James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation Inc

PURPOSE: THIS PROJECT WILL EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL TO RECLAIM THE LEGACY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND COMMUNITY PRIDE THROUGH PRESERVATION AND DESIGN INNOVATION. ACROSS THE STATE OF LOUISIANA -AS IN OTHER SOUTHERN STATES -SIT MANY LONG-VACANT SCHOOL PLANTS THAT TELL THE STORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATION IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. THESE ONCE THRIVING EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES ARE EMBODIED ENERGY WAITING FOR A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY LIFE.

PURPOSE: THE SILENCED VOICES IN INTERPRETING SITES OF SLAVERY PROJECT (SILENCED VOICES) IS DESIGNED TO TRANSFORM PUBLIC PERSPECTIVES AND SET NEW INTERPRETATION STANDARDS FOR HISTORIC SITES OF SLAVERY. THE MISSING VOICES FROM CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATIONS ARE THOSE FROM DESCENDANTS OF ENSLAVED COMMUNITIES. WORKING AT ONE OF THE BUSIEST HISTORIC SITES OF SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES REMINDED ME THAT FOR FAR TOO LONG THE HISTORIES OF MANY NON-WHITE AMERICANS HAVE BEEN TOLD TO US AND NOT BY US; AND THAT THE INTERPRETATION AND PRESERVATION OF THE LIVING AND WORKING ENVIRONMENTS OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE NEED TO BE CHALLENGED AND THE METHODOLOGIES USED TO RESEARCH AND INTERPRET THOSE ENVIRONMENTS NEED TO BE UPDATED.

PURPOSE: THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION MOVEMENT IS FACING A RELEVANCY CRISIS IN THE UNITED STATES. TWENTY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD AND DOZENS OF RECENT INTERVIEWS WITH PEERS AND OTHER PRESERVATION PROFESSIONALS FROM AROUND THE NATION HAS LED BONNIE MCDONALD TO FIRMLY BELIEVE IN THIS BOLD STATEMENT. TO BE APPLICABLE IN THE MODERN WORLD, PRESERVATION MUST BE INCLUSIVE AND BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION TO TACKLING TODAY'S TOUGHEST CHALLENGES SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE, HOUSING AND EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. PRACTITIONERS MUST POSITION PRESERVATION AS A SOLUTION-BASED MOVEMENT THAT THE LARGER POPULATION - NOT JUST THOSE INSIDE OUR NICHE FIELD - CAN SUPPORT. ADDITIONALLY, IF MCDONALD BELIEVES THAT TO REMAIN RELEVANT AS A MOVEMENT, HISTORIC PRESERVATION MUST PROVIDE PRACTICAL, IMPLEMENTABLE SOLUTIONS FOR THOSE WORKING ON THE GROUND.

PURPOSE: THE CLATSOP-NEHALEM CONFEDERATED TRIBES (CNCT) PEOPLE INHABITED THE OREGON COAST FOR CENTURIES BUT SADLY THE CNCT LOST ALL BUILT ARCHITECTURE, SYMBOLIC TIES AND OWNERSHIP IN THE SEASIDE AREA DUE TO GOVERNMENT TERMINATION POLICY, RACISM, AND DISEASE. FOR OVER A CENTURY, THE TRIBE HAS BEEN WITHOUT ANY LAND AND NOW THERE ISN'T EVEN A TRACE OF A TRADITIONAL HOME. IN 2020, HOWEVER, THE COASTAL LAND CONSERVANCY TRANSFERRED 18.6 ACRES OF SALT MARSH AND FOREST BACK TO THE TRIBE'S OWNERSHIP. AS A MEMBER OF THE TRIBE, LAWSON HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH RESEARCHING THE PRESERVATION OF TRADITIONAL BUILDING METHODS, DESIGN, AND FACILITATE THE CREATION OF A NEW CULTURAL CENTER AND LONGHOUSE.

PURPOSE: FOCUSING ON THE PORTFOLIO OF ARCHITECT MINERVA PARKER NICHOLS, MARGARET LESTERS RESEARCH EXAMINES THE HISTORIES WE DONT PRESERVE, TOWARDS THE GOAL OF TESTING NEW METHODOLOGIES TO IDENTIFY, EVALUATE AND COMMEMORATE A BODY OF WORK THAT DEFIES TRADITIONAL PRESERVATION FRAMEWORKS. AS THE FIRST WOMAN IN THE COUNTRY TO PRACTICE INDEPENDENTLY, AND THE ARCHITECT FOR DOZENS OF FEMALE-DRIVEN AND -FUNDED COMMISSIONS IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY, NICHOLS IS BOTH SOCIALLY AND ARCHITECTURALLY SIGNIFICANT IN AMERICAN HISTORY. YET, LIKE MANY NOTABLE WOMEN, SHE IS CONSISTENTLY OMITTED FROM HISTORICAL RECORDS. THUS, MINERVA PARKER NICHOLS CAREER PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROTOTYPE NEW WAYS TO TALK ABOUT NON-TRADITIONAL NARRATIVES AND SUSTAIN UNCONVENTIONAL HISTORIC PLACES. LESTERS PROJECT USES STORYTELLING IN VARIOUS FORMS AND SCALES TO FUEL A FORWARD-LOOKING CONVERSATION ABOUT THE PAST. TOTAL GRANT AMOUNT: $15,000

PURPOSE: DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, ARCHITECTS, POLITICIANS, AND ENTREPRENEURIAL WOMEN IN THE DEEP SOUTH COLLABORATED TO REDEFINE THE AGING, DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS OF THEIR CITIES AND TOWNS BY DESIGNATING THEM AS HISTORIC LANDMARKS. SEIZING ON AN OPPORTUNITY PROVIDED BY NEW DEAL PROGRAMS, THEY DID THIS NOT NECESSARILY TO PRESERVE THEIR ANCESTORS' LEGACIES, BUT TO IMPROVE THEIR PRESENT AND FUTURE ECONOMIC STATUS AND TO CREAT - INTENTIONALLY - A THRIVING NEW INDUSTRY: WHAT WE KNOW TODAY AS CULTURAL TOURISM. THIS RESEARCH AND SUBSEQUENT BOOK WILL TELL THE STORY OF THIS REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATION AND ANALYZE ITS CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE. TOTAL GRANT AMOUNT: $15,000

New York, NY

PURPOSE: EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING