Primary Source Awarded Major National Endowment for the Humanities Grant

In April 2009, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Primary Source with a grant that will support two August 2009 teacher conferences in Boston. The award is just one of three given in the United States this year and is designated as a We the People project by the NEH.

The Democratic Vistas: Civic Life, History and American Art conferences will be free of charge to one hundred educators and librarians from across the country. Participating teachers will learn how to use American art to deepen students' understanding of democracy in American life and take full advantage of Boston's unique artistic and historical resources with a downtown walking tour of civic monuments, a trip to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, and presentations by leading scholars in the field.

Primary Source's summer conferences will help teachers and librarians effectively use the Picturing America collection of art in a classroom setting. Developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Picturing America is an innovative program that helps teach American history and provides students with a gateway to the broader world of the humanities. Picturing America art portfolios were distributed to more than 50,000 schools and educational institutions in 2008.

Information about Democratic Vistas is available on the conference website.