For Immediate Release
November 8, 2022

Contact: Aimee Cotton Bogush | abogush@cthumanities.org | 860-937-6648
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CT Humanities Awards $18,715 in Quick Grants to 5 Cultural Nonprofits for Humanities Programs

MIDDLETOWN, CT (November 8, 2022) – At their October meeting, the board of directors of CT Humanities (CTH) awarded $18,715 in humanities project grants from the CT Humanities fund.

This round of Quick Grant-funded programs includes a 12-episode podcast from WSHU Public Radio entitled, Still Newtown, public talks and interpretive events for Oddfellows Playhouse’s production of Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en and adapted by Mary Zimmerman, and a convening of poets from across Connecticut to explore how poets help the public critically engage with historical and cultural forces that shape contemporary social issues.

Funding also supports two programs in southeastern Connecticut — a speaker’s series from the La Grua Center in Stonington and a pay-as-you-can option to provide equitable access to the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition’s THRIVE Conference presented in partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. THRIVE, a biennial event not held since 2018 due to the pandemic, provides professional development for cultural organizations.

The five organizations awarded Quick Grants in October are:

WSHU Public Radio (Fairfield, $4,750) Still Newtown Podcast, Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater (Middletown, $1,825) Journey to the West, Arts Council of Greater New Haven (New Haven, $2,640) ArtsWestCT’s Poets are Not a Luxury, Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition (Norwich, $4,900) Cultural Coalition’s THRIVE Conference 2022, and La Grua Center (Stonington, $4,600) On Our Minds/Good Stories Well Told Lecture Series.

Fairfield’s WSHU General Manager Rima Dael says, “We are grateful to receive our first grant from Connecticut Humanities and honored to be the first podcast recipient of humanities funding. WSHU’s mission is to provide our community with carefully researched and insightful coverage of important issues and events. The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting is one of the most consequential tragedies to occur in Connecticut. We must bear witness to this event, its impact on our Newtown neighbors, and its relevance in the school shooting epidemic in our country. Still Newtown is a nuanced, respectful podcast that honors the victims, survivors, and residents of Newtown. It encourages thoughtful discourse on critical issues such as school safety, mental health, and community activism.”

The grant to ArtsWestCT (fiscally sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven) supports their Poets are Not a Luxury event on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at West Haven High School.

“ArtsWestCT is honored to support Antionette Brim-Bell—a West Haven resident—in using her platform as Connecticut’s 8th Poet Laureate to explore today’s poets’ important role in shaping our understanding of history and culture, says Elinor Slomba, President, ArtsWestCT. “Distinguished panelists from Hartford, Milford, New London, and the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation will kick off a robust discussion that will build up a map of poetry-centered community engagement projects across the state. This event will be eye-opening!”

From January through May 2023, Stonington’s La Grua Center will present community speakers, including Dayne Rugh, Antoinette Brim-Bell, Bob Florence, James Wayman, Debbi Michiko Florence, and Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel.

“La Grua Center is thrilled to receive a Quick Grant from CT Humanities for our Good Stories Well Told and On Our Minds lecture series. These talks from authors, poets, historians, chefs, and storytellers will focus on matters concerning life, history, and culture in Southeastern Connecticut and beyond,” explains Daniel Brandl, executive director at La Grua Center. “The support from CTH helps us in our mission to engage the community through arts and culture, tell compelling stories through varying lenses to our audience, and record the talks for our public YouTube channel.”

The talks will be free and open to the public and include a Q&A component for audience interaction and feedback.

For information on Quick Grants eligibility and application due dates, visit cthumanities.org/grants/quick-grants.

About CT Humanities
CT Humanities (CTH) is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH promotes civic engagement and connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources.