This project will be a Mock Planning Grant Proposal for the a new exhibit with in the UT Austin tower to help memorialize victims of the school tower shooting which took place in the 60’s in Austin. I will attatch a more formal outline, as well as an example paper over a differnt subject from last year to help you get an idea of how the paper should look and be written.
. Please include only the following application components:
☐1) Table of Contents
List all parts of the application in order with corresponding page numbers.
☐2) Application Narrative
Up to 5 single-spaced pages for planning proposals
Use one-inch margins and at least 12-point type.
A) Nature of the request
In a page or less, provide an overview of the project and its interpretive goals.
o State the type of exhibition or public presentation for which you are applying (temporary); identify the funding level (planning) and amount that you are requesting ($40,000)
o Describe the formats, the subject, and the main themes.
o If your project responds to one of the NEH areas of interest described in section I of the guidelines, explain how it does so.
B) Humanities content
o Describe the significance of the subject and its relevance to the public.
Discuss the intellectual content of the project, identifying the major humanities ideas, themes, and questions to be addressed.
o Explain how humanities scholarship will inform the project.
C) Project formats
o Briefly describe all the formats and techniques that you will use to engage general public audiences.
o Discuss how the chosen format(s) will enhance public understanding of the humanities content.
D) Project resources
o Describe the resources available at your institution or elsewhere that will support your project. (Examples of resources include archives, special libraries, collections of art or artifacts, images, documents, film, audio, or digital materials.)
o Discuss the significance and quality of the relevant artworks or objects.
E) Project history
o Give a brief history of the project to date. Describe the relationship of the project to others on the topic and explain what its particular contribution would be.
F) Audience, marketing, and promotion
o Describe the expected audience and its anticipated size, and present a plan for reaching this audience. If applicable, discuss partnerships that would help promote the project.
o If you are proposing special outreach to underserved or at-risk communities, describe your outreach plan and explain how you will engage new audiences in thinking about and discussing humanities ideas.
G) Humanities scholars, consultants, and collaborating institutions
Identify the consultants (including humanities scholars) who will be involved in the project. Briefly describe the qualifications and expected contribution to the project of each consultant. Depending on the needs of the project, consultants may include education and public program specialists, historic site or cultural tourism experts, writers, media producers, or digital designers.
H) Work plan
o Provide a detailed month-by-month schedule of the major work to be done during the grant period, the amount of time it will take, and the specific people involved.
o State clearly when the meetings with scholars and other consultants will occur, and how the meetings will advance the project.
o Include activities related to planned project evaluation and indicate who will be responsible for each activity.
☐3. Bibliography
Include a short bibliography (not to exceed one page) of the most significant humanities scholarship that informs the project.
Second Outline of how paper should be formatted:
Layout for essay:
1. Nature of request
Reaching underserved audiences: mental health awareness and victims of violence
Preserving cultural heritages
2. Humanities content
Lay out issues ur addressing (gun violence, mental health awareness, domestic violence)
Why are these so important today how they fit to your site (50 year anniversary was in 2016, they’re reding the tower so now is teh best time to begin)
– Mental health
The shooter was an ex military individual who suffered form PTSD
Link between gun violence and mental health awareness
Need for an increase in access to resources which support mental health
Men and mental health- ignorance and suicides due to cultural norms and societal pressures, what it means to be a man struggling with mental health issues
After the shooting the university was closed only for one day
Situation was a very traumatic experience for students, faculty, survivors, and many more. Uni was not putting the students needs first especially when it comes to their mental health.
– Gun violence
The UT tower shooting mass murder of students/faculty/bystanders via automatic weapons
Shunning/ignornace of victims and instances of mass violence to reduce and hide any form of negative connotation surrounding the university after the shooting
Increased volume of mass shootings in Texas in repsonse to open carry laws
Ready access to guns as probelmatic (no license needed to purchase or carry)
Gun debate, “Gun Free UT”
– Domestic violence
The shooter murdered his wife and mother the morning of the shooting
History of domestic violence within ex military families
Ties to mental health and gun laws
3. Project formats
Planning 9 month exhibition, series of oral histories, festival, etc. (what are you doing whats new)
Observatory deck
Redoing the plaque Prototyping by reaching out to relatives of the survivors or current survivors to let them gives us ideas of how we can accurately depict the events
Prototyping with the students and Austin community about voting on the exhibit’s name
3D film room that projects the tour movie
Team up with Dell Med students that do the Stop the Bleed workshops to train individuals in the case of a gunshot wound or stabbing
Yearly candlelight vigil for the families of the victims
Can prototype by having the community decorate the candles then light them at night
Emphasize the issues relevance today by conducting survey in austin and on ut campus to test mental health, domestic and gun violence, opinions and feelings on gun rights
5. Project history
Make up and stuff from the internet
Context behind the site itself and complaints behind it
History of the place and history of the project
UT tower as a phallic symbol rooted in inuendos of sexist power, can go into womens campus, tower as seat of power for men, looking at state capitol.
Texas as a notoriously red, pro-gun state, the tower shooting is recognized as the first act of mass violonce/gun violence in US history
Only form of homage- Tower garden erected in August 1 1999 Pator Bethune, plaque on stone in tower garden
In 2016 a monument was erected outside of the turtle pond on the towers West mall and faces the back side of a building 6 foot red granite memorial to remember enacted by a small group of former students and survivors (still not enough- hidden)
“Tower Heroes” plaque located at Travis county precinct 3 (honors the people who saved the day)
Make up a name for our group
5. Audience, Marketing
Who is this project for
How are we going to market to this audience (media, posters, etc.)
Tip- start off big then talk about specific communities that issues intersect with the bigger conflict
Doesn’t have to be public, cumulative, etc. (can be private/exclusive events but you need to explain why)
6. Humanities scholars, and Collaborating institutions
Who are you partnering with (local people, people educated on the topic, etc.)
Each of us are scholars
Use Dr.Serriff as a scholar that talks about community engagement with museums and exhibits in public places
Univeristy of Texas as collaborating institution
7. Work plan (DONT get obsessed with this section)
Months 1-2:
Months 2-4:
Months 4-7:
Months 7-9:
Months 9-12:
Month 13: opening
8. Bibliography (THIS will include the significant humanities scholarships/ Student organizations on campus that are activist among gun voilence, domestice abuse ect. that were used to help for the project –> you may need to google the UT humanties and find this.)