Press Releases

June 10, 2013

Maryland Humanities Council Announces $50,000 in Spring Major Grants Awards

(Baltimore) –   Seven Maryland nonprofit organizations were recently awarded Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) major grants, totaling $50,000 in funding. Nonprofit grantees hail from Talbot, Calvert, Prince George’s, Dorchester, and Harford counties and Baltimore City. Spring awards will support an interactive exhibition, living history performances, a lecture series, symposium, documentary film, and community engagement and dialogue programs.  Topics covered by projects range from the War of 1812, Emancipation and the Civil Rights Movement, to the iconic painted screens of Baltimore. 

May 31, 2013

2013 Chautauqua Living History Series Features Jackie Robinson, Rachel Carson, and Amelia Earhart

The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC), in conjunction with local partners, will present the 19th annual free summer Chautauqua series in six Maryland regions from July 5 through July 14. Free and open to the public, living history performances are followed by question and answer sessions, which often spark spirited conversation and provides informative family fun. Audiences will hear from the voices of baseball player and civil rights activist Jackie Robinson, the mother of the environmental movement Rachel Carson, and celebrated aviatrix Amelia Earhart.  Via partnership with the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, the July 6 performance (Rachel Carson), will be live streamed; audiences will be able to access the performance via the MHC homepage.

April 5, 2013

Two Kent County Students & One Baltimore City Student Take First Place in 2013 Letters About Literature Contest. Prince George's County Teacher Receives Christine D. Sarbanes Award

(Baltimore) - Three students have taken first place in the Maryland Letters About Literature letter writing contest. The State awards ceremony will take place April 13th at 11am during the CityLit Festival at the Enoch Pratt Free Library.  The Christine D. Sarbanes Teacher Award, honoring a Maryland teacher who works to promote reading by employing creative teaching methods, will also be presented during the awards ceremony to Prince George’s county teacher Clinton Smith.

March 20, 2013

Student Scribes Honored April 13 at Letters About Literature Ceremony

(Baltimore) – Have you ever, after reading a book, wanted to tell the author how his or her words changed your life?  Students from around the state will be honored as Maryland finalists April 13th during the CityLit Festival at the Enoch Pratt Free Library for their entries into the Letters About Literature contest. The Christine D. Sarbanes Teacher Award, honoring a Maryland teacher who works to promote reading by employing creative teaching methods, will also be presented during the awards ceremony.

March 12, 2013

Maryland Humanities Council Launches Weekly Radio Series, Humanities Connection

Beginning March 18 the Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) and WYPR 88.1FM partner to bring a new weekly segment to public radio listeners, Humanities Connection, airing Mondays at 5:45pm.

March 1, 2013

New Special Prize Awarded at Maryland History Day State Competition

(Baltimore) - The Maryland Humanities Council is pleased to announce a new opportunity for students competing in the Maryland History Day state contest on Saturday, April 27. Middle and high school students from across the state will present their projects to a panel of expert judges for a chance to qualify for the national level of competition as well as earn one of 18 Special Prizes.

March 1, 2013

Maryland Humanities Council Speakers Criss-Cross State

Organizations across the state are offering Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) Star-Spangled Speakers Bureau presentations and living history performances about the War of 1812.  These educational and entertaining programs are made possible through a grant from the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission. Nine War of 1812-themed programs bring America’s “second war of independence” to life in your community.

February 12, 2013

The Story of a Marylander's Ascension To African King is the 2013 One Maryland One Book

(Baltimore) – The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) is pleased to announce the selection of King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman for One Maryland One Book 2013. The book was chosen by a committee of librarians, educators, authors, journalists, and bibliophiles in January from a list of approximately 140 titles suggested last fall by readers across the state under the theme, “a pivotal moment in time.”

February 11, 2013

Maryland History Day Students and Teachers Honored at State House January 28

The Maryland Humanities Council is proud to announce that nine outstanding Maryland middle and high school students who received national honors at the annual National History Day competition and the 2012 Maryland History Day Teachers of the Year received commendations at sessions of the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates on Monday, January 28, 2013.

January 9, 2013

Calvert County Student and Teacher Chosen to Study World War II History in Normandy This Summer

(Baltimore) - A student and teacher from Calvert County have been selected through a national competition to participate in Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom, National History Day’s Albert H. Small Student/Teacher Institute, in June 2013. Calvert High School junior Hannah Aris and teacher Amie Sanner were chosen as one of 15 teams nationwide who will engage in a rigorous study of D-Day and World War II, culminating in a trip to France. A series of lectures presented by leading World War II historians kick off the institute in Washington, D. C. Each student will study a soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice and will then present their eulogy at the American Cemetery in Normandy.

December 17, 2012

MHC Announces Fall Major Grant Awards

(Dec 17, 2012) The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) has awarded support to five organizations in its latest cycle of Major Grant applications.  Over $35,000 was allocated to projects in Allegany, Talbot, and Baltimore Counties, in addition to two awards to Baltimore City nonprofits.

December 17, 2012

MHC Offers FREE Star-Spangled Speakers Bureau

(Dec 17, 2012) The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) proudly announces that a special Star-Spangled Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and living history performances about the War of 1812, is now available without charge to nonprofit organizations throughout Maryland.  These educational and entertaining programs are made possible through a grant from the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.

December 17, 2012

Host Sites Selected for "Making Sense of the Civil War" Series

(Dec 17, 2012) In commemoration of its 150^th Anniversary, the Maryland Humanities Coucil presents Making Sense of the American Civil War (MSACW), a reading and discussion program that explores literary works about the American Civil War.  Four host sites have been chosen as part of a competitive process.

November 6, 2012

Maryland Humanities Council Welcomes New 2013 Board Members

The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) elected four new members to its Board of Directors at its October meeting held in Columbia.  New members include a preeminent scholar, an artist and architect, an associate professor and author, and an award-winning journalist and producer.

September 18, 2012

October Dialogue Events Encourage Shore Residents to Discuss Water Quality on the Eastern Shore

Let’s Be Shore Chestertown and Salisbury events use the humanities to spur discussion

How do land use, agriculture, and the economy play a role in water quality along the Chesapeake?  Will our differences divide or unite us in achieving our common goal of a healthy, sustainable future for the Eastern Shore?  The Maryland Humanities Council’s (MHC) Let’s Be Shore project invites Shore residents to join the conversation at two distinct October events.  MHC partners with The Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre as part of the Chesapeake Wildlife Exhibition and Sale for a Readers’ Theater performance, followed by dialogue moderated by the Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO), on at 2:00pm on Saturday, October 20 at 2:00pm.  MHC partners with the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE) at Salisbury University for a World Café discussion event on Monday, October 22 at 5:00pm, facilitated by Jennifer Hicks of Sustainable Delmarva.  Both events are FREE and open to the public.

August 24, 2012

Films Ignite Conversation about Water Quality on the Shore

How do land use, agriculture, and the economy play a role in water quality along the Chesapeake?  Will our differences divide or unite us in achieving our common goal of a healthy, sustainable future for the Eastern Shore?  The Maryland Humanities Council’s (MHC) Let’s Be Shore project invites Shore residents to join the conversation.  On September 23, MHC partners with the Chesapeake Film Festival (CFF) and Talbot County Library to offer a public event that uses documentary film to foster productive dialogue on the issue of water quality. 

August 2, 2012

Smithsonian Institution's "Journey Stories" Travels to Frederick County

The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC), in partnership with the Brunswick Railroad Museum and Frederick County Public Library, invites you to the Frederick County launch of Journey Stories, a National Smithsonian exhibition which will travel throughout Maryland.  Frederick County is the third stop on a five-county tour through the state.

"The Brunswick Railroad Museum and the Brunswick Branch of the Frederick County Public Library are so excited to bring Journey Stories to our community. We look forward to reminiscing about Brunswick's railroad glory days with our older citizens and bringing these stories to a whole new generation. We can't wait to remember Brunswick's past and celebrate Brunswick's future!" remarks Brunswick Railroad Museum Curator Rebecca O’Leary.

July 30, 2012

Maryland Humanities Council Announces Author Tour

(Baltimore) – The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) will welcome 2012 One Maryland One Book author Steven Galloway to Maryland from September 30 – October 3 for a six-stop tour across the state, to speak about his novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo. Professor Galloway’s first appearance will be at the Baltimore Book Festival on Sunday, September 30. He will then travel to public speaking engagements in Cecil, Harford, Calvert, Washington, and Frederick Counties.  

July 18, 2012

MHC’s Let’s Be Shore Project Holds Moderated Panel Discussion on Land Use & Water Quality at the Chesapeake Folk Festival, July 28

How do land use, agriculture, and the economy play a role in the dialogue about water quality along the Chesapeake?  Let’s Be Shore, a project of the Maryland Humanities Council (MHC), seeks to engage audiences in the conversation at its first panel discussion, moderated by radio host Michael Buckley, on July 28 at 3pm at the Chesapeake Folk Festival in St. Michaels.

July 6, 2012

Maryland Humanities Council Accepts Nominations for 2013 Board of Directors

(Baltimore, MD) - The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) is seeking new members to join its dynamic Board. MHC seeks prospective Board members with an impressive record of commitment to the humanities as well as the capacity to advance MHC’s mission.

May 25, 2012

Maryland Humanities Council's 2012 Chautauqua Brings the War of 1812 to Life

The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC), in conjunction with local partners, will present the 18^th annual summer Chautauqua series, commemorating the bicentennial of the War of 1812, from July 5–July 13 at six regional locations across the state.

May 18, 2012

MHC's Let's Be Shore Project Captures Perspectives About Land Use, Agriculture, and Water Use on the Eastern Shore

 How do land use, agriculture, and the economy play a role in the dialogue about water quality along the Chesapeake?  Practicing Democracy, a Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) program, seeks to jumpstart the conversation via its newest project:  Let’s Be Shore.

April 17, 2012

“All Aboard!” Smithsonian Institution Exhibition, Journey Stories, Launches Statewide Tour in Harford County on May 19th

(Baltimore) - All aboard!  The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC), the Harford County Public Library, in partnership with the Harford County Department of Community Services, invites you to the statewide launch of Journey Stories, a national Smithsonian exhibition which will travel throughout Maryland. Harford County invites the public to an opening celebration at the Abingdon Library, complete with a ribbon cutting and community conversation on immigration with Dr. Vincent Cannato, author of American Passage:  The History of Ellis Island. Journey Stories in Harford County May 19, 2012 to July 6, 2012.

April 13, 2012

Students Receive Honors at Letters About Literature Awards Ceremony

(Baltimore) – Three first-place winners and dozens of student finalists will receive recognition at the 2012 State Letters About Literature Awards Ceremony during the CityLit Festival on Saturday, April 14^th at 11am at the Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Branch. (photo of three finalists by Ken Stanek)

March 23, 2012

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway is Chosen as MHC's 2012 One Maryland One Book

The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) is proud to announce the choice for its One Maryland One Book Program:  The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway.

When asked about the selection of his book, Galloway replied, “I think it’s really exciting. I’ve had some exposure to community reading programs, and it has been universally positive. As an author, it’s indescribable when people are using your book for larger conversations beyond whether or not they like it.  I think it’s wonderful, and I look forward to visiting Maryland in the fall.”

January 18, 2012

Maryland Humanities Council Offers Free Grants Workshop

(Baltimore, MD) - The Maryland Humanities Council is offering a Grants Workshop on Wednesday, February 1, 2012, from 1:30pm until 3pm at the Calvert Marine Museum, located at 14200 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, Maryland 20688. 

MHC seeks to develop new relationships with Maryland non-profit organizations that engage the public through humanities-based programming.  One way the council accomplishes this is through MHC’s grants program.

November 10, 2011

"Literature & Medicine" Program to be Featured at White House Presentation November 16

Board members and staff from The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) will participate in the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) presentation, “Using the Humanities to Support the Veteran Community,” at the South Court Auditorium at the White House on November 16^th. The event highlights two successful history and literature programs which serve veterans by fostering a better understanding among their caregivers of the complex challenges they face.

November 10, 2011

MHC's "Practicing Democracy" Receives Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize at National Humanities Conference

The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) is proud to announce that it is a recipient of the Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize for “Standout in Risk-Taking and Most Demonstrable Community-Changing Outcomes,” an honor given by the Federation of State Humanities Councils, for its “Practicing Democracy” program.

November 10, 2011

MHC Seeks Titles for 2012 One Maryland One Book Pick

 What should Marylanders read together in 2012?  Help the Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) choose the 2012 One Maryland One Book (OMOB) selection.  Readers should submit suggestions under the theme of “stories of courage and unity during times of war” by November 28^th.

November 1, 2011

Maryland Humanities Council Welcomes New Board Members

MHC elected seven new members to its Board of Directors at its October meeting held at the C. Burr Artz Public Library in Frederick.  New members hail from the business community, academia, and the Baltimroe City Circuit Court.