This month we give a nod to those involved in Historic Preservation in our state. While not officially a humanities discipline, it is very close kin. Significant landmarks and icons provide visible reminders of our history and are a launch point for discussions of place, our collective past and cultural evolution. In and of themselves, they are simply wood, stone and windows. To the communities they serve, however, they are living, breathing community centers which provide places to gather and connect.
Many of our partner organizations are housed in historic buildings. From our Inquiring Mind speakers’ bureau to our grants program, Humanities Washington delivers and supports exhibits, lectures and presentations that serve to attract a range of audiences to these community treasures.
State of Washington Renews Inquiring Mind Funding
Presenters Conjure Images of the Past
 In a tremendous endorsement of the important role our Inquiring Mind speakers’ bureau plays in engaging audiences in history and current events, the Washington State Legislature has renewed funding for the 2009/10 biennium. $30,000 from the State will make possible at least 100 presentations by dynamic speakers who are available to visit libraries, museums, community centers and schools.
Some of the most popular Inquiring Mind speakers are those who use first-person portrayals of a particular character (also known as Living History) to bring a time period or an event to life. Upcoming presentations by Inquiring Mind ‘Living History’ speakers include:
- Tames Alan Trial by Fork: Formal Victorian Dining Demystified
May 23, 12:00 - 3:00pm at the Historic Cutter Theatre, Metaline Falls.
- Karol & James Brown A Visit with Harriet Tubman
May 23, 2:00pm at the Parkland / Spanaway Library, Tacoma.
- Barbara Callander & Toni Douglas May's Vote
July 19, 1:00pm at Wilkeson Town Hall, Wilkeson.
Visit the Inquiring Mind Calendar for a complete list of upcoming presentations.
Smithsonian’s Key Ingredients visits Metaline Falls’
Historic Cutter Theatre
The Historic Cutter Theatre in Metaline Falls will play host to Key Ingredients: America by Food beginning May 16. Key Ingredients traces American’s evolving relationships with food, including how we grow, prepare and eat it. In addition to Inquiring Mind speaker Tames Alan’s presentation on Victorian dining, the “Cutter” has several events planned to accompany the exhibit including an ice cream social and a cook-off. Visit their website for more information.
The Cutter Theatre previously hosted the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit New Harmonies: American Roots Music, and is a center of cultural activity for Pend Oreille County. The building was designed by Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter in 1912 and now houses the Metalines Community Library, the Rural Schools Exhibit, an art gallery and areas for public and private use. It is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and is a treasured cultural asset.
Icons in Your Community: Grant Awards Support Projects
that
Bring Historic Structures to Life
Humanities Washington offers grants for public programs on a variety of humanities topics, including those which explore the history of places important to local communities. Recent examples include:
Project Grants (Up to $10,000)
 "Olmsted and the Evolution of the UW Campus and AYPE Grounds" (Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks)
In recognition of the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition (AYPE) Centennial, Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks have created a walking tour and brochure to enhance visitor’s knowledge of the evolution of John Charles Olmsted’s designs for the AYP and the future University of Washington campus
Through October 2009. Reservations: Friends@SeattleOlmsted.org or call 425-885-3173.
"Saved by the Bell" (The Spokane Valley Heritage Museum)
Humanities Washington support helped source local community stories about one-room schoolhouses and create interpretive text to accompany the re-creation of a one-room school house.
"S’Klallam Places of Importance" (The Port Gamble S’Klallam Foundation)
Grant support enabled the Foundation to increase awareness of S’Klallam tribal history and culture using an exhibition of photographs taken by S’Klallam youth.
Quick Grants (Up to $500)
 "Early Columbia County Schools Photography Exhibit"
(Dayton Historical Depot Society)
Featuring images from the Dayton Historic Depot’s collection, this exhibit presents photographs
of rural schools taken between 1870 and 1930. The images document the county’s history and celebrate its one remaining schoolhouse, Smith Hollow School, which is currently being moved and restored.
On view through October 2009.
 "Covered Bridges: Spanning the American Landscape"
(Friends of Skamokawa Foundation)
Humanities Washington provided support to host this Smithsonian Institution exhibit which examined the history, decline and preservation of these American icons. The exhibit was presented at the River Life Interpretive Center, which is housed in the historic Redmen Hall schoolhouse in Skamokawa.
"197th Anniversary Celebration of Fort Okanogan" (Okanogan County Historical Society)
In anticipation of the 200th anniversary of Fort Okanogan, the 197th Anniversary celebration featured lectures and tours examining the role of the first American outpost in (what is now) Washington State. Although the fort no longer stands, it played an important role in regional politics and commerce, and speaks to the influence of place on people and history.
"Roslyn Historical Cemeteries" (Roslyn Cemetery Commission)
This quick grant provided important seed funding to develop a five-year restoration program to protect, preserve and restore Roslyn's historic cemeteries. A local treasure, the cemeteries are organized by ethnic background, and mark major events in the area’s history including mine disasters, epidemics and demographic shifts.
"Lynden Cemetery Tour" (Lynden Pioneer Museum)
Materials developed for a walking tour of the local Lynden cemetery will tell the story of Lynden and Whatcom County history through the design of the gravestones and the stories of the people interred in the cemetery.
Historic Preservation Links & Resources
The Washington Rural Heritage Website - A project of the Washignton State Library, Washington Rural Heritage is a repository of special collections in and around Washington's small and rural libraries and their partnering institutions.
The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation – Founded in 1976, the Washington Trust works to safeguard Washington’s historic places through advocacy, education, collaboration and stewardship.
The Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation – A Washington State agency, DAHP advocates for the preservation of Washington's irreplaceable historic and cultural resources which include significant buildings, structures, sites, objects and districts.
National Trust for Historic Preservation - The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities.
Save the Dates
Humanities Washington Award Reception to be held June 4 in Spokane
Humanities Washington will honor Metaline Falls educator Donivan Johnson and Spokane’s Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture with its 2009 Humanities Washington Award at a reception on June 4 at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane.
New Roster of Inquiring Mind Speakers available July 1
The 2009/10 roster of Inquiring Mind presenters will be available for bookings in your community starting July 1. Visit the Inquiring Mind page for our current roster and more information.
 "In Your Dreams": 2009 Bedtime Stories Event
set for October 2
Join Humanities Washington and Nancy Pearl for the 2009 Bedtime Stories author event in Seattle on October 2. Pearl will emcee, and Charles Johnson (Bedtime Stories co-founder), Samuel Green (Washington State Poet Laureate), Margot Kahn (author of Horses that Buck, pictured right), and other exciting Northwest Authors will read original work inspired by the evening’s theme, “In Your Dreams.” Proceeds from the event support Humanities Washington programs including its Family Literacy Program, Motheread.
April Quick Grants
Clark County Historical Society & Museum – Vancouver
Jack Nisbet Presentation: The Mapmaker’s Eye – As part of the museum’s First Thursday series, author Jack Nisbet will lecture on his book, The Mapmaker's Eye: David Thompson on the Columbia Plateau. The reading is presented in conjunction with the Washington State Historical Society exhibit "The Mapmaker's Eye."
Upcoming Event: June 4 at 7:00 pm
 Allied Arts of Yakima Valley – Yakima
Cross Culture: The Morelia Yakima Photography Project – In an exhibit at the Allied Arts' gallery in Gilbert Park, high school and community college students document their perceptions of local culture through photography. Students from Universidad Latina de America, Morelia, Michoacan will do the same.
On view through June 16.
Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association – Vashon Island
Collections Assessment and Development - Humanities Washington support enabled an in-depth, professional assessment of the museum's collections, which will provide recommendations and cost estimates for improving storage conditions and collections care, and plans for increased accessibility and future program development.
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