Michigan Humanities ~ Michigan Stories
Executive Update
Greetings!

We are delighted to announce that the state of Michigan is the 2021 site of the National Humanities Conference. This is a great honor for our state, and will be an excellent opportunity to showcase the humanities work being done here, as well as the rebirth of Detroit. We are engaged with the Federation of State Humanities Councils to plan the events surrounding the conference, and will be adding on additional opportunities for the conference attendees to visit other locations in Michigan. The announcement can be found here .
 
Our Board of Directors meets this week to finalize our strategic plan at a retreat in Kalamazoo. The discussion includes a detailed report on program recommendations developed by staff members based on site visits, a survey, program evaluations, historical context, and the five year assessment conducted by the National Endowment for the Humanities. We plan to release exciting future plans in October.
 
We hope that you enjoy this last month of Michigan’s beautiful summer. Staff members have traveled across Michigan seeing the incredible work of our valued partners and grantees, from the far reaches of the Upper Peninsula to the southern regions, including small towns and larger city projects. Thank you for making humanities come alive for all Michigan’s people.


Shelly Kasprzycki
President and CEO
NEH logo horizontal
Update from Washington D.C.

Michigan Humanities is supported by your donations, corporate support, grants, and funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the Federal/State Partnership. Each year, the Senate and Congress vote to fund the NEH and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This summer, for the first time in many years, both the House and the Senate have passed the FY 2019 Interior Appropriations bill before August recess. This is the bill that includes funding for the NEH and NEA.

We are thankful to our representatives in both the House and the Senate from Michigan, with 80% voting to support funding. We appreciate their confidence and support that our funding is used to make Michigan a better place to work and live.

A House/Senate conference must take place before the bill can be finalized, but no further action will take place until September. If you see our representatives during their end of summer recess, please thank them for supporting the NEH/NEA funding, and in turn, supporting Michigan Humanities. Your input means so much to all of us! Thank you.

If you have any questions, or would like to become involved in our advocacy efforts throughout the year, please contact Carol Taggart , Communications/Development Officer.
Visit Raven Hill Discovery Center in East Jordan to see Water/Ways!

The exhibit will be on display, free and open to the public, at the Raven Hill Discovery Center from August 11 - September 23 2018.  Visit their website for a full list of events.

Visit our website for full tour details and to see when Water/Ways will be in a Michigan community near you. 

To see photos of the Water/Ways exhibit on Beaver Island, visit our website!
Great Michigan Read
There’s still time for you and your community to be part of the 2017-18 Great Michigan Read program with  X: A Novel ! Though our remaining quantity of books is limited, you can still register to be a partner directly on our  Great Michigan Read page .
 
If you are a current Great Michigan Read partner, don’t forget to submit your event details – past and upcoming – on our  website , and to complete your  evaluation forms . Have stories or photos to share from your participation in GMR? Please feel free to send them to program officer Katie Wittenauer !
Fall 2018 Humanities Grants
Deadline August 16, 2018

Do you have a humanities project that you are working on for 2019? Humanities Grants provide up to $15,000 for a variety of humanities programming. Applications are currently being accepted for the Fall 2018 cycle with a deadline of Thursday, August 16, 2018. 

A full description of our grant opportunities is available on the Michigan Humanities website and Program Officer, James Nelson, is available to discuss your project and answer any questions. Email: jnelson@mihumanities.org or phone: (517) 372-7770.
Bring the Smithsonian to your Town!

Michigan Humanities is bringing the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibition Crossroads: Change in Rural America to Michigan in 2019. Crossroads will allow host communities to explore both their history and their future. Grant funds will be available to create local exhibits, programming, and to facilitate community conversations.

Michigan Humanities is looking for six sites to host the exhibition for six weeks in 2019 and 2020. For more information and to apply please visit the Crossroads page of our website . Applications will be accepted through Monday, December 3, 2018. Please contact Program Officer, James Nelson , with any questions. Call: (517) 372-7770.
The 2018-19 Poetry Out Loud program will kick off this fall, and we look forward to welcoming teachers and students from around the state to participate in this national high school recitation contest.
 
We were excited to read  this recent article from PBS NewsHour  about the 28 million American adults reading poetry in 2018 and the many ways that student writers are “pursuing and reading and engaging poetry.” In fact, poetry readership is higher than it has been in 15 years!
 
If your school would like to take part in Michigan’s upcoming Poetry Out Loud activities, registration will be available beginning the week of August 27. Please visit our  Poetry Out Loud page  later this month to find additional information about the 2018-19 program, and contact Katie Wittenauer if you have any questions.
Michigan Humanities is excited to announce the new 2018-2021 Arts and Humanities Touring Directory will be released in late September! The new directory will have a refreshed look and a new list of artists, performers, and presenters! Funding is available for Michigan nonprofit organizations who wish to host performers listed in the Directory. Feel free to contact Program Officer, Jennifer Rupp , if you would like more information!  
Please Support Humanities throughout Michigan!
#HumanitiesMatter   

#SupportNEH

#MIHumanities