MIDDLETOWN, CONN (December 3, 2021) – Connecticut Humanities (CTH) today announced the gubernatorial appointment of Dr. Frank Mitchell to its Board of Directors. Dr. Mitchell, a cultural organizer in visual arts and public humanities, lives in New Haven and is the curatorial adviser at the Toni N. and Wendell C. Harp Historical Museum at the Dixwell Q House. Their inaugural exhibit, Keeping the Faith! Promises & Persistence in Dixwell opened last month.

Mitchell was previously elected to the CTH board in 2016 and his term ended in June 2021. According to the governor, this appointment will last until September 2022, or until a successor is appointed and qualified, whichever is longer.

“I thank Governor Lamont for appointing Dr. Mitchell to our Board of Directors,” said CTH’s Board Chairman Lew Wallace. “A humanities scholar and Director Emeritus of The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, Frank has built a career around service and access to Connecticut’s rich and diverse communities and histories. He is highly regarded by his peers and by the CT Humanities Board of Directors.”

Dr. Mitchell joins other new directors in 2021, Ramin Ganeshram (Westport), Valeriano Ramos Jr. (Hamden), Helen Higgins (Guilford), Sandy Grande (Wethersfield), and Jonathan Weiner (West Hartford). They serve alongside Chairman Wallace, Vice-Chair Elaine McDonald, and the rest of the CTH board members.

“Frank’s knowledge of and experience with CT Humanities provide vital continuity in institutional memory to our organization,” stated Dr. Jason Mancini, Executive Director, CTH. “Frank is, in many ways, the heart and soul of our board. Through his innovative spirit and courage, he challenges us to work harder to fulfill our mission to ensure the public humanities will continue to inspire storytelling, lifelong learning, informed public dialogue, and civic engagement in ways that strengthen communities and enhance quality of life for all Connecticut’s residents. I am thrilled by Governor Lamont’s appointment.”

Frank Mitchell’s Bio:

Frank Mitchell is a cultural organizer in visual arts and public humanities. His curatorial and interpretive projects include the exhibitions Who Governs; Afrocosmologies: American Reflections; Soulfood: African American Cooking and Creativity; and A Birds-Eye View: Citizen Science & Social Media, the documentary Unsung Heroes: The Music of Jazz in New Haven, and the culinary study African American Food Culture. He has taught at the University of Connecticut, Trinity College, Franklin & Marshall College, and the University of the Arts. Mitchell is a curatorial adviser for the Toni N. and Wendell C. Harp Historical Museum at The Dixwell Community House and Director Emeritus of The Amistad Center for Art & Culture.

Mitchell began his career at the Studio Museum in Harlem and has led projects at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Museum, The Yale Peabody Museum, and The Connecticut Audubon Society Birdcraft Museum. Mitchell holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in American Culture from the University of Michigan, a Master of Arts degree in African American Studies from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College. In addition to CT Humanities, he serves on the boards of The New England Foundation for the Arts, the Eli Whitney Museum, the Elm Shakespeare Company, and the public history collaborative, Stone Soup.

Connecticut Humanities’ Board of Directors meets quarterly and is responsible for reviewing grant applications, setting policies, reviewing budgets, assisting in the fundraising process, participating in committee work, and serving as an important link between CT Humanities and the public.

CTH is Connecticut’s only statewide non-profit organization focused broadly on supporting access to and providing funding for public humanities through grant funding and capacity building. CTH grants have supported a variety of projects and organizations for more than four decades.

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