Mission & Vision
Mission
The Maine Humanities Council, a statewide non-profit organization, uses the humanities—literature, history, philosophy, and culture—as a tool for positive change in Maine communities. Our programs and grants encourage critical thinking and conversations across social, economic, and cultural boundaries.
Vision
Maine communities transformed by the power and pleasure of ideas.
Equity & Inclusion
The Maine Humanities Council acknowledges that the humanities often privilege some groups over others, reflect our society’s structural racism, and define the contours of humanity in exclusionary ways.
The MHC has shifted our priorities in an effort to acknowledge and address the marginalization that exists in our culture and within the humanities. It is our hope that our shifts can begin to make amends for the ways we have knowingly or unknowingly reinforced oppressive systems and exclusion.
By the Numbers
Connecting Communities
95%
of participants feel more connected to their communities*
Supporting State Cultural Organizations
$1,198,184
total grant awards*
Engagement
95%
of participants feel inspired to learn more about a topic discussed in their program*
*Since January 2020
public humanities prize holders
The Constance H. Carlson Public Humanities Prize is awarded to a Maine resident who has connected and empowered people in Maine through the public humanities.
Maya Williams
Portland Poet Laureate
For their powerful creation of safe spaces for discussion and art, whose leadership ensure that people engage with empathy, community, and understanding.
Myron M. Beasley, PhD
Associate Professor, Bates College
For his innovative leadership in conversations around art, his care in connecting audiences, and the breadth and depth he brings to his creative projects.
Staff
Samaa Abdurraqib
Executive Director
she/her
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Harper Batsford
Program Coordinator
he/him
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Genius Black
Digital Media Coordinator
he/him
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Karen Brown
Office Manager
she/her
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Diane Magras
Director of Development
she/her
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Marcela Peres
Operations Manager & Program Specialist
she/her
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Nicole Rancourt
Program Manager
she/her
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Meghan Reedy
Program Coordinator
she/her
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Lizz Sinclair
Program Coordinator
she/her
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Sampson Spadafore
Social Media Manager
he/him they/them
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Kyle Volland
Program Coordinator
she/her
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Ian Watkins
Communications Manager
he/him
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Board of Directors
Greg Fahy
Board Chair
Hallowell
Paul Buck
Vice Chair
St. Agatha
Julie Sheehan
Treasurer
Auburn
Joseph M. Hall
Secretary
Lewiston
Lawrence Boyle
Biddeford
Jean Deighan
Bangor
Martha Tod Dudman
Northeast Harbor
Ayesha Hall
Auburn
Tam Thanh T. Huynh
Augusta
Mazie Hough
Orono
Margery Irvine
Brooklin
Ryan Lolar
Portland
Georges Budagu Makoko
Portland
Luis Millones
Portland
Rosalani Moore
Verona Island
Mouhamédoul Niang
Portland
Amie Parker
Buckfield
Lise Pelletier
Fort Kent
Brendon Reay
Blue Hill
Latest News
SEPTEMBER 2024 Mini Grant Awards
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Summer 2024 Arts & Humanities Grant Awards
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Inside & Out: The Humanities and Mass Incarceration
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Spring 2024 Mini Grant Awards
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