Indiana Humanities

Indiana Humanities

Formation	September 1972
Headquarters	1500 N Delaware St., Indianapolis, Indiana
President and CEO	Keira Amstutz
Website	https://indianahumanities.org/

Indiana Humanities is a nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis that funds and produces public humanities programming throughout the state of Indiana. It is one of 56 humanities councils in the United States and is affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. ^[1]

History

Meredith Nicholson House in Indianapolis, home to Indiana Humanities since 1986

The first iteration of Indiana Humanities was established in 1972 when the National Endowment for the Humanities encouraged the formation of the Indiana Committee for the Humanities, a statewide grantmaking organization made up of five Hoosiers. ^[2] Since its inception Indiana Humanities has been a part of many special projects around the state, including leading a task force in 1991 that resulted in the establishment of the International School of Indiana. ^[3]

Indiana Humanities has been headquartered in the historic Georgian Revival home of Indiana author Meredith Nicholson and civic leader Eugenie Nicholson since 1986. ^{[4] [5]}

Current Activities

Grants

• Humanities Initiative Grant: provides nonprofit organizations in Indiana with funds to support humanities programs for public audiences. ^[6]
• Historic Preservation Education Grant: given in partnership with Indiana Landmarks to fund educational projects related to historic properties in Indiana. ^[7]

Programs

• Next Indiana Campfires: a series of statewide programming that blends nature walks, literature and discussion with the help of local humanities scholars and naturalists. This program won the Schwartz Prize ^[8] for best humanities program in 2017. ^[9]
• Novel Conversations: a free statewide lending library that loans more than 600 titles to reading groups across Indiana.
• Historic Bar Crawl: an annual bar crawl presented in partnership with Indiana Historical Society in its sixth year that reenacts notable scenes in Indianapolis history at surprising locations. Past themes have included the 1970s and the Cold War. ^{[10] [11]}
• INconversation: a speaker program that brings thought leaders from around the country to Indiana for small group discussions.
• Indiana Authors Awards: a biannual book award celebrating Indiana literature. First established in 2009, The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards are given to the best books by Indiana authors written in eight different categories and published during the previous two years. ^[12]
• One State/One Story: a series of statewide read programming that focuses on a chosen book. Examples include Frankenstein , The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson, World of Wondersby Aimee Nezhukumatathil, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles, and Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan. ^{[13] [14] [15] [16]}

Thematic initiatives

In 2017–2018, Indiana Humanities deployed a seriecs of programming exploring the relationship between STEM disciplines and the humanities called Quantum Leap. ^[17] This initiative included a slate of statewide programming around the classic novel Frankenstein , for which Indiana Humanities was given a $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. ^[18]

From 2021-2025, the Unearthed initiative included programming exploring humans' relationship to the natural world. Programs included two film series, a speakers bureau, the How to Survive the Future podcast, Campfires, hosting the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street Water/Ways exhibit, several One State/One Story statewide reads, and several scholarly conversation series. ^{[19] [20]}

Other past thematic initiatives include Food for Thought, Spirit of Competition, Next Indiana, and INseparable.

References

1. "State Humanities Councils". www.neh.gov. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
2. "Indiana Humanities". indianahumanities.org. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
3. Indiana International Issues Task Force.; Indiana Humanities Council. (1992). Indiana in a changing world: a strategy for action: a report of the Indiana International Issues Task Force. Indianapolis, Ind.: Indiana Humanities Council.
4. "Indianapolis Then and Now: The House of a Thousand Candles, 1500 N. Delaware St. - Historic Indianapolis | All Things Indianapolis History". Historic Indianapolis | All Things Indianapolis History. 2012-06-07. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
5. "Nicholson House". Indiana Humanities. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
6. "GRANT OPPORTUNITY: IN Humanities Initiative - Federation of State Humanities Councils". Federation of State Humanities Councils. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
7. "Grants and Loans - Indiana Landmarks". Indiana Landmarks. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
8. "Indiana Humanities Wins Schwartz Prize for "Next Indiana Campfires" - Federation of State Humanities Councils". Federation of State Humanities Councils. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
9. Bennet, Taylor. "Indiana Campfires Series Back Again". WFYI Indianapolis. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
10. "That time the Pacers almost left Indy is just one of the stories on this bar crawl". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
11. Kohn, Rita. "Bar crawl through the Cold War in Indy". NUVO. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
12. "Indiana Authors Awards History" . Retrieved 2021-12-14.
13. "One State / One Story". Indiana Humanities. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
14. "Indy Reads announces its One State / One Story programs funded by Community Read grant from Indiana Humanities - Indy Reads". 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
15. "One State / One Story 2022 Selection: World of Wonders | Downtown Indianapolis". downtownindy.org. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
16. "Manchester joins 'The Year We Left Home' author for statewide virtual event". MUWebsite. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
17. "Home: Quantum Leap – Indiana Humanities". Indiana Humanities. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
18. "NEH Announces $39.3 Million for 245 Humanities Projects Nationwide". National Endowment for the Humanities. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
19. "Unearthed". Indiana Humanities. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
20. "SPOTLIGHT: Indiana Humanities Unearthed Cohort at The Tobias Theater at Newfields". Do317. Retrieved 2025-04-22.

General references

• Bennett, Taylor. "Indiana to Mark Frankenstein's 200th Birthday." WFYI Indianapolis. Web. 2 January 2018.Indiana to celebrate Frankenstein's 200th birthday
• "Indiana Nonprofit Wins National Award For Campfires Program." WFYI Indianapolis. Web. 21 November 2017.Indiana Nonprofit Wins National Award For Campfires Program
• Petry, Ashley. "Beer, books, bio engineering: Indy gets frank with Frankenstein." Indianapolis Star. Web. 12 September 2017. Beer, books, bio engineering: Indy gets frank with Frankenstein
• "NEH Announces $39.3 Million for 245 Humanities Projects Nationwide." National Endowment for the Humanities. Web. 2 August 2017.
• Bongiovanni, Domenica. "That time the Pacers almost left Indy is just one of the stories on this bar crawl." Indianapolis Star. 9 June 2017.That time the Pacers almost left Indy is just one of the stories on this bar crawl
• Grossman, Dan. "TILT: It's what graffiti and wool blankets have in common." NUVO. 19 October 2016. TILT: It's what graffiti and wool blankets have in common
• Goins, Alexa. "Next Indiana Campfires: Good literature, thoughts and beers." Indianapolis Star. 12 August 2016. Next Indiana Campfires: Good literature, thoughts and beers
• "Food for Thought: An Indiana Harvest." Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. 19 October 2012. Food For Thought: An Indiana Harvest
• "Humanities Council Announces Grant Recipients." Inside Indiana Business. Web. 5 April 2010.
• Kelley, Erin, and Cassie Stockamp. "Civic Dialogue Fosters Sense of Community." Indianapolis Star. 10 January 2010. Print.

External links

• Indiana Humanities
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• The Federation of State Humanities Councils