RICH Celebration of the Humanities 2021

CELEBRATION OF THE HUMANITIES OCTOBER 7, 2021

WELCOME TO THE 2021 CELEBRATION OF THE HUMANITIES!

Thank you for joining us this year for the Humanities Council’s second virtual Celebration of the Humanities! While we had hoped to gather together in person, we are proud to host this digital format, which allows us to include a deeper look into the work of this year’s remarkable honorees.

We recognize the difficulties as well as the possibilities opened by this challenging time. The Humanities Council is committed to the process of rebuilding and reimagining new ways of being in community with one another. The humanities are uniquely suited for this process as we seek to better understand and empathize with others.

This digital program book includes multimedia elements and new ways for you to engage with the Council now and in the future. Enjoy! I hope you find the possibilities for interaction and creativity within these pages inspiring.

Thank you for celebrating these leaders, and for your support of the Council’s work to catalyze the humanities in the service of the common good.

Warm wishes,

Elizabeth Francis, PhD Executive Director

Engage with us on social media! @rihumanities #2021Humanities

VIRTUAL PROGRAM

WELCOME CONGRATULATIONS from Rhode Island's Congressional Delegation

RUN TIME

6:00 - 7:15 PM ELIZABETH FRANCIS, PHD Executive Director

Senator Jack Reed Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Representative Jim Langevin Representative David Cicilline Public Humanities Scholar Award BECCI DAVIS Innovation in the Humanities Award

INTERVIEWS WITH HONOREES

RHODE ISLAND COVID-19 ARCHIVE Providence Public Library & Rhode Island Historical Society Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities MIXED MAGIC THEATRE Honorary Chairs’ Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities ONÉSIMO T. ALMEIDA, PHD

HUMANITIES ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITH HONOREES

CLOSING REMARKS

moderated by actor, educator, and advocate

Joe Wilson, Jr.

2019 Recipient of the Public Humanities Scholar Award ELIZABETH FRANCIS, PHD Executive Director

REMEMBERING BRILLIANT LIVES

Roger Mandle (1941 - 2020)

Art Historian, Curator, and Former President of the Rhode Island School of Design 2015 Honorary Chairs’ Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities

For more about Roger, click here

Marilyn Meardon (1930 - 2020)

Actor, Storyteller, and Independent Historian 2004 Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities

For more about Marilyn, click here

REMEMBERING BRILLIANT LIVES

George Wein (1926 - 2021)

Co-founder of the Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festivals 2013 Honorary Chairs’ Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities SELECTED PRESS

New York Times George Wein, Newport Jazz Festival Trailblazer, Is Dead at 95 National Public Radio George Wein, Music Festival Pioneer, Dies At 95 BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTO | George Wein behind the Fort Stage at the Newport Jazz Festival.

Shot on Friday, August 1, 2014. "George Wein" by weeklydig is licensed with CC BY 2.0. View a copy of this license.

HONOREES

Honorary Chairs' Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities

ONÉSIMO T. ALMEIDA, PHD Scholar, Educator, and Civic Leader

The Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates career achievements that demonstrate humanities excellence, reflect the Council’s mission and core values, and enrich public life in Rhode Island.

The 2021 Award recognizes Onésimo T. Almeida, PhD, for over four decades of service as an educator, scholar, and civic leader promoting understanding and appreciation of Portuguese culture and heritage.

With a foundation in the humanities from Portuguese Catholic University, University of Lisbon, and Brown University, Almeida continues to connect the Portuguese diaspora and build understanding through conversation and empathy.

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HONOREES

Ricardo Pitts-Wiley

Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities

Bernadet Pitts-Wiley

MIXED MAGIC THEATRE The Tom Roberts Prize celebrates creativity in topics, disciplines, and formats that extend the field of the humanities. The 2021 Prize honors Mixed Magic Theatre (MMT), a Pawtucket-based company that brings diverse stories to the stage with the mission of building more literate and arts-active communities. Founded over 20 years ago by husband and wife Ricardo and Bernadet Pitts-Wiley, and now led by the next

generation—Jonathan Pitts-Wiley and Kim Pitts-Wiley—MMT incorporates new technology and media into their practice and creates a welcoming environment for artists to develop their skills and share them with the world. Born out of the BlackAmerican experience, MMT understands that it is not just in the business of shows, but the lifesaving business too.

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HONOREES

Innovation in the Humanities Award

RHODE ISLAND COVID-19 ARCHIVE Recognizing the innovative implementation of the humanities by an organization or a collaborative partnership between organizations to achieve a specific goal, this year’s Award honors the Rhode Island COVID-19 Archive. The Providence Public Library (PPL) and the Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) created and maintained this crowdsourced, public digital archive to document the lived experience of

all Rhode Islanders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project aims to build an archival resource that helps Rhode Islanders reflect on life during COVID-19 through inclusive storytelling. Learn more and explore the thousands of items submitted to the archive at: ricovidarchive.org.

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HONOREES

Public Humanities Scholar Award

Photo credit: Liam MacCormack

BECCI DAVIS Artist and Scholar

The Scholar Award recognizes outstanding public humanities work in teaching and scholarship that advances the civic and cultural life of Rhode Island. This year’s Award honors Becci Davis, an artist and scholar whose work engages with issues of memory, commemoration, memorialization, and race. Davis’s work speaks to the

African-American experience and the ongoing reality of white supremacy, drawing inspiration from nature, place, and her personal experiences as the descendant of slaves and those who enslaved.

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Seeds, supports, and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders.

As an independent nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Council has provided over $8 million in grants.

Since 1973 the Council’s grants, partnerships, and initiatives have put the humanities into action– connecting history to the present, increasing access to culture, engaging issues that matter, encouraging young people to develop their talents and identities, and ensuring that Rhode Island’s many voices are heard.

Support the Council at: rihumanities.org/get-involved/donate EVENT COMMITTEE Event Co-Chairs: Becca Bertrand Elaine Fain

Joan Abrams Alexandra Agati Diana Champa Alex Chiulli Catherine “CC” Chung Liz Crawford Marcia Sousa Da Ponte Elizabeth Francis Touba Ghadessi Smriti Gupta Rachael Jeffers Sophia Mackenzie Jean Patiky Taylor Polites Maureen Reddy Rebecca Riley Micah Rodriguez Robin Wetherill Jessica Weinstein Joe Wilson, Jr.

These grants support more than 650 organizations throughout Rhode Island, as well as independent researchers, filmmakers, scholars, and oral historians.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Julie Nora, PhD, Chair Tiffini Bowers, Vice Chair Jonathan Stevens, MCP, Secretary Jorge Mejia, Treasurer Joan Abrams Kenny Alston Reenie Barrow

C. Alexander Chiulli, Esq Marcia Sousa Da Ponte Jeannine Dingus-Eason, PhD Elaine B. Fain, MD Michael R. Fein, PhD Kenneth C. Newman Doug Popovich

James P. Riley Jeannette E. Riley, PhD Rebecca R. Riley Cynthia Scheinberg, PhD Don E. Wineberg

Online Auction Highlights Boutique hotel stay in Providence with chef’s dinner Effortlessly elegant and irresistibly cozy, The Dye House Loft in Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood is part luxury suite and part intimate gathering space. The one-night Dye House experience includes dinner prepared by Chef Anthony Giordano, whose distinguished career includes menu and product development for some of the most exciting kitchens in NYC, including The NoMad Hotel.

Stay, relax, and dine in style!

Valued at $1,000; starting bid $500

New York City Holiday Enjoy a two-night stay at the Kips Bay Towers located on the east side of Manhattan. The property, designed by world famous architect I.M. Pei, includes two separate towers separated by a three-acre park. Enjoy panoramic views from the 18th floor. Additional special features include beautifully landscaped gardens, a playground, and basketball court. Use this apartment as your home-away-from-home on your next trip to the Big Apple! The apartment sleeps four; there is one bedroom and a pull-out couch.

Valued at $1,125; starting bid $550

Getaway at Fogland Point in Tiverton Fogland Point is a hidden gem perfect for families, writers, nature enthusiasts, and avid windsurfers. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home is located in a private beach community on the Sakonnet River.There are spectacular panoramic water and marsh views from every window. Get up early to watch the sunrise over Fogland Marsh, write a poem, dig for clams, spend the day windsurfing, or just sit back and relax. End the night with a small fire and s’mores. Enjoy a personalized tour of the Little Compton Historical Society the next day.

Valued at $1,415; starting bid $500

Food Basket with Wine Valued at $150; starting bid $75

OPEN UNTIL 10/14 5:00PM EST

BID ONLINE HERE

Necklace & Earrings Set Valued at $400; starting bid $200

THANK YOU to our Sponsors

CHAMPION ($5,000)

Marjorie Lee Sundlun*

*Member of the Council’s PELL CIRCLE leadership giving society

THANK YOU to our Sponsors VISIONARY ($2,500)

Congratulations Professor Onésimo T. Almeida on receiving the Honorary Chairs' Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities.

Cogut Institute for the Humanities John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities & Cultural Heritage Department of Portuguese & Brazilian Studies Office of Government & Community Relations

CATALYST ($1,000) Joan & Richard Abrams * Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C. Onésimo T. Almeida Cherry Arnold in honor of Randy Byers and his dedication and service to the Little Compton Historical Society Axis Advisors, LLC / AxisActs David Carden & Rebecca Riley * Elaine & Barry Fain * David & Ellen Galkin on behalf of The Ira S. and Anna Galkin Charitable Trust Kate & Howard Kilguss * John & Liz White and Taco/The White Family Foundation * Don & Kitty Wineberg * Connie Worthington & Terry Tullis

*Member of the Council’s PELL CIRCLE leadership giving society

Thanks to our Sponsors!

HUMANIST ($500) Christina Bevilacqua Melanie & Stephen Coon Elizabeth Delude-Dix * Jeannine Dingus-Eason Dirt Palace Public Projects Board and Directors in honor of Becci Davis Elizabeth Francis Paula M. Krebs & Claire Buck Judy Barrett Litoff, PhD Adrienne Morris & Stewart Martin Kenneth Newman Ken Orenstein Jean & Mark Patiky Jim & Cynthia Patterson * Doug Popovich & Bradley Wester Maureen Reddy & Douglas Best Sarah B. Richardson & Craig Richardson * Joyce Stevos in honor of Onésimo T. Almeida, PhD

*Member of the Council’s PELL CIRCLE leadership giving society

PARTNER ($300)

Anonymous Mary-Kim Arnold & Matthew Derby Reenie & Robert Barrow Barton Gilman, LLP Becca Bertrand & Doug Kohler Winifred E. Brownell, PhD in honor of Elizabeth Francis Maia Farish Wayne Franklin Touba Ghadessi & John Richard Harkins Wealth Management Francis J. Leazes Jr. David S. Lux Mary Beth Meehan & Chad Galts

Jorge Mejia newportFILM Julie Nora Taylor M. Polites Preserve Rhode Island / Lippitt House Museum Providence Preservation Society Providence Public Library The Rhode Island Historical Society Jeannette E. Riley & Kathleen M. Torrens Tom Roberts Aaron & Jessica Weinstein

tur l u urC O ich r n #E e r u ult C r u O h c ri n E re # u t l u urC

Grant Impact in 2021 $761,703.50 awarded

to 93 organizations and 3 individuals through 112 grants

121 $188,703

American Rescue Plan-funded relief grants totaling $968,000 made via the Rhode Island Culture, Humanities, and Arts Grants (RI CHARG) program in collaboration with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts to 34 public project, individual research, and documentary film and media in major and mini grants via the Council's standard grantmaking program

support 7 "Why It Matters" grants using the humanities to spark civic engagement while communities facing historic and current barriers to democratic participation; $35,000 toaddressing funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

$10,000

to support 5 CARES Act-funded project grants

MAJOR GRANT AWARDS

PUBLIC PROJECTS

In support of organizations that enrich and enliven the life of our state through public humanities programs that include civic engagement and education components.

“This past year has presented so many obstacles to humanities organizations, to public scholars, and cultural practitioners. Nevertheless, this community has adapted to the pandemic and risen to the challenge to reach people through the humanities, to contend with the past, and to be part of a movement for justice. The humanities are showing the way to a renewed civil society.

This year’s major project grants promise to do this in bold and creative ways."

- Elizabeth Francis, PhD, Executive Director Generation Citizen, $11,707 Generation Citizen DEI Curricular Initiative Little Compton Historical Society, $12,000 Everyone Was A Farmer: Permanent Exhibition Manton Avenue Project, $12,000 MAP Adapts!: Plays by Young People to Create Connection and (Re)Imagine Past, Present, and Future newportFILM, $11,997 newportFILM Virtual Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, $12,000 Providence Clemente Veterans Initiative

South County Museum, $5,000 Ohh!: Oral History Hub Pilot

Teatro ECAS, $7,400 ECAS en Casa

United Theatre, $10,000 The United Theatre Podcast Education Program

What Cheer Writers Club, $9,099 Dear Rhode Island

The Womxn Project Education Fund, $10,800 The Civics Project

MAJOR GRANT AWARDS DOCUMENTARY FILM & MEDIA In support of documentary films and media projects that preserve Rhode Island’s stories and bring its history to life.

Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, $12,000 Slatersville: America’s First Mill Village Frequency Writers, $10,475 How We Remember Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, $11,700 Legacies of Slavery and Freedom: A Family Journey through the Atlantic World Rhode Island Latino Arts, $5,000 Nuestras Raíces/Aquí Me Quedo The Sanctuary Theatre, Inc., $10,500 Project Saudade

Watch the MAJOR GRANT VIDEOS HERE

These federally appropriated cultural assistance funds administered by the Humanities Council and RI State Council on the Arts provide general operating support grants of $8,000 each to 121 culture, humanities, and arts nonprofits:

Academy Players Arts Equity Association of Rhode Island Authors Aurea, Inc. * Bee in Motion Blackstone Valley Historical Society * Bristol Historical & Preservation Society * Bristol Theatre Company Cambodian Society of Rhode Island * Cape Verdean Museum * Capeverdean American Community Development * Chamber Orchestra of Barrington at St. John's, The Choral Collective of Newport County Clouds Hill Victorian House Museum * Cocumscussoc Association * Coggeshall Farm Museum * Colonial Theatre of Rhode Island Common Fence Music Community MusicWorks Community String Project Davisville Free Library * DeBlois Gallery Corporation Dirt Palace Public Projects * DownCity Design East Providence Historical Society * Ensemble Altera Everett * Exchange Street Open Studios Plus FirstWorks * Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative * Foster Preservation Society * Friends of Hearthside, Inc. * Friends of Linden Place * Friends of the Rhody Center, Inc. Gallery Night Providence

small to midsize and/or Black, Indigenous and 95% are People of Color (BIPOC)-centered organizations organizations based outside the city of 65% are Providence

+25% are first-time grantees Generation Citizen * Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum * Hera Educational Foundation, Inc. * Historic Warren Armory * Hmong Rhode Island Association * JDP Theatre Co Johnston Dance and Performing Arts Kingston Chamber Music Festival Langworthy Public Library * Little Compton Historical Society * Mixed Magic Theatre and Cultural Events * Museum Concerts Music on the Hill My HomeCourt Narragansett Bay Chorus Newport Performing Arts Center Newport String Project Notable Works Publication and Distribution Co., Inc. Oasis International * Old Slater Mill Association * Pawtuxet Valley Preservation and Historical Society * Preserve RI - Lippitt House Museum * Providence Biennial for Contemporary Art Providence Children's Film Festival * Providence Children's Museum * Providence CityArts for Youth Providence Improv Guild, Inc Providence Latin American Film Festival * Providence Singers Puerto Rican Institute for Arts & Advocacy * pump house music works Queer.Archive.Work, Inc. Quisqueya in Action * Rhode Island Art Education Association Rhode Island Black Storytellers *

Humanities Council grant recipients noted with *

Rhode Island Bolivian American Association * Rhode Island Brassworks * Rhode Island Center for the Book * Rhode Island Chamber Music Concerts Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra Rhode Island Computer Museum * Rhode Island Gay Men's Chorus Rhode Island Historical Society - Museum of Work and Culture * Rhode Island Irish Famine Memorial Committee, Inc. * Rhode Island Kung Fu & Lion Dance Club * Rhode Island Latino Arts * Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art Rhode Island Music Education Association Rhode Island Slave History Medallions * Rhode Island State House Restoration Committee * Rhode Island Urban Debate League * Rhode Island Watercolor Society Rhode Island Youth Theatre Rhode Island's Ballet Theatre RIOT! Rhode Island RiverzEdge Arts Project * RPM Voices of Rhode Island * South County History Center * South County Museum * Southeast New England Film, Music & Arts Southside Cultural Center * Spectrum Theatre Ensemble Stages of Freedom * Teatro ECAS * The Art Connection-RI The Collaborative The Contemporary Theater Company The CORE Organization The Empowerment Factory * The Manton Avenue Project * The Natasha Love Foundation The Players The State Ballet of RI Tomaquag Museum * Trinity Repertory Company * Varnum Continentals, Inc. * Voices United Warren Preservation Society Inc. * Warwick Center for the Arts * Warwick Symphony Orchestra WaterFire Providence * Westerly Armory Restoration, Inc. * Western Rhode Island Civic Historical Society * What Cheer Writers Club * Wickford Art Association Wilbury Theatre Group *

Impact map showing distribution of RI CHARG funds across Rhode Island.

Click here for more about the historic RI CHARG program.

Humanities Council grant recipients noted with *

Learn more about the Council’s partnerships & initiatives:

RhodeTour.org Digital tours that bring Rhode Island stories to life, connecting civic engagement to stories of the past. Download the app for free or explore online.

35 tours 341 stories 51,000 users Partners: John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University and the Rhode Island Historical Society

Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program Rhode Island’s Diversity Is a Civic Strength This program offers funding and organizational assistance to community-based, culturally diverse cultural organizations.

Awarded the RI Foundation’s Community Leadership Award in 2021 in recognition of the program’s 35-year legacy in communities across the state.

Partners: The Rhode Island Foundation and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts

XIX: Shall Not Be Denied: Why It Matters The "Why It Matters" Initiative was designed to support projects serving RI communities facing historic and current barriers to democratic participation including refugee & immigrant, youth, African American, trans & genderdiverse, and homeless & housing insecure populations. This project was part of the nationwide “Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation" initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Partners: Rhode Island Department of State

Learn more about the Council’s partnerships & initiatives: Five Pilot Projects

"Quarantine Creatives" was a series from The Tomaquag Museum supported in part by the "Culture Is Key" initiative. Click to watch.

Culture Is Key: Strengthening Rhode Island’s Civic Health Culture Is Key seeks to explore and document the role of cultural participation in rebuilding civic life, encouraging communities to learn together about our shared histories and diverse experiences, and to envision a better future.

Culture Is Key is supported by the Rhode Island Foundation, the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in partnership with the Pulitzer Prizes.

Culture Is Key Civic Health Fellow: Julia Lazarus

Pilot Projects: newportFILM, Providence Public Library, Pushed Learning and Media, The Tomaquag Museum, The Wilbury Theatre Group Advisory Committee: Gonzalo A. Cuervo; Stephanie Fortunato; Gayle L. Gifford; Renee Hobbs, EdD; Fran Leazes, MPA, PhD; Torey Malatia; Todd Trebour; Joe Wilson, Jr.; David Yokum Click to watch "Capture the Block" from The Wilbury Theater Group.

131 Washington St., Suite 210 Providence, RI 02903 401-273-2250 rihumanities.org @rihumanities

Make a gift to support the Council’s work, visit: rihumanities.org/get-involved/donate

The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities seeds, supports, and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders. For nearly 50 years, we have cultivated diverse expressions of the public humanities through vital and innovative public programs, research, and media projects that have reached millions of people in Rhode Island and beyond. We are a catalyst for engagement with our state’s remarkable history and culture, and believe in the power of the humanities community to inspire and improve Rhode Island.

The Council was founded in 1973 as an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

A private nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, the Council is supported by federal and private funds