Congratulations to the recipients of a special round of CTH Quick Grants! Through the generosity of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Connecticut Humanities was able to award nine small grants to organizations that are planning exemplary programs that bring history to the public: Avon Historical Society, Connecticut Historical Society, CPAN, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Noah Webster House, Stanley-Whitman House, The Mark Twain House & Museum, the Wethersfield Historical Society and the Windsor Historical Society.
| Org. Name | Project Name | CTH # | Amount Requested | Description |
| Avon Historical Society, Inc.
Avon, CT |
“Moments in Avon’s History” – Portable, Retractable Banners for Avon | QG-0117 | $2,847 | We will construct exhibits that tell Avon’s story and display them where Avon’s residents can be found. The exhibits will be in the form of a set of retractable, portable banners each telling a different aspect of Avon’s history through words and images. By cycling the banners through town, over time Avon’s residents and visitors will introduced to many aspects of the history of our town and the region. The initial schedule will cover two years, but the banners will be in use for many years. Some of the themes are:
– Agriculture: Avon’s Roots as a Farming Community |
| Connecticut Historical Society
Hartford, CT |
Sisu and Creativity: Finnish Cultural Heritage in Connecticut | QG-00317 | $3,000 | From 3/21-5/6 CHS and the Finnish American Heritage Society of Canterbury will present an exhibit of Finnish history in Connecticut – their agricultural cooperatives; the built environment including farms, barns, and community halls; the saunas constructed by every family as a social gathering place; and artistic and musical traditions still practiced throughout the community – using art works, images and documents from the FAHS archives, one of the largest Finnish collections in the country. The exhibition will take place at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford. |
| Connecticut Public Affairs Network
Hartford, CT |
Hartford & Manchester Connecticut History Day Contests and Public Presentations | QG-00417 | $2,572 | Approximately 500 Connecticut History Day students in grades 6-12 will be presenting their findings from months of historical research on a variety of humanities topics to hundreds of audience members at two public contests. The students have done research and analysis on topics from local, national and international history based on this year’s National History Day theme of Taking a Stand in History. |
| Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
Hartford, CT |
Foundations of Change: program with Professor Manisha Sinha, author of The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition | QG-00617 | $1,530 | Professor Manisha Sinha, Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut, will lead a conversation on her book The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition, describing how abolition redefined American democracy and human rights across the globe. Professor Sinha will discuss her research, provide context for the history of abolition, and lead participants in a conversation on connections between abolition and contemporary social movements. The program will be free to the public. |
| Noah Webster House & W.Hartford Historical Society
West Hartford, CT |
West Hartford A-Z | QG-00817 | $3,000 | The NWH&WHHS will create a permanent exhibit encompassing the history of West Hartford, CT that will engage the Town’s diverse population of 60,000. Rather than start from scratch, we propose to redesign a previous exhibit into a more usable format. The result, a West Hartford A-Z exhibit, will consist of 13+ panels allowing for easy mobility and accessibility to a variety of host sites and will include 100+ images and original artwork and three-dimensional objects from the museum’s collection. |
| Stanley-Whitman House
Farmington, CT |
People of Farmington’s Past | QG-00917 | $2,750 | “People of Farmington’s Past” is an interactive exhibit and visitor experience composed of 12 first-person/actor, short- film interpretations in the Stanley-Whitman House Conklin History Gallery, via website interactivity, and for use during educational programming onsite and in schools. The films will be professionally researched, scripted, staged and produced. Costumes and educational interpretive content will reflect life in Farmington, CT during the 18th and 19th centuries. |
| The Mark Twain House & Museum
Hartford, CT |
The Spring 2017 Trouble Begins at 5:30 Lecture Series | QG-01017 | $2,385 | The Trouble Begins at 5:30 Lecture Series offers free evening lectures by leading humanities scholars. The lectures address subjects related to Mark Twain, his work, his era, or issues that were important to him and are of continuing relevance today. The series will feature four lectures discussing Twain’s role as a public intellectual; Twain and gothic literature; artifacts of his early international travels; and his relationship with the influential writer and editor William Dean Howells. |
| Wethersfield Historical Society
Wethersfield, CT |
Here We Stand: Native History and Culture from Pyquag to Wethersfield and Beyond | QG-01117 | $2,975 | This project is an engagement point between the local community and indigenous communities in light of the 380th anniversary of the Pequot War. This 4-part project, spanning over 500 years of interaction, utilizes the expertise of Dr. Kevin McBride, Director of Research at the Pequot Museum, native performer and lecturer Annawon Weeden, as well as native chef Sherry Pocknett to discuss traditional issues as well as those faced today by local indigenous groups living with the legacy of colonialism. |
| Windsor Historical Society
Windsor, CT |
The Changing Face of War: Windsor Responds to World War I | QG-01217 | $3,000 | Windsor Historical Society plans an exhibition and four programs centered upon our town’s response to the Great War. Six recently-donated WWI–era naval recruitment posters provide the framework for display of the Society’s rich collections of wartime correspondence, gear, and records of community service organizations. Our aim is to focus on individuals and their experiences in town mobilization efforts, on the battlefront and home front, and the war’s lasting influence on their lives. |
