SEATTLE—Humanities Washington has awarded more than $105,000 to 16 organizations working to enrich the educational and cultural life of Washington State. Funded projects include new exhibits, public presentations, and online broadcasts designed to reach diverse audiences as effectively as possible.

“The work of our community partners – libraries, museums, and educational institutions – becomes even more critical in a down economy,” said Julie Ziegler, executive director of Humanities Washington. “Access to education is the key to lifelong learning and enables people to gain new skills and insight about their world and build healthier communities through community dialogue and creative problem-solving.”

Grants awarded include:

Statewide

Society for Applied Anthropology—$9,085
Public forums at Western Washington University, Wenatchee Valley College, and the Yakima Valley
Museum will facilitate community conversations about conflicts and policy options related to
immigration.

HistoryLink.org—$5,000
Enhancement of existing and new online essays with oral history audio files from various sources;
focus will be on communities and subjects outside King County.

King County

Northwest Heritage Resources—Lake Forest Park—$10,000
Voices of the First People will provide online access to the recordings of the late Vi Hilbert (2006 Humanities Washington Award recipient) who dedicated her life to preserving and teaching Lushootseed, the language of Chief Seattle.

Hollow Earth Radio—Seattle—$7,500
Hollow Earth Radio (hollowearthradio.org) will produce online broadcasts of The Seaport Beat, an eight-episode radio documentary exploring the legacy of the Northwest’s indie music scene.

Wing Luke Asian Museum—Seattle—$7,500
The Asian Pacific American Urban Indian Exhibition Project will showcase oral histories and
historical artifacts, documentary films, and live performances that explore the lives of people
shaped by the dual challenges of Indian relocation and Asian immigration.

Vashon Allied Arts—Vashon—$6,465
Vashon Arts & Humanities 2010-11 Series will feature programs on Picasso, Harlem Renaissance
Poetry, Tony Award-winner Brian Yorkey, and the native oral tradition.

Seattle Arts & Lectures—Seattle—$5,000
The 2010-11 Poetry Series features National Book Award finalist and four-time National Slam
Poetry champion Patricia Smith and other renowned poets reading and discussing their works.

Friends of Third Place Commons—Kenmore—$3,000
Commons Stories invites people of all ages and backgrounds to share their personal histories
through a series of public storytelling events.

North Central Washington Area

Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center—Wenatchee—$7,000
The Columbia Revisited exhibit will chronicle (and mark the bicentennial of) explorer David Thompson’s 1811 journey down the entire Columbia River.

Methow Arts Alliance—Twisp—$5,000
The Methow Arts Humanities Collaborative will present a January and June series of educational
programs for students, teachers, residents and rural artists that use the creative and performing
arts as a catalyst for discussion and discovery: The Tuvan Throat Singers (January 19-22) and Soul
Street Dance (April 11-15).

Olympic Peninsula

Port Townsend Public Library—Port Townsend—$7,500
Community Read 2011 will read Susan Vreeland’s Forest Lover, a novel exploring the life of
Canadian painter Emily Carr, whose work was heavily influenced by the Native Americans of British
Columbia. Related events include art competitions, public lectures, a film screening, and public
author discussion.

Pierce County

Center for Columbia River History—Tacoma—$10,000
The center will establish a new multi-media, online exhibit, Re-Visioning This Place: Lower Columbia River Chinookan Communities, to examine the historical significance of the Chinookan peoples.

Tacoma Art Museum—Tacoma—$5,000
That Tacoma Art Museum’s Mighty Tacoma: Photographic Portrait 2010 and What is Community?
Symposium will ask Tacoma residents to help explain what Tacoma is via public workshops and
discussions, online content, and an evolving art exhibit.

Snohomish County

Sno-Isle Libraries—Clinton—$3,000
Whidbey Reads, an annual community reading program, will bring author Erica Bauermeister,
author of the international best-selling School of Essential Ingredients, to read and discuss her work at schools and libraries across Whidbey Island.

Southeast Washington

Whitman College—Walla Walla—$7,500
Whitman’s Visiting Writers Reading Series offers free, public literary events featuring writers and
poets including Garrett Hongo, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and MacArthur Fellow Colson
Whitehead.

Southwest Washington

Clark County Historical Society and Museum—Vancouver—$7,355
The museum’s Bridging the Gap exhibit will explore the social, cultural, and economic impacts of
the I-5 bridge across the Columbia River, bringing context to the current discussion around how to
best modify the bridge to meet present and future needs.

The next opportunity to submit a project grant application to Humanities Washington for consideration will be in spring 2011. Those interested in applying for a grant are encouraged to check the Humanities Washington website (humanities.org) in early 2011 for more information.

ABOUT HUMANITIES WASHINGTON

Since 1973 Humanities Washington has provided a rich array of programs, exhibits and experiences to hundreds of thousands of people across the state. As Washington State’s affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities Washington supports and partners with a wide network of communities, organizations, and individuals to offer a variety of programs and events. For more information on Humanities Washington visit humanities.org.