Georgia Humanities Awards CARES Act Emergency Operating Grants

Georgia Humanities awarded $634,200 in CARES Act Emergency Operating Grants to more than 70 museums, libraries, historical societies, colleges and universities, and other organizations that offer humanities programming to Georgians.

The grants, ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, were awarded based on the applicant organization’s humanities programming mission, demonstrated need, and annual operating budget. Some grants will allow organizations to keep staff employed; others will use funds to protect facilities and collections; some will offer virtual programming; and others will plan and train staff to prepare for facilities to reopen observing public health recommendations for reduced crowd size and social distancing.

Administered by Georgia Humanities, these grants were funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan appropriated by the U.S. Congress.

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STUDENT FILMMAKER TEMPLE LESTER NAMED FOR SMITHSONIAN DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE

The National Museum of African American History and Culture Selected Lester’s Film for a Smithsonian Learning Lab Showcase

Temple Lester, a student at Midtown International School in Atlanta, was among a select group of middle and high school students who had their National History Day documentaries screened by the Smithsonian Learning Lab.

National History Day (NHD), the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), and the Smithsonian Learning Lab selected just 35 documentary films, produced by middle and high school students  in the 2020 National History Day Contest, to be featured in an online showcase. The films were selected and screened by NMAAHC staff, and premiered Wednesday, June 17, as a special collection of the Smithsonian Learning Lab.

In order to be selected for the showcase, students needed to address topics and stories in their documentaries consistent with the mission of the NMAAHC. Each documentary also reflected the 2020 NHD theme, Breaking Barriers in History.

Lester’s ten-minute documentary, Shirley Chisholm: The Good Fight, received first place in the National History Day Georgia State Contest earlier in May.

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Crossroads: Change in Rural America Concludes Its Georgia Tour

Our rural communities have served as the heart of cultural life in our state for generations. These crossroads, where people have gathered to exchange goods and services, as well as engage in political and community discussions, are an important part of our cultural fabric.

Within the last century we have seen a shift—less than 25% of Georgia’s citizens now live in our rural communities today, even though 75% of Georgia’s 159 counties are classified as rural. Uneven opportunities in rural and urban areas have helped contribute to this population shift.

The Smithsonian Museum on Main Street exhibition, Crossroads: Change in Rural America, toured six Georgia communities from August 2019 to July 2020, exploring the role that rural communities have played in shaping our cultural landscape and what the future holds for these communities, using themes of identity, land, community, persistence, and response to change. Thousands of Georgians had the opportunity explore the exhibit, despite an early exhibition closure and delayed opening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Thomaston, McRae-Helena, Cuthbert, Monticello, Summerville, and Blue Ridge, each local community used the Crossroads exhibition as a base to develop ancillary programs and accompanying exhibits that shared local stories of each community’s rich history and culture.

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