The Ohio Humanities Council encourages all Ohioans to explore the human story, to use history, literature, philosophy and the other humanities as the means to arrive at new insights. OHC is an independent, nonprofit organization funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Ohio, and private contributions. Since 1972, the Council has provided services and grants to hundreds of Ohio’s cultural organizations.
Learn about some of our major initiatives by clicking on the links above. For topics that are of current interest, please scroll down this page. Remember to check our calendar for upcoming humanities events around the state.
Controversy over the proposed construction of a mosque/community center in New York City has caused heated debate across the country. Libraries, museums, and schools are key places where people should turn to learn more about Islam, as well as other religions. Read more »
The Council is pleased to announce a call for nominations for the 2010 Bjornson Award for Distinguished Service in the Public Humanities.
The Bjornson Award is given each year to honor an Ohio resident or native who has made outstanding career contributions to the public knowledge and appreciation of the humanities. Nominees may be scholars or authors whose work has held sustained interest, or persons who have distinguished themselves by long-term service in schools, libraries, museums or historical societies. Previous recipients have included historians and classicists, novelists and poets, community volunteers and college professors. Read more »
The Ohio Humanities Council mourns the loss of Board member Patrick Reymann, who died in a boating mishap earlier this month.
Pat Reymann was born in Akron and graduated from Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe and the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He simultaneously earned a law degree and a master’s in political science at Stanford University. He also studied at the University of Freiburg. Following graduation, Pat joined the law firm of Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLP, in Akron. He practiced there for 30 years, specializing in health care law. For more than a decade, he led the firm’s innovative Health/Hospital Law Department.
Reymann, a leader in many nonprofit organizations, loved local history. He became president of the Akron Civic Theatre and helped rescue its 1929 building. He helped create the first master plan of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. He worked to develop a new gatehouse and visitor center at Hale Farm and Village, part of the Western Reserve. Reymann chaired Western Reserve from 1995 to 2002, and then served as its top staffer until his retirement in 2006. He joined the Ohio Humanities Council Board of Trustees in 2006.
Pat loved outdoor activities, boating and traveling. Last fall, he fulfilled a life-long dream of traveling to New Zealand. Family members, friends, and associates will deeply miss Pat’s energetic presence.
The Ohio Humanities Council is currently engaged in a national search for an Executive Director. OHC’s Board of Trustees seeks a leader with vision and a passion for public humanities. To learn more, visit:
OHC and its partners just wrapped up the tenth consecutive Oral History Institute on the campus of Kenyon College, June 8-10. We had a full enrollment of thirty-two participants with a diverse group of participants including graduate students, professors, librarians, historical society staff, and independent scholars. Several were from Ohio, but some came from distant locations, such as Alaska, Wyoming, Ontario, Alabama, and Connecticut.
Take a trip back in time as you travel Ohio’s Route 33 from Lancaster to Athens. You’ll learn about the history that lines the road.
This route has been followed since the glaciers helped to create it. Take the tour and learn from geographers, historians, and local residents about the history.
Starting in March, 2011, The Ohio Humanities Council is sponsoring a 10-month tour of New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, an exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street. OHC will partner with eight community organizations to present programs featuring Ohio musical traditions. Please check back often for updates about talented musicians who are part of Ohio’s rich and varied music history. New Harmonies was developed in 2007 by the Smithsonian especially for small institutions and rural audiences that typically do not have access to traveling exhibits.
For more information on New Harmonies in Ohio click here.
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