2020 ANNUAL REPORT
HUMANITIES BY AND FOR ALL RHODE ISLANDERS 103,025
People reached in Rhode Island, across the country, and around the world through virtual and in-person events and projects. Community Engagement Across Rhode Island Major and Mini Grant Awards CARES Act Grant Awards
Council and Partnership Initiatives 1,617 Followers (^ 35%) 2,883 Followers (^ 5%) 3,363 Followers (^ 3%) Engage with the Council on social media @rihumanities or sign up for our mailing list at rihumanities.org. We can’t wait to connect with you!
FY20 Expenses
76%
FY20 Revenue
47% Grantmaking
74% NEH
29% Programs
16% Foundation Grants
14% Fundraising
10% Gifts, Sponsorships & Program Income
10% Management
of spending directly supported grants and programs in 2020
In response to the needs of Rhode Island’s humanities community during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council put 47% of our budget into direct grants in 2020. Diverse sources of public and private funding ensure our ability to adapt and to develop partnerships that reach more people, provide resources for educators, and enhance the cultural ecosystem.
MOBILIZING THE HUMANITIES TO MEET THE MOMENT Diverse partnerships and initiatives enhanced the Council’s commitment to strengthening civil society through the humanities —rooted in the belief that engaging with history and culture is not just about reflection and understanding, but about action.
174
GRANTFUNDED EVENTS & PROJECTS
Culture is Key
Strengthening Rhode Island’s Civic Health through Cultural Participation Culture is Key seeks to understand, test, and evaluate the role of cultural participation on our state's civic health. The Council’s Culture is Key Fellow is working with an Advisory Committee to research cultural participation and civic health in Rhode Island. Pilot projects are underway led by teams from Pushed Learning and Media, the Providence Public Library, the Wilbury Theatre Group, newportFILM, and the Tomaquag Museum in partnership with local journalists and media producers. Funders: The Rhode Island Foundation, the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
RI Expansion Arts Program
Rhode Island’s Diversity is a Civic Strength
This program offers funding and organizational assistance to community-based diverse cultural organizations. The Expansion Arts cohort for 2019-2021 are: ECOArts USA; Korean American Association of Rhode Island; Langston Hughes Community Poetry Reading Committee; and Sankofa Community Connection. In response to the 2020 global pandemic, RIEAP distributed $42,000 through 28 relief grants to organizations, helping them pivot programming to sustain their service to their communities in safe and effective ways. Partners: The Rhode Island Foundation and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
Rhode Tour
Compelling Stories that Connect Civic Engagement Now to the Richness of the Past
40,000 USERS
With 40,000 users in 2020, Rhode Tour’s 32 digital tours are available as an app and website offering a unique view into Rhode Island history as it informs civic life, cultural participation, and placemaking. New tours include: Pond Street: A Lost Neighborhood, Namesakes and Gravesites at North Burial Ground, and “Places Please!”: Performing Arts History, Downtown Providence from 1870-2020. Learn more at: rhodetour.org. Partners: Brown University’s Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage and the Rhode Island Historical Society
XIX: Shall Not Be Denied XIX: Shall Not Be Denied is an ongoing collaborative partnership to amplify events and programs across the state organized by cultural institutions, civic organizations, and community members commemorating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women’s right to vote. Guided by core values of accessibility, relevance, inclusivity, empowerment, and diversity, the initiative supported over 30 events and programs both in-person and online. More at: shallnotbedenied.org. Partner: Rhode Island Department of State
$545k IN GRANTS AWARDED
3,000
READERS OF “HUMANITIES IN CONTEXT”
“
The COVID-19 Pandemic is a wake up call that turned on a switch in me to immediately reflect and document my forty-five year history in Rhode Island’s arts and humanities community. Through this project, I faced my mortality, my creative legacy and organizational collaborations by documenting my journey using photographs, articles and reviews from 1973 to 2020.” rose weaver,
Actor, Singer, Writer, and Scholar CARES Act project grant
recipient: Don’t Take the Memories with You
2020 GRANT RECIPIENTS The Council awarded 94 grants in 2020 in support of public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement. Throughout the year, grantees adapted their projects to keep their communities safe, reflecting the creativity and resilience of the humanities sector. PUBLIC PROJECT GRANTS MAJOR GRANT AWARDS CHARETTE CHARTER SCHOOL, $11,730 to Civic Engagement at Charette High School INTERNATIONAL TENNIS HALL OF FAME, $12,000 to In Your Court: Black Tennis and Social Justice Then and Now LITTLE COMPTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY, $12,000 to Little Compton Women’s History Project MANTON AVENUE PROJECT, $12,000 to The Manton Avenue Project’s Audio Plays — Podcast and Walking Tour newportFILM, $12,000 to newportFILM Outdoors Engage Program PRESERVE RHODE ISLAND / DOORS OPEN RI, $12,000 to Doors Open Providence 2020 Festival Programming PUSHED LEARNING AND MEDIA, $12,000 to Curriculum Development and Long-Term Planning in PPSD Amidst RI State Takeover RHODE ISLAND URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE, $5,000 to Centering Equity and Access in Urban Debate SCHOOL ONE, $9,200 to Write Rhode Island (2020) SOUTH COUNTY HISTORY CENTER, $3,900 to A New Perspective on New Deal Mural “Economic Activities of the Narragansett Planters”
STAGES OF FREEDOM, $8,257 to A Mighty Roar: Frederick Douglass and the Quest for Black Citizenship in Rhode Island TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY, $4,743 to Context and Conversation MINI GRANT AWARDS FIRSTWORKS, $2,000 to Cartography: Modern Migration and Globalization in the COVID-19 Era MOUNT HOPE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, $2,000 to Sowams Heritage Day Event Support MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND PLANETARIUM, $2,000 to Maribelle Cormack: Connecting the Museum’s Past to the Present NEWPORT ART HOUSE / NEWPORT COUNTY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, $1,950 to Future: A Visualization NEWPORT RESTORATION FOUNDATION, $2,000 to Colonial Conversations: Why Did Newport Furniture Matter in the Past, and Why Does It Matter Today? PONAGANSETT HIGH SCHOOL, $2,000 to Black History 101: An Inclusion Project PROVIDENCE COMMUNITY LIBRARY, $2,000 to Power, Privilege & Social Justice: The History of African American Civil Rights in Providence PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY, $2,000 to Queer Stories Project RHODE ISLAND LATINO ARTS, $2,000 to How the Colombian Community Saved the Textile Mills in Central Falls
DOCUMENTARY FILM GRANTS MAJOR GRANT AWARDS AFRICAN ALLIANCE OF RHODE ISLAND, $10,000 to The Seed Keepers: Sustaining Ethnic Food Traditions in a New Land
CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY, $12,000 to Blood and Watershed (2020) RHODE ISLAND BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY, $3,170 to Documentary: Legacies of Slavery and Freedom: “A Family Journey through the Atlantic World” MINI GRANT AWARDS DOCUMENTARY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES, $2,000 to Untitled RI VOTES 2020 Documentary Film
INDIVIDUAL RESEARCHERS CAROL GREEN, $2,000 to Branches of History: Native Plants as Teaching Tools for Civic Engagement WINIFRED LAMBRECHT, $1,922 to A History of Lincoln Woods MATTHEW LAWRENCE, $2,000 to Scandalous Conduct / Newport 1919 SETH TOURJEE, $2,000 to Legacy
785 RS E VI WE
CELEBRATION OF THE HUMANITIES This annual event recognizes lifetime and creative achievement, innovation, and scholarship by extraordinary leaders, while raising vital funds for the Council’s work. In 2020, the Celebration went virtual, bringing together hundreds of supporters from across the state and around the world.
CARES ACT GRANTS The Council received additional funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the federal CARES Act to distribute to humanities organizations impacted by the pandemic throughout the state. OPERATING SUPPORT RELIEF GRANTS 49 AWARDS TOTALING $345,646 Ashaway Free Library Aurea Blackstone Valley Historical Society The Cocumscussoc Association Davisville Free Library Dirt Palace Public Projects The Empowerment Factory Everett Company, Stage & School FirstWorks Frequency Writers Friends of Hearthside, Inc. Generation Citizen India Association of Rhode Island International Tennis Hall of Fame Langworthy Public Library Lippitt House Museum / Preserve RI Museum of Work & Culture / Rhode Island Historical Society New Urban Arts
DR. JOYCE L. STEVOS Honorary Chairs’ Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities MARY BETH MEEHAN
Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities
THE PROVIDENCE CLEMENTE VETERANS’ INITIATIVE Innovation in the Humanities Award JANAYA KIZZIE Public Humanities Scholar Award Learn more about all 49 past honorees and don’t miss the video! rihumanities.org/get-involved/ celebrate
Newport Art Museum newportFILM Newport Restoration Foundation Norman Bird Sanctuary North Kingstown Free Library Oasis International Old Slater Mill Association Portsmouth Free Public Library Association The Preservation Society of Newport County Providence Athenaeum Providence Children’s Film Festival Providence Children’s Museum Providence Preservation Society Providence Public Library Rhode Island Black Heritage Society Rhode Island Center for the Book Rhode Island Computer Museum Rhode Island Kung Fu & Lion Dance Club Rhode Island Latino Arts RISD Museum South County History Center South County Museum Southside Cultural Center of Rhode Island Stages of Freedom Teatro ECAS Tomaquag Museum Warwick Center for the Arts WaterFire Providence Western Rhode Island Civic Historical Society What Cheer Writers Club The Wilbury Theatre Group
HUMANITIES IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL DISTANCING PROJECT GRANTS 16 AWARDS TOTALING $32,000 BARRINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY CORPORATION, $2,000 to Rhody Radio: RI Library Radio Online BLOCK ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, $2,000 to Block Island: Virtual Visits to its History BRISTOL HISTORICAL & PRESERVATION SOCIETY, $2,000 to Lost Main Street in the Age of COVID-19
COGGESHALL FARM MUSEUM, $2,000 to Digital Civics/History Program for Grade 5 Students GEORGE HAIL FREE LIBRARY, $2,000 to LUMINOUS COASTS: The Life and Works of Henry N. Cady (1849-1935) KINGSTON CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL, $2,000 to Kingston Chamber Music 2020 Online Festival PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY, $2,000 to RICovid Archive.org Project Coordinator for Latinx/Spanish-Language Outreach & Promotion SOUTH COUNTY MUSEUM, $2,000 to Virtual Campus Social Studies Learning Tools STAGES OF FREEDOM, $2,000 to Engaging the Black Community in the Age of COVID-19 TEATRO ECAS, $2,000 to Disproportionate Impact WATERFIRE PROVIDENCE, $2,000 to Decameron, Providence: Sharing New Stories for a New Era INDIVIDUAL SCHOLARS & MEDIA MAKERS ASH ADAM, $2,000 to Project Saudade KELLY ERIKSEN, $2,000 to How You Talk Now: LISA LIMER, $2,000 to Providence Diary DANIEL PHILLIPS, $2,000 to Super 8 Film Festival ROSE WEAVER, $2,000 to Don’t Take the Memories with You: COVID-19 As a Catalyst to Examine My Arts Work in Rhode Island
2020 SUPPORTERS
PHILANTHROPY THAT MOBILIZES THE HUMANITIES We are grateful for the generous support of our donors, funders, and sponsors. Gifts and grants expand the impact of the humanities and build on the core funds that the Council received from the National Endowment for the Humanities— putting the humanities into action in Rhode Island’s communities. Thank you for making this work possible. INDIVIDUALS $100 & over Joan & Richard Abrams* Candy Adriance Dominique Alfandre & Thomas Palmer Nancy Anderson Roberta Andreozzi Anonymous Cherry Arnold Amy Barlow Reenie & Robert Barrow Phoebe Bean Elizabeth Beretta Perik Mitzi Berkelhammer Rebecca Bertrand Christina Bevilacqua Phoebe Blake & Peter McClure Debbie Block & Bill Harley Roger Blumberg & Cristina Mitchell The Jane Garnett & David Booth Charitable Fund Tiffini Bowers Matt Brown & Marisa Angell Brown Winifred Brownell, PhD Thomas & Antonia Bryson Vincent Buonanno Len & Judy Cabral Nancy & Ralf Carriuolo in honor of Maureen Reddy, PhD Alex Chiulli
Kate & Arthur Chute in honor of Margie Edwards Edward & Audrey Clifton The Steven & Linda Cohen Giving Fund Lynne Collinson in memory of Marilyn Meardon Harold J. Cook Melanie & Stephen Coon Elizabeth Crawford Betsy Cronin Denise Dangremond Jaffa & David Davies Carol DeBoer-Langworthy Maria DeCarvalho Betsey Delaney Elizabeth Delude-Dix* James V. Derentis & Brett Smiley Jane A. Desforges Morgan Devlin Diane M. Disney Barnaby Evans Elaine & Barry Fain* Maia Farish Michael Fein & Marjorie Feld Stephanie Fortunato Cheryl Foster Christine Foster Elizabeth Francis Wayne Franklin James Gaffney & Trudy Coxe in honor of Polly Hutcheson Touba Ghadessi
Gayle L. Gifford & Jonathan W. Howard Karen Gray Dennis Hanno Susan & David Hibbitt Kate Hines Bill & Mary Hollinshead Polly Hutcheson & George Rice James Janecek & Carol Terry Barbara Jeffers Polly & Dave Jeffers in honor of Rachael Jeffers Galen A. Johnson, PhD Dan & Kathy Kahn Ellen A. Kellner Daniel Kertzner Kate & Howard Kilguss* Rick & Laura Kowal Saul Krasny Paula M. Krebs & Claire Buck Seth Kurn & Barbara Harris Rasalind E. Ladd, PhD Jane Lancaster, PhD Joanne Leary Francis J. Leazes Jr., PhD Connie Lima Judy Barrett Litoff, PhD Richard A. Lobban & Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban Betsy Marcotte & Lloyd Feinberg Ronald Markoff & Karen Triedman Milly Massey
W. Brett & Johanna McKenzie Miriam McRobb Mary Beth Meehan Gero Meyersiek Mary & Peter Michael in memory of Marilyn Meardon Eugene B. Mihaly E. Pierre Morenon Adrienne Morris & Stewart Martin Douglass & Elizabeth Morse Ken Newman Silaphone Nhongvongsouthy Lynn K. Nicoletta Julie Nora Reverend Clare Novak Ruth Oppenheim in honor of Jean Patiky Ken Orenstein Mary Lee Partington Jean & Mark Patiky John J. Partridge Jim & Cynthia B. Patterson* Caroline Payson Christopher T. H. Pell Deborah Perlman Taylor Polites Doug Popovich Suzette Puski Kurt A. Raaflaub, PhD Scott Raker Sara Rapport Maureen T. Reddy, PhD & Douglas Best Elaine P. Reynolds Chris Rigopulos James P. Riley Jeannette E. Riley & Kathleen M. Torrens Rebecca Riley & David Carden* Margurite Rizzi Tom Roberts in memory of Marilyn Meardon Christine Root Bettina Rounds & Bob Bonadies
Rep. Deborah Ruggiero Paula Sager Cynthia Scheinberg Mary L. Schwartz Rich & Jane Schweinsburg Anne Scurria & Barry Press Peggy & Henry Sharpe, Jr. Deming & Jane Sherman Rebecca A. Silliman, PhD John Simmonds Gretchen Dow Simpson Clay Sink Susan Smulyan Herbert Rakatantsky, MD & Barbara Sokoloff Lane Sparkman Lorén Spears Jonathan & Teresa Stevens Joyce L. Stevos Marjorie Lee Sundlun* Maureen Taylor Jessica Unger Jessica & Aaron Weinstein Fox Wetle, PhD Don & Kitty Wineberg* Patricia A. Woods Connie Worthington & Terry Tullis
Josephine & Harrison M. Wright Joanna Ziegler
ORGANIZATIONS $100 & over ALSD & Co. Balancing Act Bookkeeping Anonymous Brown University Citrin Cooperman Clemente Course in the Humanities Dirt Palace Public Projects in honor of Janaya Kizzie Fiscal Management Associates Hasbro, Inc. Heritage Harbor Foundation India Association of Rhode Island Johnson & Wales University Lippitt House Museum Operation Stand Down Rhode Island
Paolino Properties Pawtucket Credit Union Providence Preservation Society Providence Public Library Rhode Island College & Rhode Island College Foundation Rhode Island PBS Foundation Rhode Island Public Radio Roger Williams University SEI Giving Fund Stages of Freedom Taco/The White Family Foundation* Teatro ECAS The Providence Athenaeum Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts—TAPA University of Massachusetts Dartmouth University of Rhode Island
GRANTS
The Council gratefully acknowledges the major support of: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Federation of State Humanities Councils Herman H. Rose Civic, Cultural and Media Access Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation National Endowment for the Humanities Office of the Secretary of State Rhode Island Foundation For gifts under $100, visit: rihumanities.org Gifts of $1,000 & over Pell Circle Donors *
2020 SUPPORTERS CONTINUED
INDIVIDUALS gifts up to $99 Kristen Adamo Salvatore Agati Alexandra Agati Isaac & Teale Aldrich Kenneth & Diane Alger Melody Lloyd Allen Peter & Susan Allen in memory of Charles Sullivan Kenny Alston Gloria Anderson Anonymous Sister M. Therese Antone Kamila Barzykowski Jonathan Bell & Sarah E. Zurier Judith H. Bell Gene & Kathy Bence Susan Berman Bob Berwick & Sue Kelsey Ed & Mary Bishop Paul & Tina Bobbitt in honor of Valerie Tutson Jennifer Borman Aaron Bowers Alexandra Broches Erica Busillo-Adams Nancy Carignan in honor of Marjory O’Toole Lisa Carnevale Betsy Cazden Susan Chakmakian Judith Tolnick Champa Michael & Jennifer Coye Tonya Crear Lucas Demers Ron & Sally Doire Laura Duclos Shauna Duffy Bob Dufresne & Kathy Riker in memory of Marilyn Meardon Kimberly Dumpson Elizabeth Gale Eaton in honor of Winnie Brownell John Eng-Wong Allan & Ellen Fingeret
Mark Fleisher Ellen Foley Wendy Gabriel Jennifer Gage Denise Garvin Nancy Gaucher-Thomas Risa Gilpin Jodi Glass & Ruth Horton Sarah Gleason Jordan Goffin Daniel S. Harrop III, MD Ruth Harvey Aaron Heinsman Logan Hinderliter Renee Hobbs Memory Holloway Susan Hooker James A. Hopkins Monika Johnson Hostler Jan Howard P. William Hutchinson & Jeri McElroy in honor of Tom Roberts Rachael Jeffers Danielle Kemsley Brian Kenny Kristy Kerin Julia E. Kiechel Amy Kizzie Beverly Klyberg Mary Kollar Dennise Kowalczyk Cat Laine & Peter Haas Matthew Lawrence Julia Lazarus Hon. Thomas Lazieh Kate Lentz Nicholas Trott Long Steve Lubar & Lisa Theorle Treasurer Seth Magaziner Marilyn J. Malina Patrick Malone, PhD Brad Martin Sheilah McGovern William McKenzie Dave & Elizabeth McNab Peter A. Mello Thomas Miller Diane Minasian
Bonnie Mutter in memory of Marilyn Meardon John Nazarian Francis Parra & Gonzalo Cuervo Marguerite Pile Susan Poor in memory of Marilyn Meardon Amelia Prioli Judith Queen Theil Ramsbey Marissa Ranalli Anisa Raoof & Doug Itkin Rebecca Rex Seamus Reynolds David & Jennifer Riedel Timothy Rivinus Micah Rodriguez Karen T. Romer Rekha Rosha Brent Runyon Micah Salkind Victoria Sams Daniel S. Santos Cathy Saunders Josh Short Robert G. & Maureen S. Simoneau Howie Sneider Daniel Snydacker Sylvia Ann Soares Ruben & Victoria Spitz Mary K. Staples Judith Swift Kisa Jo Takesue & Glenn E. Turner Robert Tessier Harle Tinney Jason Tranchida Adrian Moore Trask Rosanne Trissler Valerie Tutson in memory of Marilyn Murphy Meardon Claire Uziel Nondas Hurst Voll David S. Weed Sarah Weed Kate Wells
Sheila L. Whalen & Kurt P. Kriksciun in memory of Marilyn Meardon Ren Whitaker Francis Whitworth Joe Wilson, Jr. Kate Wodehouse Lauren Woo & Jay Anderson
ORGANIZATIONS gifts up to $99 Carrie Chatterson Studio New Urban Arts Providence Community Library RI State Organization Delta Kappa Gamma Epsilon School One
2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
James P. Riley
Julie Nora, PhD, Chair
Cynthia Scheinberg, PhD
Tiffini Bowers, Vice Chair
John Simmonds
Jean Patiky, Secretary
Jonathan Stevens, MCP
Gina McDonald, CPA, Treasurer
Don E. Wineberg
Joan Abrams
HONORARY CHAIRS
Kenny Alston Reenie Barrow C. Alexander Chiulli, Esq. Elaine B. Fain, MD
Rebecca R. Riley
Senator Jack Reed Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Michael R. Fein, PhD
2020 STAFF
Touba Ghadessi, PhD, Immediate Past-Chair
Elizabeth Francis Executive Director
Froma Harrop
Rachael Jeffers Associate Director of Engagement
Kenneth C. Newman
IMAGES & CREDITS
Scott Raker Associate Director of Operations Julia Renaud Associate Director of Grants & Strategic Initiatives
Our thanks to Cat Laine, and all of our grantees who have contributed photographs. Publication design by:
Micah Rodriguez Program Coordinator
“
The Council’s operating support couldn’t have come at a more critical time— helping to support our administrative costs while bolstering our ability to launch weekly virtual programming for the public.” rebecca bertrand,
newportFILM