Grants

Join the TN Historical Society for a free, virtual discussion with musicologist John Shaw about these historic bands, which have served both as a rallying tool for political militancy and provided community music for funerals, picnics, parades, and dances. The event is part of a series, "Tennessee Music 101: The History of TN Music." Click here…

Celebrate the work and legacy of Knoxville's Clarence Brown, one of Hollywood’s most highly regarded directors. His prolific body of work spanned the silent era into the 1950s. Join international experts in downtown Knoxville for an exploration of Brown's legacy through film screenings, talks, tours, and more. All events are free and open to the…

Join Historic Ramsey House for a ribbon cutting ceremony to open a new permanent exhibit, "A Community Born of Water & Stone," which explores the history, legacy and stories of people and events surrounding the property in rural Knoxville. Find our more about this historic site on their website. Humanities Tennessee is pleased to provide…

Join Mark Making for a theater performance based on oral history interviews of Chattanooga elders, followed by a facilitated discussion with the elders, performers and the audience. Click here to learn more about this free event. The event is supported, in part, by Humanities Tennessee's Opportunity Grant program.

Join the TN Historical Society for a free, virtual discussion with Billy Coleman, Assistant Teaching Professor of History, Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy and the Honors College at the University of Missouri. This talk draws on evidence of sixty cases of Confederates being arrested, punished, or getting away with singing, selling, or publishing rebel songs in Union-controlled…

The Tennessee State Museum and the John Hope & Aurelia E. Franklin Library at Fisk University are presenting a two-day symposium in conjunction with the museum's exhibit, "Building a Brighter Future: Black Communities & Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee," on view June 16, 2023-February 25, 2024. Visit the museum's webpage for more information. Symposium events will…

Join Kidizenship at Artville for an exhibition of finalists in the Show Us Your Nashville, a youth civics contest. Nashville youth were charged with creating a presenting one idea to the mayor for making Nashville great.  Winners will be announced and cash prizes awarded. Learn more about Kidizenship and the contest here. Humanities Tennessee provided…

Global Education Center is hosting an event in its Three Roots of Appalachia project that includes a presentation of Scots-Irish traditions by Dr. Jane MacMorran, a reading from "Black Indian: A Memoir," by Shonda Buchanan, and a moderated conversation with both MacMorran and Buchanan. Click here for more information and the complete project series.

Visit the Granville Museum for an opening ceremony of phase one of an exhibition project exploring the legacy of the construction of the Cordell Hull Dam to the local community. Marking 50 years since the Dam project began, the phase one opening will begin a chronicle of the events as they unfolded and areas of…

Join the TN Historical Society for a free, virtual discussion with musician and educator Sandy Conatser,  who will share her research of these ingenious folk instruments made of materials at hand in the counties of southwest and south middle Tennessee, 1880s-1940s. The event is part of a series, "Tennessee Music 101: The History of TN Music."…

Mark Dudney, a public historian and historic preservation planner from Cookeville, will review the story of democracy in Tennessee, including Native American and early settlement, the Jacksonian era, the Civil War, and Women’s Suffrage. This event, sponsored by Humanities Tennessee and the Jackson Purchase Historical Society, will include access to the Smithsonian travelling exhibit, Voices and…

Join the TN Historical Society for free, virtual discussion with musician and public historian, T. Minton about the rise and decline of the strong network of entertainment spaces built by African Americans following the Civil War to support the development and spread of Black vernacular music culture called The Chitlin' Circuit. The event is part of…

Join the library for American Experiments, interactive, all-ages programs that explore democratic fundamentals such as critical reason and compromise, facilitated by educator Becky Verner. The program is presented alongside the Smithsonian exhibition "Voices & Votes: Democracy in America," on view at the library October7-November 19, 2023. The exhibit tour is sponsored by Humanities Tennessee. Click…

Join the Museum Center for this traveling exhibit organized by the Mid-American Arts Alliance, which explores, through the work of indigenous artists, the various themes of stereotyping of Native Americans in mainstream and pop culture. This traveling exhibition brings together twelve contemporary Native American visual artists who reclaim their right to represent their identities as…

Join the Museum Center for a reception to open a traveling exhibit, Savages & Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes. Enjoy a discussion panel moderated by Dr. Rondall Reynoso with artists featured in the exhibit: Heidi Bigknife, Micah Wesley, Hoka Shenandore, and Karin Walkingstick. The event begins at 6:30, the panel at 7:00pm. For more…

Join the Global Education Center for an evening of reading and discussion with Cherokee poet and author, Mary Leuana Christensen. The event is part of the "Three Roots of Appalachia: Indigenous, Black, Scot-Irish" program series, partially funded by Humanities Tennessee. Visit the Global Ed website for more information.

Tipton-Haynes new, permanent exhibition includes conveyances from their collection to explore the changes in transportation over time in the region. Visit http://www.tipton-haynes.org/ for more information. Humanities Tennessee is pleased to provide partial support for this project.

Join the TN Historical Society for a virtual discussion of the stories and significance or Lucy's Record Shop and independent shops overall with Mary Mancini.Info and registration coming soo to: Tennessee 101: The History of Tennessee Music - Tennessee Historical Society (tennesseehistory.org)The event is part of the Tennessee 101: History of Music series, funded, in…

Join the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County at the Franklin Theater for an exhibit highlighting oral histories of the alumni of a local Rosenwald school--one of those created across the rural south in the early 20th century through desegregation to educate black children. Activities include an exhibition viewing and a moderated roundtable discussion with local,…

Join the Global Education Center for a screening of We Will Speak, an award-winning film exploring Cherokee language preservation, and a discussion with the filmmaker. The event is part of the "Three Roots of Appalachia: Indigenous, Black, Scot-Irish" program series, partially funded by Humanities Tennessee. Visit the Global Ed website for more information.

Civil Productions is pleased to announce the premiere of its documentary, How to Sue the Klan, which chronicles an historic event from 1980 Chattanooga involving Klan violence and the five women who sued them in civil court. Humanities Tennessee provided partial support for the production of this film.

Join the TN Historical Society for a virtual discussion of the roots and significance of Black country music with Dr. Francesca Royster. Info and registration coming soon to: Tennessee 101: The History of Tennessee Music - Tennessee Historical Society (tennesseehistory.org) The event is part of the Tennessee 101: History of Music series, funded, in part,…

Join the Robertson County History Museum in welcoming John Baker Jr., for a discussion of based on the newly expanded Wessyngton exhibit expansion focusing on the stories of those formerly enslaved at the plantation. Humanities Tennessee provided partial support for the exhibit expansion through an Opportunity Grant.

Join the Global Ed Center for a screening of the documentary, Coal Black Voices, followed by a reading and discussion with author Frank X. Walker. For more information, visit: http://www.globaleducationcenter.org/ The event is part of a series, Three Roots of Appalachia, partially funded by Humanities Tennessee.

Join the Global Ed Center at Howard Congregational Church for an event featuring author Frank X. Walker reading from "A is for Affrilachia" and storytelling from the Graceful Soul Storyweavers, Tasneem Grace and Jack E Grace. For more information, visit: http://www.globaleducationcenter.org/ This event is one of the Three Roots of Appalachia series, partially supported by Humanities…

Created by the Tennessee African-American Historical Group, this new travelling exhibit examines the little known story of enslaved iron workers in the Volunteer State. Well researched and curated, "King Iron" seeks to further our understanding of pre-Civil War Tennessee through the lens of industrial slavery and its regional impact. The exhibit will be at the…

During the late twentieth century, the music industry branded country as the sound of wholesome, family-friendly white conservatism, disregarding its multiracial and multiethnic roots. In this session, Dr. Amanda Marie Martinez will reframe the country music genre to demonstrate how Black and Brown artists resisted the industry’s exclusionary marketing practices. Dr. Amanda Marie Martinez received…

Join the Global Education Center in welcoming Appalachian author Jeanne Hardt, who will read from and discuss her Smoky Mountain series. For more information, visit:http://www.globaleducationcenter.org/ The event is one in the Three Roots of Appalachia series, partially funded by Humanities Tennessee.  

Join the TN Historical Society for a virtual discussion of the music and roots of Gil Scott-Heron with Gio Russonello, Brenda Monroe-Moses, and Carl Cornwall. Info and registration will be found at: https://tennesseehistory.org/home/programs/ The event is part of the Tennessee 101: History of Music series, funded, in part, by Humanities Tennessee.

Join the Global Education Center for a screening of the documentary, King Coal, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker. For more information, visit: http://www.globaleducationcenter.org/ The event is one of the Three Roots of Appalachia series partially funded by Humanities Tennessee.

Join the Global Education Center for a reading with Colleen Anderson, whose focuses on the stories quilts tell, alongside a quilt exhibit by the Zuri Quilting Guild. For more information, visit:http://www.globaleducationcenter.org/ The event is one of the Three Roots of Appalachia series partially funded by Humanities Tennessee.

Join us May 4th the Downtown Chattanooga Public Library for an encore screening of the documentary How to Sue the Klan: The Legacy of the Chattanooga Five, featuring remarks from Mayor Tim Kelly. How to Sue the Klan is the story of how Five Black women from Chattanooga used legal ingenuity to take on the Ku…

Created by the Tennessee African-American Historical Group, this new travelling exhibit examines the little known story of enslaved iron workers in the Volunteer State. Well researched and curated, "King Iron" seeks to further our understanding of pre-Civil War Tennessee through the lens of industrial slavery and its regional impact. The exhibit is currently featured at…