Dear Supporter:
You could hear a pin drop in libraries, museums, cultural centers and festivals throughout Michigan this year. In these centers of humanities work, Michigan citizens were engaged and connected. Children sat raptly listening to stories read using new techniques taught in Prime Time Family Reading Time. On Beaver Island, the Water/Ways Smithsonian Exhibit opened with scholar Dave Dempsey reminding his audience that the Great Lakes hold 84 percent of North America's surface fresh water. A hushed audience erupted with applause after hearing 52 students competing in Poetry Out Loud. Grants made possible the study of Native American customs at the Museum of Ojibwa Culture, and the tracing of immigration patterns through the Hamtramck Immigration Mural Project. Authors Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon led adults and students in addressing redemption, tolerance and understanding.
The work of the Michigan Humanities Council (MHC) is about bringing humanities to everyone in Michigan and enriching lives. The Michigan Humanities Board of Directors and staff are enhancing services through expanding community conversations across the state on relevant topics.
October is National Arts and Humanities Month and MHC is counting on you, more than ever, to help us carry out our current programs, as well as reach out in new directions. More than 575 programs and grants enabled us to reach more than 195,909 Michigan citizens in 2017.
Although we receive federal funding through the National Endowment for the Humanities, this funding source is, at best, uncertain. We need you more than ever to diversify and strengthen humanities in Michigan. We think you will agree that your donation impacts urban, suburban, and rural communities in myriad ways.
The National Federation of State Humanities Councils selected Detroit to be the host city for the 2021 National Humanities Conference. Representatives from 56 state humanities councils around the nation, as well as members of the academic humanities community, will share best practices, encourage collaboration and develop programming to respond to critical local, national and global challenges. MHC is proud that Detroit was chosen as a host city, and, with your help, we intend to put the spotlight on our work.
Giving is easy. You can visit us online at www.michiganhumanities.org/donate. Our challenge is to raise $25,000 by November 15, 2018.
We are so grateful for your generosity.
Sincerely,
Shelly Hendrick Kasprzycki
President & CEO