PICTURING 

AMERICA: 

TRANSITIONS 

FROM RURAL 

TO URBAN LIFE

NORMAN 

ROCKWELL 

MUSEUM

National Endowment for the Humanities

REACHING RURAL COMMUNITIES

A NEW 

HARVEST: THE 

FUTURE OF 

SMALL TOWN 

CA

THE NORTH 

DAKOTA 

DIGITAL 

NEWSPAPER 

PROJECT

THE 

BUFFALO BILL 

HISTORICAL 

CENTER

NEH ON 

THE 

ROAD
Greetings,

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is a federal grant-making agency that awards 

competitive grants to institutions and individuals for humanities-focused projects. NEH grantees 

are from cultural institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public 

television and radio stations. NEH-funded projects vary from seminars for teachers and scholarly 

publications to digital apps and documentary films.

This report highlights six NEH-funded projects designed to support rural American communities 

through the humanities. The projects featured in this report demonstrate the diversity of 

the agency’s work and the many strategies for engaging rural communities throughout the 

country. These projects are just a few examples of how NEH funding fuels innovation, increases 

communication, and strengthens communities. They also represent the NEH’s commitment 

to documenting the American experience through the rich stories of rural populations. Some 

initiatives, like the North Dakota Digital Newspaper Project, use advanced archiving technology 

and digitization to preserve historical information while others, like A New Harvest, use history to 

engage Americans in a dialogue about the future of rural America.

I am proud to say that the content of this report was produced entirely by student interns at 

the NEH. The layout, graphics, and design of the pages you are about to read are the product 

of a student practicum at the Washington, DC campus of Boston University’s Center for Digital 

Imaging Arts. Because of the students’ hard work, the NEH was able to compile these reports 

without the use of taxpayer funds. I hope that you will share this report with your staff, 

constituents, and colleagues.

Sincerely,

Courtney Chapin

NEH White House Liaison and Director of Congressional Affairs
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Building communities 

through the humanities.

NEH On the Road

Picturing America 

Transitions from Rural to Urban Life

A New Harvest

The Future of Small Town California

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center 

The North Dakota Digital 

Newspaper Project

Norman Rockwell Museum

Conclusion 

& Projects in Process

Assisting Potential Grantees

Stockbridge Mainstreet at Christmas (Home for Christmas), Norman Rockwell, 1967. 

Norman Rockwell Museum is a recipient of NEH funding.
1

Introduction

Through NEH on the Road, the NEH brings highquality museum exhibitions to small towns that 

typically lack the resources available to large urban 

museums. The NEH, in cooperation with the MidAmerica Art Alliance (MAAA), scales down full-size 

museum exhibitions to fit in smaller venues, like 

libraries, town halls, and community centers.

How It Works

NEH on the Road is a special initiative that increases 

accessibility to the ideas, themes, and stories 

explored in major NEH-funded exhibitions. The NEH 

funds the program, which the MAAA, a nonprofit 

regional arts organization located in Kansas City, 

runs at venues across the county. Each traveling 

exhibition is scaled to fit in a 2,000 square-foot space 

and includes objects, panels, banners, and other 

supporting materials. NEH on the Road gives rural 

communities the unique opportunity to engage in 

current national conversations about various topics 

in the humanities. In order to participate in this 

program, host venues must offer at least one public 

program related to the exhibit, which often links local 

history to the national exhibit. Successful applicants 

receive a programming grant to help them fulfill this 

requirement.

NEH ON THE ROAD

featured in each exhibit

host 

institutions 

in

since 

2005 

serving

sized exhibits

35-45

original 

objects

39

different

24

states

2,000

ft2

150

bookings 290,000

people

across the U.S. from 

2005-2013 for 

just one exhibition 

(Farm Life)
The whole point of the exhibit is to 

open a dialogue between people 

and between families, grandmas, 

who can talk to their kids about how 

things really were, and they can say 

‘look, this is how we really lived.’

– Assistant Director of the Library referring to 

 For All the World to See

This exhibit is very comprehensive — it’s 

a blockbuster. We produce most of our 

own exhibits here just because no one else 

is producing exhibits about Wichita and 

Sedgwick County. But to find a traveling 

exhibit that fits with our mission — and to get 

the grants to get it to happen is even greater.

– Museum Curator on Our Lives, Our Stories

How Can Your Constituents 

Get Involved? 

For over thirty years, the NEH has 

supported excellence in museum 

exhibitions. Your constituents 

can bring this experience to 

your district by hosting NEH 

exhibitions at their institutions. 

Exhibitions run at a host site for 

seven weeks. The host site is 

responsible for minor shipping 

costs and expenses, while NEH 

and MAAA cover the rest. To learn 

more about hosting an exhibition 

or to see if an exhibition is coming 

to a town near you, please visit 

nehontheroad.org.

“

“

”

”

NEH On the Road Exhibitions: 

Originally an exhibit at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM, iCarnaval! chronicles how eight European 

and American communities have celebrated Carnaval throughout history. 

For All the World to See chronicles the fight for civil rights through visual culture including pins, posters, and film. 

Adapted from an exhibit at the National Building Museum, House and Home explores the enduring question “what 

makes a house a home?”

Spirited: Prohibition in America is a trip back in time to the 13 years of the Prohibition adapted from the National 

Constitution Center’s NEH-funded, flagship exhibition. 

Originally developed by the Virginia Historical Society, Lee and Grant investigates the interconnecting lives of the Civil 

War generals. 

The Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages created Going Places, which traces the evolution of the 

carriage before the rise of automobiles. 

Our Lives, Our Stories explores the legacies and stories of the Greatest Generation, adapted from the Minnesota 

Historical Society.

Heroes of the Sky is an introduction to the inventors and entrepreneurs of the first 40 years of aviation. 

Wyandotte County definitely 

has a wealth of interesting 

African American history, 

which is another reason we 

wanted to bring this exhibit 

here — we thought it would be 

a good tie in to our local history. 

–Museum Curator Referring to 

For All the World to See

”

“
PICTURING AMERICA 2 TRANSITIONS FROM RURAL TO URBAN LIFE

shared their expertise with 

teachers across Ohio

were produced as part of the program. Their 

topics are: the Great Migration, Picturing 

the Industrial Revolution, and Changing 

Landscapes

were produced by attendees 

to cater to everyone from 

fifth grade students to adult 

learners

collaborated on the project (the Columbus 

Museum of Art, the Ohio Historical Society, 

and the Ohio Craft Museum)

Introduction

The Ohio Historical Society, in conjunction with NEH’s 

Picturing America initiative, created a professional 

development series for fifty K-12 teachers that focused 

on Americans’ transition from rural to urban life. 

The series explored the change in American social 

relationships, production methods, and landscapes as 

the country shifted from a rural to an urban lifestyle over 

the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. 

How It Works

To help teachers develop lessons that explore rural 

history, the Ohio Historical Society hosted a professional 

development series in the spring and summer of 

2011. The series included an orientation seminar at 

the Columbus Museum of Art, three content-based 

webinars, and a final one-day conference at the 

Ohio Historical Society and Ohio Craft Museum. In 

addition, the series provided a project website for 

teachers to find readings, materials, and helpful links: 

americantransitionspicturingamerica.wordpress.

com. Through this program, the teachers were able to 

build sustainable relationships with scholars and host 

institutions, which then improved their teaching. The 

programs centered on the NEH’s Picturing America

initiative, which explores American history through 40 

pieces of important American art. The NEH distributed 

sets of the 40 images to thousands of schools, libraries, 

and community centers.

4 

scholars

3

informational 

webinars

3 

major Ohio 

cultural 

institutions

30

different 

lesson plans
Through this innovative program, students 

and citizens gain a deeper appreciation of 

our country’s history and character through 

the study and understanding of its art.. – Picturing America Organizer

Great art speaks powerfully, 

inspires fresh thinking, and 

connects us to our past.

– Picturing America Participant

“

”

“

Picturing America gives participants the 

opportunity to learn about our nation’s history 

and culture in a fresh and engaging way.

–Picturing America Organizer

“

”

”
each report highlights a town 

or county that is struggling with 

the transition from a rural to a 

more urban lifestyle

6

towns

Introduction

NEH’s state humanities council in California, Cal 

Humanities, funded A New Harvest, a series of short 

radio documentaries that explore how shifts in industry 

and population affect the identity, culture, economy, 

and even language of small towns across the state of 

California. Throughout California, small town industries 

like fishing, mining, and agriculture are quickly becoming 

a thing of the past. A New Harvest asks the question, 

“as competition stiffens and resources diminish, how will 

these communities survive?”

How It Works

Beginning in November 2010, The California Report ran six 

radio documentaries, funded by Cal Humanities, exploring 

small-town life in California. Each documentary focused 

on a different town, county, or geographical region that 

has gradually changed over time. By reflecting small town 

diversity—racial, economic, linguistic, and political—the 

documentaries challenge perceptions of rural populations 

and help listeners consider how small towns relate to 

California’s history and future. The series began with an 

episode on Lindsay, a Central Valley town of 12,000 built 

up around olive and citrus groves. Boonville (Mendocino 

County), Garberville (Humboldt County), Avenal (Kings 

County), Calipatria (Imperial County), the mountains 

of Plumas and Lassen Counties, and Holtville (Imperial 

County) were all highlighted in their own episodes. The 

entire series, which ran until September 2011, is available 

at www.californiareport.org/specialcoverage/newharvest.

A NEW HARVEST 3 THE FUTURE OF SMALL TOWN CALIFORNIA

were produced, examining issues from 

the rising market for medical marijuana 

in California to the site of a graveyard for 

anonymous immigrants

was created by The California Report, at 

which visitors can see a map showing where 

each story took place, with links to each 

individual report (www.californiareport.org)

6

radio

documentaries

1 

interactive 

web page
My grandma’s generation — 

they weren’t able to practice 

their native ways, they were 

in boarding schools. A lot 

of it was almost lost forever. 

But we’re coming back 

in a big way.. – Kings County Resident

With all the doom and gloom around us 

these days it was refreshing to see a 

small town using federal grant money 

to reinvent itself. It struck me, that 

the townspeople are very involved in 

improving their town and their lives.

– Mendocino County Resident

“

“

”

”
Introduction

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming is committed 

to telling the story of the American West. The Museum looks at the 

land, its first peoples, and contemporary experiences in the West. The 

Buffalo Bill Historical Center adopted the credo “Spirit of the American 

West.” Recent NEH-funded initiatives have shown the center’s 

dedication to making these stories accessible to all Americans. 

How It Works

Since 2000, the NEH has awarded four grants to the Buffalo Bill 

Historical Center in order to expand their collections and exhibit 

galleries. An NEH Research Grant allowed the Museum and the 

University of Nebraska-Lincoln to expand its audience by digitizing 

William F. Cody’s papers. The newly launched archive allows 

researchers and visitors to view Cody’s memoirs and autobiographies, 

correspondence, business records, published and unpublished 

writings, photographs, video and audio recordings, promotional and 

Wild West material, newspaper and magazine articles. Increased 

accessibility to Cody’s papers will allow for further scholarly research 

of the American West and a greater insight into Cody’s lesser-known 

roles as a community founder, businessman, rancher, and investor. 

With NEH funding, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center also consulted 

with scholars, educators, and historical building specialists to 

reinterpret and reinstall the Buffalo Bill and Plains Indian portions of 

its gallery. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center continues to reimagine its 

role in telling the story of the West; as a result it will rebrand itself as 

the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

THE BUFFALO BILL 4 HISTORICAL CENTER

to the Buffalo Bill 

Historical Center 

since 2000

engaged in education programs 

including artist-led workshops, 

classes, and lectures

benefited from the 

outreach programs 

enjoyed the five galleries in 

the Historical Center in 2010

$427,060

awarded

192,489

visitors

24,000

visitors

12,000

students
The spirit of the American 

West is alive and well here.

– Hank Coe, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees

“

”
THE NORTH DAKOTA DIGITAL 

NEWSPAPER PROJECT

Introduction

The State Historical Society of North Dakota, in conjunction 

with the NEH and Library of Congress, is working to 

digitize North Dakota’s historic newspapers as part of the 

Library of Congress’s National Digital Newspaper Program. 

The Society has a long history of preserving newspapers 

and increasing access to their collections. 

How It Works

The State Historical Society of North Dakota collaborated 

with the Minnesota Historical Society to digitize North 

Dakotan newspapers from the 19th and 20th centuries. 

The State Historical Society of North Dakota submitted 

all title essays, which represent the scope, content, and 

significance of the newspaper title, to the NEH to become 

part of Chronicling America, a searchable database of 

historic newspapers (the Library of Congress developed 

and maintains the website Chronicling America with 

funding from the NEH). 

The Minnesota Historical Society transferred digital files 

for 100,000 newspaper pages and the duplicate microfilm 

to the Library of Congress for the website. The National 

Digital Newspaper Program is a long-term partnership 

between the NEH and the Library of Congress to develop 

an Internet-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers 

with descriptive information and select digitization of 

historic pages. The grants that the State Historical Society 

of North Dakota and the Minnesota Historical Society 

received are part of an NEH award program that funds the 

contribution of content from all U.S. states and territories.

5

of newspapers digitized. The Library of 

Congress will make these newspapers 

available on its Chronicling America 

website. The titles selected are:

100,000

pages

Bismarck Tribune - 1873-1875; 1878-1884; 

1916-1922

Bismarck Weekly Tribune - 1875-1878; 1884-1900

Bismarck Tri-Weekly Tribune - 1877-1878

Bismarck Daily Tribune - 1900-1916

Jamestown Weekly Alert - 1882-1904

Ward County Independent (Minot) - 1903-1921

Weekly Times Record (Valley City) 1912-1922

Williston Graphic - 1895-1898; 1902-1919
Newspaper editorials permit the historical 

researcher to uncover the dynamics of an 

area. Information concerning the social and 

cultural history, economics, politics, and 

individualism of members of the community 

can be found. – Project Organizer

“

”
Introduction

The Norman Rockwell Museum is dedicated to 

the celebration and study of Rockwell’s work 

and his contributions to society, popular culture, 

and social commentary. The Museum is the most 

popular year-round cultural attraction in the 

Berkshires and houses the world’s largest and 

most significant collection of Rockwell’s work, 

including 998 original paintings and drawings.

How It Works

Over the past five years, NEH has awarded three 

grants to the Norman Rockwell Museum to plan 

and open exhibits. NEH funding has also allowed 

the Museum to improve and preserve its archives 

of Rockwell’s work and personal correspondence, 

in addition to its collection of films about him. 

These grants enable the Museum to make more 

Rockwell artifacts publicly accessible in the 

museum and online. The Museum has improved 

access to its archival holdings and begun to plan 

for their long-term management—this includes 

uploading videos to the Museum’s website, also 

known as Project NORMAN.

NORMAN ROCKWELL 6 MUSEUM

of Rockwell’s fan mail 

correspondence preserved

paintings and drawings 

housed in the Museum

(high-value) have been preserved and 

made accessible to the public

make up the archive and 

illuminate the understanding of 

Rockwell’s contributions to the 

arts and humanities

30

ft 3

264

magnetic 

tapes

998

original

150,000

items
In presenting his art we 

tell Rockwell’s story by 

presenting a layered 

view that represents 

his experiences, 

his influences and 

aspirations, the 

complexities of his world, 

and the iconic images 

that are his legacy. 

– Museum Docent

Engaging with new audiences 

is essential to the Museum’s 

future, and changing exhibitions 

that present diverse aspects of 

the field help us to do that.

– Museum Curator

“

“

”

”

Project NORMAN

Project NORMAN is a comprehensive 

cataloging and digitization project to 

preserve and make the archive accessible 

to researchers, curators, humanities 

scholars, and the general public. These 

newly accessible tapes include unique 

interviews with Rockwell’s three sons, friends, 

colleagues, studio assistants, other artists, 

as well as interviews in which the people 

Rockwell painted talk about him. These tapes 

are frequently requested by biographers, 

authors, curators, and the press.

I am thrilled to report that the Norman 

Rockwell Museum has exhibited 

the art of almost 450 historical and 

contemporary illustrators, and have 

no doubt that Rockwell would have 

been incredibly pleased to have his art 

exhibited among that of his colleagues.

 – Chief Curator

The museum is open 

year-round and we 

enjoy welcoming 

thousands of visitors 

from all over the world.

 – Deputy Director

“

“

”

”
Establishing Northwest College’s Intercultural Center

Northwest College (NWC) is an open-admission, comprehensive, 

rural, two-year public community college located in Powell, Wyoming, 

approximately 80 miles from the East Entrance to Yellowstone National 

Park. For decades, NWC has attracted international scholars and students 

who engage with local communities in mutual learning experiences 

unheard of in most small towns. NWC has one of the largest populations 

of international students among all Wyoming community colleges and 

its multi-faceted program is used as a model for community colleges 

throughout the United States. In 2011 the NEH awarded NWC a 

Challenge Grant to help facilitate the creation of an Intercultural Center. 

Challenge Grants require the recipient to match the federal dollars with 

private fundraising. The College will use this funding to buy a home 

located next to campus, renovate the home, and establish an endowment 

to support ongoing humanities programs, including guest speakers, film 

screenings and student discussions.

Projects In Progress

This report features only a small selection of the NEH-funded initiatives that 

explore rural history and support small communities. NEH funding often 

contributes to the developmental stages of a project. Northwest College’s 

campaign to create an Intercultural Center and the Buffalo Bill Historical 

Center’s traveling Enduring Legacies of the Great Plains exhibition are long term 

projects nearing completion. Both projects sustain and support the growth of 

research and scholarship in rural history. 

7 CONCLUSION
Enduring Legacies of the Great 

Plains: The Paul Dyck Collection

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, 

Wyoming, is creating Enduring Legacies of 

the Great Plains: The Paul Dyck Collection, 

a national touring exhibition accompanied 

by interpretive educational materials and 

programming. The project focuses on 

expanding access to the arts, cultures, and 

lives of Native people featured in the Paul Dyck 

Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection housed 

at the Center. The artist Paul Dyck (1917 – 

2006) devoted his life to the study of cultures 

and histories of Plains Indian people.

Conclusion

Rural America occupies an important space in our nation’s history. NEHfunded projects, like those connected to the Norman Rockwell Museum and 

Buffalo Bill Cody Museum, support and sustain rural museums and libraries, 

allowing these stories to be told to a wide audience. Tangible products of 

NEH funding—interactive websites, museum exhibits, lesson plans, and 

radio programs—support and expand educational programs at local libraries, 

schools, and community centers nationwide. Supporting these institutions 

strengthens communities.

The projects showcased in this report are examples of how private 

organizations and individuals can develop engaging humanities programs 

for rural communities with relatively low levels of funding. Not only can 

your constituents become involved in many of the programs included in this 

report, but they can also create new, local versions of these programs. Please 

connect your constituents with the NEH or any of the organizations featured 

here to bring these educational opportunities to your community. The NEH is 

proud to support a diverse set of cultural centers and organizations, including 

NEH-funded state humanities councils, in an endeavor to bring high-quality 

humanities programming to communities of all sizes across the country.

Design Credit — Daphne Kiplinger

The graphic design layout of this and the other 3 reports issued to Congress on the impact of NEH 

funding was designed by Daphne Kiplinger, a graduate student at Boston University’s Center for Digital 

Imaging Arts in DC.

Photo Credits

NEH on the Road: Photos courtesy of NEH on the Road

Picturing America: Transitions from Rural to Urban Life: Photography by Lisa Morehouse 

A New Harvest: The Future of Small Town California: Photography by Lisa Morehouse

Buffalo Bill Historical Center: http://www.bbhc.org/about-us/pr-images/

The North Dakota Digital Newspaper Project: Photos Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Norman Rockwell Museum: Exterior museum view: Photo by Walt Engels; Family sitting: Photo Courtesy 

of Berkshire Visitors Bureau; Group of adults with guide: Photo by Jeremy Clowe

Enduring Legacies of the Great Plains: The Paul Dyck Collection: Photo by Chris Gimmeson

Inside Cover Photo: Stockbridge Mainstreet at Christmas (Home for Christmas), Norman Rockwell. 1967. 

Oil on canvas, 26 1⁄2 x 95 1⁄2”; Story illustration for “Home for Christmas”; McCall’s, December 1967. 

Norman Rockwell Museum Collection; Licensed by Norman Rockwell Family Agency
Assisting Potential 

Grantees 

The NEH welcomes grant 

applications from cultural 

institutions of all sizes across the 

country. The NEH offers resources 

to help potential grantees apply for 

funding. Please connect potential 

applicants to NEH Congressional 

Affairs staff to help increase the 

impact of NEH funding on rural 

communities.

The following represent a small 

sample of the many NEH grant 

programs that support the goals of 

institutions in rural communities: 

ASSISTING POTENTIAL 8 GRANTEES

Preservation Assistance Grants for 

Smaller Institutions

Preservation Assistance Grants help 

small to mid-sized institutions improve 

their ability to preserve and care for 

special collections. These may include 

special collections of books and journals, 

archives and manuscripts, prints and 

photographs, moving images, sound 

recordings, architectural and cartographic 

records, decorative and fine art objects, 

textiles, archaeological and ethnographic 

artifacts, furniture, historical objects, and 

digital materials. Eligible institutions vary 

from libraries and museums to cultural 

organizations and town and county 

records offices. Applicants interested in 

Preservation Assistance Grants can find 

more information here: http://www.neh.

gov/grants/preservation/preservationassistance-grants-smaller-institutions. 

Bridging Cultures at Community 

Colleges Grants

Bridging Cultures at Community College 

Grants create opportunities for faculty 

to collectively improve their teaching 

in the humanities, enhance or develop 

humanities programs, and provide new 

humanities resources. The NEH welcomes 

proposals that enhance understanding of 

diverse countries, peoples, and cultural 

and intellectual traditions worldwide. 

Applicants may also explore American 

cultural diversity and its impact on civic 

life. Applicants interested in Bridging 

Cultures at Community Colleges Grants 

can find more information here: http://

www.neh.gov/grants/education/bridgingcultures-community-colleges.
Challenge Grants

NEH Challenge Grants are intended to 

help local, state, and national institutions 

build long-term resources and programs.

Recipients are required to match every 

federal dollar with nonfederal funding. 

Challenge Grants may establish or 

enhance endowments or provide 

capital to purchase long-lasting objects, 

such as acquisitions of archives and 

collections, requisite equipment, and 

construction or renovation for facilities. 

Grantee institutions may spend up to 

10 percent of total NEH grant funds to 

assist with fundraising in order to meet 

the matching requirements. There is a 

special Challenge Grant specifically for 

community colleges too. Applicants 

interested in Challenge Grants can find 

more information here: http://www.neh.

gov/grants/challenge/challenge-grants.

NEH-Funded State Humanities Councils 

The NEH funds 56 humanities councils located in all U.S. states and 

jurisdictions. The councils support local humanities programs and events—

like book festivals, film screenings, discussions, and traveling exhibits—

and many provide grants to local organizations, scholars, and citizens to 

create humanities programs and products. The state humanities councils 

receive the majority of their funding from the NEH through the Federal/

State Partnership Office. They supplement this funding with support from 

private donations, foundations, corporations, and, in some cases, state 

government. Stories about the work of state humanities councils are 

located at http://www.neh.gov/divisions/fedstate.
About the NEH

The National Endowment for the 

Humanities (NEH) is an independent 

federal agency created in 1965. It is one 

of the largest funders of humanities 

programs in the United States. 

Because democracy demands wisdom, 

NEH serves and strengthens our 

republic by promoting excellence in 

the humanities and conveying the 

lessons of history to all Americans. 

The Endowment accomplishes this 

mission by awarding grants for toprated proposals examined by panels of 

independent, external reviewers.