The board of directors of CT Humanities has awarded $45,027 in project grants from the CT Humanities Fund to 12 Connecticut nonprofits, including museums, historical societies, and other cultural organizations across the state, for strong humanities-centered programs and exhibits.
This round of grant funding supports a wide variety of humanities projects, including lectures that revisit the Amistad story and explore environmental challenges, a speaker series with refugees, an exhibit on change and challenges for Connecticut farming, and programs that highlight Connecticut’s electrical and manufacturing achievements.
One funded project, Litchfield Historical Society’s Think What I Have Felt: Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of ‘Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave,’ is particularly timely leading up to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The initiative aligns with the funding priorities of the America 250 | CT Commission, administered by CT Humanities, which includes telling previously untold stories so that all people can find a place in our nation’s narrative.
“As the historical society moves towards 2026 and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we are committed to pursuing projects that tell inclusive stories,” said Alexander Dubois, curator of collections with Litchfield Historical Society. “The 250th anniversary is an opportunity for LHS to redress the incomplete history presented within our spaces for much of our institution’s past, with the William Grimes program being one of the first 250th-branded offerings at LHS. Grimes’s story is revolutionary. From escaping enslavement, to defending himself in court, to publishing his narrative, Grimes pursued Revolutionary ideals of freedom, liberty, and the right to property, making it fitting to hold our program in the geographic space where he exercised these rights.”
Dr. Jason R. Mancini, executive director of CT Humanities, said the application review committee noted significant strength and depth within this round of awardees.
“We’ve long known how fortunate Connecticut is to be home to more than 800 cultural organizations that put forward programs that cultivate curiosity, knowledge, and understanding,” Mancini said. “In times when wisdom and connection are needed more than ever, we are proud to foster and fund thought-provoking projects that can connect our past, present, and future.”
CT Humanities’ most recent Quick Grant funded programs include:
Ball & Socket Arts (Cheshire, $4,995)
Pushing Buttons: Employee Histories from Cheshire’s Button Industry Oral History Pilot
Ball & Socket Arts will pilot an oral history project that captures two time-sensitive oral histories from former employees at the Ball & Socket Manufacturing Site. Capturing their compelling first-hand experiences working for Ball & Socket Manufacturing is not only urgent due to their age but essential in allowing the public a window into the button-making process and history of industry in Cheshire.
Dudley Farm (Guilford, $3,200)
Weathering Change From the 19th Century and into the Future: Farming in Connecticut
Farmers have always weathered economic, social, and environmental challenges, including climate change and increasingly fluctuating weather patterns. Small farms once covered Connecticut’s landscape, a testament to the adaptability and sustainability of historical agriculture. This permanent exhibit will open May 2025 at the Dudley Farm, inviting visitors to explore the changes and challenges of the past with those of today and tomorrow while considering ways to ensure that Connecticut’s farms remain productive.
Eastern Connecticut State University Foundation (Windham, $4,999)
Evening Conversation with Author Andrew Krivak, 2024-25 NEA Big Read Program
The culminating community humanities event of Eastern Connecticut State University’s 2024-25 National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Program is a conversation with Andrew Krivak, author of The Bear, on April 8 at 6 p.m. This evening public humanities discussion will explore themes from the book at the intersection of arts, humanities, and sciences to highlight the fragility of human life amid environmental challenges.
Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra (New London, $1,354)
ECSO Winter/Spring 2025 Pre-concert chats
The ECSO will host pre-concert chats, free to the public, prior to scheduled performances at the Garde Arts Center this winter and spring. These will feature ECSO soloists, musicians, and Music Director and Conductor Toshiyuki Shimada, as they explain the depth and human history behind composers and specific repertoire background, while also highlighting the technical details of their craft.
Elena’s Light (North Haven, $3,329)
Lighting the Future Speaker Series
“Lighting the Future,” hosted by Elena’s Light, is a public speaker series running trimonthly throughout the year, featuring refugee experiences shared through art, academia, and storytelling. The series raises awareness of the cultural and societal challenges refugees face and celebrates their resilience and contributions to New Haven.
Learning in Retirement Stamford (Stamford, $2,700)
The Journey to Cultural Gems
This project, targeted to seniors, offers a pre-trip course on abstract art and aesthetics and an April 2025 bus trip to New Britain Museum of American Art. At the museum, a docent will lead the 40-person group through the “Modern Women: Visionary Artists” and other exhibitions. Individuals will have time to explore the museum on their own. After the trip, a panel will present to the larger community about what was seen and learned.
Litchfield Historical Society (Litchfield, $4,999)
Think What I Have Felt: Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of ‘Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave’
In 1825, William Grimes published an account of his enslavement, his escape to Connecticut, and the purchase of his freedom at “the sacrifice of all he had earned.” In 2025, the Litchfield Historical Society will organize public programs commemorating and elevating Grimes’s life and his seminal narrative, including a May 3 dramatic reading of excerpts from “Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave,” accompanied by a panel discussion led by Grimes’s descendant, Regina Mason.
New Britain Industrial Museum (New Britain, $4,999)
What Happened When Electricity Came to New Britain
The New Britain Industrial Museum is creating an exhibit dedicated to New Britain’s little-known, yet pivotal involvement in the dawn of our country’s electric era. Set to open in 2025, this exhibit will reveal the story of how a small New Britain electric company was part of the impetus for General Electric’s creation.
New Haven Chinese Cultural Cooperative (New Haven, $3,329)
A Listening Journey Across China and its Cultural Legacy
This will be a two-part presentation series that takes participants on a guided listening journey from Jiangnan to the far corners of Shandong, through storytelling and audience interaction, interspersed with songs and tunes based on the diverse Chinese musical tradition. The presentations serve to highlight the cultural diversity represented in the Chinese-speaking world today and will be followed by post-presentation discussion.
New Haven Museum (New Haven, $4,999)
Rethinking the Amistad Story
New Haven Museum, with the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition, and the Amistad Committee, will host Dr. Marcus Rediker on April 3 for a Meet & Greet with New Haven partners and representatives from Amistad sites at 4:30 p.m., and a public program at 6 p.m. Participants are invited to NHM’s updated “Amistad: Retold” exhibition to view original artistic works and artifacts as they reflect on Rediker’s interpretation of the Amistad.
Town of Manchester (Manchester, $2,702)
After-School Artists Circle
After-School Artists Circle welcomes high-school-aged young people living and attending school in Manchester into their weekly arts education program. They seek to enhance young people’s experience and understanding of art and culture by engaging them in structured conversations focused on a diversity of artists and their works. Discussions are facilitated by trained artists and educators and informed by visiting artist lectures and field trips to local arts universities, galleries, and museums.
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (Hartford, $3,469)
Public Programming for Divine Geometry: Islamic Art at the Wadsworth Atheneum
On view through April 13, Divine Geometry: Islamic Art at the Wadsworth Atheneum is a multimedia exhibition that presents the artistic language of Islamic art through floral motifs, geometric patterns, calligraphy, and other media. Discussion-based public programming, beginning in January 2025, will engage visitors with how this artistic language has passed down Islamic culture and history through the centuries and around the world.
For information on Quick Grants eligibility and application due dates, click here.
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Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
CTH 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.
