advertisers

More than 70 communities awarded “Frankenstein” grants

Last Updated on December 5, 2017 by cassnetwork

INDIANAPOLIS —More than 70 nonprofits from Angola to Vevay have received funding to help bring “Frankenstein” to life in their community and participate in a statewide read of the book in 2018. The grants are part of the year-long One State / One Story: Frankenstein program initiated by Indiana Humanities and in partnership with the Indiana State Library and Center for the Book. The program also received a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Community Read grants of $1,000 were awarded to 62 organizations. Those organizations will each hold at least three community programs tied to the book during 2018, including a book discussion. Each site will also receive up to 50 books and assorted collateral (bookmarks, posters, etc.) to promote the programs. The $1,000 project funds can be used for a variety of purposes, including to book speakers through a special “Frankenstein” speakers bureau. Selected organizations include:

Argos Public Library, Argos

Avon-Washington Township Public Library, Avon

Bartholomew County Public Library, Columbus

Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library, Bloomfield

Blue River Valley Jr. & Sr. High School, New Castle

Bremen Public Library, Bremen

Brick Street Poetry Inc., Beech Grove

Brown County Public Library, Nashville

Butler University, Indianapolis

Cannelton Public Library, Cannelton

Carmel High School, Carmel

Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County, Crawfordsville

Center For Inquiry Indiana, Indianapolis

Concord Community High School, Elkhart

Covington High School, Covington

Culver-Union Township Public Library, Culver

Delphi Public Library, Delphi

Frankfort Community Public Library, Frankfort

Friends of the Rockville Public Library, Rockville

Fulton County Public Library, Rochester

Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library, Greensburg

Hamilton North Public Library, Cicero

Hancock County Public Library, Greenfield

Harrison County Public Library –Elizabeth Branch, Elizabeth

Hartford City Public Library, Hartford City

Hendricks County Senior Services, Danville

Indiana University Kokomo Library, Kokomo

Jackson County Public Library, Seymour

Johnson County Public Library – Clark Pleasant Branch, New Whiteland

Johnson County Public Library – Franklin Branch, Franklin

Johnson County Public Library – Trafalgar Branch, Trafalgar

Johnson County Public Library – White River Branch, Greenwood

Kosciusko Literacy Services, Inc., Warsaw

Lake County Public Library- Merrillville, Merrillville

Ligonier Public Library, Ligonier

Logansport Junior High School, Logansport

Marion Public Library, Marion

Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library, Mishawaka

Mt. Vernon High School, Fortville

Nappanee Public Library, Nappanee

New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, New Albany

New Castle-Henry County Public Library, New Castle

Noble County Public Library, Avilla

NorthWood High School Media Center, Nappanee

Oldenburg Academy, Oldenburg

Osgood Public Library, Osgood

Owen Valley High School, Spencer

Owensville Carnegie Public Library, Owensville

Peabody Public Library, Columbia City

Perry Meridian Middle School, Indianapolis

Portage Public Library, Portage

Salem-Washington Township Public Library, Salem

Silver Creek High School, Sellersburg

Switzerland County Public Library, Vevay

Syracuse Public Library, Syracuse

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis

Tippecanoe Valley High School, Akron

Tipton County Public Library, Tipton

Trustees of Indiana University on Behalf of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Center on Education and Lifelong Learning, Bloomington

Wakarusa Public Library, Wakarusa

Westchester Public Library, Chesterton

Whiting Public Library, Whiting

Ten organizations were selected to receive a Frankenfest grant of $1,000 to hold a unique event in 2018. These communities will hold their own read-a-thon of the book, with additional festivities for participants. In addition to the $1,000, recipients will receive a “starter kit” of promotional materials, and will participate in a hands-on training workshop to plan, communicate about and host their own event. Selected organizations include:

Cahoots Coffee Café, Angola

Cannelton Public Library, Cannelton

Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County, Crawfordsville

Johnson County Public Library, Franklin

Marion Public Library, Marion

Northridge Middle School, Crawfordsville

Peabody Public Library, Columbia City

Whiting Public Library, Whiting

Writers Guild at Bloomington, Bloomington

Yorktown Public Library, Yorktown

Written by teenage Mary Shelley in 1818, “Frankenstein” tells the story of a young scientist who created a grotesque living creature through a scientific experiment and was horrified by what he had made.

“‘Frankenstein’ is a powerful book that raises big questions about right and wrong, how we treat other people and the relationship between science and society,” said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. “That’s what makes it such an important book to read as a community and as a state. We want to catalyze those serious conversations, but we want Hoosiers to have a little fun with the book, too.”

Some highlights of the programs that will be coming to life next year include:

The Delphi, Flora, and Camden Public Libraries are working together to bring “Frankenstein” to Carroll County through book discussions for all ages. They’ll also be encouraging their patrons to become scientists by providing robotics workshops and exploring the capabilities and limitations of robots during science fiction film discussions.

Visitors to the Lake County Public Library will examine the idea of synthetic humans, stories of humans creating human-like beings, through a film series and discussion of “Frankenstein.” The series will use the book to explore innovations in robotics, artificial intelligence and biomedical engineering.

Participants will be electrified by the workshops offered by the Whiting Public Library. Patrons will be able to experiment with electricity as they investigate some of the scientific principles included in Shelley’s text.

The Cannelton Public Library’s year of “Frankenstein” programming will explore electricity, meteorology, and other sciences, while encouraging creativity through a variety of Franken-projects.

One State / One Story: Frankenstein is part of Indiana Humanities’ two-year Quantum Leap initiative, which encourages Hoosiers to celebrate what happens when we bridge the humanities with STEM.

About Indiana Humanities
Indiana Humanities connects people, opens minds and enriches lives by creating and facilitating programs that encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk. Indiana Humanities is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Lilly Endowment, Inc. Learn more at www.indianahumanities.org.

About the National Endowment for the Humanities

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.

About Indiana Center for the Book
The Indiana Center for the Book is a program of the Indiana State Library and an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. It promotes interest in reading, writing, literacy, libraries, and Indiana’s literary heritage by sponsoring events and serving as an information resource at the state and local level. Learn more at www.in.gov/library/icb.htm.

About Indiana State Library
The Indiana State Library serves Indiana residents with a variety of needs including; genealogy, Indiana history, preservation, rare books and manuscripts, reference and government services, Talking Books and Braille library, as well as the State Data Center. The State Library also leads and supports the greater Indiana library community and is a magnificent limestone building to visit. Learn more at: www.in.gov/library/index.htm.

Cass County Online