Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Announces Grants to Organizations Throughout Virginia

August 25, 2010 — The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities recently awarded eight grants totaling $23,200 to assist Virginia organizations in their efforts to research and interpret Virginia's rich history and cultural traditions.

The funds will support research, photo and oral history collection, panel discussions, development of curriculum materials, as well as a seminar for high school teachers, interpretive exhibits, conferences and publications.

"In this year of extreme budgetary constraints, I am very pleased that VFH has been able to provide support to such a wide variety of history, educational and cultural organizations," Robert Vaughan, president of the foundation, said. "Our board and staff have a strong commitment to continue the grant program because so many organizations depend on us to fulfill their missions."

The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is based at the University of Virginia.

Grants were made to the following organizations:

  • American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, "Teacher Seminar: Clues for Classroom Performance": $4,000 to support a three-day seminar for high-school teachers focusing on techniques for teaching Shakespeare in the classroom.
  • Blackwater-Nottoway Riverkeeper Organization, Sedley, "Mills Along the Blackwater and Nottoway Rivers": $1,800 to support research, photo and oral history collection, and a series of related activities documenting the history and influence of water-driven grist- and sawmills in the Western Tidewater region.
  • Junior Appalachian Musicians, Southwest Virginia (multiple locations), "Appalachian Music Module": $2,000 to support development of curriculum materials designed to introduce students to the traditional music of the Appalachian region and to the history and cultural context which shaped the development of distinctive musical forms.
  • Laurel Grove School Association, Fairfax, "Laurel Grove School: A Story for All Virginians": $4,000 to support expansion of a longer-term project to develop curriculum resources and other tools for teaching about the history of Laurel Grove School in Fairfax County. The school for African-American children was founded shortly after the end of the Civil War and is now a museum dedicated to teaching about the history of African-American education.
  • Mariner's Museum, Newport News/Chincoteague/Tangier Island, "Watermen of the Chesapeake Exhibit": $4,000 to support development of an interpretive exhibit and related publication on the history of the watermen (and -women) of the Chesapeake, and on the issues confronting the region's maritime communities today.
  • Randolph College, Lynchburg, "Ancient Drama in Performance": $2,500 to support a one-day conference on ancient Greek drama in performance. The conference will explore the challenges of staging dramatic productions based on the "original practices," and how contemporary audiences gain an enhanced understanding when Greek drama is presented in this way.
  • Southern Memorial Association, Lynchburg, "Tinbridge Hill Neighborhood History Booklet": $3,400 to support publication of a 32-page, four-color booklet on the history of Tinbridge Hill, an historically African-American neighborhood in inner-city Lynchburg.
  • Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, Fairfax, "Red, Black and Blues: The Share Musical Tradition of Native and African Americans": $1,500 to support a panel discussion on the history of Native and African-American contributions to the blues, presented as part of the second annual Tinner Hill Blues Festival in Falls Church.

The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the humanities and using the humanities to address issues of broad public concern. Its programs seek to make scholarship accessible; to promote understanding and discussion of enduring and contemporary issues; and to broaden the range of educational opportunities available to all Virginians.



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