NEH Small Grant: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible

This program of the National Endowment for the Humanities brings traveling exhibitions and other types of humanities public programming to libraries across the country.

This opportunity is to host the exhibition “Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible.” Successful applicants will be awarded a grant of $2,500. Awards are normally for a period of six to twenty-four months.

The brief version follows, full details here. Receipt deadline: April 5, 2011.

“Manifold Greatness” tells the story of the origins, creation, and impact of the King James Bible, including its influence on English and American literature, and its multifaceted impact on culture and society to the present day. The year 2011 marks the four hundredth anniversary of its first printing.

The traveling exhibition content is arranged in fourteen panels that follow a chronological narrative and focus on the human side of this major cultural landmark. The exhibition consists of fourteen graphic panels printed onto seven double-sided banners. Each banner is 7-feet tall and 2.5-feet wide. The entire exhibition requires approximately six hundred square feet of space for optimal display.

What do libraries selected for the project get? This:

1. A $2,500 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for exhibition-related expenses, e.g., expenses for travel and accommodations for the exhibition coordinator’s attendance at the planning workshop and exhibition programming.
2. The traveling exhibition for a four-week loan period (shipping costs included).
3. Exhibition brochures and posters.
4. Two banners that will travel to each site for display with the exhibition.
5. Educational support materials.
6. Both print and online Site Support Notebooks with press materials, images, shipping and installation instructions, and suggestions for programming.
7. Technical and programming support from the ALA Public Programs Office throughout the tour, including participation in an online discussion list.
8. Repair of reasonable minor exhibit damages, arranged for by ALA, if the exhibit is damaged. Exhibit sites may be held responsible for extensive damages or loss of the exhibition when it is under their control. Exhibit sites are encouraged to put a rider for full exhibit value on their insurance for the exhibition display period. The exhibit value figure will be made available to all exhibit sites selected for the tour.

“Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible” is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office.