Maine Humanities Council | Grants, 2005-2006

Past Grants

Grants Made By Maine Humanities Council : 2005–2006 (arranged by town)

BF = Grants made in conjunction with the Betterment Fund
KC = Grants made in conjunction with the Kennebec-Chaudière Heritage Corridor.

Augusta - Maine Archives and Museums
$1,000
MAM Newsletter 2005-2006
This grant covered publication costs for four issues of the Maine Archives & Museums newsletter. The 16-20 page publication contains a calendar of events, announcements of workshops and conferences, and information about funding sources and legislative issues related to the museum and archival community.
Augusta - Maine Archives & Museums
$1,000
MAM Newsletter 2006-2007
This grant funded printing costs for a years worth of the MAM newsletter, a statewide quarterly publication and central means of distributing information from Maine Archives & Museums.
Augusta - Maine State Museum
$5,000
Uncommon Threads: Wabanaki Textiles, Clothing and Costume
This was a substantial traveling exhibit presenting the cultural history of the four Native American tribes comprising the Wabanaki (Penobscot, Maliseet, Passamoquoddy, and Micmac) as evidenced by their textiles, clothing, and costumes.
Bar Harbor - The Jefferson Davis Grant Foundation
$480
History MERMAID Project - Planning Grant
This project put broadcast-quality media resources about Maine history in schools and libraries.
Bath - Bath Middle School
$200
Beyond Bath Buildings
Eighth graders at Bath Middle School studied local historical architecture by visiting, drawing, and building models of buildings. The students wrote and published their own books of historical fiction related to Bath, with help and guidance from noted Maine author James L. Nelson.
Belfast - Belfast Free Library
$300 - AH
Odes and Other Forms of Praise
Poet and University of Maine English instructor Kathleen Ellis facilitated two workshops in April 2006. Each workshop included the reading and discussion of a variety of odes, collaborative and interactive writing exercises, and solo writing assignments for writers of all levels.
Bethel - Bethel Historical Society
$500 - BF
Lectures in Honor of the 40th Anniversary
The Bethel Historical Society marked its 40th anniversary in 2006 with a series of lectures celebrating life in New England. Speakers included Earle Shettleworth, Jr.; David Watters; Thomas Hubka; James Kiepper; and Kent Ryden.
Biddeford - University of New England
$3,000
Different Lives
A team from UNE explored the class divide in Biddeford through the lens of labor, conducting over 50 interviews with Biddeford residents from a cross-section of occupations. Various community partners provided assistance, and the final product was a documentary film and companion book entitled Different Lives.
Brunswick - Midcoast REACH
$1,000 - KC
Exploring 400 Years of Kennebec River Industry and Craft
A project linking historical traditional arts activities to present day traditional arts and crafts as they are being practiced along the Kennebec River.
Brunswick - Pejepscot Historical Society
$925
History in Downtown
In conjunction with Brunswicks Destination Downtown promotion, this major educational and recreational event in August 2006 included Civil War reenactments, historic craft demonstrations, wagon ride tours of the historic district, and activities for all ages as an opportunity to experience life in 19th century Brunswick.
Brunswick - Curtis Memorial Library
$1,000
The Silk Road Returns to Maine
Through discussions and film screenings, a visiting filmmaker and a film critic from Kazakhstan helped students and faculty of Bowdoin College, plus members of the general public, explore cultural differences between the U.S. and this newly formed country, which exists in a troubled part of the world with warring neighbors on all sides.
Calais - St. Croix Historical Society
$1,000 - BF
One River, Two Cities, One Story
A community-wide, cooperative exhibit of historic images, art, and artifacts to portray the unique and closely woven past of Calais, Maine and St. Stephen, New Brunswick—located on opposite sides of the St. Croix River.
Calais - Phylum Productions/Calais Community Theater
$500 - BF
Downeastah!
An original interpretive production exploring how the unique characteristics and historical perspectives of Downeast Maine contribute to the resourcefulness and values of the people who live here.
Camden - Camden Conference
$1,000
Teacher and Student Scholarship Support for Camden Conference Events
A year-long forum for the exchange of ideas on key global issues results each February in a three-day event at the Camden Opera House. This year's conference topic was “China on the World Stage” and included special events for students and teachers.
Chebeague Island - Chebeague Island Historical Society
$1,000
Creating Community, The Hamilton Connection
An exhibit and lecture series at the Chebeague Island Historical Society to explain the evolution of the island community through the entrepreneurial endeavors of its largest extended family. Ambrose Hamilton settled the island 250 years ago; he and his descendents were represented through many old family records and artifacts.
Concord - Katahdin Foundation
$5,000 - BF
Wabanaki Language Immersion Project
A collaboration among the Abenaki, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet, and Micmac Nations to record representative speakers on digital video in order to preserve and teach their knowledge of endangered culture and dialects.
Edinburg - Inner Walk Institute
$1,000
The Warrior Project
This comprehensive community-building and cultural restoration program addressed challenges faced by contemporary Native Americans, using the traditional philosophy of warriors as peacekeepers and guardians of cultural values. The program included documentary film, community forums, workshops, and a conference.
Ellsworth - Hancock County Cultural Network
$500
Brown-Bag Artist Series
This lunch-time series was created to explain the inner workings of artists and cultural organizations to a varied audience. Speakers included representatives of local cultural organizations, plus visual and performing artists from the region.
Ellsworth - Northeast Historic Film
$500
Karen Shopsowitz Screens and Discusses ”My Father’s Camera”
Filmmaker Karen Shopsowitz presented a documentary on the cultural history of home movies from the 1920s to the 1970s, with interviews from scholars and archivists.
Farmington - University of Maine at Farmington
$1,000
Maine’s Place in the Environmental Imagination
A conference devoted to exploring how Maine has figured in the nation’s environmental consciousness and the way in which practicing writers think of the state as a symbol, myth, image, and setting for their work.
Freeport - Freeport Historical Society
$600
250th Anniversary of the Thomas Means’ “Massacre”
An exhibition commemorated the 250th anniversary of a significant event in Freeport history, the attack on Thomas Means and his family in 1756. The exhibit studied the significance of this incident from both the colonial and Native American perspective, within the context of the French and Indian Wars.
Hanover, NH - Classical Association of New England
$1,000
Freedom And Its Discontents (CANE Summer Institute 2006)
An annual summer institute which brings people interested in ancient cultures together for 6 days of lectures and mini-courses at Dartmouth College. This time the focus was on the concept of freedom and its origins in the classical world.
Hinckley - L.C. Bates Museum (Good Will Home Association)
$1,000
Gerd Heinrich: Twentieth Century Explorer, Collector & Writer
This project included an exhibition, public presentations, and children’s programs about Gerd Heinrich and his relationship to the L.C. Bates Museum’s history, as well as the broader story of collecting artifacts for natural history museums.
Lewiston - Franco-American Heritage Center
$500
Evangeline Exhibit
In mid-January 2006, the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston hosted Spirit of Evangeline, a traveling exhibit which uses mixed media to pay tribute to the Acadians forcibly deported from Canada's Maritime Provinces in 1755. The exhibit was open until mid-February.
Lewiston - United Somali Women of Maine
$3,000
Being Somali in Lewiston: Fostering Community Dialogue and Learning Through Image and Reflection
Employing documentary techniques, artists and scholars interviewed Somali immigrants, resulting in over 600 photos and sixty pages of interview transcripts. The information was used to create a 15-minute DVD to provide a textual and visual portrait of Somalis in Lewiston.
Livermore - Norlands Living History Center
$1,000
“Northern New England: Seen from Within and from Without” (13th Annual Humanities Conference)
This annual 3-day conference at Norlands Living History Center provided an opportunity for scholars to present papers on local and regional topics and for attendees to experience traditional music and interpretive historical performances.
Madison - Loving Learning, Inc.
$300
Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Partnership with MSAD #74, Anson
The program offered three new, high-quality books to students in kindergarten through fourth grade at Garret Schneck Elementary School in Anson and Carrabec Community School in North Anson.
New Harbor - Friends of Colonial Pemaquid
$1,000
Interpretive Documentary of Colonial Pemaquid
A documentary about Colonial Pemaquid which describes the history of the settlement, the forts, and the archaeological work that has been taking place on the grounds over the last forty years.
Newport - Newport/Plymouth Elementary School
$500 - BF
Picnic of the World
The annual Bullying Prevention Conference (April 12) at Newport/Plymouth Elementary School expanded to address issues of culture and ethnicity with Native American presentations on culture, storytelling, history, and crafts. Allen Sockabasin, author of the new picture book Thanks to the Animals, was invited to participate.
Norridgewock - Norridgewock Historical Society
$500 - BF
Norridgewock Indian Village Along the Kennebec-Chaudière Trail
A 3-day celebration of Native American history and culture which included speakers on the history and archeology of Norridgewock Village and related topics, plus storytelling, drumming, and dancing.
North Berwick - Noble High School
$490
Beyond Graduation: High School Students Investigate the Pathways of Recent Alumni
During the 2006-07 school year, advanced English students at Noble High School interviewed recent graduates on a variety of subjects to assess the way in which their school prepares students for post-high school success. With the help of Maine authors and journalists, the students recorded their findings and shared results with the school and local community.
North Waterboro - Elder Grey Meeting House Association
$500
Elder Grey Meeting House Bicentennial Celebration
This community celebration of its heritage included construction of a 10-foot by 12-foot replica of the Elder Grey Meeting House, a reenactment of the building’s move by oxen-drawn sledge in 1832, period children's games and music, plus a picnic at which the replica was auctioned off.
Norway - Norway Memorial Library
$1,000 - BF
Oxford Hills One Book, One Community, 2006
In February 2006, the Oxford Hills region launched its second “One Book, One Community” program featuring Suburban Safari by Maine author Hannah Holmes. Like last year’s program, which featured Ernie’s Ark by Monica Wood, librarians and volunteers planned events and discussions to promote community reading and dialogue.
Oakland - Messalonskee High School
$750
Messalonskee Reads
A reading club at Messalonskee High School to promote a school-wide culture of literacy and increase opportunities for reading by choice. Grant funds were used to purchse books that would appeal to a variety of student interests and help attract new participants.
Orono - Maine Folklife Center
$5,000
The Writing on the Wall, Oral Histories of Eastern Fine Paper Company Workers
Eastern Fine Paper Company's former mill in Brewer is slated for renovation. To prevent the mill’s history from being lost, this project has been undertaken to produce oral history interviews which will become the basis for a documentary DVD. A permanent exhibit will be created from this work for the renovated mill space.
Orono - Orono Historical Society
$1,000
Orono Bicentennial Public Lectures
A monthly public lecture series began January 19 and continued on the third Thursday of each month for the rest of the year as part of Oronos bicentennial celebration. All lectures were free and open to the public.
Orono - University of Maine
$5,000
Somali Narrative Project
This project spans numerous disciplines—history, sociology, communication, women's studies, Maine studies, and Franco-American studies—as it records stories of Somali immigrants and documents them for the Somali community and for those interested in Maine's immigrant history.
Otisfield - Saint Josephs College
$1,000
Two Maine Author/Illustrator Days for Otisfield Community School--A Service Learning Project of Saint Joseph’s College
Local authors and illustrators Kevin Hawkes & Lea Wait visited Otisfield Community School and talked to students about the creative process. These sessions were open to parents, local librarians, and college students, as well. Fourth grade students also participated in follow-up activities conducted by St. Joseph’s College students.
Peaks Island - 5th Maine Regiment Museum
$1,000
Sacred At Any Cost: The Men and Women of the Fifth Maine and the Flag They Followed
This exhibit, highlighting contributions and sacrifices made by the men and women of the Fifth Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, was on view June through November, 2006. The centerpiece of the exhibit was the Regiment’s battle flag, which survived a three-year term of service without being captured.
Phippsburg - Friends of Phippsburg
$1,000 - KC
The Mouth of the Kennebec: Its History
A multi-faceted series of programs for the public and members of area historical societies relating to the history of the original Popham Colony and Fort Popham which sits at the mouth of the Kennebec River.
Portland - Maine College of Art
$500
Maine-Aomori Intercultural Exchange and Bilingual Book Project
Maine’s First Lady, Karen Baldacci, takes a particular interest in literacy and the education of young children and has initiated a bilingual book project involving the sister states of Maine and Aomori, Japan. The project's goal is an illustrated children's book that will introduce children from each country to the cultures of both Maine and Aomori.
Portland - SPACE Gallery
$950
Mock Caldecott Marathon
In December 2005, children, families, educators, and librarians gathered in Portland for a Mock Caldecott Marathon. Pages of a dozen picture books were projected onto a large screen while local celebrities read aloud from the books. Participants discussed the books and their illustrations, eventually voting on their choice as a winner.
Portland - LV Portland
$500
Gerry Boyle Reading
Author Gerry Boyle offered a free public reading of his work on Thursday, April 13. The Literacy Volunteers hosted a raffle, refreshments, and a sale of Boyle's novels at the event.
Portland - New Hill School
$500
The Story Exchange
Storyteller Lorna Stengel shared multicultural stories with students and teachers, developing their understanding of what makes a good story while teaching interviewing and oral history techniques. The project also involved an opportunity to share stories through monthly visits with elders at The Cedars, a retirement community in Portland.
Portland - Portland Public Library
$1,000
Portland Public Library Poetry Festival
The library celebrated poetry in March and April of 2006 with readings from Maine poets, workshops, a poetry-writing contest, a birthday party for Shakespeare, a hip hop performance, a poetry read-a-thon, and much more.
Portland - University of Southern Maine
$1,000
Never Again? Genocide and Indifference
This public program on April 24, 2006 included a lecture by Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero of the film “Hotel Rwanda,” the true story of the 1994 Rwandan genocide of an estimated 800,000 people. There was also a special commemoration of the lives lost in the Armenian genocide of 1916.
Portland - SPACE Gallery
$1,000
The Innocents
An exhibit of photographs by Taryn Simon focusing on people wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for years before finally proving their innocence. The photos, gathered from across the United States, were accompanied by a discussion series.
Portland - WMPG-FM
$3,000
Malaga Island Radio & Photography Project
A half-hour radio documentary to explore the history of Malaga Island, off the coast of Phippsburg, Maine, where forty-five poor, black, Irish, Portuguese, and ‘mixed-race’ residents were forcibly removed by the State of Maine in 1912.
Portland - Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
$1,000
Soldier-Poet: An Evening with Brian Turner, author of Here, Bullet
Poet and author Brian Turner presented a reading and led a discussion based on the question of whether ‘poet’ and ‘soldier’ are mutually exclusive terms. Topics included the nature of regimented creativity and the implications of poetry during wartime, particularly with modern technology like the increasing number of soldier blogs.
Portland - Victoria Society of Maine
$1,000
Victoria Mansion Fall Lecture Series 2006
Inspired by deterioration of the building's interior paint, the museum offered a lecture series on 19th century decorative paintwork. Art historian Charlotte Brown discussed the Mansion's wall and ceiling paintings, while Gianfranco Pocobene, head conservator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, addressed restoration.
Portland - The Cafe Review
$500
ESCAPE 2006
Featured speakers at this day-long poetry conference in September included Franz Wright (a 2004 Pulitzer prize winner), Henry Braun, and Adrian Blevins. Each poet offered a public reading, and there were small group discussions on a variety of topics. Sponsors hope to make this an annual event.
Portland - PCA Great Performances
$1,000
Understanding the Performing Arts through the Humanities
A series of fifteen scholarly, humanities-based lectures which placed the PCA artists and their art forms in historical, literary, and social context.
Presque Isle - Northern Maine Fair
$500 - BF
Historical Pavilion, Northern Maine Fair
An annual 3-day exhibit at the Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle, bringing together artifacts from over twenty local historical societies and family collections for a major exhibition of regional history.
Presque Isle - University of Maine at Presque Isle
$912
Maine Women: Living on the Land
This exhibition featured a body of work by Lauren Shaw focusing on ten women with a diversity of age, location, and occupation, personal and family histories, and the landscape they inhabit in Maine. Their stories speak to a better understanding of everyones place in the world and relationships between all things.
Presque Isle - Presque Isle Historical Society
$1,000 - BF
Presque Isle and its Main Street
With help from UMPI history scholars and students, the Presque Isle Historical Society created an exhibit chronicling the development of the town and its Main Street. Six movable panels, covering such events as the construction of the B&A Railroad, the fire at the Braden Theatre, and the Centennial Celebration in 1959, were unveiled on University Day (4/11/07).
Princeton - Nee-Loon (We Together)
$3,000
The Language of America
This grant supported library and archival research as well as interviews with Passamaquoddy tribal representatives, all geared toward the creation of a film on the Passamaquoddy language which was slated for completion in September 2006.
Rockland - Mainely Girls
$1,000
A Girl's Point of View Book Club
In the fourth year of this book club for high school girls on Vinalhaven, nearly every high school girl belonged. With this planning grant, Mainely Girls hoped to start more book clubs across Maine, starting with five new ones in 2006.
Rockland - Mainely Girls
$4,750 - BF
A Girl's Point of View Book Club
The book club project first established on Vinalhaven was expanded to new locations in Bath, Limestone, Boothbay, North Haven, Damariscotta, Belfast, and Islesboro. The clubs expose high school girls to young-adult literature depicting strong, resourceful female characters to develop self-respect and autonomy.
Searsport - Penobscot Marine Museum
$4,950
Faces of a Maritime Town
In 1880, 10% of all master mariners in the U.S. came from Searsport, Maine—a town of only 2,500 people. The stories of fifteen of these Maine captains were researched and written about, to expand a display at the museum which includes over 300 photos of local ship captains.
South Berwick - South Berwick Public Library
$1,000
“To Our Gentle Readers”: Sarah Orne Jewett and Laura Ingalls Wilder (A Chatauqua Series)
This project brought two beloved authors alive for audiences in six Maine communities through Chautauqua presentations by Betty Jean Steinshouer, an author and humanities scholar. The tour made appearances in Biddeford, Camden, Kittery, Scarborough, South Berwick, and Southwest Harbor.
South Portland - The Winter Harbor Theatre Company
$5,000
Shakespeare at Long Creek: A Hip-Hop Romeo & Juliet
In January 2006, a group of boys at the Long Creek Youth Development Center interpreted and staged Romeo and Juliet. Their intense study used the immensely popular hip-hop culture to translate the play into contemporary language. The project culminated in a performance for 200 of their peers, guests, families, and staff.
South Portland - The Stage
$1,000
The Stage: Pre-Show Presentations
These pre-show programs were designed to allow audience members to meet the performers, tour backstage and on the set, and receive a lively introduction to Shakespearean drama.
Swan’s Island - Town of Swan’ Island
$500
Burnt Coat Harbor Light Station Historic Preservation Project—Oral Histories
In connection with historic preservation work at the Burnt Coat Harbor Light Station, the town gathered oral histories, photos, and supporting documents from descendents of the station’s lighthouse keepers for use in local educational displays.
Temple - Temple Stream Theater Association
$1,000 - BF
Temple Stream Theater’s Performance of Victor Klemperer’s Diaries
Three performances were offered, taken from the diaries of Victor Klemperer, a German Jew, which dramatize the responsibility of the individual to ‘bear witness’ to injustice. Each performance was followed by a facilitated discussion.
Thomaston - Thomaston Public Library
$1,000
Teen Reading Center - Special Guests Events
The library hosted a series of special events to promote its new Teen Reading Center and graphic novel collection. Guest speakers at the teen reading nights included graphic novel authors and artists, as well as local celebrities such as Rick Lowell, the owner of Portland’s graphic novel store.
Vinalhaven - Syracuse University
$1,000
Seal Bay Festival—Workshops with Students and Visual Artists: Finding the Creative Link between the Arts through Improvisation
During the music festival in June of 2006, composers and instrumentalists interacted with Vinalhaven residents in workshops that explored the creative links connecting verbal narrative, visual imagery, physical movement, and music composition. The workshops used musical improvisation as a starting point for discussion and discovery.
Washington - Prescott Memorial School
$996
Building Character Connections
This program supported the development of youth in Washington, Maine, with adventures in experiential reading, intergenerational mentoring, and service learning with adult mentors from local civic groups. Monthly dinners brought mentors together with 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade students to discuss books and engage in an oral history project.
Waterville - Waterville Main Street
$1,000 - KC
Downtown Waterville Lebanese Heritage Mural
This community history project gathered representatives from Waterville’s Lebanese community and identified important stories about their experiences. A mural was then commissioned to represent the distinctive Lebanese cultural heritage in the Waterville area.
Waterville - Hardy Girls Healthy Women
$500
Girls’ Coalition Groups Poetry Writing & Slam
The project involved integration of a poetry-writing project with a formal bullying-prevention curriculum for seventh and eighth grade girls at Winslow Junior High School. Poetry workshops facilitated by Colby College creative writing faculty were offered which explored the power of writing in the lives of girls who struggle in school, both academically and socially.
Winter Harbor - Schoodic Arts for All
$1,000
Maine Masters Film Project and Discussion
A series of nine documentary films were shown in Winter Harbor, featuring painters associated in some way with the area. The project also included public discussions with the artists about their creative process.
Wiscasset - Lincoln County Historical Association
$1,000 - KC
Pownalborough Court House Interpretive Signage
A series of bilingual (English & French) interpretive panels were designed and installed at the Pownalborough Courthouse in an effort to tie local heritage into greater stories of the Kennebec-Chaudière Heritage Corridor.
Woolwich - Woolwich Historical Society
$1,000 - KC
Maine Masters Film Project and Discussion
Woolwich Historical Society conducted an intergenerational oral history project in conjunction with the schools and the local cable access services. Older residents interviewed younger residents, and vice-versa.
York - York Adult & Community Educaton
$500
York Reads!
In the spring of 2006, citizens in the Town of York embarked on their second One Book, One Community project, this time featuring Ernie’s Ark by Monica Wood. York Schools, York Public Library, and York Adult and Community Education coordinated to disseminate the book and offer extensive related programming.

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