Maryland Humanities Council Awarded National Prize for Outstanding Work in Public Humanities Programming

Wins Schwartz Prize for Hometown Teams Exhibition in Galesville

The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) is pleased to announce that it was presented with a Schwartz Prize for outstanding work in humanities programming by the Federation of State Humanities Councils on Friday, November 6 at the 2015 National Humanities Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.

Every year the Federation of State Humanities Councils awards the Schwartz Prize to up to three councils for outstanding work in the public humanities. The prize is funded through an endowment from founding Federation board member Martin Schwartz and his wife Helen. The Schwartz Prize judges are selected from the previous year’s winning councils.

“This year’s Schwartz Prize winners highlight the important work councils conduct to promote understanding, provide needed resources to often underserved communities, and inspire community involvement and pride,” said Esther Mackintosh, Federation President. “The outstanding work conducted and partnerships formed further demonstrate the ability of the councils to touch every aspect of their states. We are so proud of all the nominations and especially congratulate California Humanities, Humanities Montana and Maryland Humanities Council for their well-deserved awards.”

The Maryland Humanities Council was honored for its work to bring the traveling Smithsonian exhibit Hometown Teams to Galesville, Maryland in the summer of 2015. This opportunity galvanized the local Galesville community and led to a companion exhibit and public programming uncovering, preserving, and celebrating the history of Galesville’s Negro league baseball team, the Hot Sox.

Details on the prize from the Federation of State Humanities Council press release:

“Hometown Teams” by Maryland Humanities Council: This program was created to strengthen an entire community through local partnerships, using the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street traveling exhibit series: Hometown Teams. For the past two years, Maryland Humanities Council has worked with Galesville Community Center to energize and unite its local residents. From the program’s genesis, the community was invited to participate in building the Hometown Teams exhibit, providing artifacts and sharing memories, particularly those associated with the local Hot Sox baseball team and its former players. The organizations worked directly with local schools and STEM students to create the exhibits, interview the players and present the information to the public. The judges praised the program for its transformative effect and its outsized impact from a relatively small grant. Read more here: http://www.statehumanities.org/program/hometown-teams-galesville-community/