Humanities in Action
Often in conversations with interested grant applicants, we are asked to define the humanities or elaborate on what we mean when we ask applicants to describe the humanities content involved in their project. The best way to answer these questions is to share the work of past grantees and witness humanities programming in action. This month, we take a quick look at a few recently completed grant projects:
The Foundation for Montana History — Montana Antiques Appraisal Fair
In October 2024, The Foundation for Montana History hosted the Montana Antiques Appraisal Fair in Kalispell. The event involved collaboration between local museums, community volunteers, two celebrity appraisers, over 180 attendees, and 150 appraisal items.
Reflecting on the event, The Foundation reported, “We wanted to engage with the general public about the value of historic objects and were delighted to hear that we were successful. Numerous attendees told us they had never visited the Northwest Montana History Museum, and this event brought new audiences to a local cultural venue. Many attendees told us that they came just to get their items appraised but ended up staying for several hours to listen and interact with the other attendees and the celebrity appraisers. In the end, over 180 people spent a Saturday engaged in conversations about Montana’s history and historical objects. AND they had FUN in the process!”
Bitterroot Water Partnership — What We Talk about When We Talk about Water
In the summer of 2024, the Bitterroot Water Partnership collaborated with MAPS Media Institute, local schools, Explore the Arts Gallery, and residents of the Bitterroot Valley to create and share an interactive, multimedia museum exhibit featuring stories, portraits, video, and activities to create a community dialogue about water as a shared natural resource. One visitor shared the following after experiencing the exhibit:
“Where I was expecting conflict, I found the exhibit focusing on the water question that most people could agree on: What can we do to increase the amount of clean water here in the Bitterroot? Whether it was the rancher, the fisherman, [or] the hiker, […] everyone valued and respected clean water in the Bitterroot. The power of the presentation wasn’t as much in the demonstration of ways we can increase the amount of clean water flowing through the Valley, [… it] was in getting me to realize we have commonality. We [all] love and respect the water flowing in the Valley. In these polarized times, that was a powerful message.”
USS Montana Committee — Montana, Montana, The Glory of the Seas documentary
As described on their website, the USS Montana Committee “is a group of volunteer Montanans from across the state who support the commissioning of the USS Montana (SSN 794), a Virginia Class nuclear fast attack submarine, and all those who sail aboard her in defense of the nation.” They worked with producer and Great Falls native Craig Wirth, to create Montana, Montana, Glory of the Seas, a powerful, informative, and fun new television documentary about the first and new USS MONTANA warships — and Big Sky Country’s unique relationship with the U.S. Navy for more than one hundred years. The film premiered in Helena on February 17 at the Myrna Loy Theater and aired statewide on February 22 on the Scripps MTN CBS stations. A representative of Humanities Montana attended the premiere and shared this description of the film’s alignment with our mission:
“This project traced the history of the USS Montana from its origins as a Navy battleship to a nuclear submarine. The documentary traced not only the history of the vessel but also the people involved, including the contributions of the state’s Native American tribal members to the U.S. military. I was fascinated by a history about which I know so little.”
Thresh, Inc. —- Voices of Women at Montana Women’s Prison
Thresh, Inc. explores the humanities through cultural storytelling across the globe. The Voices of Women project explores contemporary American women and how unheard stories of their daily lives, their past, family history, broader history, and culture, define each woman. In December 2024, Thresh facilitated the Voices of Women workshop at Montana Women’s Prison in Billings. Seven women actively participated in the project, telling their stories through movement, sound, and painting. This project will support a larger gathering in 2025 at which the stories of women will be synthesized into live performances, digital film, symphonic music, and robust educational materials.
Recent Grantees
Congratulations to our most recent grantees! To learn more about these inspiring organizations and their projects, visit our Grants Awarded webpage.
Mini-Grants
Catalog for Jesse Albrecht Traveling Exhibition, Schoolhouse History & Art Center, Colstrip, MT, $2,000. This project will support the creation of a free catalog to accompany a traveling exhibition titled Vessels of War & Recovery by military veteran artist Jesse Albrecht. This project creates new understandings of Albrecht’s experiences as a man, a father, a human at war literally and within himself, and an artist. It allows the reader to gain insight into the work and shows connections between scholarly thinking, artwork, and the audience’s own experience.
Public Humanities Fellowships
Unequal and Unruly: Working Class Women Create Meaning in Montana, 1910 to 1960, Jennifer Hill, Boulder, MT, $4,000. This research project will explore the history of working women in Montana between 1910 and 1960. During this time, working women in Montana taught school, staffed hospitals, kept factories running, and raised children. They danced and loved and paid the rent; they stirred up trouble and talked back. As they navigated cultural constraints and economic limitations, they shaped a modern Montana. The fellowship will support Dr. Hill’s forthcoming academic text and public presentations in the fall of 2025.
The Lives of James P. Beckwourth and the Disappearance of the Black West, Anthony W. Wood, Helena, MT, $4,000. James P. Beckwourth was the first Black man to see and explore much of the Rocky Mountains and Far West during the 1820s–1850s. Since the publication of his wildly successful autobiography in 1856, claims about his life in the West have been endlessly debated, first by his peers in the fur trade and subsequently by early historians of the American West during the first decades of the 20th century. Despite the rise of a new Black Western History since the 1980s, no scholar has attempted a thorough and honest assessment of Beckwourth’s participation in the fur trade, the settlement of western territories, or his prominent place in the turn-of-the-century West’s cultural imaginary. This fellowship will support Dr. Wood’s initial work on an upcoming book and public presentation to address one of the West’s most enduring enigmas.
A Cheyenne Review: Producing Historical Articles Related to the Reservation Era, Clara Caufield, Lame Deer, MT, $4,000. The Northern Cheyenne have a rich and dramatic history. Though small in number, they were extremely adaptive, resilient, and strong. When defeated and forced to give up a nomadic lifestyle and placed on a reservation, their appeal as worthwhile historical subjects largely dropped. Yet, the reservation era presents some of their greatest challenges. The Northern Cheyenne have not only survived but made remarkable accomplishments during the Reservation period, much of which has not been recorded. Clara Caufield will collaborate with professional educators and traditional elders to record and share these stories and histories with tribal members, neighbors and friends, and the world through published articles and public presentations across multiple school districts within Northern Cheyenne communities.
Mapping Indigenous Montana, Delia Hagen, Missoula, MT, $4,000. “Mapping Indigenous Montana” is a deep mapping project that intensively reconstructs urban indigenous geographies in settlements across Big Sky County. It maps Montana landscapes at levels ranging from families, households, and neighborhoods to tribal groups and transnational communities, plotting the people and places of the region’s urban indigenes, centering around indigenous cities. This deep mapping from 1860–1940 shows how Indigenous people defined and shaped Montana cities from their first days forward, and how urban areas — and certain neighborhoods, sites, and economic, social, and institutional sectors — formed enduring components of the region’s Indigenous communities. The research will be presented by Dr. Hagen at the 2025 Montana History Conference in Helena.
Community Projects
Centering Indigenous Knowledge webinar series: Spring and Fall 2025, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, $6,561. Following a successful 2024 series, the 2025 Centering Indigenous Knowledge webinar series aims to elevate Indigenous voices and knowledge through eight webinars featuring Montana’s Indigenous scholars. These webinars, including presentations, Q&A, and discussions, will be recorded and available online to reach communities across the state to foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures and contributions. Learn more
Japanese Festival in Western Montana, University of Montana Western, Dillon, MT, $6,457. This two-day festival featuring Japanese music, literature, food, and art aims to promote cultural exchange, mutual respect, and global interconnectedness. The workshops, lectures, and exhibits will be open to the public and involve many local organizations and businesses.
River Arts & Books 2025 Speaker Series, River Arts & Books, Roscoe, MT, $8,880. River Arts & Books is a community-driven organization in rural Montana dedicated to promoting the humanities through literature and cultural engagement. The 2025 Speaker Series will foster a love for reading, writing, and dialogue in the community through events featuring presentations from esteemed authors held in person and made available online. Learn more
Academic WorldQuest 2025: Honoring Indigenous Cultures in Montana and Around the World, World Affairs Council of Montana, Missoula, MT, $5,000. Montana Academic WorldQuest is a three-day nonpartisan global education conference. It creates a place for Montana high school students from every part of the state to learn about the world and each other. This year, in its 20th anniversary, the conference will honor “Indigenous Cultures in Montana and Around the World.” Learn more
The Montana Tapestry: People and Places from 1776 to Today, Montana Historical Society, Helena, MT, $7,840. This project will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. The Montana Tapestry traveling exhibit will educate the public on the lesser-known history, people, and places of Montana and highlight Montana’s changing cultural, social, and physical landscapes from 1776 to today. Six sets of banners and interpretive resources will travel throughout Montana state parks visitors centers across each region of the state, delving into our unique past and sparking curiosity to help shape the next 250 years of our state. Learn more
Support projects and organizations across Montana
Our grantmaking is made possible through funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and private donations. Private donations allow us to provide more unrestricted funds to organizations and their humanities programming. Moving the humanities forward and preserving Montana culture is a group effort and we hope you will consider joining us in our support of organizations across this great state.
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