DES MOINES – A lecture and recital series that traces the origins of various musical genres created by women. An exhibition about the earliest sketches and paintings of central and western Iowa paired with contemporary photos of the same locations. Another exhibition about underrepresented communities in Iowa. These are three of the 31 projects that will receive a Humanities Project Grant, according to an announcement today from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. The statewide grant program supports public humanities projects and educational programs that encourage contemplation, spark conversation and invite communities to explore the human experience.

The department received 40 eligible applications and awarded a total of $364,769 in grants. Funding for the new program comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency, which last year recognized the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs as its interim state humanities council partner in Iowa. The list of grant recipients spans 17 Iowa cities, including Arnolds Park, Council Bluffs, Dubuque and Muscatine. Grants were awarded to historic sites, museums, community groups, colleges and universities, libraries, and organizations that focus on culture and art.

Among the notable projects that received funding, is the Historic General Dodge House in Council Bluffs, which was awarded $2,600 to develop an exhibit of 40 sketches and paintings by George Simons, which are among the earliest images of central and western Iowa. These images will be displayed with contemporary photos Buck Christensen shot of the same locations.

To date, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, in its role as the state’s interim Iowa Humanities Council, has awarded more than $1.6 million to support the humanities in Iowa, through multiple rounds of relief and recovery grants and the new project grants.