Stories of successful grant-funded projects
2025
In 2021, filmmaker Elinor Pierce partnered with Omaha’s Tri-Faith Initiative to apply for a HN grant to help plan a documentary film about Tri-Faith’s story. In the mid-2000s, religious leaders from Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faith communities cooperated to create a shared space that’s unique in the world. Temple Israel, the American Muslim Institute, and Countryside Community Church each have their own houses of worship on the Tri-Faith campus in Omaha, connected with each other and a shared interfaith center by a circular bridge.
The bridge provided a metaphor and title – Abraham’s Bridge – to the documentary film, which shows some of the struggles the three faith communities face as they seek to support their own worshippers while also crossing divides to build relationships. The film touches on the common ground of a community garden as well as the deeply personal and painful divisions surrounding the October 7 attack and Israel-Hamas war.
In 2024, Pierce partnered with the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership at Hebrew College to apply for another HN grant to develop a discussion guide that helps groups of people use the film as a focal point for conversations in classroom and community contexts. A college instructor who was one of the first to test-teach the discussion guide said that her students were deeply moved by the film and that they were amazed to see “what is possible when people dare to move beyond fear, hatred, and boundaries to thinking about how to share in human experiences – and, especially, how to place the acknowledgement of each other’s pain – at exclusion, at violence, at loss – at the center of our engagement with each other.”
For more information about the film, including screening opportunities, visit abridgefilm.com.
At a University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) Women in Agriculture conference in 2024, photographer John Noltner captured photos of conference attendees and asked each person to reflect on the question “What has called you to this work?”. Noltner’s multimedia body of work, called “A Peace of My Mind,” combines portraits and personal stories “to bridge divides and encourage dialogue around important issues.”
A Humanities Nebraska grant helped the UNL Nebraska Women in Agriculture (NWA) program to print a selection of these portraits, which — along with quotes from the portrait subjects’ responses, links to audio recordings, and data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture — became a traveling exhibit designed to prompt people to think about and discuss the past, present, and future of women’s role in agriculture.
The exhibit appeared on the University of Nebraska campus in Lincoln, at the West Central Research Extension and Education Center in North Platte, at Husker Harvest Days and the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, and at the 2025 Women in Agriculture conference in Kearney. At two of the locations, NWA Program Director Jessica Groskopf spoke about the historical role of women in agriculture, their current challenges, and their future involvement in the agricultural sciences.
After viewing the exhibit, one person commented, “It was powerful to read these personal reflections and realize that our struggles and triumphs, though unique, are part of a larger narrative that connects us all.”
“Legacy of Leadership: Faces of Nebraska Women in Agriculture” will go on display in Lincoln at UNL’s Innovation Campus conference center in January 2026.
Thanks in part to a Humanities Nebraska program grant, middle and high school students in Omaha had an opportunity to explore their community’s past and think about how it connects to the present by conducting research on the history of a neighborhood. The Young History Detectives summer camp, sponsored by The House of Afros, Capes and Curls (HACC, a nonprofit organization that promotes “geek culture” and supports youth education), created a program to teach young people how to research the history of their community by using library and museum archives and conducting oral history interviews.
In the spring, students and their parents learned how to conduct oral histories. Then the Young History Detectives got to work in a summer camp. Students used old phone books, newspapers, primary documents and database keyword searches to research the history of buildings at specific addresses. They visited the sites and noted what physical evidence remained and talked to people who knew about the history of the area.
A participant noted the effect the project had on them: “I think the history of it all is fascinating because it’s important to know where you come from and to understand what it truly means to live in the place you call home.”
Over time, the intent is for the Young History Detectives program to build up materials that can be used to create a virtual historical walking tour.
HACC said that participants in the Young History Detectives program “contribute to preserving local history, and gain a deeper understanding of their community’s history and heritage, fostering pride in their roots and a stronger sense of identity. It encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and research skills, which can inspire a lifelong love of learning and exploration.”
2024
In July 2024, more than a thousand visitors to Fort Robinson State Park witnessed a unique historic reenactment: African American troops of the 10th Cavalry Regiment – “Buffalo Soldiers” – thundering across the ground in military drills. This HN-grant-funded visit by the Colorado-based reenactment group called Buffalo Soldiers of the American West was part of a joint effort between the Nebraska State Historical Society (NSHS) and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the fort.
The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were composed entirely of African American troops, and both were garrisoned at Fort Robinson. While facing discrimination, these soldiers played substantial roles in military operations, including those supporting westward expansion. The 9th Cavalry was stationed at the fort from 1885 to 1898, and the 10th Cavalry served there from 1902 to 1907. Despite their nearly two-decade-long presence, little physical evidence of the Buffalo Soldiers’ time at Fort Robinson remains. Fort visitors can read about the Buffalo Soldiers on a historical marker, but most of the structures associated with these regiments have been lost to decay or repurposing over the years.
The Buffalo Solider reenactors helped teach visitors about a lesser-known part of Nebraska and United States history in a memorable way. They set up a historically-appropriate camp and interacted with visitors on an informal basis. They also presented several high-action demonstrations of military drills on horseback. Visitors consisted both of summer tourists and northwest Nebraska residents, one of whom was so impressed by the mounted drills that they called their neighbors to make sure they would come to the fort in time to witness the next presentation. The event drew in visitors from Wyoming and South Dakota who came just to experience the reenactments.
NSHS staff stated, “The project was a huge success and further proves the need for living history programs in western Nebraska and at Fort Robinson. The tremendous attendance demonstrates an interest in these events.”
As part of HN’s 50th anniversary celebration in fall 2023, $1,000 grants were offered to K-12 educators around the state to support humanities learning in the classroom. With the 2023-24 school year over, the final reports for these grants are telling stories of the funding’s impact – including on projects at Bridgeport Public School in the Panhandle and St. Teresa Catholic School in Lincoln. Both featured lessons culminating in students giving educational presentations for their schools, parents, and communities.
Elisa Rodak, a 6th grade teacher in Bridgeport, led her students in studying the novel “Iqbal,” about a boy who was able to make a difference in the lives of other children. Each student then chose an individual who overcame barriers and had a positive impact on the world, studied that individual, and developed a 5-minute presentation for a living history museum. Museum subjects included Walt Disney, Bruce Lee, Anne Frank, Steve Irwin, and Queen Elizabeth II. On the day of the presentation, 486 people came to visit the 6th-graders’ museum, including elementary and high school students, parents, and community members.
At St. Teresa, Vocal Music and Strings teacher Terri Schilmoeller coordinated a “Music of Asia” program for her school. Students in grades K-8 spent a semester reading books and studying the cultural elements of Japan, China, and Vietnam, including language, traditions, geography, dance, folk songs, traditional attire, and instrumental music. Some students’ parents or relatives were invited into the classroom to lead cultural discussions from personal experience.
The semester culminated with a “Year of the Dragon” concert for the school and parents. When asked to reflect on the lessons of the program, one student stated, “It is important to study other cultures because you will not judge other people.” Adult audience members were asked their opinion as well. One person reacted, “I loved seeing different cultures showcased both for myself and for my children especially in a somewhat ‘vanilla’, middle class Midwestern area.” Another said, “I thought about how proud I would feel if I was from an Asian country…and how meaningful it would be to see your culture celebrated in a place where it does not belong to the majority of members.”
With the support of Humanities Nebraska program grants, several of Nebraska’s literary organizations capitalized on Nebraskans’ now-widespread familiarity with online video apps to present free, statewide virtual cultural programming to overcome geographic barriers, allowing anyone, anywhere, to participate. In 2023, HN grants helped support monthly virtual reading series hosted by the Larksong Writers Place (Lincoln), the National Willa Cather Center (Red Cloud), and Nebraska Poetry Society (Omaha) that benefitted hundreds of Nebraskans around the state. All three of these literary reading series included Q&A sessions that enabled an exchange of ideas among the writers and online participants.
The Larksong Writers Place First Friday Online Reading Series featured authors with Nebraska connections, national presence, and a newly published book. Authors shared the stories behind their writing, including social and historical context and personal influences. Larksong Writers Place says the series helps to create “a supportive community that fosters an ongoing appreciation of writing and reading.”
The National Willa Cather Center’s Author Series explored humanities topics related to Willa Cather, Great Plains history, and art across a variety of styles and genres. The National Willa Cather Center said that participants told them that they “enjoyed books they never would have encountered had it not been for the author series.” The author series provided an opportunity for the National Willa Cather Center to reach beyond Red Cloud and connect with libraries and reading programs in other communities.
The Nebraska Poetry Society’s Nebraska Poets Reading Series featured poets who have published at least one chapbook or full body of work and are connected to Nebraska. The Nebraska Poetry Society noted the value of the readings, stating that “[t]he attendees either see themselves in the poem and gain a connection to another who is similar to them, or they are exposed to a different experience allowing them to gain understanding of life in someone else’s shoes.” The reading series is one component of the Nebraska Poetry Society’s work that led to their being honored as the fastest-growing state poetry society, according to the National Federation of Poetry Societies.
2023
Humanities Nebraska awarded a grant to the Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) for the “Anne Frank – a history for today” traveling exhibit. IHE presented the exhibit in Nebraska schools in partnership with the Anne Frank House and the University of South Carolina’s College of Education.
The 30-panel exhibit, which tells the story of Anne Frank’s family and the impact of Nazi persecution and war, traveled to three middle and high schools in Lexington and Omaha during the 2022-23 school year. At each school, a group of students was trained to be peer educators to help their fellow students think critically about the exhibit and relate lessons of the past to present-day circumstances. The exhibit stayed at each school for two weeks and was opened to the community for one evening at each school as well.
Some 2,500 students and community members viewed the exhibit, which had a measurable impact. In a survey, 80.4% of participating students said that they would be more likely to speak up in a situation where they saw prejudice or discrimination. A participant at Westside Community Schools said “I think [the exhibit] brought a lot of awareness not just to antisemitism, but to the ways prejudice and discrimination can present themselves in everyday communities.”
In April, the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center partnered with the Indian Center, Inc., in Lincoln to host a cultural event that celebrated seasonal occurrences important to both bird enthusiasts and Native Americans: spring bird migration and spring ceremonies marking the return of the rain and rebirth of the earth.
“Return of the Thunderbirds” provided opportunities for the exchange of cultural practices as well as ecological knowledge from scientific study and from generations of experience living on and observing the land. Attendees listened to and danced with the Many Moccasins Dance Troupe, witnessed a live bird presentation from Raptor Conservation Alliance, heard stories and indigenous knowledge directly from Native American speakers, and learned about games and musical instruments originating in the Americas.
In September 2022, the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Communication, Fine Arts, and Media hosted an international symposium to discuss the ways the arts, humanities, and social sciences can address the experience of older adults, including those living with dementia, and the experiences of their family and professional caregivers.
A key feature of the symposium, which Humanities Nebraska helped to support with grant funding, was a public exhibition in UNO’s Weber Gallery entitled “Memory Serves: Drawing Others Close.” The exhibition featured the work of a two-year arts-based research project by Dr. Mark Gilbert, who talked with and created portraits of older people and their caregivers, including spouses, a nurse, a social worker, and a housekeeper.
The exhibit panels and a booklet provided context to the art and prompted gallery visitors to think about and discuss such topics as aging, caretaking, relationships, death and dying, and the exchange between artist and subject.
The exhibit had a powerful emotional impact on many visitors, with one visitor stating, “The raw vulnerability brought very mixed feelings (hope, sorrow, gratitude, heartbreak, calm, piece, despair and many others).”
Former and future health care professionals featured prominently among the visitor comments. A former certified nursing assistant in a nursing home wrote, “I find the entire exhibition incredibly touching. I can once again feel [a] glimpse of what it was like assisting the residents I cared for and feel validated and connected to what is being shown in the portraits.”
