Humanities Nebraska

Humanities Nebraska was established as an NEH state-based affiliate in 1973. The organization, formerly known as the Nebraska Humanities Council, adopted its current name in 2013.{{cite news |author= |title=Humanities Nebraska- new name, new website | newspaper =Beatrice Daily Sun| pages =A5| date =March 25, 2013 }}

HN consists of the Nebraska Humanities Council, which conducts programs and awards grants, and the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities, which secures and advocates for public and private funding for the council.{{cite web| title =About Us| work =HN Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/about/| accessdate =December 12, 2013 }} Both the Council and the Foundation are overseen by a volunteer board of directors.{{cite web| title =Board of Directors| work =HN Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/about/board/| accessdate =December 12, 2013 }}

HN's Chautauqua is a revival Chautauqua established in 1984 and hosted annually by rural communities throughout Nebraska.{{Citation| last =Sommerich| first =Chris| title =Chau-tauq-WHAT? Bringing a Late 19th- to Early 20th-Century Cultural Phenomenon into Modern Times| newspaper =Prairie Fire| date =May 11, 2012| url =http://www.prairiefirenewspaper.com/2012/05/chau-tauq-what-bringing-a-late-19th-to-early-20th-century-cultural-phenomenon-into-modern-times| accessdate =November 20, 2015 }} The week-long program is centered on a series of first-person portrayals of historical figures, and also includes workshops and other activities.{{cite web| title =Chautauqua| work =HN Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/program/chautauqua/| accessdate =2013-12-17 }} Past figures portrayed at Chautauqua have included Mark Twain, Willa Cather, and Standing Bear.{{cite news |author= |title=Chautauqua days are set | newspaper =Lincoln Journal Star| pages =D10| date =June 16, 2013 }}

The Governor's Lecture in the Humanities is an annual free, public lecture established in 1996 by HN and Nebraska Governor Ben Nelson.{{cite web| title =Governor's Lecture in the Humanities| work =HN Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/program/governors-lecture/| accessdate =December 12, 2013 }} The inaugural lecture was delivered by speechwriter Ted Sorensen.{{Citation| last =Pluhacek| first =Zach| title =Nebraska Humanities Council director Hood to retire| newspaper =Lincoln Journal Star| date =April 15, 2010| url =http://journalstar.com/news/local/nebraska-humanities-council-director-hood-to-retire/article_847b64c8-48fe-11df-8a7f-001cc4c002e0.html| accessdate =December 12, 2013 }}

The Sower Award in the Humanities is presented annually at the Governor's Lecture to an individual, institution, business, or community that has made a significant contribution to public understanding of the humanities in Nebraska.{{cite news |author= |title=Humanities Council seeks Sower Award nominations | newspaper =Lincoln Journal Star| date =April 12, 2011| url =http://journalstar.com/news/local/humanities-council-seeks-sower-award-nominations/article_7669eb9b-1b22-5d58-a266-dfab53fda9cf.html| accessdate =December 19, 2013 }} Past Sower Award winners have included poet Ted Kooser, Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, and the community of Seward, NE.{{cite web| title =Sower Award in the Humanities| work =HN Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/programs/past-sower-award-recipients/| accessdate =December 19, 2013 }}

Capitol Forum is a collaboration between HN and the Office of the Nebraska Secretary of State designed to encourage Nebraska high school students and teachers to discuss international issues such as trade and terrorism. The program is centered on a day-long annual event in March, during which students visit the State Capitol in Lincoln to meet with Nebraska elected officials.{{cite web| title =Capitol Forum on America's Future| work =Nebraska Secretary of State Website| url =http://www.sos.ne.gov/youth/nebr_capitol_forum.html| accessdate =December 12, 2013 }} The Capitol Forum curriculum is developed by the Choices for the 21st Century Education Program at Brown University.{{cite web| title =Capitol Forum on America's Future| work =Humanities Nebraska Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/program/capitol-forum/| accessdate =December 12, 2013 }}

Prime Time Family Reading Time is a family reading and discussion program offered for free in communities where elementary student reading scores do not meet state standards.{{cite web| title =Prime Time Family Reading Time| work =Humanities Nebraska Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/program/prime-time-family-reading-time/| accessdate =December 12, 2013 }} The program was developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in 1991 and was first offered in Nebraska in 2002. HN's Prime Time program won a Public Humanities Programming Award in 2011.{{cite news |author= |title=Reading program receives award | newspaper =Lincoln Journal Star| pages =C2| date =April 25, 2011 }}

Museum on Main Street is a partnership between HN and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service that brings traveling exhibitions to Nebraska cities and towns.{{cite web| title =Museum on Main Street| work =Humanities Nebraska Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/program/museum-on-main-street/| accessdate =December 12, 2013 }}{{cite web| title =About Museum on Main Street| work =Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service Website| url =http://www.museumonmainstreet.org/about/index.html| accessdate =December 12, 2013 }} HN also works with community organizations to develop events and programs related to the museum exhibitions, which explore United States history and culture.{{cite news |author= |title=Smithsonian "Hometown Teams" exhibit to tour Nebraska towns | newspaper =Lincoln Journal Star| pages =D6| date =October 20, 2013 }}

HN collaborates with the Nebraska Library Commission and the Nebraska Arts Council to facilitate the work of the Nebraska State Poet.{{cite web| title =Nebraska State Poet| work =HN Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/program/nebraska-state-poet/| accessdate =2013-12-17 }} The organization also offers grants in support of various public humanities projects.{{cite web| title =Grants| work =HN Website| url =http://humanitiesnebraska.org/grants/| accessdate =2013-12-17 }}

Humanities Nebraska is funded primarily by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The organization is also supported by a public-private partnership between the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and the State of Nebraska, established by the Nebraska Legislature in 1998 to ensure a stable source of funding for arts and humanities programs in the state.Neb. Rev. Stat. [http://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=82-330 § 82-330] The endowment, which matches income from a state fund against private donations, was the first state cultural endowment of its kind.{{cite book|author1=Andrew R. L. Cayton|author2=Richard Sisson|author3=Chris Zacher|title=The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n3Xn7jMx1RYC&pg=PA627|date=8 November 2006|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-00349-2|pages=627}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://humanitiesnebraska.org/ Humanities Nebraska]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20131217221242/http://www.nebraskaculturalendowment.org/index.cfm Nebraska Cultural Endowment]
• [http://www.statehumanities.org/ Federation of State Humanities Councils]
• [http://www.neh.gov/ National Endowment for the Humanities]

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Category:Non-profit organizations based in Nebraska

Nebraska

Category:1973 establishments in Nebraska

Category:Organizations established in 1973