Maine Humanities Council | Grants, 2003-2004

Past Grants

Grants Made By Maine Humanities Council : 2003–2004 (arranged by town)

Ο = New Century Arts and Humanities Grants funded jointly by the Maine Arts Commission and Maine Humanities Council

Auburn - Community Concepts - Finders/Seekers
$420
Special Storytime with The Somali Alphabet Book
A storytelling event at the Lewiston Library open to the public but targeting Lewiston/Auburn Somali families with preschool-age children.
Auburn - The Public Theatre
Ο $1,500
Performance of The Wind In The Willows at The Public Theatre
This project involves developing, rehearsing, and performing an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows at The Public Theatre in Auburn in December of 2003.
Augusta - Maine-Aomori Sister State Advisory Council
$500
The Apple and Pine Tassel: Historical Photographs of Sister States Aomori and Maine
An exhibit of photographs from Maine and the prefecture of Aomori, Japan explores the many common cultural points between the two sister states and commemorates the 10th anniversary of their relationship.
Augusta - Friends of Lithgow Library, Inc.
$1,000
A Capital Read - 2004
Funds will purchase copies of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, the chosen book for a community wide series of public discussions and programs.
Augusta - Maine State Archives
$1,000
Maine National History Day: 2004
A competition for Maine students, grades 6-12, who will submit papers, exhibits, documentaries, or performances that explore the theme Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History.
Augusta - Maine Rivers
$1,000
Closing the Circle: -- Documentary on the Damariscotta Mills Alewife Run
A film documentary to educate people on the importance of alewives to the biological heritage and health of the Damariscotta River.
Bangor - Penobscot Theater Company
Ο $1,500
Classics in Context: The Crucible
This production of Arthur Miller's classic play will include community dialogue sessions and exhibits to explore real world themes similar to the mass hysteria and narrow ideology being portrayed on stage.
Bangor - Bangor Museum & Center for History
$500
From Away: Exploring Bangor's Cultural Heritage
Public programs related to a current exhibit exploring Bangor's cultural heritage, including panels from local ethnic communities discussing growing up in Bangor, a German holiday marketplace, and a children's Hanukkah program.
Bar Harbor - College of the Atlantic
Ο $1,500
A Place to Take Root - The History of Terra Cotta Pots and Containers in America
An exhibit about flower pots in America, why and how they evolved, including the work of significant pot-makers in Maine.
Bath - Patten Free Library
$500
Maine Children's Choice Picture Book Award
A literacy pilot project in six Maine locations to provide activities and celebrations based on children's literature selections published in 2003.
Belfast - Belfast Bay Festivals, Inc.
$500
Open Books, Enriched Minds
Children's authors and illustrators will work with children to create pictures and stories about their day at the Belfast Bay Festival.
Belfast - Belfast Institute of Lifelong Learning
Ο $1,200
Waldo County Pie & Story Festival-2004
A project that brings together Belfast community members of all ages and backgrounds to share in the mutual activities of baking and producing oral history.
Berwick - Vivian E. Hussey Primary School
$500
Maine Authors in Our Schools-2004
Maine author, Matt Taraves, will visit and speak at schools and for the public in Berwick and Lebanon
Biddeford - University of New England
$500
The Art & Artistry of Arthur Szyk
A series of 6 educational forums in connection with an exhibition of Arthur Szyk's work being held at the UNE Art Gallery.
Biddeford - University of New England
Ο $1,500
Threatened & Endangered Travelling Exhibition-2004
Funding will cover six guest speakers for lectures related to the traveling exhibition of artist's books created by Rebecca Goodale.
Bowdoinham - Town of Bowdoinham Recreation Committee
$400
The Bowdoinham Pageant-Planning Grant
Grant supports planning for a community pageant of five original dramas (original poetry, dance, costumes, music) based on animal carvings by artist Bryce Muir.
Brunswick - Curtis Memorial Library
$500
The Future of Life - Book Discussion
Six authors, educators, and scientists will facilitate public reading and discussion of E.O. Wilson's The Future of Life The discussion of each chapter will be led by a different scholar
Brunswick - Brunswick School Department
$937
Maquoit: Gateway to the Androscoggin Region
Assisted by an archaeologist, Brunswick students will examine the shore of Maquoit Bay to determine its historical relevance to the Androscoggin Region 1680 to 1690 and share their findings with the citizens of area communities.
Bucksport - Northeast Historic Film
$500
Roundtable III: Digital Humanities Resources for Teaching & Learning About Maine
Roundtable III is a day devoted to teacher enrichment focusing especially on humanities resources for Maine Studies and Native Studies.
Calais - Calais Elementary School
Ο $1,436
400th Anniversary of St. Croix Island
The anniversary celebration will include two school concerts open to the public and a school dance class featuring Acadian music and dance.
Camden - The Teen Center
$350
Teen Center Celebrating Cultures
One weekend each month, the Teen Center will present program of music, food, art, and traditions of a specific culture.
Damariscotta - Round Top Center for the Arts

$1,000
Round Top Center for the Arts Summer Lecture Series - 2004
A 6-week public lecture series featuring a humanities scholars, writers and critics.
Image, Right:: Donald Holden, a noted watercolorist whose work is in the collections of the National Gallery of Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art, gave a talk entitled "Painting from Nature — In the Studio" at the Round Top Center for the Arts
Deer Isle - Haystack Mountain School of Crafts
Ο $758
M.C. Richards Evening
An evening of poetry reading and discussion centering on the works of M.C. Richards, described as one of the most influential art educators in America.
Dresden - Dresden Historical Society
$190
Dresden House Biography Project
Dresden Historical Society members will offer a public workshop on the topic of researching the historical ownership of a house or property.
East Millinocket - Schenck High School
Ο $500
Building Community Through the Arts at Schenck High School
The sophomore English class will create an original drama based on their reading of To Kill a Mockingbird and will perform it at a regional conference at the University of Maine in Orono in March.
Farmington - University of Maine at Farmington
$500
Conference on the History and Cultures of Northern New England-Planning Grant
Grant supports planning for a public conference on the history and cultures of Northern New England to be held in 2005 in Farmington.
Gardiner - Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center
Ο $1,500
Summer Shenanigans -Visual & Performing Arts Day Camp
This is a reading, discussion and performance program in which children will create, produce, and perform their own plays. The Arts Center intends to create hand-made books of the plays and videotape the performances and donate them to their collaborator, the Gardiner Public Library.
Gorham - USM Center for the Study of Lives
$4,230
Se Sienten Como en Su Casa? Do You Feel at Home?: A Portland Latino Oral History Project
A project to record, preserve, and disseminate oral histories of members from Portland's Latino community. This will provide a record of the stories as an educational tool to show the contributions of Latinos to the area.
Gorham - University of Southern Maine
$500
Aeneid Reading by Stanley Lombardo
A public reading by noted University of Kansas classicist Stanley Lombardo from his new translation of Vergil's Aeneid. Lombardo is known for his unusual and highly accessible translations of classic texts
Gorham - University of Southern Maine
$1,000
Islam and the Challenge of America: A New Vision for Jews, Christians and Muslims
A panel discussion about the emergence of the Islamic faith in America and its effect on Jewish & Christian religions.
Hinckley - L.C. Bates Museum (Good Will Home Association)
Ο $1,000
Portraits - Maine Natural History
An exhibition of some of the museum's older natural history collections with a focus on attitudes of previous generations to natural history and preserving artifacts.
Levant - Levant Heritage Library
Ο $1,500
At Play
Project relates to the Library's new book entitled At Play, an anthology of 8 plays by Maine playwrights. Performance readings of the scripts will take place at various venues throughout the state.
Lewiston - Franco-American Heritage Center
Ο $1,500
La Soiree Acadienne
An evening of Acadian music and dance with historical interpretation and public participation.
Lincoln - Mattanawcook Academy
Ο $500
Building Community Through the Arts in Lincoln
The freshman English class will create an original drama based on their reading of Homer's Odyssey and will perform it at a regional conference at the University of Maine in Orono in March.
Lovell - Western Oxford Foothills Cultural Council
$500
Western Oxford Foothills Cultural Touring Map
Research by historian Peter Lenz to help create a cultural map of museums, historic properties, performance centers, and exhibit locations.
Madison - Loving Learning, Inc.
$350
Literacy Matters
This project will design and teach a program to high school students on the importance of reading aloud to young children.
Millinocket - Sterns High School
$500
Building Community Through the Arts - Millinocket
The sophomore English class will create an original drama based on their reading of Catcher in the Rye and will perform it at a regional conference at the University of Maine in Orono in March.
Montville - The Arts Center at Kingdom Falls
Ο $1,500
Artists' Lecture Series - 2004
Free public lecture and open discussions by both well-known and emerging artists in different media, talking about their creative process and inspirations.
New Gloucester - Fiddlehead Center for the Arts
Ο $1,500
Fiddlehead Art & Cultural Festival
A 3-day festival of arts & culture from around the world including dances, story telling, artistic demonstrations and food.
New Harbor - Friends of Colonial Pemaquid
$5,000
Guns, Politics, and Furs: Pemaquid & the Defense of the Eastern Frontier 1677-1759
A multi-faceted exhibition about the history of Fort Charles and Fort William Henry at the mouth of the Pemaquid River and the roles they played in protecting the northeastern frontier.
Newfield - Willowbrook Museum Village
$492
Conversations with Curators
Visiting curators with different specialities will meet with museum staff and share ideas on strategies for how the museum will interpret its extensive and unusual collection of artifacts.
Orono - University of Maine
$5,000
Maine Roots Radio Program
A series of half-hour radio programs drawn from the archives of the Maine Folklife Center with a mix of recorded interview excerpts, story telling, and traditional music.
Orono - University of Maine
$500
Meave Leakey African Origins: Sole Survivors of a Diverse Past
A public lecture by Dr. Meave Leakey on her 1999 find in Kenya of 3.5 million year old bones that are believed to belong to a new branch of early human ancestry.
Orono - University of Maine
$500
Peacemaking in the 21st Century - Planning Grant
Planning support for a June 2004 conference on the UMO campus to provide a forum for over 100 participants of diverse backgrounds and professions, meeting and sharing dialogue related to building a culture of peace.
Orono - University of Maine

Ο $1,500
Wabanaki Transformers' Theatre: Drama for Giving
A theatre presentation which showcases the culture and traditions of the Passamaquoddy, with related talks about current struggles to preserve their native language and culture.
Photo, right:: Gina Brooks as Moskap in a Wabanaki Transformers' Theatre performance
Photo Credit: Joline Blias
Phillips - Maine School District #58
Ο $1,500
African Drumming
A project to introduce African drums and their cultural context to elementary students in Franklin County. Public performances will also showcase aspects of African life.
Poland - Poland Regional High School
$1,000
Four Towns on the Same Page
People from the area served by Poland Regional High School will read the same book and hold a public discussion which will include a videotaped meeting with the author.
Portland - Portland Stage Company
$300
The From Away Festival of International Playwriting
This project, exploring the relationship between domestic security and the arts, will include professional actors giving readings from entries in Iowa's International Writing Program plus related panel discussions.
Portland - Waynflete School
$450
Diversity, Understanding, Community & Conversation (DUCC) Conference
A student-led collaborative exchange where high school students from area schools share ideas, experiences, and perspectives about social justice and diversity through film and student-run workshops.
Portland - Architalx
$350
ARCHITALX Community Discussion 2004
A public discussion designed to bring the design, building, and education communities together to consider the issue of sustainable design.
Portland - Maine Historical Society
$500
The Black Veil: An Evening With Rick Moody
Novelist Rick Moody will read from his memoir The Black Veil, answer questions, and participate in a discussion with the public.
Portland - WMPG
$500
Down on the Island, Up on the Maine Radio Project
A radio program expressing the culture and history of Maine's mid-coast region through the voices of citizens from South Bristol as featured in a book of the same title.
Portland - Maine College of Art
Ο $1,500
Maine College of Art-Ed Greaves Education Centers Collaboration
Community-based artist Tim Rollins will work with local children and families of Washington County to create collaborative artwork based on the literature and music of creation stories in different cultures.
Portland - Maine Irish Heritage Center
Ο $1,500
The Irish in Maine's Fire Service...An Immigration Success Story
A collaborative effort between the Maine Irish Heritage Center and the Portland Fire Museum to produce public lectures and art displays chronicling the relationship of Irish immigrants and the Maine Fire Service.
Portland - Maine College of Art
Ο $1,500
Living Green
A public lecture, panel discussion, and Saturday children's program exploring the movement toward green design and sustainability in the United States.
Image, right: Spurse Collective artists create their contribution to the "Living Green: Examining Sustainability" exhibit at the Institute for Contemporary Art at MECA
Portland - Creative Work Systems
Ο $1,500
Out of the Shadows
An art exhibit which features works by people currently living with disabilities, plus some historical perspective on people with disabilities and their treatment by society over the centuries.
Image, right: Work displayed in "Out of the Shadows," an exhibition presented at the Saco Museum by Creative Work Systems of Portland
Portland - New Hampshire Humanities Council (Program at USM)
$1,000
War and the News
Lectures and a program for journalists relating to ethical issues involved in covering war.
Portland - Muskie School of Public Service
$1,000
Changing Maine Lecture Series
Grant will support a series of public lectures exploring Maine and its place in the world in 2004. The series will be broadcast by Maine Public Radio and published as a book by Tilbury House.
Portland - The Winter Harbor Theatre Company
$1,000
Acting and Theatre Instruction at the Long Creek Youth Development Center
A pilot program at the Long Creek Development Center to teach the youth there how to work together and trust each other through acting, playwriting, and play analysis.
Portland - Children's Museum of Maine
$1,000
Japan & Nature: Spirits of the Seasons
A cultural exhibit which uses hands-on, object-based interactives and multimedia to help children explore how their counterparts in Japan live.
Image, right: "Dragon's Daughter" by Figures of Speech Theater, performed as part of "Japan and Nature: Spirits of the Seasons" at the Children's Museum of Maine
Portland - SPACE Gallery
$1,000
The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival-Portland
A week-long festival featuring distinguished films and lecturers exploring the power of the human spirit through the stories of activists and survivors from around the world.
Rangeley - Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust
$1,000
Contemporary and Historic Maine
Three public lectures on the diversity of Maine's history and contemporary interests.
Rockland - Station Maine
Ο $1,500
Rockland Sea Ceilidh
Two public performances of the ceilidh, a community based stage show of poetry, folk music, and dance celebrating the 150th anniversary of the community of Rockland.
Rockland - Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care & Hospice
Ο $1,500
Body, Mind & Spirit: Hospice in Maine
The history and mission of hospice will be presented to the public through a black & white photo display and three public discussions by a panel of hospice experts.
Rockport - Cultural Resources, Inc.
Ο $1,285
The Next Generation Project
An exhibit of photographs and excerpts from recorded interviews about what it is like to be a young Wabanaki basketmaker in contemporary times.
Rockport - Center for Maine Contemporary Art
Ο $1,500
John Walker: A Winter in Maine, 2003-2004
An exhibit of painting by John Walker along with a catalogue and public program which will include the artist and critic Hilton Kramer.
Rumford - Rumford Historical Society
$479
Oral History Videotape Recovery Feasibility
A preliminary project to examine the humanities content and explore feasibility of restoring a collection of obsolete-format videotapes belonging to Rumford Historical Society. This pilot project involves a tape of an elderly Wabanaki basketmaker and some local students in the 1970's.
Searsport - Penobscot Marine Museum
Ο $1,500
Lobstah!
A summer exhibit including hands-on experiences, historic boats, educational videos, and a juried art show on the business of lobstering.
Searsport - Searsport District High School
Ο $1,000
SDHS: Poets-in-Residence
A celebration of National Poetry Month with poets visiting the classroom and holding a Young Poet Laureate contest.
Sharon - Center for Independent Documentary
$3,000
Revitalizing Native Language Documentary Project
A one-hour documentary about the effort to keep alive Native American languages, focusing on the experience of the Passamaquoddy tribe in Washington County.
Simsbury, CT - The Classical Association of New England
$1,000
The Course of Empire: Modern Perspectives on the Literature, Art, and History of Ancient Empires
Scholarships for Maine teachers to attend a conference on the ancient Mediterranean world and its legacy and implications for our modern political and cultural world.
South Bristol - South Bristol Historical Society
$500
SBHS and OBHS Oral History Performance and Workshop
A storytelling performance and an oral history workshop, both featuring Jo Radner, a Maine folklorist and oral historian.
Thomaston Coastal Senior College
Ο $1,500
An Afternoon of Ragtime Music
A public lecture and peformance by The Bon-Ton Salon Orchestra on the history and cultural significance of ragtime music.
Thomaston Friends of Montpelier
$806
The General Henry Knox Museum: Cornerstone Lecture Series
A lecture series to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the General Henry Knox Museum, examining its landscaping, architecture, and China trade porcelain.
Topsham - Maine Fiberarts
$1,000
Fiber in the 21st Century
Funds will support the keynote address by Polly Ullrich for the kick-off celebration of a yearlong, statewide initiative on fiber arts.
Image, right: Chicago art critic Polly Ullrich and Maine artist Allison Cooke Brown discuss fine points after Ullrich's lecture about "Fiber in the 21st Century" held at the Portland Museum of Art this spring. The lecture kicked off Maine Fiberarts' The State of Fiber 2004, 115 exhibits and events celebrating Maine fiber.
Unity - Unity College
$500
Portrait of the Good Life: Helen & Scott Nearing Remembered
The college art gallery will feature a photographic exhibit about Helen & Scott Nearing with John Saltmarsh, Scott Nearing's primary biographer, as speaker at the opening reception.

Photo, right: Helen and Scott Nearing in their Unity farmhouse
Copyright Richard Garrett photographer
Van Buren - SAD #24
Ο $1,500
Franco-American Day at the State House
Performance of traditional folk songs and French folklore dances from Quebec and France at the State House on March 18, 2004.
Vinalhaven - The Seal Bay Festival
$500
Seal Bay Festival-2004: Artist Workshop & Audience Outreach
Support for outreach and interpretive activities as part of a 10-day festival in June with workshops and concerts featuring American chamber music.
Waertown, MA - Primary Source
$1,000
Africa: an Introduction to a Continent
A five-part seminar series hosted by the Portland School District which will introduce K-12 teachers to African geography, history, art, literature, and music.
Waldoboro - Medomak Valley High School
$500
Beyond the Backyard
A seven-session after-school program for elementary school students, focusing on exploring other cultures through music, dance, games, food, art, myths, and more.
Waterville - Colby College
$4,951
Chekhov Centenary Festival
A celebration of the life and work of the writer/playwright/doctor Anton Chekhov with a series of public Chekhov based events around Waterville.
Waterville - Hardy Girls Healthy Women
$500
Hearing Our Voices: The Creation of a Girls' Magazine as a Means of Social Action
A social action project linking college age and adult women with 14 eighth-grade girls in the community to create a magazine focused on issues of importance to them.
Waterville - Friends of Art & Film in Central Maine
Ο $1,500
Maine International Film Festival--Special Jazz Program Section Featuring Katy Roberts & Rasul Siddik-2004
A special jazz portion of the Festival will include two films, a live performance, and a panel discussion on the influence of jazz music from Maine to Afica.
Waterville - Franco-American Heritage Society
$1,000
Museum in the Streets
Ten bilingual interpretive signs will be erected along a permanent walking tour in Waterville. They will contain photos and text depicting the history of early 20th century Franco-American life in the city.
Wiscasset - Lincoln County Historical Association
$500
History Lectures at18th Century Living History Encampment at Pownalborough Courthouse
Military demonstrations, music, and lectures on the history of the area in the years before the American Revolution.

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