2023 Spring Grants
PUBLIC HUMANITIES GRANTS:
Project Banaba Public Programs
Bishop Museum
$10,000
This grant supports Project Banaba exhibition public programs, which will focus on topics such as Pacific Islander identity and environmental sustainability; the science behind the environmental relationship of guano, seabirds, phosphate mining, and global agricultural interests; and the legacy and work of the late Teresia Teaiwa. The exhibition will be on view from Nov. 4, 2023 – Feb. 18, 2024.
Kuʻu Home O Pāʻulaʻula-Connecting Lāhui
Friends of King Kaumualiʻi
$10,000
Based on the scholarship of Peter Mills, this project explores the history of Pāʻulaʻula State Historic Site during the life and reign of Kauaʻi King Kaumualiʻi. Previous analysis was often erroneous, misleading, and eurocentric. This sacred wahi pana has been neglected over a period of 160 years of unrelated use.
“We adopt the humanities mission of re-education with our kuleana to tell the true Hawaiian story through a community clean up event with a walk through and presentations about the historic site.”
Living History of Prince Kūhiō
Hawai‘i Pono‘ī Foundation
$8,112
The Life of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole Pi‘ikoi is a living history performance about his immense influence on Hawai‘i’s development as a territory and state, and his trailblazing significance as a civic, cultural, and political leader. Performances will take place in two locations on Kaua‘i.
Hawai‘i’s Kāhuli: Tiny Epics of Survival
Mānoa Heritage Center
$10,000
This project demonstrates the impacts of endemic species extinction on both human and environmental ecosystems in the islands through an examination of the sociocultural and ecological importance of Hawaii’s relatively unknown and critically threatened kāhuli species. Public presentations on Maui and O‘ahu will be conducted and an interpretive website will be created to be a viewer’s guide for the short film After the Endling.
Dietrich Varez Legacy Program
Volcano Art Center
$10,000
The Dietrich Varez Legacy Program will share the life and art of print maker Dietrich Varez and further the public’s knowledge of the culture, society, and history of Hawaiʻi and its people through an exhibition of his artworks, a panel discussion, and a film screening.
PRESERVATION & ACCESS GRANTS
Preserve and Share Hiloʻs Pharmacy Past
Lyman House Memorial Museum
$4,500
This project will preserve thirteen large bound ledgers from the Hilo Drug Company with prescriptions from 1896 to 1950. The pharmacists and doctors represented in the books sought to cure, alleviate and vaccinate against disease. Public access to the collection will provide benefits for the local community in understanding naturopathic practices, medical innovations, and the ways individuals, families, and organizations invest in community well-being.