OCH News: November 2007

OCH awards more than $43,000 in grants

Fourteen nonprofit organizations around the state receive support for humanities programming

Following the most competitive fall grant cycle in years, the OCH board of directors has awarded grants ranging from $1,800 to $5,000 to fourteen organizations. OCH staff was pleased with the diversity of the proposals, which varied widely in location and scope, and believe these endeavors showcase the best humanities work happening in the state.

Recipients encompass the entire state, from the Arts Council of Pendleton to the Newport Public Library Foundation. Successful applicants include Recording the Lives and Works of Eastern Oregon Artists, which will pair an oral historian with teenage filmmakers; Working History: Lecture Series by Contemporary Black Artists, a series of free lectures and seminars by leading contemporary African American artists; and KPOV's Citizen Journalist Program, which will train citizens to consider and report on their community via the airwaves of a community radio station.

OCH warmly congratulations these grantees and encourages Oregonians to take advantage of the various humanities activities available through these organizations. Please visit the Public Program Grants web page to view the full list of fall 2007 grant recipients or for information and guidelines for the spring 2008 grant cycle.


Play a part in the future of Oregon Humanities

Complete a survey and enter to win OCH books

What did you do with your Fall 2007 Domesticity issue of Oregon Humanities? If you chucked it straight into your recycling bin, please help us save money and resources by unsubscribing instead.

If you read the magazine regularly, please tell us what you think by taking a brief (twenty questions) online survey. The results of this survey will help OCH plan the future of the publication. All interested survey respondents will be entered in a drawing to win free copies of The First Oregonians or a complete set of Commonplace Lectures chapbooks.

You can also get involved by making a charitable contribution to OCH that will support the magazine, which is mailed free of charge to more than 10,000 readers and offers thoughtful reflection and provocative ideas from the state's best writers and thinkers.

The theme for the Spring 2008 issue is "Strangers." If you're interested in submitting work for this issue, please review the writers' guidelines. The deadline for feature submissions is November 13 and for Posts and photos is January 7.


Facing life's challenges despite fear

HIP student Desiree Smith finds courage and inspiration in the humanities

When Desiree Smith saw the sign at Cascade AIDS Project about Humanity in Perspective (HIP), OCH's free college humanities class for low-income adults in Portland, she knew she couldn't pass up the opportunity to apply. Though her hands were damp with fear during her interview for the class, she says, "I needed something to sink my teeth into. I needed to know if I could hack it in a college class."

Desiree was an enthusiastic student when she was young, but her interest in schoolwork plummeted when she was diagnosed with HIV at age 12. A dozen years later, she's ready to hit the books again in HIP, where she and her classmates read, discuss, and write about great texts and ideas. "I especially love Antigone," Desiree says. "She stands up for what she believes in even if she is a bit extreme. Here's this courageous young girl defying an authority figure who isn't doing the right thing."

Desiree finds inspiration from figures like Antigone as she maps out her own journey toward being a drug and alcohol counselor. She admits that setting such long-term goals for herself is intimidating, but adds, "Without fear, you can't have confidence. I get confidence from overcoming life's challenges despite my fear."

One of her favorite parts of the HIP class is observing how the readings affect her classmates. Desiree is known for being watchful--she got a lot of practice living on the street, where paying attention to the people around her was a necessary survival skill. Now, she watches her twenty classmates in HIP just as closely. "During our discussions in class, I love watching other students' eyes light up from across the room," she explains. "You can tell even if their hands don't go up right away who is really excited about this particular play or character, who feels like the author has something to say to them."


Message from the Executive Director

Earlier this month I attended the National Humanities Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. As my colleagues from around the country described their innovative and sometimes provocative programming, I realized that we are all dedicated to the hard work of providing opportunities for citizens to learn about and rethink issues that are difficult and even painful. Some of these programs focus on religion in public life, violence, immigration, the many voices of Islam, and torture. Some councils offer weekly coffee house gatherings on contemporary news reports and others coordinate "young professional networks," where people come together to ask questions about poverty, politics, popular culture, and history. State humanities councils are providing access to stories that, as one of my colleagues put it, "break open silences."

This is a good time for state humanities councils--and a pivotal time for the Oregon Council for the Humanities. We are engaged in the bold and sometimes difficult work of asking why we do what we do and whether what we do matters. My response to the latter question is a resounding "yes." After all, the humanities can help us grapple with social, cultural, and political challenges; develop more creative and informed perspectives; and, ultimately, shape the future of our communities. As the year comes to a close, I hope you will consider joining OCH in this deeply important endeavor by making a donation, either online, by phone, or by mail. I promise that in so doing you will help OCH put the humanities to work for all Oregonians.

Sincerely,

Cara Ungar-Gutierrez

© 2007 Oregon Council for the Humanities