Humanities Now
May 2020
AZ Humanities Happenings
Life Goes On

Spring was gone in the blink of an eye. Summer is just around the bend. We have been so preoccupied of late with world events, that sometimes we forget that life goes on around us every day. Gardens are blooming, bees are buzzing, and birds are chirping before the sun comes up. I was surprised in April to find three mallard ducks on our front porch, two drakes and a hen. How did they end up here? We work in a hundred-year-old Victorian house on the corner of Hance Park in downtown Phoenix. There aren't any ponds or woods nearby, just lots of urban construction. These beautiful ducks sat in the shade, enjoyed the sprinklers, and chased bugs in the grass. They bathed in a little pool of water next to the sidewalk as people passed by. And just when I started to get used to the idea of ducks in the yard, they disappeared. They left behind a gift which made us happy and sad. Two beautiful blue-green eggs in the flower box by our front door.

Brenda Thomson, Executive Director
         The Ducks

In the monsoon rain
The ducks are eating earthworms
And quacking in joy
Asif Andalib

Join us for
AZ Poets Speak: 
A Digital Poetry Event
Wednesday May 13 @ 6:00 pm

CLICK HERE to Register


Hair, eyes, skin, scars: our bodies offer clues to our history, but how others interpret those clues is often out of our control. Join us as we explore the body as history with three phoenix poets. Read more about the poets below.
Raji Ganesan

Raji Ganesan is the daughter of South Indian immigrants, a tenacious sister, and a super fun aunt.  She is  an educator, facilitator, dance & theatre artist, and healing justice worker committed to the lives and well being of young people. Named a 2019 Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leader, she seeks to ensure that schools and organizations serving BIPOC youth center love, justice and community wisdom. She currently supports the Health & Wellness program at Reframe Youth Arts Center -- a youth-run arts center in South Phoenix. You can follow her on Instagram @mostlyraji to keep up with her various adventures in performance, pedagogy, advocacy & good cooking.
Jade Cho

Jade Cho is a writer and educator from Oakland, CA. She is the author of In the Tongue of Ghosts (First Word Press, 2016) and a co-founder of Ghostlines Collective and The Root Slam. Her poems have appeared in BOAAT, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, The Offing, and elsewhere. She holds a BA in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley and is an MFA candidate in poetry at Arizona State University.
Anna Flores

Anna Flores is a writer and actress born in Nogales, Arizona. She is a co-founder of the New Carpa Theater Collective, author of Pocha Theory, and MFA candidate at Arizona State University. Flores is published in numerous journals, magazines, and newspapers. 
Attention Artists, Storytellers, Actors, Musicians and Authors

Arizona Humanities recognizes the growing gaps in educational and creative opportunities for kids. As summer camps, classes, workshops, and programs are cancelled, AH is working to create humanities virtual programs for kids ages 10 and younger. Our priority is to provide interactive outlets/activities for the humanities which include literacy, the arts, culture and so much more.  We are looking to draw on local talent to work with us to develop kid-friendly content. All presenters selected will earn an honorarium for their time and efforts.

Please read the following requirements to determine if your expertise matches our current program needs. If you are eligible and interested please complete the quick survey and upload your resume below  by 5 pm on Friday, May 15. Thank you for your support and interest!

CLICK HERE to apply

  Required Experience: 
  • Teaching and/or working experience with kids ages 10 and younger 
  • Able to adapt area of expertise to kid-friendly content 
  • Comfortable with live instruction
  • Humanities-focused knowledge or expertise 
  • Experience with virtual programming

Eligible Professionals: 

 

Artists: including art instructors, musicians and vocalists, dancers, actors, storytellers, authors, culture bearers, and any humanities-focused creatives.

 

CLICK HERE to apply

More Humanities Programs from our Friends and Affiliates
Arizona Jewish Historical Society: May Happenings

Friday, May 8, 2020 marks a special day.  It is the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, marking the final Allied victory over Nazi Germany.  Although this moment was met with massive celebrations all over the world, it also carried with it an enduring sadness for many Jews and other victims of Nazi oppression.  After years of just trying to survive, they finally came to realize the totality of the horror they had  experienced and the fact that millions of their family members and friends who had been murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators were no longer alive to rejoice.  We hope that everyone will take a brief moment from our own problems today to pause and reflect on this historic occasion, and the immense sacrifices that were required to achieve victory over evil.   
Mid-Century Jewish Life in Phoenix:  An Online Exhibit

CLICK HERE to view exhibit

Arizona Jewish Historical Society proudly presents the Mid-Century Jewish Life in Phoenix Online Exhibition. Step back in time to right after World War II when the Jewish Community in Phoenix started to blossom.

A Boy and His Dog: Making an Emotional Connection to the Holocaust

Friday, May 22 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Free Virtual Seminar

To RSVP please contact Tony Fusco at afusco@azjhs.org

  AZJHS is honored to have workshops and conversations led by Holocaust Survivors, Liberators, World War II Veterans, and many influential individuals with experience and knowledge of the Holocaust. The Speaker for this program is Holocaust Survivor Dr. Charles Krischer, Phd., MD, PE.
Phoenix Center for the Arts Now Offers Virtual Classes

Tired of staying inside all day watching the series you used to like, until around the 97th re-watch? Phoenix Center for the Arts is offering fun and educational online programming that puts the "social" in social distancing. This month's roster includes classes for kids, teens and adults. See below for May upcoming classes.


Sewing Masks and Mask Accessories
Tuesdays & Fridays at 6:00 pm
4-Week Course | Begins May 5
Cost $59 | Ages 16+

 
This four-week class, taught by  Haley Peterson , is a response to our State's overwhelming need for face masks; learn how to sew masks for the needs of local and national hospitals, focusing on two types of masks approved by hospitals here in Arizona.

This class meets twice a week via Zoom. Video demonstrations, sewing patterns and mask drop-off locations will be shared. Classes will be held virtually via Zoom & Google Classroom.

Note: If you would like to donate the masks you make to local hospitals, we have set up a way for you to do so. Help us support local hospital workers!

 
Creative drama with Rising Youth Theater
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 9:00 am
4-Week Course | Begins May 12
Cost $35 | Ages 3 - 5


Join Rising Youth Theatre artists for a creative virtual drama experience every Tuesday/Thursday morning especially designed for young children and their caregivers. Using story drama as a base, we will explore and imagine creative worlds and characters. Class will meet twice per week over a secure Zoom video conference.

Youth Acting with Rising Youth Theater
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 1:30 pm
4-Week Course | Begins May 12
Cost $35 | Ages 6 - 12


Join Rising Youth Theatre artists for an acting skills class for all levels. Learn about creating characters, storytelling, monologue, and scene work. Work together with classmates to create an original performance in the digital realm. Class will meet twice per week over a secure Zoom video conference.

Teen Acting with Rising Youth Theater
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 3:00 pm
4-Week Course | Begins May 12
Cost $59 | Ages 12 - 15


Join Rising Youth Theatre artists in an acting skills class created for teens. Learn Rising Youth Theatre's tools for acting and devising, and create a performance to share with friends and family in the digital realm. Class will meet twice per week over a secure Zoom video conference.
Arizona Historical Society's Ask the Author Goes Digital!

Wed, May 20 @ 6:00 - 7:00 pm
Register HERE

John Wesley Powell once wrote, "You cannot see the Grand Canyon in one view, as if it were a changeless spectacle from which a curtain might be lifted, but to see it you have to toil from month to month through its labyrinths." How do you grasp the entirety of the Grand Canyon? This month, join Matt Toro, director of Maps, Imagery, and Geospatial Services at the Arizona State University Library to discuss the history of mapping the Grand Canyon. Matt will be talking about his article "Rescaling Geography: Grand Canyon Exploratory and Topographic Mapping, 1777 - 1978" from the Winter 2019 Grand Canyon at 100 Issue. 

Don't have a copy of the journal? Read the article fro FREE via Projects MUSE: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/744819
Upcoming Grants and Awards Deadlines
CARES Act Emergency Relief Grants Still Available

Application Deadline Monday, June 1, 2020

CLICK HERE to apply

Arizona Humanities is honored to provide rapid-response funding to non-profit humanities and cultural organizations that are facing financial hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants are funded by the Congressional CARES Act through the National Endowment for the Humanities.
NEH CARES: Cultural Organizations

Application deadline Monday, May 11, 2020

CLICK HERE to apply

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act recognizes that the nonprofit humanities sector is an essential component of America's economic and civic life.  The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has received supplemental funding to provide emergency relief to institutions and organizations working in the humanities that have been affected by the coronavirus.  In keeping with Congress's intent in enacting the CARES Act, proposed short-term projects should emphasize retaining or hiring humanities staff. 
NEH invites applications from eligible organizations seeking support for at-risk humanities positions and projects that have been impacted by the coronavirus.  Through this funding opportunity, NEH will award grants to museums, libraries and archives, historic sites, independent research institutions, professional organizations, colleges and universities, and other cultural organizations across the country to help these entities continue to advance their mission during the interruption of their operations due to the coronavirus pandemic
Arizona Community Foundation  COVID-19 Resources of Nonprofits

Funds released on a rolling basis

                                                                  CLICK HERE to apply


The Arizona COVID-19 Community Response Fund was established by the Arizona Community Foundation and is receiving support from individuals, corporations, and foundations from across the state. The fund  provides immediate relief to nonprofit organizations in Arizona facing an increased demand for services from clients and communities as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.  Once the state of emergency has expired, any remaining funds will support nonprofit organizations impacted by COVID-19 financially as a result of program disruptions or cancellations resulting in revenue loss
Thank you to our May Donors

James Blasingame*
Jill Ginsburg
Karl Kendall*
Andrew Krahe*
Mary Lu Nunley*
Edgar Olivo* & Paul Taliercio
Emerson Yearwood*

*Arizona Humanities Board Member
About Arizona Humanities
Arizona Humanities is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the Arizona affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Since 1973, Arizona Humanities has supported public programs that promote the understanding of the human experience with cultural, educational, and nonprofit organizations across Arizona.

Mission
Arizona Humanities builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection.
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