Over the past three months, I have been on the road doing a bit of driving. In addition to our MHC Statewide Tour - which took me to New Ulm, Rochester, St. Paul, Fergus Falls, Duluth, and Red Wing - I have been travelling with our good friends from Danger Boat Productions and OMG Studios (along with their wonderful OMG Innovation Lab youth) for our Sketches of Minnesota and Reconstruction Destructed film tours.
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When Congress created the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 1965, America was in a moment of great change. We were in the midst of a cold war on the world stage, the advance of computer technology, the space race was pushing human imagination beyond the earth, and the Civil Rights Movement was fueling debates about justice, identity, and freedom in classrooms and living rooms throughout the nation and world.
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This week was unseasonably cold and wet in the Twin Cities, and I found myself suddenly wondering where I had stored my warm comfortable sweaters. Despite my protests to the contrary, it was undeniably clear that summer was ending, the seasons were changing, and fall was coming to Minnesota. Despite…
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August has been unusually hot this year, to the point that the impact of “corn sweat” on humidity levels in Minnesota has been discussed on the porch and backyard on more than one occasion. The heat has given me the opportunity to catch up on good conversations, experiment with making…
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Summer has arrived in Minnesota and like most of you, we are attempting to make the most of the warm weather by keeping ourselves busy.
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I want to extend a sincere thank you to all who have reached out to ask me how things are going at the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC), considering the recent decision of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to terminate the contract between MHC and NEH.
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Is the work of NEH unimportant? In looking at the enabling legislation of NEH and thinking about the pressing issues in our society, I think the work of NEH envisioned by Congress has never been more important to the people of America.
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The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) shuttered the offices of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and terminated all agreements with state affiliates such as the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC).
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MHC would like to thank Dr. Shelly Lowe, outgoing Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, for her dedication and leadership.
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In response to questions about how threatened cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and how a possible federal government shutdown might impact MHC, let me share some information about our grant making process and grant administration work. MHC grantees can rest assured that their grant funding will…
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