DECEMBER 2011

• AHF helped fund a staged reading of the play by playwright Julia Oliver and also a post-performance, scholar led discussion. The play script was based on the acclaimed book “Journey Toward Justice: Juliette Hampton Morgan and the Montgomery Bus Boycott” by New York author Mary Stanton. >> View Photos
  

NOVEMBER 2011

• AHF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
  Bob Stewart, Executive Director of the Alabama Humanities Foundation (AHF), has announced his retirement effective January 31, 2012, capping 25 years as AHF head. Stewart, 58, stated, “After a quarter century of service to the humanities in Alabama, and as one of the longest serving directors of all the state humanities councils in the nation, I decided it was time to pass the baton to new leadership and to explore new directions for myself.” press release.
  
  
• AHF ESTABLISHES ENDOWMENT FUND
  At its October 28, 2011 board of directors meeting in Birmingham, the Alabama Humanities Foundation announced the establishment of the Alabama Humanities Endowment Fund within the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. The sole purpose of this endowment is to generate earnings to support AHF’s humanities programs throughout Alabama.press release.

SEPTEMBER 2011

• JOURNEY STORIES OPENS IN MARION SEPT. 29
  AHF invites you to visit the latest site for our traveling exhibition, "Journey Stories," at the Perry County Chamber of Commerce in Marion, 1200 Washington Street. For more information, please read our full press release.
  
  
• AHF ANNOUNCES THE FORMATION OF ITS NEW JUNIOR BOARD!
  AHF invites all young professionals from across the state to join its new junior board. Applications and more information can be found on the new junior board Web page. We hope you can join us for this exciting endeavor!

AUGUST 2011

• ELAINE W. HUGHES AND WELLS FARGO TO BE HONORED AT 2011 ALABAMA HUMANITIES AWARDS LUNCHEON
  Join us on Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, at noon at the Wynfrey Hotel for our annual awards luncheon. Gen. Charles C. Krulak, new president of Birmingham-Southern College, will be the keynote speaker. For more information, please visit our luncheon website or view our press release.
  
  
• MUSEUM ON MAIN STREET EXHIBIT "JOURNEY STORIES" OPENS AUGUST 13 IN ALEXANDER CITY
  The next Museum on Main Street exhibit, "Journey Stories," will tour six host sites in Alabama through April 2012. For the full press release. For more information, please visit our Journey Stories website.

JUNE 2011

• AHF LAUNCHES PROJECT T
• URN THE PAGE TO HELP PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS AFFECTED BY TORNADOES
  AHF will use a $30,000 emergency grant provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities to purchase books for the public libraries and schools damaged in the April 27 tornadoes. Humanities programs will also be included in a few of the affected communities. For more details, see the full press release here.
  
  
• MUSEUM ON MAIN STREET EXHIBIT "JOURNEY STORIES" OPENS JUNE 25 IN JASPER
  The next Museum on Main Street exhibit, "Journey Stories," will tour six host sites in Alabama beginning June 25 in Jasper through 2012. For the full press release, click here. For more information, click here.

APRIL 2011

• HUMANITIES FOUNDATION AWARDS TWO ALMA BRYANT STUDENTS FOR DOCUMENTING THEIR COMMUNITIES THROUGH PHOTOS
  The Board of Directors of the Alabama Humanities Foundation held a reception Thursday, April 28, at the RSA Towers, hosted by Regions Bank and sponsored by The University of Alabama Department of Arts and Sciences and the University of South Alabama. At the reception, AHF recognized two local students from Alma Bryant High School, Maria Pulido and Sherman Shoemaker, who excelled this year in the school’s photography program on the Gulf Coast community. Their photos were on display at the reception, and a $100 gift card and certificate of achievement was awarded.
  The reception was held prior to AHF’s board meeting the following day, and served to inform Gulf Coast constituents, business leaders, and scholars about the many statewide programs and grants projects it conducts. For more information, click here.

Maria Pulido

Maria Pulido

Sherman Shoemaker

Sherman Shoemaker

MARCH 2011

• Alabama Power Foundation Supports AHF's "Journey Stories"
  A big thank you to Alabama Power Foundation for their financial support as lead exhibition sponsor of AHF's Museum on Main Street "Journey Stories." Look for a special exhibit of Alabama Power Co.'s own archival materials on display at the above host sites. For more details, click here.

• HEAR OUR LIVE INTERVIEW ON TROY PUBLIC RADIO'S COMMUNITY FOCUS PROGRAM HERE.
  Grants Director Dominique Linchet and Board member Bob Whetstone, co-founder of the Whetstone-Seaman Faculty Development Award, speak with host Carolyn Hutcheson and Chris McCauley, director of operations for the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, about our upcoming forum on the topic of civility in Montgomery on March 25. The event will be held at the Department of Archives and History in the Alabama Power Auditorium beginning at 9:30 a.m. with light refreshments. The public is encouraged to attend.
  
  
• ALABAMA HUMANITIES FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF WHETSTONE-SEAMAN FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AWARD
  The Whetstone-Seaman Faculty Development Award has been awarded to Nick Jones, philosophy professor at University of Alabama-Huntsville. The second-place award goes to Clifford Lee, philosophy professor at Troy University. The Faculty Development Award is an initiative of the Alabama Humanities Foundation (AHF) meant to offer Alabama junior scholars professional development opportunities. Deans of arts and sciences at accredited institutions across Alabama were invited to nominate the most promising junior humanities scholar to participate in an essay contest. The topic of this year’s contest was “Civility: What Does Civility Mean in the 21st Century Debate?” Nick Jones will receive a $3,000 award for his paper titled “Civility, Sincerity and Ambiguity.” Clifford Lee will receive a $1,500 award for his paper titled “The Courage of Civility: Taming Public Discourse and Ourselves in the 21st Century.” Funding for this award is provided by AHF board member Bob Whetstone and former AHF board member Janet Seaman.
  A selection committee composed of humanities scholars reviewed the papers blindly and selected the top six for publication in the Alabama Humanities Review (alahumanitiesreview.wordpress.com). The winner of the contest will present his paper at an upcoming forum on March 25 titled “Daring to Defend Our Rights: A Discussion of Civility in Alabama Public Life.” This event will be held at the Alabama Department of Archives and History (Alabama Power Auditorium) in Montgomery at 9:30 a.m. The forum is co-sponsored by AHF and the David Matthews Center for Civic Life.
  The presentation will be followed by responses from five Alabamians, including noteworthy Alabama historian and Anniston Star columnist Dr. Harvey H. Jackson; media personality Tim Lennox; Birmingham entrepreneur and author Shelley Stewart; Central High School (Phenix City) gifted education teacher Barbara Romey; and David Mathews Center for Civic Life intern/Auburn University student Alexandria Smith. Christopher McCauley of the David Mathews Center will moderate discussion. 
  There is no cost to attend and refreshments will be served beginning at 9:30 a.m. For more information, contact the Mathews Center at (205) 665-9005 or the Alabama Humanities Foundation at (205) 558-3993. 
  
  
• AHF TO HOST PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION ON CIVILITY WITH DAVID MATHEWS CENTER FOR CIVIC LIFE
  A special presentation and panel response on civility, “Daring to Defend Our Rights: A Discussion of Civility in Alabama Public Life,” will be held on Friday, March 25, 2011, at 9:30 a.m. at the Alabama Power Auditorium at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery. The forum is sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation (AHF) and the David Mathews Center for Civic Life.
  The author of the winning paper of the 2011 Whetstone-Seaman Faculty Development Award will begin the program with an address on the topic of civility, the subject of the recent 50-state tour by National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Jim Leach. The Whetstone-Seaman Faculty Development Award and Humanities Forum are AHF initiatives to offer Alabama scholars the opportunity for professional development and improvement of their teaching competencies. Each dean of arts and sciences in Alabama was invited to nominate the most outstanding, promising humanities scholar at his/her institution to participate in a forum. Each scholar submitted a paper on “Civility: What Does Civility Mean in the 21st-Century Debate” to present at the forum.
  The presentation will be followed by responses from five Alabamians, including noteworthy Alabama historian and Anniston Star columnist Dr. Harvey H. Jackson; media personality Tim Lennox; Birmingham entrepreneur and author Shelley Stewart; Central High School (Phenix City) gifted education teacher Barbara Romey; and David Mathews Center for Civic Life intern/Auburn University student Alexandria Smith. Christopher McCauley of the David Mathews Center will moderate discussion.
  The event is co-sponsored by the David Mathews Center for Civic Life (mathewscenter.org) and the Alabama Humanities Foundation (ahf.net). There is no cost to attend and refreshments will be served beginning at 9:00 a.m. For more information, contact the Mathews Center at (205) 665-
  9005 or the Alabama Humanities Foundation at (205) 558-3993.
  

FEBRUARY 2011

• ALABAMA HUMANITIES FOUNDATION NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2011 SUPER TEACHER INSTITUTES
  To read full details, please click here. Or to download the full press release, please click here.

JANUARY 2011

• ALABAMA HUMANITIES FOUNDATION TO HOST PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION ON CIVILITY WITH DAVID MATHEWS CENTER FOR CIVIC LIFE
  For the full press release, please click here.
  
  
• ALABAMA HUMANITIES FOUNDATION NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2011 SUPER EMERGING SCHOLARS INSTITUTES
  To read full details, please click here. Or to download the full press release, please click here.
  
  
• ALABAMA HUMANITIES NOW ACCEPTING 2011 JENICE RILEY SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
  To read the full press release, please click here.
  
  
• ALABAMA HUMANITIES FOUNDATION ELECTS SIX NEW BOARD OFFICERS
  The Alabama Humanities Foundation (AHF) is pleased to announce the election of its new board officers for 2011: Jim Noles of Birmingham, chair; John Rochester of Ashland, vice chair; Danny Patterson of Mobile, treasurer; Lisa Narrell-Mead of Birmingham, secretary; Nancy Sanford of Sheffield, executive committee; and Reggie Hamner of Montgomery, executive committee.
  To read the full press release, please click here.
  

DECEMBER 2010

• FEDERATION OF STATE HUMANITIES COUNCILS SELECTS BIRMINGHAM FOR NATIONAL CONFERENCE
  The Alabama Humanities Foundation (AHF) is pleased to announce that on Nov. 7-9, 2013, the National Humanities Conference will take place in Birmingham, Ala., at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel.
  The National Humanities Conference is the annual conference of the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Founded in 1977, the Federation is the membership association of 54 state independent, nonprofit councils. These humanities councils, including Alabama’s own Humanities Foundation, are affiliated with and receive funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
  “The members of the Federation board and staff are very excited about holding our 2013 conference in Birmingham, a city of rich cultural resources and the site of historical events that helped shape the identity of this nation,” says Esther Mackintosh, president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils. “We are proud to offer our members an opportunity to become acquainted with this city during the very significant 50th anniversary of the ‘Birmingham campaign’ of the Civil Rights Movement, and we particularly look forward to working with the Alabama Humanities Foundation, an organization with strong ties to the corporate, cultural and educational networks in the city and state.”
  With exciting projects underway in Birmingham, such as the newly opened Railroad Park, and attractions that are already immensely popular, such as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Vulcan Park, the Federation is likely to find Birmingham, and the state of Alabama in general, full of rich history and new life. “The Federation’s decision to hold its annual conference here in 2013 fits well into the Blueprint Birmingham plan and Alabama Humanities is pleased to play a role in this new vision,” says 2010 AHF Chairman Bob Whetstone, a former professor at Birmingham Southern College. Jim Noles, a partner with Balch & Bingham LLP and AHF’s incoming chairman, agrees: “This is a great opportunity to showcase Birmingham to a national audience. Last year’s conference was in Albuquerque, next year’s will be in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Chicago will be the host in 2012. We expect 350-400 representatives from the state humanities councils to join us in 2013,” Noles says. “That year, the city will be celebrating 50 years of the city’s lasting contribution to the advancement of Civil Rights in our nation. Our guests are going to find themselves squarely in the middle of a historic moment, and I think they will leave Birmingham with a great appreciation of what this city has accomplished in the past five decades.”
  AHF Executive Director Bob Stewart points out that the National Humanities Conference will shine a spotlight on the humanities programs taking place in Alabama. “The state humanities councils represent an astonishing national network for their size and budgets. They reach literally thousands of American communities and millions of citizens through their educational and cultural grants and programs,” Stewart says. “While in Birmingham and visiting sites of memory elsewhere in Alabama, their staff and board members will see how the humanities are improving lives across our state. They will see and learn from our historical struggles—as well as see and learn how our history and heritage are making a positive difference in the 21st century.”

NOVEMBER 2010

• Read a letter from our chairman, Bob Whetstone, about the successes of 2010 what's to come for 2011here.

OCTOBER 2010

• Read about our successful 2010 fall luncheon, with award winners Edgar Welden and the Robert R. Meyer Foundation, as well as AHF's 2010 Jenice Riley scholarship winners, here.

SEPTEMBER 2010

• AHF HOSTS SUCCESSFUL AWARDS LUNCHEON; JENICE RILEY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED TO SIX ALABAMA TEACHERS
  The Alabama Humanities Foundation (AHF) hosted the annual Alabama Humanities awards luncheon on Monday, Sept. 13 in Birmingham at the Wynfrey Hotel.
  Author and Alabama native Jan Crawford, chief legal correspondent for CBS News, delivered the keynote address at the luncheon, which honored Edgar Welden as the 2010 Alabama Humanities Award recipient. The Robert R. Meyer Foundation received the 2010 Charitable Organization in the Humanities Award and the 2010 Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarships were presented. A special resolution recognized The Rev. Fred Lee Shuttlesworth.
  For more information, please see our luncheon website, or our blog. Also, check our Flickr account soon for a luncheon slideshow.

AUGUST 2010

• ARTICLE ANNOUNCING "EUDORA WELTY: EXPOSURES AND REFLECTIONS" AT THE MUSEUM OF MOBILE PUBLISHED IN MOBILE PRESS-REGISTER
  The exhibit, funded by AHF and developed with the Southern Literary Trail, was featured in an article by Thomas B. Harrison. Click here to read the article on al.com.
  
  
• OP-ED CELEBRATION AHF'S SUPER PROGRAM PUBLISHED IN BIRMINGHAM NEWS
  Click here for a link to the article on al.com.