Humanities Nebraska (HN) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

affiliate of the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

(NEH) based in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. HN creates and supports

public humanities Public humanities is the work of engaging diverse publics in reflecting on heritage, traditions, and history, and the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of civic and cultural life. Public humanities is usually practiced within fed ...

programs with the goal of engaging the public with history and culture.

History and Structure

Humanities Nebraska was established as an NEH state-based affiliate in 1973. The organization, formerly known as the Nebraska Humanities Council, adopted its current name in 2013. HN consists of the Nebraska Humanities Council, which conducts programs and awards grants, and the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities, which secures and advocates for public and private funding for the council. Both the Council and the Foundation are overseen by a volunteer board of directors.

Programs

Chautauqua

HN's Chautauqua is a revival Chautauqua established in 1984 and hosted annually by rural communities throughout Nebraska. The week-long program is centered on a series of first-person portrayals of historical figures, and also includes workshops and other activities. Past figures portrayed at Chautauqua have included

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', ''The Song of the Lark (novel), The Song of the Lark'', a ...

, and

Standing Bear Standing Bear (–1908) (Omaha-Ponca language, Ponca official orthography: Maⁿchú-Naⁿzhíⁿ/Macunajin;U.S. Indian Census Rolls, 1885 Ponca Indians of Dakota other spellings: Ma-chú-nu-zhe, Ma-chú-na-zhe or Mantcunanjin pronounced ) was ...

Governor's Lecture in the Humanities

The Governor's Lecture in the Humanities is an annual free, public lecture established in 1996 by HN and Nebraska

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Ben Nelson Earl Benjamin Nelson (born May 17, 1941) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 37th governor of Nebraska from 1991 to 1999 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the D ...

. The inaugural lecture was delivered by speechwriter

Ted Sorensen Theodore Chaikin Sorensen (May 8, 1928 – October 31, 2010) was an American lawyer, writer, and presidential adviser. He was a speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy, as well as one of his closest advisers. President Kennedy once called hi ...

Sower Award

The Sower Award in the Humanities is presented annually at the Governor's Lecture to an individual, institution, business, or community that has made a significant contribution to public understanding of the humanities in Nebraska. Past Sower Award winners have included poet

Ted Kooser Theodore J. Kooser (born April 25, 1939) is an American poet. He won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2005. He served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004 to 2006. Kooser was one of the first poets laureate ...

Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Nebraska Public Media, formerly Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), is a state network of public radio and television stations in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is operated by the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission (NE ...

, and the community of

Seward, NE Seward is a city in and the county seat of Seward County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,643 at the 2020 census. Seward is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska metropolitan area. History Seward was platted in 1868. It was named from Se ...

Capitol Forum on America's Future

Capitol Forum is a collaboration between HN and the Office of the

Nebraska Secretary of State Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sou ...

designed to encourage Nebraska high school students and teachers to discuss international issues such as trade and terrorism. The program is centered on a day-long annual event in March, during which students visit the

State Capitol A capitol, or seat of government, is the building or complex of buildings from which a government such as that of a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or the organized territories of the United States, exercises its authority. Although m ...

in Lincoln to meet with Nebraska elected officials. The Capitol Forum curriculum is developed by the Choices for the 21st Century Education Program at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Prime Time Family Reading Time

Prime Time Family Reading Time is a family reading and discussion program offered for free in communities where elementary student reading scores do not meet state standards. The program was developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in 1991 and was first offered in Nebraska in 2002. HN's Prime Time program won a Public Humanities Programming Award in 2011.

Museum on Main Street

Museum on Main Street is a partnership between HN and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

Traveling Exhibition Service that brings traveling exhibitions to Nebraska cities and towns. HN also works with community organizations to develop events and programs related to the museum exhibitions, which explore United States history and culture.

Partnerships

HN collaborates with the Nebraska Library Commission and the Nebraska Arts Council to facilitate the work of the

Nebraska State Poet The titles Nebraska Poet Laureate and Nebraska State Poet are applied by the government of Nebraska to an official state poet. John G. Neihardt was designated Nebraska poet laureate by the Nebraska Legislature in 1921. In 1927 the legislature e ...

. The organization also offers grants in support of various public humanities projects.

Funding

Humanities Nebraska is funded primarily by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The organization is also supported by a public-private partnership between the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and the State of Nebraska, established by the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...

in 1998 to ensure a stable source of funding for arts and humanities programs in the state.Neb. Rev. Stat
§ 82-330
/ref> The endowment, which matches income from a state fund against private donations, was the first state cultural endowment of its kind.

References

External links

Humanities Nebraska

Nebraska Cultural Endowment

Federation of State Humanities Councils

National Endowment for the Humanities
{{authority control Non-profit organizations based in Nebraska

1973 establishments in Nebraska Organizations established in 1973