Culture Builds the Future: October is Arts and Humanities Month in Rhode Island

Todd Trebour

October is National Arts and Humanities Month!

This year’s theme for Rhode Island’s Arts and Humanities Month is Culture Builds the Future. The R.I. Council for the Humanities and RISCA will be celebrating with programs that explore how arts, culture and the humanities build more vibrant futures by building more vibrant communities and positively affecting education, the environment, public health and civic health.

Click here to read the Governor’s proclamation on Arts and Humanities Month.

One of Arts and Humanities Month’s stand out events is a virtual speaking program entitled How Culture Builds the Future on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 11 a.m. Included in the program is a special salute to Congressman James Langevin for his ongoing support of the arts and humanities in R.I.
Hosted and moderated by the Executive Directors of RISCA, Lynne McCormack, and the Humanities Council, Elizabeth Francis, the program features some of the grant awardees of RISCA’s and the Humanities Council’s joint program, which funded operating support to arts, cultural and humanities nonprofits.
Some of the panelists include:
  • Gloria Crist, president and founder, the CORE Organization, Tiverton.
  • Charles Roberts, managing director, R.I. Slave History Medallion Project, Newport.
  • Allessandra Almeida Soares, Cape Verdean American Community Development, Pawtucket.
  • Clay Martin, Artistic Director, Spectrum Theatre Ensemble, Providence.
Join us!  Click here to RSVP.

“As we move into the unchartered territory of a post-Covid world we need innovative solutions and creative empathy to solve new problems and address challenges that have been with us for generations. When arts and culture are employed to create social connection, drive economic opportunity, and create new visions for the future, we get results that are human centered, inspiring, complex and joyful. And, when we are intentional about using artistic practices in systems that may no longer be relevant, we can begin to heal and repair injustice. It is wonderful to celebrate the contributions R.I. artists and culture bearers make to our state’s economy and civic life during the month of October.” Lynne McCormack, Executive Director of RISCA.

“When RISCA and the Humanities Council worked together to make relief grants last year, we wanted to catalyze the ability of cultural organizations to thrive as well as survive the pandemic. We witnessed so much resilience, adaptation and innovation throughout the state. We are inspired to celebrate Arts and Humanities Month in this spirit and to showcase how culture builds the future. We hope you engage with the many activities going on throughout the month,” said Elizabeth Francis, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.

The Humanities Council and RISCA will also share new tools and resources that will demonstrate how arts, culture and the humanities strengthen our communities, including the RI Arts Education dashboard, the first-ever RI Civic Health Index, and the recent Culture is Key: Strengthening Rhode Island’s Civic Health Through Cultural Participation report. 

The Humanities Council and RISCA will be wrapping up Arts and Humanities Month with a speaking program entitled How Culture Builds the Future, featuring awardees of the Rhode Island Culture, Humanities and Arts Recovery Grants (RI CHARG)  program, the Councils’  historic, collaborative grant program supported with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Occurring in the summer of 2021, RI CHARG provided $8,000 general operating support grants to 121 Rhode Island culture, humanities and arts nonprofit organizations, prioritizing  BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) centered organizations, and organizations with annual budgets under $500,000.

National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) is a nationwide collective recognition of the importance of culture in America. NAHM was launched more than 30 years ago by Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to raise public awareness about the critical role arts and humanities play in our communities.

Interested in joining the Councils in celebrating Arts and Humanities Month? Please participate in any of the programs we have listed below! We will be updating this blog post throughout September. However, the most important thing you can do is participate in arts, cultural and humanities focused events that are meaningful to you and your community, and communicate that importance to friends, neighbors and community leaders.

Here are the programs the Humanities Council and RISCA are presenting  during Arts and Humanities Month, including a few programs at the end of September that serve as a prologue for October’s events!

  • Now until Wednesday, October 26: Arts Champion Iona Dobbins – A Collection of Rhode Island Art. Gallery Reception: Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, from 5-7 p.m. Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill on the main floor of the state’s Administration Building in Providence. Iona Dobbins’ Collection features a beautiful arrangement of drawings, paintings, etchings, monotype, a quilt, along with ceramic, metal, blown and fused glass sculptural pieces. Free and open to the public. Iona Dobbins was a former Executive Director of RISCA.
  • Thursday, September 22: 2022 Celebration of the Humanities. 7 p.m. EST. Virtual event hosted by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities honoring this year’s awardees: Joan Abrams, Josh Short, Haus of Glitter for their Historical Fantasy of Esek Hopkins, and The Dorr Rebellion Project Website. Program also includes a keynote from Mónica Guzmán, author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. Free registration required to attend live virtual screening. https://rihumanities.org/get-involved/celebrate/
  • Tuesday, October 18:  In Conversation: Arts and Health with Melody Gamba. 5:30 – 7:30 p.m at Southside Cultural Center. Presented by the Arts and Health Network, a partnership between RISCA and RI Department of Health. Join in the dialogue with artists, creatives, health professionals and other innovators who believe in the power of the arts to engage communities and improve well-being. The event begins with a presentation, followed by open conversation and networking. Featured in this program is Health and Human Services Artist in Residence (AIR) Melody Gamba. Melody is a dance artist, educator, licensed mental health counselor and board-certified dance-movement. Free. Pre-registration required via Eventbrite.
  • Thursday, October 27, at 11 a.m.: RISCA and the Humanities Council will conclude Arts and Humanities Month with a virtual speaking program entitled How Culture Builds the Future, featuring awardees of the Rhode Island Culture, Humanities and Arts Recovery Grants (RI CHARG)  program, the Councils’ historic collaborative grant program. Additionally, the event will honor Congressman Jim Langevin for his support and commitment to the arts and culture in our state. Click here to RSVP.
  • Monday, October 31 at 1 p.m.: Official Launch of the Rhode Island Arts Education Data Dashboard. Presented by RISCA. Prepared by Quadrant Research in partnership with the Arts Education Data Project this dashboard allows users to view arts education data in Rhode Island’s K-12 public and public charter schools. In development for over a year, this dashboard was built analyzing data publicly available from the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and in partnership with DataSpark at the University of Rhode Island. Click here to RSVP.

See a full listing of programs supported by the Humanities Council here: https://rihumanities.org/calendar/