Humanities Montana awards over $38,000 to humanities projects across the state

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Megan Torgerson
megan@upwardpr.com, 406.480.5591

Grants support projects around Indigenous land stewardship, literature and language reclamation, the history of Butte, philosophy and more

March 1, 2022, Missoula, Mont. ― Humanities Montana recently awarded $38,350 to humanities projects across the state through their Research Fellowship and Regular Grants. The grant program supports projects that engage Montanans in meaningful discussion about the human condition, strengthen cooperative relationships among communities and cultural organizations, and enrich civic discourse among the state’s diverse cultures and geographic regions. 

“Our mission is to support Montanans through stories, conversation and imaginative ideas,” said Randi Lynn Tanglen, PhD, Humanities Montana Executive Director. “From providing new ways to engage with history, to disseminating knowledge about traditional land practices, these projects are positioned to spark dialogue and action across the Big Sky State.” 

Humanities Montana Regular Grants program makes awards of $1,000 or more, three times a year. Their Research Fellowships grant awards of up to $4,000 annually. In February, the seven organizations to receive funding included: 

  • James Welch Literary Festival, Aasaisstto Language Society, East Glacier, $10,000: The James Welch Native American Literature Festival will be a three-day event celebrating the work of Montana and internationally acclaimed writer James Welch (1940–2003) and contemporary Native American writers. The festival is scheduled for July 28-30, 2022.
  • First Voices, Thresh Inc., New York City, $2,000: First Voices creates contemporary interpretations of Indigenous stories, bringing intergenerational Native and non-Native artists together to foster better understanding. Their project will result in a digital film integrating traditional Apsaalooke (Crow) stories and the work of tribal artists.
  • Talk Series: Language Reclamation and Beyond, University of Montana, Missoula, $5,000: The Linguistics Program at the University of Montana will host a series of plenary talks on Indigenous language documentation and reclamation in Missoula during the Institute on Collaborative Language Research, June 13-24, 2022.
  • Story of Butte, Butte Citizens for Preservation and Revitalization, Butte, $7,500: Story of Butte will present curated articles about the history of Butte via the development of a website, mobile app and themed tours on Butte’s mining and labor history, women in Butte, the immigrant experience and architectural history.
  • Blackfeet Ethnoecology Mapping Project, Blackfeet Tribal Historic Preservation Office, Browning, $6,100: The Blackfeet Ethnoecology Mapping Project will develop an Indigenous science Geographical Information System database informed by the Blackfoot knowledge system to disseminate traditional landscape stewardship principles about ecosystem connectivity and the role and responsibility of Blackfoot people in protecting cultural and natural resources for future generations.
  • Philosophy Symposia Series, Merlin CCC, Helena, $3,750: The 2022 Philosophy Symposia Series will highlight military life and the ethics of war, freedom of speech and human’s relationship with nature.  The symposia will occur Fall and Winter 2022.
  • Buckskin and Cloth Dresses, April Martin, Busby, $4,000 (Research Fellowship Award):  This project will look at the evolution of women’s buckskin and cloth dresses with an emphasis on the Cheyenne Nation.

About Humanities Montana

Humanities Montana is Montana’s state humanities council. With a mission to serve communities through stories and conversation, Humanities Montana offers experiences that nurture imagination and ideas by speaking to Montanans’ diverse history, literature and philosophy. Established in 1972, Humanities Montana is one of 56 councils across the nation that the National Endowment for the Humanities created in order to better infuse the humanities directly and effectively into public life. They produce, fund, create and support humanities-based projects and programs, eye-opening cultural experiences and meaningful conversations.