Meet the New NEA and NEH Nominees!

“What a great day for the humanities and the arts! Both nominees are giants in their fields, and both have stellar leadership credentials. As the first Indigenous chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Shelly Lowe (Diné) will bring a grand and much needed insight and perspective to this role. Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, the first African American and Mexican American, brings a skill set and understanding of the arts, especially in urban communities, that will take NEA to new heights. Having both NEH and NEA Chair nominees coming from Arizona is inspiring for all of us here!” - Dr. James Blasingame, Board Chair, Arizona Humanities. 

"It is testimony to the unique richness of the arts and humanities in Arizona that two distinguished women have been selected as finalists for Chair of the National Endowment of the Arts. Their success reflects what is so exciting about our state’s leading role as an incubator of exciting and important work, and they would lead the NEA in creative new directions." - Dr. Chris Boyer, Dean of College of Arts and Letters at Northern Arizona University

“The arts and humanities are essential to the imagining of a more just world, and our best future opens when we center traditions, possibilities, and voices that too often have not been centered. One of the reasons that I love being in Arizona is that the arts and humanities communities here have long been hard at work at bringing that future into being. It is wonderful to see the Biden administration realizing that through these two transformative leadership appointments. Shelly Lowe and Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson are going to change the world!” - Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, Dean of Humanities, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University.

“Welcome aboard!” - Brenda Thomson, Executive Director, Arizona Humanities.

Bridging Law and Our Natural Resources, Yesterday and Today with Dr. Michael Brescia

Water is one of the most valuable and contested natural resources in the American West. Communities have been fighting for access to scarce water sources for quite some time. How are water rights determined in areas that were once part of Spain and Mexico? Why are these old laws, customs, and usages still in effect and still practiced throughout the Southwest? Disputes over natural resources require navigating both thorny historical and legal issues. Spanish colonialism and U.S. expansionism have played defining roles in shaping debates over access and control of natural resources, from water to land to minerals. Join us as historian Dr. Michael Brescia unpacks the complex historical and contemporary issues regarding water rights and policy with multiple historical threads. This program is hosted by Arizona Humanities and is part of the Climate Conversations series.

Unpacking Critical Race Theory with Dr. Rashad Shabazz

The media and the public are abuzz on the topic of critical race theory (CRT). But why now? The concept known as critical race theory has been around for decades. Critics argue that CRT fosters divisions among groups of people. Proponents assert that CRT addresses racial inequalities. What exactly is critical race theory? How did this academic theory born in the 1970s become so widely known today? How does a critical race theory lens impact the way people learn and understand culture and history? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Rashad Shabazz as he unpacks terms, dispels misconceptions, and explains the origins and evolution of critical race theory.  

About the speaker:

Rashad Shabazz is Associate Professor in the School of Social Transformation and the School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning at Arizona State University. His teaching and research include race relations, social justice movements, and the relationship of race and place. He is the expert on how race, sexuality, and gender are informed by geography. With an interdisciplinary approach, his academic work brings together human geography, Black cultural studies, gender studies, and critical prison studies. Dr. Shabazz’s most recent book publication, Spatializing Blackness (2015), examines the impact of carceral power on the geographies of African Americans in Chicago’s South Side.

Asian Americans: A History of Identity, Contributions & Challenges

Filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña’s award-winning PBS docuseries Asian Americans is the most ambitious chronicle of the Asian American story in the United States. Told through individual lives and personal histories, Asian Americans explores the impact of this group on the country’s past, present, and future. The series traces the significant role of Asian Americans in shaping American history and identity, from the first wave of Asian immigrants in the 1850s to the social and cultural turmoil of the twentieth century to modern refugee crises in a globally connected world. Tajima-Peña will share the details of her journey crafting this groundbreaking series.

This program is in partnership with The University of Arizona, College of Humanities, as part of the 2021 Tucson Humanities Festival. Learn more the festival here.

Apply Today!

Project Grants are competitive grants supporting public programming using the humanities to provide context, depth, and perspective to the Arizona experience and explore issues of significance to Arizonans. Organizations may request up to $10,000 to support their program implementation. Project Grants are awarded twice yearly and there is no annual budget limit for applicants. For more information please see the Arizona Humanities Grant Guidelines.

Joshua Sellers

Bring civic education programs to your community with Joshua Sellers, Associate Professor of Law at Arizona State University.

The Supreme Court and its Role in American Politics 

Many of our nation’s most contentious disputes occur in federal courts, with the Supreme Court occupying a preeminent role in deciding winners and losers. Why is the Court so powerful? Should it be reformed? And what are the most controversial issues it is considering at present?  

Nanibaa Beck

Learn about the history and leading women behind Native art with Nanibaa Beck, Diné (Navajo) jeweler, metalsmith, and educator.

Metalsmith Matriarchs: Makers, Memory, and Reciprocity

Explore the ways Native women metal smiths integrate indigenous knowledge, practice, and tradition into their craft. Focusing on several metal smiths of different styles and places, this program will demonstrate the connection of Native artists to Arizona and beyond as a place and identity

Attend Virtual AZ Humanities Programs

AZ Speaks are 60-minute presentations hosted by non-profits, libraries, educational institutions, and governmental and tribal entities to engage the public in humanities-based topics. FRANK Talks, which are now offered both virtually and in-person, span 60-minutes and are highly interactive. The purpose is to connect people to one another to discuss current events. Click the links below to learn more about the events.

On the Road Since 1925: The Colorful History of Arizona Highways Magazine October 6 at 6 PM MST | Co-Hosted by Phoenix Public Library

Listening Through the Fear: Understanding Extremism in America October 13 at 6 PM MST | Co-Hosted by Phoenix Public Library

For the Love of Turquoise October 14 at 11 AM MST | Co-Hosted by Desert Caballeros Western Museum

Understanding and Learning to Talk about Systemic Racism October 21 at 3 PM MST | Co-Hosted by Maricopa County Library District-Southeast Regional Branch

Dog Whistle Language in the Media: How Can We Hear It? October 25 at 6 PM MST | Co-Hosted by Glendale Public Library

Are you a non-profit, library, educational institution or governmental and tribal entity interested in hosting a program?

Visit our website to learn more about our exciting new list of topics. We can help you cross-market these programs to the public. 

To schedule a program or to learn more, contact Julianne Cheng at jcheng@azhumanities.org or call (602) 257-0335 x26.

Hacks for Humanity

October 8-10, 2021 

The 8th Annual Hacks for Humanity: Hacking for the Social Good is only a week away. This year teams of all ages from all over the globe will be competing for over $10,000 in prizes to create technology that will serve humanity in the areas of sports, healthcare and water. Join us as a participant or sign up to mentor teams today!

Learn more here.

Sky Islands Fall Artisan Market

October 9-10, 2021 

The event will focus on tourism to the Sky Islands region and introduce programming to support the small businesses, wineries, and regional experiences that only Patagonia, Sonoita & Elgin can offer. The weekend will feature the main event located at Patagonia Town Park, featuring up to 100 artisans, food vendors, and exhibitors, live music, entertainment, and picnic fun. Additional programming is designed to support businesses throughout the weekend. We encourage the community to visit the artisan market and take part in visiting local wineries, shops, outdoor spaces, and restaurants. Learn more here.

Beyond Books: "The Stuff" of Racial Representation (Interactive Exhibition)

October 20 at 2:00 PM MST 

Racist Americana — objects ranging from dolls to greeting cards to home decor — document the lived experiences of Black Americans and societal perspectives on race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, religion, and body size. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Neal Lester, ASU Foundation Professor of English and Founding Director of Project Humanities, has curated a personal collection of over 1000 diverse items. Through the lens of Dr. Lester’s “colored museum,” participants will reflect on how people experience “difference” and social justice through things and “stuff.” Learn more here.

American Chameleon: Wyatt Earp’s Life of Reinvention

October 21 at 6:00 PM MST 

Americans, most who know Wyatt Earp through film, think of him as a lawman so committed to justice that, in Arizona in the 1880s, he did not flinch from vigilante killings when the legal system was too weak to bring murderers to justice. That image is exactly the one that Earp wanted people to have of him. He spent the last decades of his life dictating memoirs in which he edited out his missteps and embarrassments (which included multiple arrests, stints in jail, and a long career as a professional gambler) and appropriated the deeds of others as his own. He presented himself as thoroughly committed to the law and tried repeatedly to sell this version of his life story to Hollywood. Reinventing his past was something with which Earp was familiar: he had been dissembling about himself since early adulthood. Earp told a story of his life in which his vigilantism was consistent with his alleged commitment to justice; in other words, he told a story of justice redeemed by violence. But Earp’s real story, embodied in the many films made after his death, is about the redemptive power of the media. Learn more here.

ARIZONA COVID-19 STORY COLLECTION EVENT (FLAGSTAFF)

October 23 at 11:00 AM MST 

Help preserve history today! Share your stories, photographs, or other digital media about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your life. Learn how your digital submission can become part of a unique Arizona archive to help future Arizonans learn about this historic moment.

Learn more here.

Vital Voices: What Children's Stories Taught Me about Humanity

October 27 at 6:00 PM MST 

Representation and narratives matter in children's stories. At the same age that children learn to read (between ages 4-6), studies show they also begin to form their own conceptions of right from wrong and even begin to associate difference with stereotypes and social status. How can adults cherish traditions and memories of children's stories and while still holding themselves accountable to instill values of social justice and humanity in children? Join this conversation about compassion, empathy, integrity, respect, and self-reflection in children's stories. Learn more here.

America’s Cultural Agencies Celebrate 35th Anniversary of Arts and Humanities Month 2021

In celebration of the vital roles that arts and humanities play in American society, the nation’s cultural agencies—the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)—have joined together to celebrate the 35th anniversary of National Arts and Humanities Month in October. Learn more here.

Anonymous

Connie Biebrich

James Blasingame*

Carol & John Clemency

Julie Codell*

Norma Jean Coulter

Gloria Cuadraz

Alain-Philippe Durand*

Brandon Ito

Karl Kendall*

Andrew Krahe

Ken & JJ Lamb

Lupe Trujillo Marin and Eulalia Renteria Marin

Joel Martin

Francisca Montoya

Lynette & Paul Murphy

James O'Donnell

Eshé Pickett*

Almira Poudrier*

Brenda Ringwald

Becky Sayler

Melissa & Brian Shackelford

Sue Spahle

Brenda Thomson

Crys Waddell*

Paul Wheeler

Juliana Yoder

American Online Giving Foundation, Inc.

2021 Awards Sponsors

ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities Division

Compass CBS Foundation

Helios Foundation

The University of Arizona, College of Humanities