Alabama Humanities Alliance

We are ready to support your upcoming humanities-related project! Two weeks remain before the November mini-grant deadline, so start your application today. Not sure if your project qualifies? Send a preliminary grant application for an opportunity to receive direct feedback on your proposal and eligibility. Schedule an appointment to discuss your project with AHA Grants Director Graydon Rust: https://lnkd.in/gtdTYXUH. #alabamahumanities #Alabama #grants #lectures #panels #exhibits #teacherworkshops #bookreading #bookdiscussion #documentary #films #oralhistory #podcasts #apps #otherdigital #applynow #funding

“Nobody should expect that a few words from a poet or a philosopher may sit right a distressing situation or provide a completely new orientation for a community. But poets and philosophers can help us find the way up the mountain. The path we take from there can be our own.” Duard LeGrand, one of AHA’s founding board members, wrote those words in one of our earliest newsletters back in the 1970s. And it felt like a fitting intro to our lead story in the new issue of MOSAIC magazine: “Looking Back: AHA at 50.” If you want to get a feel for our impact in Alabama over the past half-century, please give it a read! Factoids you’ll find: --We were “born” in 1974 with the very exciting name of (drum roll…) the Alabama Committee for the Humanities and Public Policy. (“AHA” rolls off the tongue a bit easier, yes?) --We’ve awarded more than $12.5 million in grant funding to 2,182+ public humanities projects statewide…and counting! --Our first Alabama Humanities Fellow honored in 1989: Winton “Red” Blount, former U.S. postmaster general and champion of the arts and humanities in Alabama. Learn more about our FIRST fifty years at the #linkinbio. And you can read the issue in full at: https://lnkd.in/ev5b2nDb #AHAat50 #MosaicMag

This weekend, we traveled to Gee's Bend in Wilcox County for our grantee Gees Bend Quiltmakers' Airing of the Quilts Festival. The annual celebration honors the generations-old quilt-making tradition started by 19th-century enslaved women who used fabric scraps to form quilts to keep their loved ones warm. Born out of necessity during the Civil Rights Movement, the Freedom Quilting Bee was established in 1966 as a means for communities to support those systematically retaliated against for registering to vote. Today, the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy carries on the tradition. Attendees at the event could immerse themselves in the community's rich history through exhibits such as "Just Look Where He Brought Me From: The Family Quilts of Mary Lee Bendolph" and "A History of Gee's Bend From 1816 to the Present". Storytime sessions were led by Cassandra Pettway Cooper and Judge James Edward Cooper, offering insights not found in history books. Tangular Irby, the author of "Pearl and her Gee's Bend Quilt," hosted children's book reading and discussions. Local vendors sold original works, choirs performed traditional African American hymnals, and a shuttle provided transportation for a guided tour of the quilting cooperative's history and Civil Rights ties. If you have a festival with a strong humanities-related connection for which you would like to receive funding, please click the link https://lnkd.in/gtdTYXUH #alabamahumanities #Alabama #grants #lectures #panels #exhibits #teacherworkshops #bookreading #festival #bookdiscussion #documentary #films #oralhistory #podcasts #apps #exhibit #art #geesbend #boykin #alabama #quilting

Last week, 30 students from the L.B. Wallace School at Mt. Meigs participated in a first-of-its-kind Alabama History Day program. Students had the chance to research topics of their own choosing – and then creatively share their findings – just as other Alabama students do at school, regional, and statewide History Day contests each year. Check out these pictures of students’ scholarship and creativity on display at Mt. Meigs! This barrier-breaking program was the result of a collaboration between the Alabama Humanities Alliance, the Alabama Writers' Forum, and Alabama’s Department of Youth Services. Over a 10-week program this school year, students at Mt. Meigs participated in a Writing Our Histories program, led by Susan Dubose, Ph.D., a leading historian and educator in Alabama. Dr. DuBose helped students learn the core principles of primary research and how to develop speaking skills to present their research to a panel of judges. We are so thankful to Dr. Dubose, to our partners at the Alabama Writers’ Forum and, especially, to the leaders and teachers at the L.B. Wallace School for making this unique program possible. We take great joy in offering programs that empower ALL Alabamians to be storytellers and humanities champions, at every stage in life. Here’s to more ahead! Want to be part of the Alabama History Day experience? Learn more at https://lnkd.in/eBvyFgSx. #alabamahumanities #alabama #alabamahistoryday #historyday #research #history #competition #student #scholar #documentary #performance #exhibit #paper #website

AHA is saddened to learn of the passing of Nall Hollis, a world-renowned artist, Troy native, and Alabama Humanities Fellow. Nall’s signature style spanned countless mediums including surrealist painting, portraiture, sculpture, and mosaic. His work exhibited everywhere from the Mobile Museum of Art and New York’s National Arts Club to international destinations like the Menton Museum of Art and the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Just this year, AHA also featured Nall’s artwork on the cover of new issue of Mosaic magazine – a piece called “Burst Camellia,” from Troy University’s extensive Nall collection.    As Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins noted in an al.com story yesterday: “Nall had the ability to see things that were not — yet he had the artistic talent to transform his ideas into works of art which made the world more beautiful.”   We were honored to honor Nall as one of our Alabama Humanities Fellows in 2018, recognizing his thought-provoking artistry and extensive appreciation for art history. Nall's influence extended beyond his art, too, as he was also known for his dedication to mentorship, a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations. Among Nall’s many other honors were awards from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Alabama Center for the Arts’ Hall of Fame.    Learn more about Nall’s artwork and legacy at the Nall Museum and Gallery at Troy University’s International Arts Center: https://lnkd.in/eD-p_EM6

AHA is delighted to have sponsored a portion of the 2024 American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Conference in Mobile, Alabama. We were joined by nearly 900 attendees to engage with some of the nation's leading history practitioners. The conference theme, "Doing History," is especially timely as our country approaches its 250th birthday in 2026! AHA's Laura Caldwell Anderson and Kathy Boswell were joined by partners Nell Gottlieb and Jennifer McCohnell (from the Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation) to lead a Past Forward experience from our Healing History initiative. Forty participants joined the conversation to learn how Healing History efforts can: - Foster cohesion within our communities and workforces - Encourage all of us to explore our shared history - Break down barriers across race, religion, politics, and more Running into our National History Day friend Alaina McNaughton, Associate Director of Contest, was a joy. #AHA50 #AHA #alabamahumanitiesalliance #HHI #healinghistory

Community is key to an individual's success and health. What happens when division keeps us apart? The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Alabama Humanities Alliance, and The Birmingham Jewish Federation have curated Woven Together—The Art of Healing: Isms & Phobias. Dr. Gail Christopher, author of Rx Racial Healing: A Guide to Embracing Our Humanity, executive director of the National Collaborative will lead us through a conversation that bridges divides and builds solutions. Join us on September 19 from 6-8 PM at The Fennec for a conversation. All attendees will be able to participate in a Healing Circle exercise led by Dr. Christopher.    Tickets are limited, so hurry and purchase yours today. Register soon using the link below. https://lnkd.in/eb9gjJsM

Fall is here, and so are grant opportunities to fund your humanities-related projects! Our grants program helps Alabamians across the state highlight voices and uplift the community. Are you unsure if your project qualifies? Sending a preliminary grant application is your opportunity to receive direct feedback on your proposal and eligibility. Schedule a call with our Grants Director, Graydon Rust, to discuss your application: https://lnkd.in/gtdTYXUH #alabamahumanities #Alabama #grants #lectures #panels #exhibits #teacherworkshops #bookreading #bookdiscussion #documentary #films #oralhistory #podcasts #apps #otherdigital #applynow #finaldeadline

Here’s a sneak peek of our 2024 Mosaic magazine…coming to mailboxes across Alabama soon! This issue looks back AND forward as we celebrate 50 years of sharing Alabama’s stories. We’ll have copies available at our events throughout the year. And if you’ve signed up for Mosaic, you’ll receive one shortly. Not on our mailing list? Sign up and stay in the know with all things AHA: https://lnkd.in/eJDzYzgU #linkinbio Cover art: “Burst Camellia,” by Nall Hollis (Alabama Humanities Fellow, 2018). Courtesy of the International Arts Center at Troy University. Cover design: Liz Kleber Moye #AHAat50 #linkinbio

Join us on Monday, August 26th at 6:30 in the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall for Brittany Howard and Jason Isbell: In Conversation! We’re ecstatic after Host of Morning Edition and Morning Blend Ginny Kennedy interviewed AHA’s Director of Communications Phillip Jordan to discuss what are the humanities, AHA’s upcoming event honoring Alabama’s very own Brittany Howard and Jason Isbell, and how Alabamians can receive support for their humanities related projects. But of course, they couldn't have this conversation without the accompaniment of Howards’ and Isbell’s legendary sounds. “Storytelling is at the crux of what the humanities are all about. This [Brittany Howard and Jason Isbell: In Conversation] isn’t a music award ceremony. It’s a chance to sit down, come home, and talk about what has driven their careers and their impact on the humanities through their songs.” Tune in to jam out to Howards’ and Isbell’s music while learning a little bit more about the humanities: https://lnkd.in/ewuddRjR Buy your tickets today: https://lnkd.in/e7PwY9UW