LEH Accepting Public Nominations for Humanities Awards
Humanist of the Year Zachary Richard performs for the 2016 Bright Lights Awards.
  
The LEH is now accepting public nominations for the 2017 Humanities Awards. Since 1985, the LEH has honored Louisianans who have made outstanding contributions to the study and understanding of the humanities. Awardees will be honored at the 2017 Bright Lights Awards Dinner scheduled for April 13 in Baton Rouge.
 
Award categories include:
  • Lifetime Contribution to the Humanities
  • Humanities Documentary Film of the Year
  • Michael P. Smith Documentary Photography
  • Humanities Book of the Year
  • "Light Up for Literacy"
Nominations must be received in the LEH office no later than 5 p.m. December 15, and should be addressed to: Humanities Awards Committee, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, 938 Lafayette St., Suite 300, New Orleans, LA  70113. Nominations also may be faxed to the LEH (attention to Chair, Humanities Awards Committee) at 504-529-2358 or emailed to [email protected]. More details will follow.
 
 
To view a list of last year's winners, visit here.
 

LEH Names New VP of Education

Sarah DeBacher is the LEH's VP of Education.
Sarah DeBacher has joined the LEH as Vice President of Education, where she will lead PRIME TIME Family Reading Time's suite of literacy programs serving children, families, and educators. A lifelong reader, writer, and champion of the humanities, she has previously served LEH as a PRIME TIME scholar.
 
DeBacher comes to the LEH from the University of New Orleans (UNO), where she was Chair of the First-Year Writing Program, Director of the Greater New Orleans Writing Project, and Co-Director of the Scholastic Writing Awards of Southeast Louisiana. She received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, with Distinction, from UNO, and is currently enrolled in the doctoral program in education administration. 
 
Widely published, DeBacher has contributed to textbooks, peer-reviewed and creative publications, presented at conferences, won local and national grants, and served on numerous professional committees. In 2013 she was awarded the John W. Cooke Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing.
 
An engaged community leader, DeBacher serves on the board of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, and the advisory board for Big Class, a youth writing program in New Orleans.
 
Contact Sarah DeBacher: [email protected], 504.620.2644.


PRIME TIME Head Start Job Fair Garners Crowds

Tuesday, October 25th, saw PRIME TIME Head Start hold a Job Fair at the  West Monroe Convention Center.  Applications were accepted and interviews were held for positions ranging from administrative leadership to compliance, health and food services.
 
PRIME TIME Head Start is looking to hire about 100 people to staff four or five Head Start sites in Ouachita Parish.
 
The job fair was enormously well attended, with nearly 200 job seekers learning more about PRIME TIME's operation and openings. "We were excited to engage a large and diverse group of job seekers who were as excited about joining our team as we are about building a world-class Head Start program in Ouachita Parish." said  Miranda Restovic, LEH and PRIME TIME, Inc. President and Executive Director.
 
PRIME TIME has been working with Shine Early Learning to develop a program that will effectively serve 555 children throughout the parish. 

LEH Attends National Humanities Conference in Salt Lake City

Each year the Federation of State Humanities Councils convenes its annual conference with the theme "Humanities Partnerships--Meeting Local and Global Challenges," and bringing together staff and board members from around the nation for panel discussions, workshops and lectures. This year's conference takes place in Salt Lake City November 10-13. LEH staffers Miranda Restovic, Hali Dardar, and Brian Boyles will represent Louisiana. 

Click here for more info on the conference.                                   



"Hometown Teams" in the Homestretch
 
railroad
The Southern Forest Heritage Museum includes ephemera from the Gulf Railroads that served the Long Leaf sawmill.
The communities of Winnsboro, Homer, Natchitoches, and Ruston have rallied around the 2016 Museum on Main Street tour, bringing big crowds, amazing public events, and new local histories of area athletes, coaches, and legends to light. The tour is currently at the Southern Forest Heritage Museum & Research Center in Long Leaf through Nov. 12. 

On Nov. 19, the Abita Springs Trailhead Museum takes over for the final stop of the exhibition. Events and hours can be found here. 

"Hometown Teams" closes on Jan. 2.    Click here to learn more. 
 
                           

Ignatius Reilly Headlines New Louisiana Cultural Vistas

The irascible protagonist from John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize winning  A Confederacy of Dunces  is featured in Maurice Carlos Ruffin's essay in the Winter issue of  Louisiana Cultural Vistas.

Scheduled for publication on Dec. 1, the Winter issue includes Alison Fensterstock on Mary Oneida Toups, Richard Campanella on geography,  Ben Sandmel on music, and new stories from Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Monroe, and New Iberia. 

Click here to subscribe.
                                



See "Purchased Lives" on Tour Throughout Louisiana

entergy Beginning this fall, The Historic New Orleans Collection and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities will bring a portable version of THNOC's award-winning exhibition on the domestic slave trade to ten sites in Louisiana. The initiative is presented by Entergy Corporation, with additional support provided by the National Park Service, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Kabacoff Family Foundation. 
 
Based on THNOC's exhibition "Purchased Lives: The American Slave Trade from 1808 to 1865," the portable panel display will visit libraries, parks and community centers in Louisiana. The exhibition may be seen at the following sites, each hosting for approximately six weeks: 
  • Pointe Coupee Parish Library in New Roads: Oct. 17-Nov. 28, 2017
  • St. Tammany Parish Library in Slidell: Dec. 1, 2016-Jan. 12, 2018
  • Calcasieu Parish Library in Lake Charles: Jan. 16-Feb. 27, 2018
In addition to managing transportation and logistics, the LEH will issue grants to support programs during the tour stops and coordinate with THNOC to train staff from each host site on content and educational aspects. Click here for more info. 
 
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LEH Offers Emergency Grants to La. Cultural Organizations  

 

In response to the August 2016 floods, the LEH announces 2016 Emergency Grants for organizations located within Louisiana federally declared disaster parishes, whose sites or collections were damaged during the floods. Tax-exempt organizations with a history of cultural programming can apply for up to $1,000 to defray costs for staff, paid workers, and volunteers working on flood related clean-up and restoration efforts.
 
To apply for an Emergency Grant, visit leh.org/Emergency-Grants. 

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until December 1, 2016. Notifications will be made within 2 weeks. Organizations can email questions to [email protected] or call 504.620.2639.
 
These grants were made possible by a Chairman's Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. To augment and extend these funds, the LEH is accepting donations to support this effort. Click here to help rebuild Louisiana culture. 


 PRIME TIME Grant Applications Are Open

PRIME TIME Family Reading Time program applications are now open for eligible organizations, such as schools, libraries, museums, churches, and other community-based agencies that serve diverse and economically vulnerable families. 

April 15, 2017 is the deadline to apply for programs to be scheduled between August 18 and November 15, 2017. Applicants must have a valid EIN (employment identification number) to apply.
 

For more information on PRIME TIME, eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit http://www.primetimefamily.org/applications/.


Valentino Hotels Offer Autumn Discounts 

The Lafayette Hotel on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans

Autumn in New Orleans is a perfect time to enjoy the milder climate and take in the sights.  LEH partner Valentino Hotels is offering a special rate of 15% from their lowest published rates, with accompanying further contribution to the LEH.  Visit valentinohotels.com .






 New Incubator Space for Cultural Creatives 

The LEH and Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation (LCEF) continue a  partnership to offer entrepreneurial creatives a new business incubator at Turners' Hall in New Orleans.

The incubator offers offices and amenities with access to business training, mentors and resources for $250 per month. LCEF will operate the incubator, providing access to their new  Louisiana Culturepreneur microloan program,  the Catapult Fund, and other programs that support innovation.