern Illinois, Illinois Humanities’ approach to Jackson grantmaking Backbones, Cook Ballet Quad Cities, Rock Island The National Endowment for the Humanities Changing Worlds, Cook (NEH) received $75 million in supplemental Chicago Collections Consortium, Cook funding to assist humanities and cultural Chicago Public Art Group, Cook institutions affected by COVID-19 as part Discovery Depot Children's Museum, Knox of the CARES Act. As the state affiliate for History Center Lake Forest Lake Bluff, Lake the National Endowment for the Humanities Honey Pot Performance, Cook (NEH), Illinois Humanities was able to award Lincoln Highway Interpretive Center, Lee $710K in COVID-19 relief dollars comprised of Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, primarily CARES funds and supplemented with Sangamon repurposed general operating and specialized Mexican Cultural Center, DuPage fundraising efforts.

86 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report The Illinois Humanities team set out to move 154 organizations in sums of $2,500-$7,500, dollars out the door quickly and efficiently with based on budget size. minimal barriers to applicants. Given Illinois Humanities’ mission to ensure access to the • Program Innovation and Adaptation grants humanities statewide, having a broad-based enabled humanities-based organizations and geographically diverse applicant pool was to innovate, adapt, and strengthen access a priority. This priority became more urgent to their programming. $100,000 for as public health lockdowns began to impact Program Innovation and Adaptation was organizations’ services and, in some cases, awarded to 20 organizations in sums of staffing and overall viability. For instance, Illinois $5,000 each. Humanities recognized the importance of supporting rural communities which traditionally • Community Resilience grants supported receive fewer philanthropic dollars.29 This humanities-based efforts to make community decision took on additional weight upon experiences during the pandemic visible realization that general CARES funding was and highlight resiliency throughout the state. restricted to municipalities with populations of $90,000 were awarded to 15 organizations more than 500,000.30 in sums of $6,000 each.

An early decision was made to prioritize cultural Illinois Humanities targeted outreach to nonprofit organizations with operating budgets underserved communities both within and of less than $1.5 million and to encourage outside of Cook County. On April 29, 2020, in statewide applications by creating discrete partnership with Illinois Arts Council Agency Emergency Relief Grant portals: one for (IACA), Illinois Humanities co-hosted a virtual organizations based in Cook County (where event for arts and humanities organizations roughly 41% of the state’s population resides) across Illinois to discuss the opportunities and one for organizations based outside of for CARES Act funding.32 Illinois Humanities Cook County. These relief grants served promoted grant opportunities through social as singular opportunities for many organizations media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), who were unable or ineligible to apply for other monthly newsletters, announcements in local source of federal, state or private philanthropic newspapers, and extensive outreach emails support due to size, location, or capacity. to grantee partners, former grantee partners, past program participants, and statewide Illinois Humanities COVID-19 relief funding associations including the Illinois Library opportunities were available in three distinct Association and Illinois Association of Museums. rounds between April 8, 2020 and June 15, 2020.31 Organizations were eligible to apply for more than one grant.

• General Operating Grants provided emergency relief support for humanities- based organizations throughout the state impacted by COVID-19. $495,000 for General Operating Grants was awarded to

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 87 Endnotes 1 Helicon Collaborative, “Creative Placemaking Field Scan #4: Environment and Energy; Far- ther, Faster, Together: How Arts and Culture Can Accelerate Environmental Progress” ArtPlace Amer- ica, (February 2018), https://heliconcollab.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Farther-Faster-Together-1. pdf. 2 Robert Atkins, Sarah Allred and Daniel Hart, “Philanthropy’s Rural Blind Spot,” Stanford Social Innovation Review (Spring 2021), https://ssir.org/articles/entry/philanthropys_rural_blind_spot?utm_ source=Enews&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=SSIR_Now. 3 See AEA Consulting, “Arts Organizations’ Early Response to COVID-19 Uncertainty: Insights from the Field,” Wallace Foundation, (October 2020). https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/Survey-of-arts-leaders-report- from-AEA.pdf; Laurel Blatchford and Nella Young, “Culture and Creativity are Fundamental to Re- silient Communities,” Community Development Innovation Review 14, no. 2 (November 13, 2019), https://www.frbsf.org/community-development/publications/community-development-investment-re- view/2019/november/state-policy-innovations-to-support-creative-placemaking/; Bryan Zarou et al., “COVID-19 in Illinois: Impacts on Nonprofits 2020" Forefront, (January 2021): https://myforefront. org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Nonprofit-Survey-Report-1.8.2021.pdf; LaPlaca Cohen and Slover Linett Audience Research, “Culture & Community in a Time of Crisis: A Special Edition of Culture Track” (Culture Track, July 7, 2020), https://s28475.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CCTC-Key- Findings-from-Wave-1_9.29.pdf; UNESCO and The World Bank, “Culture in City Reconstruction and Recovery,” (Paris: UNESCO, 2018). 4 This report draws frequently on research exploring Arts and Culture organizational impacts. Research about “humanities organizations” is notably absent from the literature base. However, “Arts and Culture”-based research (which, for the purposes of this report, includes arts and cultural production, creative placemaking, research about the impact of COVID-19 on arts and culture organ- ization etc.) consistently includes and integrates humanities organizations and humanities activities (i.e. history museums and historic sites; poetry and literature; dialogues and facilitated conversations; cultural and ethnic awareness, heritage museums; broadcasting, publishing; musical interpretation; post-performance “talk-backs,” etc.). 5 “The Humanities in Our Lives,” American Academy of Arts & Sciences, (November 1, 2018): https://www.amacad.org/publication/humanities-in-our-lives. 6 Luiz Oosterbeek, “Cultural Integrated Landscape Management: A Humanities Perspective,” Arkeos, vol. 43 Maçao: Instituto Terra e Memória, (2017), 17. 7 No Isolation. (2017, April 2018) What is Social Isolation? Retrieved from: www.noisolation.com/ global/research/what-is-social-isolation. 8 Eric Klinenberg, Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (New York, New York: Penguin Random House, 2018), 6. 9 J. Sonke et al., “Creating Healthy Communities through Cross-Sector Collaboration [White paper]” University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine / ArtPlace America, (2019), 11. 10 UNESCO and The World Bank, “Culture in City Reconstruction and Recovery,” (Paris: UNES- CO, 2018), 8. 11 Bureau of Economic Analysis, “2017- Illinois, Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA)” U.S. Department of Commerce, (March 17, 2017): https://apps.bea.gov/data/special-topics/ arts-and-culture/summary-sheets/Arts%20-%20Illinois.pdf.

88 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report 12 Data and Analysis Internal Illinois Humanities data and grantee partner organization data: • “Final report” tables summarizing responses from forms completed by all 177 grantee partners. • Grant application tables including responses from the 576 applications. • Tables compiled from emails and other communications with grantees including organizations’ selection of their categories and confirmation of how their data is represented in this report. External data: • United States Census Bureau: Population data; geographical boundaries for counties, zip codes, and congressional districts; and urban/rural classifications. • Forefront / Candid: Tables and PDF reports pertaining to philanthropy in Illinois. • GuideStar: Nonprofit database information such as year founded. • United Way: ALICE measurement for income and poverty. • Illinois Department of Public Health: COVID-19 data by zip code. 13 Data analysis process. The project team asked grantee partners to provide information about their organizations through applications, surveys, and reports about and how grant funds were used. The team gathered additional contextual data from the external sources listed in the data section. Second, these data were organized and combined in R, a programming language for statistics and data visualization. Third, the team performed a variety of analyses using the data. Analyses were conducted in R. Fourth, organizations and grants were mapped in Esri ArcGIS Pro, a geographic information systems (GIS) software tool. Fifth, results from analyses in R and ArcGIS were combined and visualized using R and the Adobe Creative Suite. This resulted in the maps, charts, and other visualizations in this report. Sixth (and lastly), the team wrote the narrative for this report based on the analysis results and based on many meetings, emails, and phone conversations with grantee partners. 14 Organizations reported these impacts in Sept/Oct 2020. Impacts may have changed as the pandemic continues. 15 See Chapter 2, ‘Under Duress,” 18. 16 Staff attribute the robustness of this diversity of grantee partners to a combination of the du- ress experienced and targeted outreach efforts. 17 All nonprofit organizations have an NTEE code (available through GuideStar and other public- ly-accessible documentation) that categorizes their primary function. 18 “About the National Endowment for the Humanities,” The National Endowment for the Human- ities, accessed 2021: https://www.neh.gov/about. 19 Forefront and Candid, “Giving in Illinois,” 6. According to Forefront, Illinois foundation giving reached a record $5.1 billion in 2017. The top Illinois funding priorities for foundation giving in 2017 were education, health and human services. Cook County garnered the largest share of foundation support. Recipients in Cook County benefited from 78% of grant dollars awarded to recipients in the state and 71% of the number of grants. 20 “American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates,” Census Reporter Profile page for Illinois, The United States Census Bureau, (2019): https://censusreporter.org/profiles/04000US17-illinois/. 21 “Research Center – Illinois,” ALICE Project – Illinois, United Way of Northern New Jersey, last modified 2020: https://www.unitedforalice.org/illinois.

March 2021 Illinois Humanities 89 22 “A Snapshot of Rural Illinois” Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs and Western Illinois University, (2015): http://www.rwhc.com/mediasite/6-App-Chris%20Merrett_Plenary%20am.pdf. 23 United Way, “Research Center – Illinois”; “Cartographic Boundary Files - Shapefile 2018,” The United States Census Bureau, accessed 2021: https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/ time-series/geo/carto-boundary-file.html. Alice is a poverty definition that means “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.” This definition was created by the United Way to help “define and understand the struggles of households that earn above the Federal Poverty Level but not enough to afford a bare-bones household budget.” United Way 2020; United States Census Bureau 2018. 24 Joe Maher, Jenny Whidden, Stacy St. Clair, Alice Yin, Robert McCoppin, Leslie Bonilla, and John Keilman, “Stark divide in Illinois COVID-19 vaccinations by race, ethnicity and age, new data shows,” Chicago Tribune, February 12, 2021. 25 Ibid, p 27. 26 Jackson, S. Magsamen, V. Rubin, K. Sams, and S. Springs. Rep. Creating Healthy Communities through Cross-Sector Collaboration [White paper]. University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine / ArtPlace America, 2019, 26. 27 Philanthropy’s Rural Blind Spot. https://ssir.org/articles/entry/philanthropys_rural_blind_ spot?utm_source=Enews&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=SSIR_Now 28 Jackson, S. Magsamen, V. Rubin, K. Sams, and S. Springs. Rep. Creating Healthy Communities through Cross-Sector Collaboration [White paper]. University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine / ArtPlace America, 2019, 9. 29 Forefront and Candid, “Giving in Illinois 2019” (Candid, 2019), https://doi.org/10.15868/social- sector.35783. 30 “The CARES Act Provides Assistance for State, Local, and Tribal Governments,” U.S. Depart- ment of the Treasury, last modified December 27, 2020: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/ cares/state-and-local-governments. 31 See Directory for grantee partners by grant type. 32 CARES Act Funding: A Community Conversation. Cohosted by the Illinois Arts Council Agen- cy & Illinois Humanities. (April 29, 2020): https://illinois.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/illinois/ recording/play/27c80c2a3966458da73f17a6d4256856.

Photo credits Cover: Top left: ©Still from Carbondale Community Arts; Top middle: ©Effingham Public Library; Top right: ©Carbondale Community Arts; Bottom: ©The HUB – Arts and Cultural Center’s Rural Mural Page 9: ©South Side Weekly Page 12 & 13: ©Full Spectrum Features Page 17: ©Sixty Inches From Center Page 18 & 19: ©The HUB – Arts and Cultural Center’s Rural Mural Page 21: Top left: ©Western Illinois Museum, Top right: ©contratiempo; Middle: ©Lithuanian Archives Project; Bottom: ©The HUB - Arts and Cultural Center Page 22: ©African American Museum of Southern Illinois Page 24: ©Still from Repertorio Latino’s “La Cena,” part of the film project “Sin Mascaras”

90 Illinois Humanities ilhumanities.org/covid19report Page 26: ©Honey Pot Performance – photo of Ayana Contreras Page 27: Left: ©Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods; Right: ©Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods Page 28: Top left: ©contratiempo; Top right: ©Mexican Cultural Center DuPage; Middle: ©contratiempo; Bottom: ©6018 North – photo by Gloria Araya Page 30: Top: ©Changing Worlds; Middle and bottom: ©Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods Page 30 and 31: ©Still from Carbondale Community Arts Page 31: ©Carbondale Community Arts Page 32: ©Galena Center for the Arts – photo of L.A. Suess Page 33: ©Effingham Public Library – portraits by Tytia Habing Page 34: ©Sixty Inches From Center Page 35: Top: ©Springfield Theater Center; Bottom: ©Media Burn Archive, from the National Public Housing Museum Page 47: ©Sixty Inches From Center Page 48 & 49: Top: ©African American Museum of Southern Illinois; Bottom left: ©Carbondale Com- munity Arts; Bottom right: ©Atlanta Public Library District Page 50: ©Atlanta Public Library District Page 51: Top: ©Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods; Bottom: ©BECOME: Center for Community Engagement and Social Change Page 52: ©Carbondale Community Arts Page 53: Left: ©Changing Worlds; Right: ©The Chicago Cultural Alliance Page 54: ©Collaboraction Theatre Company Page 54 & 55: ©Collaboraction Theatre Company Page 55: ©ConTextos Page 56: ©Effingham Public Library Page 56 & 57: ©Galena Center for the Arts Page 57: ©Full Spectrum Features Page 58: ©Kuumba Lynx Page 59: Top: ©South Side Weekly; Middle: ©Savanna Historical Society; Page 60 & 61: ©Chicago Public Art Group Page 66: Top left: ©Effingham Public Library; Top middle: ©Savanna Museum & Cultural Center; Top right: ©Honey Pot Performance; Bottom: ©African American Museum of Southern Illinois

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March 2021 Illinois Humanities 93 On Wisdom and Vision: Humanities Organizations in Illinois during COVID-19

125 S Clark St #650 Chicago, Illinois 60603 ilhumanities.org/covid19report