Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods receive California Humanities Grant

California Humanities has announced the second round of Humanities For All Quick Grant awards. Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods (Stewards) has been awarded $5,000 for its project entitled “Past and Future Connections to Pond Farm Pottery.” Twelve organizations were awarded a total of $56,500 through a competitive grant process.

Humanities For All Quick Grant is a competitive grant program of California Humanities. Grants are awarded to projects that give expression to the extraordinary variety of histories and experiences of California’s places and people to ensure that the stories can be shared widely. These narratives help us find our commonalities, appreciate our differences, and learn something new about how to live well together.

“Past and Future Connections to Pond Farm Pottery” is a 5-week exploration of how the lives of students of Bauhaus-trained master potter Marguerite Wildenhain were transformed by their experiences at Pond Farm, located within Austin Creek State Recreation Area.

Activities in April 2018 include: - Sebastopol Center for the Arts exhibition of works of Wildenhain and her students - school group Pond Farm tours - new Pond Farm video and Pond Farmer oral history presentations - in-person Pond Farmer stories - youth discussions around historic influences and the social structure of Pond Farm life.

“All aspects of working on projects centered around Pond Farm Pottery, bring inspiration and connections with people from all over the world. Marguerite Wildenhain has left an important and lasting legacy in her students and all the lives her story touches, says Michele Luna, executive director of Stewards.

“The variety of stories about California, told by the people of California in different ways, will help us all understand each other better,” said Julie Fry, President & CEO of California Humanities. “We congratulate the 12 grantees whose projects will promote understanding and provide insight into a wide range of topics, issues, and experiences.”

For more information on California Humanities, please visit www.calhum.org, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information about Pond Farm Pottery, visit www.pondfarmpottery.org.