Projects:Our Stories, Our Future Grants Awarded


Acclaimed sculptor Thaddeus Mosley, the focus of Mattress Factory’s upcoming solo exhibition.

Highlights of 2008

  • Making it Better: Traditional Arts in Action
    How do traditional arts foster cultural identity and community? How do they facilitate spirituality? How do they provide a means to draw attention to key issues in a community and suggest new visions and social policies? The Institute for Cultural Partnerships (Dauphin County) received funding for a traveling exhibit that illuminates multiple voices and perspectives on how traditional arts function in and shape today's communities in Pennsylvania.

  • Thaddeus Mosley: Public Programs
    What happened from the 1940s to the 1960s that enabled such a large number of African Americans from the Pittsburgh area to achieve national and international success in jazz, literature and the visual arts? To help answer this question, Mattress Factory (Allegheny County) received funding for a solo exhibition of sculptor Thaddeus Mosley, the foremost African-American visual artist in western Pennsylvania. The project also includes discussions led by humanities scholars, jazz performances and poetry readings.

  • Thomas Paine: The Forgotten Founding Father
    Although he sometimes is not recognized as such, Thomas Paine is a founding father. John Adams is attributed to saying, "Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain." Moonstone (Philadelphia County) received funding for a project to promote knowledge of the writer of Common Sense and his influence on American history. Public programs include a monthly lecture series with speakers such as Christopher Hitchens, a workshop for public school teachers and a writing contest for high school students.
Other award recipients:
  • African American Museum in Philadelphia (Philadelphia County) for 1770-1876: Civic Dialogues on the Economy, Social Status and Color in Philadelphia, a series of interactive public conversations that connect how blacks lived in early Philadelphia with how they live today.

  • Bradford Area Public Library (Bradford County) for One Book Bradford Author Visit, a community-wide reading of author David Laskin's book The Children's Blizzard, during which Laskin talks about the killer blizzard of 1888 and its impact on immigrant families.

  • Bristol Riverside Theatre (Bucks County) for America Rising and Bridges, two projects that connect plays that discuss race, sexual orientation and other themes of contemporary cultural identity with both theatre lovers and those who have felt excluded from theatre in the past.

  • Cliveden of the National Trust (Philadelphia County) for Cliveden Freedom Project, a planning grant for the development of public programs, curriculum development and technological initiatives on the enslaved individuals at Cliveden.

  • Connellsville Area Historical Society (Fayette County) for American Indian Traditional Skills Demonstration Weekend, during which the history and culture of Eastern Woodland Indians is interpreted through a demonstration of traditional skills.

  • Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (Erie County) for It Matters When You Read Things 2008, a project that offers adolescent and adult readers a college-level summer reading experience.

  • First Person Arts (Philadelphia County) for Underground America, a dramatic reading of oral histories of undocumented immigrants. Followed by a discussion with immigration law experts.

  • French Creek Council of the Boy Scouts of America (Erie County) for Custaloga Town French and Indian War Encampment, an annual event which raises public awareness about the French and Indian War and its impact on the history of western Pennsylvania

  • GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (Berks County) for The Willson History Project, a large-scale exhibit of historical artifacts and interactive learning activities depicting the rich industrial history of Willson Goggles, an innovative company that shaped an entire industry in America.

  • Historic Yellow Springs (Chester County) for A Day with George, a celebration of George Washington's visit to Yellow Springs on September 17, 1777 and his decision to commission the first military hospital built in America on the site.

  • Historical Society of Frankford and Frankford Friends School (Philadelphia County) for Friends in Frankford: Celebrating the 175th Anniversary of Frankford Friends School and the History of Quakers in Frankford, a project that explores the significant role Quakers have played in shaping the history and traditions of Frankford.

  • Historical Society of Montgomery County (Montgomery County) for Conspiracy to Kill a President: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, a symposium that examines the last days of Lincoln, those involved in the conspiracy to kill him and those who brought the conspirators to justice.

  • Jefferson County Historical Society (Jefferson County) for New Deal Program, a program for high schools and the public that creatively depicts Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his New Deal.

  • Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library (Montgomery County) for Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation, a traveling exhibit that examines Lincoln's quest to restore a country divided by Civil War. A wide-range of programs including book discussions, seminars and re-enactments accompany the exhibit

  • Murrysville Community Library (Westmoreland County) for Tellebration 2008 Story and Song: The Men and Women Who Built Western Pennsylvania, a two-hour program of songs and stories featuring singer/songwriter Gregory Zaborowski.

  • Pendle Hill (Delaware County) for Show Me the Franklins! Remembering the Ancestors, Slavery and Benjamin Franklin, a historical theatre production focusing on Benjamin Franklin's ambiguous historical legacy as both slaveholder and abolitionist.

  • Pennsbury Society (Bucks County) for Penn and the Lenape, a planning grant for a major multi-year project that reinterprets the partnership between William Penn and the Lenape Indians.

  • Pennsylvania Highlands Community College (Cambria County) for One Book, One Community Reading Program, featuring author Fergus Bordewich and his book Bound for Canaan which looks at the broader social and civic implications of the Underground Railroad.

  • Peregrine Arts (Philadelphia County) for Hidden City Guidebook & Challenge, a four-week festival that interprets and re-animates Philadelphia's unappreciated sites and histories through a dynamic installation-art project that includes a guidebook and a real-world adventure game.

  • Pommerian Early Music Guild (Adams County) for Children's Creative Workshop: Touching the Underground Railroad, a workshop in which children learn about the region's participation in the Underground Railroad through exploring history, experiencing dance from the period, and expressing drama through true life stories of escaping slaves.

  • Schuylkill County Council for the Arts (Schuylkill County) for Underground Singing, with poetry readings, book discussions, an art exhibit and living history songs that explore the coal mining history in American culture.

  • Society for Contemporary Craft (Allegheny County) for Beyond Shared Language: Contemporary Art and the Latin American Experience, a major exhibition that offers audiences an opportunity to think critically about Latin Americans' multicultural perspectives and differing views on the American experience.

  • Stenton (Philadelphia County) for Historic Germantown Preserved Juneteenth Celebration, a collaborative, multi-site project involving humanities scholars, actors, musicians and living history re-enactors exploring the rich history of African American freedom.

  • Susquehanna Folk Music Society (York County) for Exploring Guitar Styles from the Appalachian Mountains, a guitar workshop, concert and meet-and-greet featuring Wayne Henderson, a musical legend known for his Appalachian guitar style and handcrafted guitars.

  • Taller Puertorriqueno (Philadelphia County) for When Hens Pee, an artist residency and series of workshops, culminating in the use of vending machines to voice the concerns of community members.

  • Thomas Merton Center (Allegheny County) for In Sisterhood: The Women's Movement in Pittsburgh, an oral history project focused on influential leaders and the pioneering organizations they created between 1967and1987. This forms the basis of an exhibit and a website.

  • WDUQ-FUM (Allegheny County) for Benny Goodman: A Centennial Celebration, an hour-long documentary celebrating the centenary of the birth of legendary clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman, encompassing his honors and including rare recordings.
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