Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

We've extended the application for our Emergency Readiness Grants to December 10! These grants, supported by the State of Louisiana, provide nonprofit cultural organizations with funds to mitigate previous impacts from emergency events AND prepare for future threats. Natural disasters, like hurricanes, floods, and a range of other types of emergency events, pose serious threats to Louisiana’s critical cultural infrastructure. The Emergency Readiness Grant will help organizations better prepare for and respond to potential threats, reducing vulnerability and putting in place clear and current strategies for mitigating the effects of future emergencies. Learn more or apply now: https://lnkd.in/g2RZFduw

Did you know? The LEH and The Helis Foundation John Scott Center have partnered with Louisiana native, artist, and School of Visual Arts (SVA) professor Gustave Blache III to offer two scholarships to support aspiring artists from Louisiana to attend SVA in New York City! Applications for the scholarship are OPEN NOW, and on November 21 we're hosting a virtual info session for anyone who would like more details. Register to attend the info session here:

We are pleased to announce the upcoming schedule of grant opportunities! Right now applications are open for two grants: Emergency Readiness Grants: supported by the State of Louisiana, these funds support cultural organizations in ongoing efforts to mitigate previous impacts from emergency events and prepare for future threats. NEW! Program Mini Grants: this new opportunity is meant to support small-scale projects with limited scope and is designed to offer an access point for organizations seeking to expand into public humanities programming. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dCun26BA

Join us in congratulating our fearless leader Miranda Restovic! She was recognized Monday evening at New Orleans Museum of Art for her inclusion in the 2024 cohort of New Orleans CityBusiness Women of the Year. Drop her a thank you in the comments for her decades-long commitment to expanding access to #louisianahumanities across all 64 parishes! #womenoftheyearawards #64parishes

Last week the LEH staff took some time away from our regular schedules to ground ourselves in our mission, plan for the next year, and just enjoy each other's company! This year we decided to visit our home away from home, Prime Time Head Start in Acadiana, where we were treated with tours of the incredible spaces our colleagues work in every day and met some of the little minds they're helping mold (not to mention: playground toys).

We are excited to welcome our newest Director of Public Programs, Josh-Wade Ferguson, to the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities team! In this role Ferguson will also serve as editor-in-chief for?64 Parishes?magazine and its affiliates. He brings a wealth of experience to the LEH as an educator, editor, administrator, and writer. Ferguson has built a successful events and programming portfolio that spans over 100 annual events and has cultivated relationships with the nation’s leading publishers, working with writers at local and national levels. https://lnkd.in/eGQwH6C8

It's here! "Passing It On: The Art of John T. Scott," published by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, is now available! "Passing It On,"?co-authored by Freddi Williams Evans and John Scott’s widow, Anna Rita Scott, broadens the impact of John Scott’s dynamic legacy. Produced by The Helis Foundation John Scott Center, an initiative of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities,?"Passing It On"?is a?vibrant, 100+ page hardcover volume?showcasing?Scott’s?cutting-edge?artwork and celebrated career. Renowned as a sculptor, painter, printmaker and artistic visionary, Scott captured the essence of New Orleans and Afro-Caribbean culture in his work, and his public art can still be found throughout the city and the country. https://lnkd.in/eWrKJQsU

It's time to prepare for Tropical Storm Francine, Louisiana. For our cultural institutions and partners, we encourage you to review our disaster preparedness and response guide here: https://lnkd.in/dV9PpeGh. It includes guidance and resources, like the Heritage Emergency National Task Force. A partnership between FEMA and the Smithsonian, HENTF’s mission is to protect cultural heritage from the impacts from natural disasters and other emergencies. We also encourage everyone to prepare NOW for the possibility of storm surge, strong winds, and flooding. Preparedness tips for cultural institutions can be found on the HENTF dashboard linked above. Monitor the storm via the National Hurricane Center (https://lnkd.in/g7hWfXCD ) and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security (https://lnkd.in/e-U9aaka ), and heed all advisories from local public safety officials.

The fall issue of 64 Parishes is here, and it's a beauty! Each fall issue has a special theme, and this year the pages provide a taste of Louisiana's vibrant visual arts past and present. Read it now at the link below, or better yet find your own copy at a Louisiana bookstore near you. Can't find a copy? Call us (504) 523-4352 and for $6.95 plus shipping we'll mail one directly to you!

We are now accepting nominations for our 2025 Humanities Awards, including Book of the Year. In "The Great Power of Small Nations" (Penn State University Press) our 2024 Book of the Year, Elizabeth Ellis chronicles how smaller Native American nations shaped the Gulf South and colonial Louisiana, the ramifications of which reverberate then and now. Find details on submitting a nomination, due October 10, here: https://lnkd.in/gYajbcBU