INDIANAPOLIS — Schools, libraries and other organizations from South Bend to Bloomington recently received Action Grants from Indiana Humanities for projects ranging from a poetry slam camp for middle-school students to a daylong celebration of Potawatomi culture and traditions.
Action Grants offer up to $3,000 to support nonprofit organizations that sponsor public humanities programs such as exhibitions, workshops, lectures and reading and discussion programs. Applications for these grants are accepted throughout the year and reviewed on a monthly basis.
Among the local organizations receiving grants are the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the Harrison Center, and the Trustees of Indiana University/IUPUI, Indianapolis.
The grants will be used for a variety of goals. The Eiteljorg will host a lecture by Dr. John Low, a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, along with other presentations to teach visitors about Potawatomi culture and traditions. The Harrison Center will exhibit original manuscripts from the Remnant Trust collection that explore themes of citizenship and will pair the works with contemporary art pieces that interpret the theme. The center also presented a panel discussion on citizenship featuring former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton, former Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard, Dr. Una Osili of IUPUI’s Lilly School of Philanthropy, and Charles Hyde, President and CEO of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. IUPUI’s School of Liberal Arts, in partnership with the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies, will bring award-winning author Kevin Brockmeier to Indianapolis to meet with students at IUPUI and Herron High School and to present the 2019 Ray Bradbury Visiting Writer Lecture.