Illinois Humanities

Founded in 1973, the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) is an education organization working to create a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of Illinois communities by providing high-quality civic discussions, programming, performances, and other exhibitions. This award follows previous support to IHC for Envisioning Justice, initially a short-term initiative that began in 2017, connecting artists and humanists with residents affected by the criminal justice system in interpreting and shaping reform in Chicago. IHC also convenes and supports the Envisioning Justice Network, an evolving collective of artists and activists that began collaborating as a part of the Envisioning Justice Initiative. This award enables IHC to formally transition Envisioning Justice into a permanent statewide program, to incorporate content generated by, and in partnership with, Envisioning Justice community partners, to facilitate and support the growth and development of the Envisioning Justice Network, and to reflect the goals of Envisioning Justice in their own grantmaking to community organizations.

Illinois Humanities Council aims to improve civic dialogue and increase public access to the humanities throughout the State of Illinois. It offers year-round humanities programs on issues related to public policy, media and journalism, business, and art, and it improves access to humanities education and programming. This award supports professional development opportunities for three staff members to strengthen project management and financial management skills.

For over 45 years, Illinois Humanities Council (the Council) has been committed to ensuring access to the humanities for everyone in Illinois. Using the humanities as a tool to stimulate civic engagement and discussion, the Council creates experiences across the state through free public programming, exhibitions, education, and grant making in order to engage a diverse public on ideas and issues that matter. This award follows previous support to the Council in leading the development and execution of Envisioning Justice, a series of events and a body of programming including commissioned artwork, public presentations, community discussions, and a culminating public exhibition, which connected artists and humanists with residents affected by the criminal justice system in interpreting and shaping reform in Chicago. Seven community hubs throughout the city in neighborhoods deeply affected by over-incarceration were at the core of the project. This award enables the Council to fund the continued convening and development of this emerging Envisioning Justice network, whose members are dedicated to leveraging their collective power to shift the public’s imagining of justice.

Founded in 1973, the Illinois Humanities Council (the Council) is an education organization working to create a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of Illinois communities by providing high-quality civic discussions, programming, performances, and other exhibitions. This award follows previous support to the Council in leading the development and execution of Envisioning Justice, a series of events and a body of programming including commissioned artwork, public presentations, community discussions, and a culminating public exhibition, which connected artists and humanists with residents affected by the criminal justice system in interpreting and shaping reform in Chicago. At the core of the effort are seven community hubs throughout the city - five in neighborhoods deeply affected by over-incarceration, one in the pre-trial detention facility for youth, and one in Cook County jail. The hubs serve as centers for the arts and humanities communities to bring a diverse array of stakeholders and the public into discussions around criminal justice reform in Chicago. This award enables the Council to fund the continued participation of community hubs in work catalyzed by Envisioning Justice, the development and convening of an Envisioning Justice network, and amplification of Envisioning Justice throughout Illinois and the nation as a whole.

Illinois Humanities’ mission is to strengthen the social, political, and economic fabric of Illinois through constructive conversation and community engagement. Utilizing art, music, literature, and other humanities as tools to stimulate discussion, they create experiences across Illinois through programming, events, and grantmaking to engage a diverse public on critical issues.

Illinois Humanities aims to improve civic dialogue and increase public access to the humanities throughout the State of Illinois. It offers year-round humanities programs on issues related to public policy, media and journalism, business, art, and improving access to humanities education and programming. This project grant provides support to Illinois Humanities’ annual People Powered Publishing Conference, a national gathering in Chicago that highlights innovative practices and projects building stronger connections between news media and the publics they cover. This two-day conference brings together journalists, civic-engagement specialists, and community storytellers to create a more collaborative and equitable news landscape that extends well beyond newsrooms to consider how educators, artists, technologists, and community organizers contribute to a healthy news and information ecosystem.

Founded in 1973, the Illinois Humanities Council (the Council) is an education organization working to create a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of Illinois communities by providing high-quality civic discussions, programming, performances, and other exhibitions. Following previous support to engage in a planning process for the project, this award supports the Council in leading the development and execution of Envisioning Justice, a series of events and a body of programming including artist commissions, public presentations, exhibition design, and community discussions connecting artists and humanists with residents in interpreting and shaping criminal justice reform in Chicago. The Council aims to develop at the core of the effort six community hubs throughout the city to serve as centers for the arts and humanities communities to bring a diverse array of stakeholders and the public into discussions around criminal justice reform in Chicago.

The Illinois Humanities Council aims to improve civic dialogue and increase public access to the humanities throughout the State of Illinois. It offers year-round humanities programs on issues related to public policy, media and journalism, business, art, and improving access to humanities education and programming. Over the award period, Illinois Humanities is focusing on community-sourced programming and expanding local collaborations in its five core areas. This award recommends five years of renewed general operating support to the Illinois Humanities Council.

Founded in 1973, the Illinois Humanities Council (the Council) is an education organization working to create a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of Illinois communities by providing high-quality civic discussions, programming, performances, and other exhibitions. This award supports the Council to lead a planning process to develop Envisioning Justice, a series of events including artist commissions, public presentations, exhibition design, and community discussions that will connect artists and humanists with residents in interpreting and shaping criminal justice reform in Chicago. The project includes creating an advisory group to guide the planning process as well as gathering information from community residents about the issues, leading to a proposal for a year-long effort to engage and connect members of the arts and humanities community with a diverse array of stakeholders and the public in discussions around criminal justice reform in Chicago.

The Illinois Humanities Council is an education organization that works to create a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities throughout the State of Illinois. The Council was started in 1973 and offers year-round humanities programs in various formats such as facilitated discussion groups focused on contemporary social issues, educational programs, performances, exhibitions, and film screenings. Additionally, the Council supports Illinois nonprofit organizations with small grants to develop their own humanities programming. Each year the Council serves approximately 500,000 individuals through its own programming and reaches another million through its grants. This grant will support the Council’s general operations.

The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) is an educational organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. IHC is planning a national competition for Democracy Stories, short and engaging media expressions about democracy and government. The Democracy Stories competition seeks to stimulate constructive conversations about democratic values and systems, urge people to think about government institutions in new ways, and appeal to Americans’ commonly shared beliefs and principles about our republic.

This grant will support the Illinois Humanities Council as host organization for the 2012 National Humanities Council conference to be held in Chicago from November 15-18. The Council will use MacArthur support to demonstrate the importance of the humanities in Chicago, share the expertise of the Council and its partners through conference panels, and allow Council staff to participate in the conference by covering their registration fees. The Illinois Humanities Council is an educational organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities.

In support of general operations (over five years).

To support the Chicago Humanities Festival (over two years).

To support the Chicago Humanities Festival and for the writing residency of John Edgar Wideman.

To support the Chicago Humanities Festival.

To support the Chicago Humanities Festival (over three years) and for the presentation of "X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X" by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

To support the Chicago Humanities Festival.

For "Freedom's Expressions: A Celebration of Freedom in the Arts."

To support the statewide initiative "Inventing Illinois."

To support a statewide lecture series, "The Burden of Reform: School in American Society."