Humanities Montana

03/27/2026

Humanities Montana is excited to support humanities programming at this year’s Montana Folk Festival. In collaboration with the Montana Arts Council and State Folklorist we’ll participate in By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a national initiative supported by the Smithsonian Institution and the Federation of State Humanities Councils.

This partnership will help create space for storytelling, oral histories, workshops, and conversations celebrating the diverse cultural traditions that shape communities across Montana.
Montana Arts Council Federation of State Humanities Councils Smithsonian

03/25/2026

Earlier this month, Humanities Montana Interim Executive Director John Knight (second from left) traveled to Washington, D.C. for Humanities on the Hill, joining humanities leaders from across the country to meet with members of Congress and their staff.

During meetings with Montana’s congressional delegation, John shared the impact of Humanities Montana programs in all 56 counties and emphasized how initiatives like Our Montana Voices strengthen civic dialogue and cultural understanding at the local level.

These conversations reinforced the importance of sustained federal investment in public humanities programming.

Support the work that brings humanities programs to communities across Montana:
humanitiesmontana.org/donate

03/19/2026

Humanities Montana is launching Our Montana Voices, a mini speaker bureau featuring 10 presenters offering programs on Montana history and culture, Indigenous history, and civics.

Funded by the Montana Historical Society and the Montana 250 Commission, the program invites libraries, schools, museums, and community centers across the state to host a presentation between April 1 and September 31.

Our Montana Voices builds on Humanities Montana’s long tradition of Speakers in the Schools and Montana Conversations, continuing the organization’s commitment to serving communities statewide and fostering civil dialogue rooted in history and shared inquiry.

Learn more and explore the presenters at: humanitiesmontana.org/our-montana-voices/

03/17/2026

Over 120 people gathered at Flathead Valley Community College to celebrate Montana’s statewide read, Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home by Chris La Tray.

The culminating event featured an hour-long author talk, a photography exhibit from students at Salish Kootenai College and Two Eagle River School, and the opportunity for attendees to speak directly with the artists about their work. Guests also enjoyed bison and wild rice meatballs and other foods native to their Americas prepared by Mariah Gladstone of Indigikitchen.

Participants connected through book discussion prompts and conversations about the themes of the book bringing the statewide reading experience into a shared community space.

One Book Montana asks: What if everyone in Montana read the same book?

If you participated in a One Book Montana book club anywhere in the state, we’d love to hear from you. Please complete the participant feedback form to share your experience: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9gYXpZ2FvIWDpGtwZQR0f1rHejrsNT6548WmhExDVKFtk5g/viewform

03/12/2026

Democracy Project teens at Columbia Falls High School are beginning to shape their civic action project. After brainstorming community issues together, the group held a thoughtful discussion about how censorship impacts students and how they might bring those concerns to local leaders.

Students also connected beyond Montana through Democracy in Dialogue, a national exchange sponsored by the Smithsonian ’s Rural Initiatives program. As part of the program, they sent postcards and recorded videos to share their conversations with their sister school in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Programs like the Democracy Project give teens the tools to explore community needs and turn ideas into civic action.

Support youth-led civic learning: https://www.humanitiesmontana.org/donate/

02/25/2026

Program coming soon, bookings open March 9th: Our Montana Voices

Humanities Montana is bringing facilitated conversations back to communities.

This traveling program expands access to humanities and civics education by connecting Montanans through interactive and engaging presentations about our shared history. Working with local host sites, expert speakers tailor each conversation to the community drawing from history, culture, civics, and Indigenous knowledge.

Conversations center on three core themes: Montana History & Culture, Indigenous Culture, and Civics

As Montana looks ahead to the 250th anniversary of the United States, this program helps communities explore how Montana’s story fits within the larger national narrative.

02/20/2026

We’re glad to see the Miles City Public Library bringing Anne Frank: A History for Today to Miles City. Through the Democracy Project, communities across Montana are creating space for reflection, dialogue, and learning.

02/20/2026

Humanities Montana brings people together through stories and conversation.

We serve Montana’s multicultural communities by creating experiences that spark imagination, curiosity, and connection rooted in our shared history, literature, and ideas.

Our work includes:
📚 Community book clubs & statewide reads
🗳️ Teen civic engagement programs
💬 Thoughtful public conversations

At the heart of it all: helping Montanans better understand one another and the places we call home.

02/18/2026

Democracy Project Spotlight: Miles City | Teens leading civic projects in their communities.

Twelve Democracy Project teens in Miles City stepped into leadership roles as student docents for Anne Frank: A History for Today, a traveling exhibition now touring Montana.

Together, they led 59 guided tours, reaching 759 students and adults across the Miles City Public Library, local schools, the hospital, and Miles Community College. The exhibit also welcomed 120 rural students from Wibaux, Ekalaka, Terry, and Plevna.

Through history, dialogue, art, and poetry, these teens helped visitors explore themes of civic responsibility, tolerance, and remembrance, while learning what it means to show up for their communities.

Programs like the Democracy Project give teens the tools to lead and create spaces for meaningful, statewide conversations.

Support youth-led civic learning: humanitiesmontana.org/donate
📸 Photos: Miles City Public Library
Anne Frank House University of South Carolina

02/13/2026

One Book Montana is back, and communities across the state are showing up.

Since its relaunch in 2025, the statewide read has supported participation through libraries, museums, and community spaces. More than 700 audiobook listens have helped expand access for readers across Montana, and nearly 200 books were ordered through the publisher’s discount. Thank you to Milkweed Editions for supporting this effort.

Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home has become one of the most-checked-out nonfiction titles in many Montana libraries, sparking book clubs and conversations statewide, with more still to come before the program wraps on February 28.

As the current statewide read continues, your support helps sustain access now and lays the groundwork for future One Book Montana programs.

If you value shared stories, community learning, and statewide connection, please consider making a gift:
humanitiesmontana.org/donate

Community Library

02/10/2026

Humanities Montana is thrilled to promote the Activate Rural Learning Lab in Montana. This rural grant opportunity is from The Department of Public Transformation.

The Activate Rural Learning Lab (ARLL) is accepting applications for its 2026 – 2028 cohort in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Native nations that share this geography.

Applications are due by February 20, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST

ARLL is a 2-year, cohort-based learning experience for teams of artists, creative entrepreneurs, community activators, elected leaders, and small business owners working to activate buildings as welcoming, creative third places in rural communities (pop. ~20,000 or less).

✨ Selected projects receive:
– A $50,000 unrestricted grant to move their building activation project forward
– Monthly 1:1 technical assistance & curated support
– A supportive peer cohort network
– Storytelling + video documentation support
– Access to ARLL workshops & resource guides
– Travel + lodging for 2 team members to attend in-person gatherings & the Activate Rural Summit

👉 Review the Call for Building Activation Projects, view the virtual info session, and apply here: publictransformation.org/activate-rural-learning-lab

01/29/2026

We’re excited to announce the 2026 Democracy Project soft launch sites, with communities participating across Montana.

The soft launch supports librarians over five months as they build teen audiences and prepare for full participation in the Democracy Project, a teen-led, non-partisan civic education initiative focused on connecting teens with their local public libraries.

Support programs like the Democracy Project by making a gift today: https://www.humanitiesmontana.org/donate-to-humanities-montana/make-a-gift/