People throughout Wyoming join a virtual book club through the Pronghorn Reads Program, teachers bring indigenous knowledge keepers into their classroom and the sign language of the Plains Indians is passed on.
These are a few of the ways Wyomingites are served by Wyoming Humanities, along with bringing Smithsonian exhibits to Cowboy State museums.
All these and many more projects are funded through state and federal grants to Wyoming Humanities.
That’s about to change with the agency losing 80% of its budget this month when the federal government canceled an $850,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The agency supports programming, events, historic sites, museums and literary conferences throughout Wyoming and say this will have a ripple effect on all those they serve.
This money was primarily used by Wyoming Humanities for its operational funding. Since COVID, it has operated remotely with six employees imbedded in Douglas, Jackson, Saratoga and Laramie.
“We're not giving up hope,” Executive Director Shawn Reese said about maintaining programs. “My recommendation is that Wyoming comes together and we harness our creativity, shared history and persistence. We recognize things are going to be different.”
Losing Federal Funding
Wyoming Humanities received the notification in an email and is now discussing options.
It also gets money from the state it grants to museums, libraries and historical societies, which will continue until at least next year. Private money is used for its own programming, which includes understanding the history, languages and governments of the Wind River Reservation community and preserving the Plains Indian Sign Language.
“We have partnerships with the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress and have been able to bring to Wyoming communities some really phenomenal exhibits, which the communities then develop their own programming around,” Reese said. “Our mission is to explore the stories and ideas that shape us.”
The federal funds were primarily used for staff salaries, travel, accountant contracts and a marketing contract.
One Of The First Humanities In America
Wyoming has always been a state of firsts, and Wyoming Humanities is no different. Established in 1970 by T.A. Larsen, it is one of the oldest state humanities councils in the country.
“University of Wyoming professor T.A. Larson worked with different groups like the stock growers and the wool growers and county extension offices, trying to find a way to get into rural communities,” Reese said. “It was about making opportunities for community histories, lectures, and museum exhibits.”
Wyoming had pioneered a nonprofit structure where an independent organization with a board that oversees the distribution of federal funds for public programs, exhibits, publications and archival projects.
This model created in Wyoming was later adopted by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Now Wyoming is one of 56 humanities councils for which Congress had created a direct allocation of 40% of the National Endowment Humanities’ budget to state councils.
It is this allocation that was cut.
Continuing The Mission
Reese said the Wyoming Humanities mission is not just about preserving the past, but understanding Wyoming’s unique cultures that have developed the Cowboy State, which is why it supports such projects as literacy programs and museums.
He is cognizant that the cuts will affect an entire sector of arts and culture, which he said is a big economic driver that employs 14,000 people and supports the tourism industry.
He said the programs Wyoming Humanities support financially are important for communities, for bringing new workers into the community, and for keeping our youth in the state.
“I feel that the organization is definitely going to be changing,” Reese said. “But the importance of the mission is going to continue. What that looks like, I don't know. We can't abandon the mission even if the organization looks different.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
