Annual Report 2017 2017 Grants Mass Humanities awarded 73 grants totaling $418,618 to 36 towns and cities across the Program Activity Commonwealth. Mass Moments The Mass Moments website received a major upgrade in 2017. After a year of technological tinkering, historical Southeast research, and design development, $3,000 to the Center for Independent Documentary a completely revamped website was in Walpole for the Boston premiere and community unveiled in October. Sleek, modern, and panel discussion of the filmBirth of a Movement: accessible, the new site makes it easy to The Battle over America’s First Blockbuster explore the Commonwealth’s history $15,000 to the Center For Independent through quotes, photographs, and Documentary in Walpole for the creation of a stories highlighting important events. teacher’s guide and three short films that tell Visit massmoments.org. the stories of Native child removal, forced assimilation, and more Open & Honest $3,000 to the Center for Independent A major program that took place in 2017 was Open & Honest, Documentary in Walpole for a screening funded by a special grant from the NEH. It consisted of and discussion of the documentary film The Man in the Cowboy Hat statewide organized readings of civil rights speeches and other short writings followed by open conversation on race, rights and $7,500 to Centro Communitario de the lasting legacy of American slavery. The program culminated Trabajadores in New Bedford for a project in a screening and discussion of The Harvest, a documentary that will create the oral histories of forty Central American immigrant workers film about one Southern town’s experience with public school desegregation and how it compared with Boston’s, at the $7,500 to the Duxbury Rural and Historical Hibernian Hall in Roxbury. Society for transition of the Bradford House Museum to focus on the stories of the The Clemente Course daughters who inhabited the house Socioeconomic circumstances should not stand in the way of an education in the humanities. In 2017 our Clemente Course continued to help ensure that disadvantaged students receive tuition-free, college-accredited instruction. Seventy-two such Abolitionist reenactors and local civil students graduated from our five Clemente Course sites, each rights organizations paired up to read the earning six transferable college credits. abolitionist Independence Day speech by Frederick Douglass in Brockton. Reading Frederick Douglass Twelve events across the state attracted more than 1,700 local residents to Reading Frederick Douglass readings. The famous abolitionist’s words echo across centuries with a message of equality and racial justice. As usual, some readings were complemented by parades, facilitated discussions, Douglass reenactors, songs from church choirs, and musical and dance performances. Family Adventures in Reading (FAIR) FAIR became part of our grants program in 2017. Three FAIR grants were awarded, to Lawrence, Sharon and Plainville, each featuring storytellers delivering scholar-chosen children’s literature to audiences of children and their caretakers. Attendees kept the books they read, which means they continued to build literacy skills even after the FAIR ended. Literature & Medicine Like FAIR, Literature & Medicine became part of our grants program in 2017. Two six-month-long reading and discussion programs were supported, one in Springfield and one in Amherst, offering healthcare professionals the opportunity to reflect on and improve their work. $500 to the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association in Brockton for a public reading and moderated discussion of Douglass’s speech known as “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” $1,300 to the New Bedford Art Museum for a morning-long event with facilitated discussion on the uses of art for com- munication with people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia $3,100 to New Bedford Ballet $3,000 to the Sharon for a facilitated discussion and Public Library for live performance of Esther’s a six-session Family Journey for fifth graders Adventures in Reading series with storyteller $15,000 to the New Bedford Karen Chace Fishing Heritage Center for an exhibit and oral histories $3,500 to Zeiterion Africano Center led a monthly series of humanities discussions and documenting 20th century labor Theatre in New Bedford cultural programs aimed toward, practices and social and labor for a scholar-facilitated dis- and developed with, Waltham’s contract negotiations in the cussion and a live theatrical African immigrant community. local fishing industry production of Lois Lowry’s The Giver to area students $9,115 to New Bedford for Hip less familiar with theatre History NB, a local history and The Irish Language Society conducted an interpretation project that uses Northeast oral history project exploring the importance hip hop to engage area middle of the Irish language among Irish $2,000 to the Amesbury immigrants in the Boston area. school students Carriage Museum for the creation of a catalog of their $6,095 to Lawrence Community $500 to the New Bedford collection of carriages and Works for a youth-led commu- Historical Society for a sleighs facilitated reading of Douglass’s nity development project inves- tigating identities in Lawrence speech, “What to the Slave is $3,280 to the Boott Cotton through research, photography, $3,000 to Brandeis University the Fourth of July?” with Mills Museum in Lowell for and documentation for the facilitation of an art and poet Everett Hoagland the screening of a documentary architectural history program and discussion of the nature $500 to the New Lynn Coalition for residents and staff at retire- $2,150 to the Plainville Public and meaning of immigrant and for the seventh annual com- ment/assisted living facilities Library for a four-session Family refugee resiliency Adventures in Reading series munal reading of “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” $15,000 to The Robbins House in partnership with a local $3,000 to The Community in Concord for the development bookstore Group in Lawrence for a six- of a multimedia, interactive session Family Adventures in Metrowest Boston educational program about $5,000 to the Rotch-Jones-Duff Reading series with storyteller $1,868 to the Bentley College civil rights from slavery to the House & Garden Museum in Nicolette Nordin Heavey Center for Business Ethics for a present day New Bedford to do research, three-session migration-themed historic documentation, and $500 to The Highlands discussion project for recent $2,000 to the Vine Lake interpretative writing about Coalition in Lynn for a Central American immigrants Preservation Trust in Medfield the house museum and its scholar-led discussion of civil in Waltham for the photographing and inhabitants rights, especially as reflected inventorying of 260 18th in American jazz $15,000 to Brandeis University century gravestones in $850 to Seaport Art Walk in for the creation and presenta- Medfield’s Vine Lake New Bedford for a discussion $5,000 to The House of Seven tion of a web-based exhibition Cemetery program on the history and Gables in Salem for an exhibi- on gender-based segregation in future of sustainable fisheries, tion, lecture series, and series the construction industry questions of ethical respon- of conversations related to the sibility, and the role of art in impact of labor, servitude, and prompting action slavery over four centuries Continued on next page 5 $2,000 to the University of $1,500 to the Greenfield Massachusetts Boston to Historical Society to inventory inventory the papers of Theresa- artifacts from three local India Young, noted fiber artist, businesses and explore educator, community organizer, connections between skilled and activist labor and buying power Pioneer Valley $3,500 to Hatfield Historical $2,810 to Baystate Health Society for research on the Systems in Springfield for a society’s collection of business seven-month, ethics-based records, photos, and artifacts reading-and-discussion group from the local machine shop to for bedside care providers on the understand how it grew theme of patient-centered care and prospered $1,800 to Baystate Health $6,000 to The Literacy Project MASS MoCA developed new public Systems for a six-session reading in Greenfield for memoir-writing humanities programs to complement an and discussion series for health workshops serving low-income exhibition by Taryn Smith, whose art professionals to support the and immigrant residents revolves around Russian culture and Russo-American relations. social and emotional aspects of patient care $15,000 to New England Public Radio for three sessions of a free $3,000 to Blues to Green in after-school program in journal- Huntington for a panel discus- ism, radio/web production, and On Equal Terms, a mixed-media sion on racial justice as it relates storytelling for high school installation previously funded by $2,000 to The History Project to the evolution of American students in Springfield and Mass Humanities, was reimagined in Boston for inventorying, pro- music at the Springfield Jazz Holyoke as a web-based exhibition about cessing, and digitizing the John gender-based segregation in the & Roots Festival construction industry. Quinn AIDS Memorial Books $7,500 to the Town of $1,935 to the Charlemont Williamsburg for the creation of $7,500 to the Irish Language Federated Church for a reading three wayside signs, a brochure, Society of Boston for an oral of Frederick Douglass’s speech, and a digital “story map” of the