Humanities Washington has awarded more than $105,000 to 16 organizations working to enrich the educational and cultural life of Washingtonians. Funded projects include new exhibits, public presentations, and online broadcasts designed to reach diverse audiences as effectively as possible.

In Pierce County, grants were awarded to the Tacoma Art Museum ($5,000) for its ‘Mighty Tacoma: Photographic Portrait 2010’ and ‘What is Community? Symposium,’ which will ask Tacoma residents to help explain what Tacoma is via public workshops and discussions, online content, and an evolving art exhibit; and the Center for Columbia River History ($10,000) to establish a new multi-media, online exhibit, ‘Re-Visioning This Place: Lower Columbia River Chinookan Communities,’ to examine the historical significance of the Chinookan peoples.

“The work of our community partners — libraries, museums, and educational institutions — becomes even more critical in a down economy,” said Julie Ziegler, executive director of Humanities Washington. “Access to education is the key to lifelong learning and enables people to gain new skills and insight about their world and build healthier communities through community dialogue and creative problem-solving.”

The next opportunity to submit a project grant application to Humanities Washington for consideration will be in spring 2011. Those interested in applying for a grant are encouraged to check the Humanities Washington Web site — http://www.humanities.org in early 2011 for more information.

Since 1973 Humanities Washington has provided a rich array of programs, exhibits and experiences to hundreds of thousands of people across the state. As Washington State’s affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities Washington supports and partners with a wide network of communities, organizations, and individuals to offer a variety of programs and events. For more information on Humanities Washington visit http://www.humanities.org .