Local Spotlight: West Virginia Humanities Council

The West Virginia Humanities Council is an organization that strives to further the humanities throughout the state. This is great news for West Virginians from all walks of life, because most of their efforts benefit public institutions such as schools, museums, radio broadcasts, historical societies, and more. Check out this local spotlight to learn more about them, the programs they support, and how you can get involved.

West Virginia Humanities Council: About the Organization

So, how do they accomplish this ambitious – and important – goal? Mostly through grantmaking, which enables other local organizations to just go ahead and do whatever it is that they do best. However, luckily for you and other WV humanities lovers, they also manage some of their own programs.

West Virginia Humanities Council: Educational Programs

History Alive! First, and foremost, History Alive! is one of their flagship programs. They bring in scholars to depict prominent historical figures, including the likes of Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. That way, both young and old minds alike can get a much more intimate sense of what these people were really like.

West Virginia Folklife Program. Then there’s the West Virginia Folklife Program, which documents, preserves, presents, and supports much of the traditional art, culture, and community knowledge of WV.

Little Lectures. You can learn a lot about a variety of topics during one of their little lectures, which take place on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 pm at their headquarters, the beautiful MacFarland-Hubbard House.

McCreight Lecture. For a heavier-hitting event, you might want to consider attending one of the West Virginia Humanities Council’s McCreight Lectures, which take place every October. These are typically delivered by nationally known scholars, with past speakers including Ken Burns, Joyce Carol Oates, Elaine Pagels, Edmund Morris, and other big names in the humanities. Last year’s speaker was Denise Kiernan.

And much more! But those few programs are just the beginning of what they offer. There are also tons of traveling exhibits, the West Virginia Book Festival, the West Virginia Classics book series, and even more. If you want to learn as much as possible about what this organization has been, is, and will be up to, you can even subscribe to People & Mountains, an official newsletter. It already goes out to thousands!

West Virginia Humanities Council: Getting Involved

But, if you really fall in love with the work that the West Virginia Humanities Council is doing and promoting, then just attending one of their talks or even subscribing to their newsletter maybe not be enough. You may decide that you want to get involved. If so, you can read about the many ways to give, become a member, sponsor a program, or apply for a grant. All of this information is available on their website!

Experience one of the programs, then let us know what you’ve learned!

We also love the state of West Virginia and the humanities. So, we want to learn about your experiences with the West Virginia Humanities Council and their exciting, educational programs. Drop us a line soon!