Indiana Humanities

Indiana Humanities is a nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis that funds and produces public humanities programming throughout the state of Indiana. It is one of 56 humanities councils in the United States and is affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities.

History

The first iteration of Indiana Humanities was established in 1972 when the National Endowment for the Humanities encouraged the formation of the Indiana Committee for the Humanities, a statewide grantmaking organization made up of five Hoosiers. Since its inception Indiana Humanities has been a part of many special projects around the state, including leading a task force in 1991 that resulted in the establishment of the International School of Indiana.

Indiana Humanities has been headquartered in the historic Georgian Revival home of Indiana author Meredith Nicholson and civic leader Eugenie Nicholson since 1986.

Current Activities

Grants

* Humanities Initiative Grant: provides nonprofit organizations in Indiana with funds to support humanities programs for public audiences.
* Historic Preservation Education Grant: given in partnership with Indiana Landmarks to fund educational projects related to historic properties in Indiana.

Programs

* Next Indiana Campfires: a series of statewide programming that blends nature walks, literature and discussion with the help of local humanities scholars and naturalists. This program won the Schwartz Prize for best humanities program in 2017.
* Novel Conversations: a free statewide lending library that loans more than 600 titles to reading groups across Indiana.
* Historic Bar Crawl: an annual bar crawl presented in partnership with Indiana Historical Society in its sixth year that reenacts notable scenes in Indianapolis history at surprising locations. Past themes have included the 1970s and the Cold War.
* INconversation: a speaker program that brings thought leaders from around the country to Indiana for small group discussions.
* Indiana Authors Awards: a biannual book award celebrating Indiana literature. First established in 2009, The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards are given to the best books by Indiana authors written in eight different categories and published during the previous two years.
* One State/One Story: a series of statewide read programming that focuses on a chosen book. Examples include ''Frankenstein'', The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson, ''World of Wonders'' ''by'' Aimee Nezhukumatathil, '' All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake'' by Tiya Miles, and ''Freedom'' '' Over Me'' by Ashley Bryan.

Thematic initiatives

In 2017–2018, Indiana Humanities deployed a seriecs of programming exploring the relationship between STEM disciplines and the humanities called Quantum Leap. This initiative included a slate of statewide programming around the classic novel ''Frankenstein'', for which Indiana Humanities was given a $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

From 2021-2025, the Unearthed initiative included programming exploring humans' relationship to the natural world. Programs included two film series, a speakers bureau, the ''How to Survive the Future'' podcast, Campfires, hosting the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street Water/Ways exhibit, several One State/One Story statewide reads, and several scholarly conversation series.

Other past thematic initiatives include Food for Thought, Spirit of Competition, Next Indiana, and INseparable.

References

General references

* Bennett, Taylor. "Indiana to Mark Frankenstein's 200th Birthday." ''WFYI Indianapolis''. Web. 2 January 201
Indiana to celebrate Frankenstein's 200th birthday
*"Indiana Nonprofit Wins National Award For Campfires Program." ''WFYI Indianapolis''. Web. 21 November 201
Indiana Nonprofit Wins National Award For Campfires Program
*Petry, Ashley. "Beer, books, bio engineering: Indy gets frank with Frankenstein." ''Indianapolis Star''. Web. 12 September 2017
Beer, books, bio engineering: Indy gets frank with Frankenstein
*"NEH Announces $39.3 Million for 245 Humanities Projects Nationwide." ''National Endowment for the Humanities. Web. 2 August 2017.''
*Bongiovanni, Domenica. "That time the Pacers almost left Indy is just one of the stories on this bar crawl." ''Indianapolis Star''. 9 June 201
That time the Pacers almost left Indy is just one of the stories on this bar crawl
*Grossman, Dan. "TILT: It's what graffiti and wool blankets have in common." ''NUVO''. 19 October 2016

*Goins, Alexa. "Next Indiana Campfires: Good literature, thoughts and beers." ''Indianapolis Star''. 12 August 2016
Next Indiana Campfires: Good literature, thoughts and beers
*"Food for Thought: An Indiana Harvest." ''Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership''. 19 October 2012
Food For Thought: An Indiana Harvest
* "Humanities Council Announces Grant Recipients." Inside Indiana Business. Web. 5 April 2010

* Kelley, Erin, and Cassie Stockamp. "Civic Dialogue Fosters Sense of Community." ''Indianapolis Star''. 10 January 2010. Print.

External links

Indiana Humanities

National Endowment for the Humanities



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National Endowment for the Humanities
Non-profit organizations based in Indianapolis