Pennsylvania Humanities Council

Kindness matters. During the uncertainties and challenges of Pennsylvania’s recovery one thing made all the difference everyday kindness. PHC and its statewide partners support opportunities for spreading kindness through creative projects, meaningful conversations, storytelling, and shared action. Show that kindness matters to you too. Donate today.

This budget will allow NEH to fulfill its mission of expanding access to humanities learning, resources, and collections for all Americans, while continuing to support humanities infrastructure at a time when the cultural sector has been hard-hit by the pandemic," said National Endowment for the Humanities Acting Chairman Adam Wolfson.

Dillsburg Heart & Soul is putting people first! They are looking to the ideas, hopes, and stories of area residents to help guide local decision-making using Community Heart & Soul.

OPA Live! is a new Instagram series created by the Office of Public Art that offers perspectives from artists and advocates working to combat air and water pollution in the Pittsburgh region. This exciting project grew out of one of PHC's 47 Pop-Up Grants for Cultural Producers. The series kicks off June 8th and continues through August 3rd. Follow the link for details. Learn about our other Pop-Up grantees here: https://pahumanities.org//phc-announces-47-pop-up-grants-f

Congratulations to Penn State Abington professor Marissa Nicosia for receiving a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities! We wish you success on your exciting research project, Seasonal Tastes: English Literary and Recipe Culture, 15501750."

#MemorialDay #PAKindnessPoem https://pahumanities.org/kindness

This exciting event is tomorrow register now!

Congratulations to Jen Danifo, PHC’s Senior Program Officer, on this incredible accomplishment! We are so proud of Jen and all she does to help us put the humanities into action in communities across PA.

How should you talk about diversity and racism with young children? PHC's Teen Reading Lounge consultant, Dr. Valerie Adams-Bass, recently discussed this topic on B.F. Jones Memorial Library's "Saturday Stories." So many valuable insights here for teachers, parents, youth development professionals, and everyone else.

Mark your calendars! On Tuesday, December 15th at 1PM we are conducting a webinar for the American Library Association (ALA) that features Teen Reading Lounge! Presenters for "Teen Reading Lounge: Continuing to Engage Your Teens in a Virtual Space" include Julia Terry (PHC’s Education Officer), Dr. Valerie N. Adams-Bass (TRL consultant), Tammy Blount (librarian, Erie County Public Library), and Aurora Sanchez (TRL facilitator, Free Library of Philadelphia). Follow the link ...to register and for more info. Funding for this webinar has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan.

Tonight! It's not too late to register for Schlow Centre Region Library's event: An Evening With Elizabeth Rush. We are proud to support this virtual engagement through out PHC CARES emergency relief program.

Have you been following the amazing virtual content of Pittsburgh Humanities Festival @ Home? The next installment is on Friday but you can watch all the past streams on The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Facebook page. What a great way to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month! #NAHM20

How do journalists, historians, grassroots organizations, and residents all contribute to telling a community's story and motivating meaningful change? What are... the challenges communities face in sustaining a sense of place while also welcoming new members and exploring new opportunitiesin ways that are inclusive of our differences and shared humanity? . These are questions we tried to address during our segment, "Policing the Truth" with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Bill Marimow and a panel of highly respected media representatives and social advocates, held in April 2019. . Policing The Truth explored the issues of the day and evaluated how consumers are influenced by seemingly infinite and often incongruent information. Policing The Truth put media, corporations and communities under a critical microscope of consideration and analyzed how power creates content, how power curates content and how power corrupts content. . Still relevant today? We think so! Check out the whole segment below and feel free to comment what resonates with you. . https://youtu.be/M_8BL-aFpao . #ThrowbackThursday #PolicingTheTruth #ChesterMade #RemainCreative #ArtsandHumanitiesMonth #RacialJustice #NAHM20 #NationalHumanitiesAlliance #AmericansfortheArts. See more

Exciting news: a state-of-the-art multi-purpose community library is coming to Upper Chichester Township! "The library has frequently been mentioned as an important community resource by residents completing Heart & Soul surveys." Way to go, Upper Chichester Heart & Soul!

Check out what's happening in Ambridge! Ambridge Heart and Soul hosted a series of successful picnics that engaged residents in inclusive conversations and activities about their ideas and dreams for the future. "I can honestly say, I love where we are at in this journey," said Felicia Mycyk, a leadership team member. Thank you to Felicia for contributing this incredible field report!... #NAHM20 National Humanities Alliance Community Heart & Soul

Are you attending Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia's Sparx 2020 Conference this week? If so, you have you have a chance to win a virtual lunch with acclaimed Philadelphia writer and social activist Lorene Cary! Cary’s latest book Ladysitting is a poignant memoir of her experience caring for her grandmother at the end of her life. Her earlier novel The Price of a Child was selected by the Free Library of Philadelphia as their first One Book, One Philadelphia offering.... In addition to her social justice work, she teaches creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania where she twice received the Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching. Lunch will be provided to your home or office by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Scheduling will be at a mutually convenient time through the Zoom video conferencing platform. Winner will be selected at random and announced the week of December 14th. Only one entry per Sparx 2020 attendee. For questions contact [email protected]. Fill out the linked form for your chance to win! #SPARXconference #PhilanthropyPHL https://forms.gle/4Pbn26GT1hYZ5kZG8

A Humanities Indicators survey found that during the stay-at-home restrictions Americans engaged in an average of five humanities activities. People have been streaming the performing arts, visiting cultural institutions online, and studying history. The popularity of the virtual humanities programming we've supported through our recent statewide grants confirm the results of this survey. American Academy of Arts & Sciences

This is what creative community engagement looks like! Check out how Jeannine Cook of Harriett's Bookshop is grabbing attention for social justice issues. Cook was also recently a speaker at one of PHC's summer youth engagement webinars.

GREAT DISCUSSION with my Pitt-Bradford students and Pennsylvania Humanities Council Executive Director Laurie Zierer about the importance of the Humanities in Education and in transforming our lives and communities!

In the spirit of the National Humanities Alliance's #NAHM20 call for stories about community-based social justice initiatives, we wanted to re-share about how Greater Carlisle Heart & Soul's story-gathering work led to the community rallying behind the preservation of an historic African American church. It all started by putting people first and taking the time to listen. This is the humanities in action! Community Heart & Soul Americans for the Arts Cumberland County Historical Society Dickinson College

Today is Virtual Arts Advocacy Day! Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania is encouraging everyone to let their legislators know that level arts funding for the balance of FY 2020-21 is important and will help maintain our cultural infrastructure at time when it is needed more than ever. They've set up a simple template for you to take action: www.citizensfortheartsinpa.org/takeaction #PAartsadvocate2020

You're invited to Creating Virtual Content: Logistics & Legalities for Arts Organizations! The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) have gathered a panel of seasoned professionals for a conversation about the logistics and legal issues around creating and presenting virtual content. Together we will discuss producing, promoting, and presenting relevant content, intellectual property and copyright, and cybersecurity. Panelists will a...nswer pre-submitted and live questions. When: Wednesday, October 14, 10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. You’ll hear from: Emmai Alaquiva Award winning film director, photographer, composer & PCA Council Member Adam Riggar Director of Production, Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts LaNeshe Miller-White Executive Director, Theatre Philadelphia Sandy Garfinkel, Member, Eckert, Seamans, Sherin & Mellot, LLC & Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Shane Valenzi, Associate, Eckert, Seamans, Sherin & Mellot, LLC & Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Laurie Zierer, Executive Director, PHC Karl Blischke, Executive Director, PCA Dawn Frisby Byers, Senior Director of Content & Engagement, PHC Sarah Merritt, Director of PA Creative Communities, PCA

October is National Arts & Humanities Month! Celebrate by supporting Pennsylvania's cultural organizations -- and be sure to let your public officials know how important they are. #ShowYourHumanities #showyourart2020 Americans for the Arts Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania #nahm2020