2019 AUGUST NEWSLETTER

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》》》 Things are about to change! 《《《
​Introducing the NEW Humanities Montana website
Launching September 12  🎉

Gather Round Goes National

Our DIY humanities toolkit is a hit! We’ve sent out all 50 and are starting to hear from people who’ve gotten together with friends and family to try it out. A few of our kits left Montana for California, Idaho, and Kansas. This fall, we’ll be sharing the model with other organizations at the National Humanities Conference in Hawaii.

It’s all pretty exciting for a new program, but we’re most proud of what’s happening right here in Montana. Gather Round went to Sidney, Montana, and the host, Sarah, wrote back: 

“We enjoyed this so very much. We played cards, all the games mentioned. The winners received a pin. My grandma was with the ladies who are recently widowed when I brought this to her to see if there was interest. Needless to say, it wasn't the plan but it happened that day. My grandma and the ladies currently have the book as they all gather weekly and now they read a couple sections. This brought light to a hard, sad time. Thank you. (The ladies now light the candle weekly and we all found the tea to be delicious!)”

If you have a toolkit or have been to a gathering, let us know how it went.

Hometown Humanities 
Autumn Walkabout

Explore the culture of Red Lodge during the Autumn Walkabout on September 14. This capstone event includes a scavenger hunt, demonstrations at the Carbon County Arts Guild, performances at The Willows, and a tour of Red Lodge Ales. The day ends with a play put on by the Red Lodge Theatre Company called “Mining Coal: Mining Creativity,” which details the past and present of the historic town.

“From riding in horse-drawn carriages, touring 100-year-old buildings, and watching reminiscent dance and theater performances, you’ll feel like you’re connected to Red Lodge’s history and a part of its story that continues to write itself into Montana’s future,” said Neil Carlson, marketing director for Red Lodge Hospitality.

Over the past year, Humanities Montana has supported more than 30 programs attended by over 1,000 people in the Red Lodge community.

Summer Reading

It’s our favorite time of year. If your camping trip includes a paperback for afternoons in the tent, your lake visits are all about beach reading, your road trips aren’t complete without an audiobook or two, and you schedule your vacations around book club, then Big Sky Reads is for you. 

First, join our community of readers on Facebook. You can find book clubs in your region by searching Big Sky Reads events in our calendar, or by posting a message in the group. You’ll connect with a fun bunch of librarians and bibliophiles.

Are you in a book club? Our $500 stipends can be used to fund:

  • Author visits
  • Book purchases
  • Marketing
  • Trained discussion leaders

Apply today!

Night of the Living Humanities

We are excited to re-introduce Humanities Montana to friends, supporters, and strangers alike. Please join us and a few of our Living Humanities friends for a drink, good food, and riveting small talk.

Our Night of the Living Humanities party will take place on Thursday, September 12 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at The Barn on Mullan in Missoula and everyone is invited. Stay tuned to learn more.

RSVP to brooke.beighle@humanitiesmontana.org

Grant Writing Workshops

Humanities Montana is reopening grant applications this fall, with our first deadline of December 20 for regular grantsfellowships, and three-year sustaining grants. If you need to brush up your grant-writing skills, we support workshops in partnership with the Montana History Foundation. These free workshops for museums and nonprofit organizations provide practical, step-by-step tools and tips for developing winning grant proposals.

Register

Register online for the upcoming grant writing workshop near you:

August 7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.,
Conrad Community Center,
106 S. Delaware St., Conrad, MT

August 28, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.,
Musselshell Valley Historical Museum,
​524 1st St. W., Roundup, MT

Living the Humanities: Kim Anderson

Kim Anderson is our director of programs and grants. After working with Humanities Montana to create the Montana Festival of the Book, Kim “fell in love with the organization.” As the longest serving member of our staff, Kim has continued to bring innovative and engaging programs to Montana communities for 20 years. She especially enjoys assisting applicants via grant counseling and appreciates the variety of work offered by her position. “Humanities is a big tent,” she says, “and everything that interests me is inside of it.”

In Memoriam: Nicholas Vrooman

We offer our condolences to the family and friends of Nicholas Vrooman. It would be difficult to summarize his many contributions, including serving as state folklorist for both North Dakota and Montana, writing the definitive history of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and leading many conversations about indigenous rights. Nicholas offered a program on “The Metis in Montana” for our Montana Conversations, sharing his deep knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion for justice with audiences throughout the state. Krys Holmes, executive director of the Myrna Loy Center in Helena, speaks for us all when she shares, “Nicholas is a part of the landscape, the stories, the songs, the rivers, and the place of Montana. There is so much knowledge that would have disappeared if not for him. The wingspan of his life and work touches three centuries. It was an honor to know him, to have heard that laugh, and to have felt his warm encouraging bear-hug greeting.” You can read a fuller telling of his life here. Rest in peace, Nicholas.

(Getting Your Game on at Plenty Coups High School)

Opportunity Grants Awarded:
July

  • Visiting Writers Program: Maira and Alex Kalman, Elk River Arts & Lectures, Livingston, $1,000. World-renowned authors, artists, and curators Maira and Alex Kalman will spend a week in Park County working with local school children, giving a public talk, and meeting with regional artists and writers.

  • The Brodhead Maternity Home: Care, Connection, and Community in Eastern Montana, Women’s Reproductive History Alliance, Bozeman, $1,000. Humanities Montana funds will support the creation of a digital exhibit focusing on a turn-of-the-twentieth-century maternity home in Fairview, Montana.

  • Getting Your Game On: Connecting to Youth Through Video Games and STEM, Add-A-Tudez Entertainment Company, Great Falls, $500. Funds support school workshops in reservation and rural communities.

Opportunity Grants are now closed until
October 1

Look for these and other larger grants this fall. Please call Humanities Montana’s staff at 243-6022 to discuss our grant opportunities and other possible funders for your work.

Special Event

Special Event: Revisiting Montana 1889 Facebook Group will host Ellen Baumler’s presentation on “The Chinese in Montana: Our Forgotten Pioneers” on Thursday, August 8 at 2:00 p.m. at the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives. Ellen’s talk is followed by a visit to the Mai Wah Museum dedicated to the Chinese legacy in the Mining City. Participants can also enjoy dinner at the Pekin Noodle Parlor. Ellen’s presentation is part of Humanities Montana’s Montana Conversations

The Facebook group will focus on John Wesley Powell, Deaf Bull, Charles Broadwater, and Nannie Alderson in August. The Montana Historical Society hosts this lively, monthly conversation based on Humanities Montana’s Executive Director Ken Egan’s book Montana 1889: Indians, Cowboys, and Miners in the Year of Statehood. Royalties from books sales support the programs and grants of Humanities Montana.


Connect with us:

             

WWW.HUMANITIESMONTANA.ORG

Humanities Montana
311 Brantly  | Missoula, Montana 59812
406-243-6022 | info@humanitiesmontana.org

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