During Women’s History Month, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to announce the fourth round of Dorothy C. Radgowski Learning Through Women’s Achievement in the Arts grants to five Historic Artists' Homes and Studios (HAHS) sites. The projects in this latest round of grants will receive $76,577 in awards this March, significantly expanding the partnership between the Where Women Made History program and HAHS that connects K-5 students to the lives and accomplishments of women at historic places. To date the program has funded over $265,000 of innovative new student- and family-based STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) educational programming at 16 HAHS sites across the country.

“I’m awed by the creativity of these projects and the depth of their commitment to recognizing women as a central part of their history,” said Chris Morris, senior director of preservation programs at the National Trust and leader of Where Women Made History. “Thousands of students, families, and teachers across the country are benefitting from these programs that introduce them to art making, engineering, botany, biology, chemistry, ecology, math, physics, and so much more through the lives of the women who shaped these historic sites. It’s transforming how both children and adults experience and understand these places.”

“It is wonderful to see these sites acknowledged as the important sources for creative learning that they are; providing educational resources and hands-on engagement opportunities that extend well beyond a traditional student field trip excursion,” adds Valerie Balint, Director of HAHS. “It is so fulfilling to see these grant funds serve as a catalyst for sites to build new relationships with educators, schools, and schools districts that will have impact far beyond the specific project awarded.”

The five projects funded in this latest grant round illustrate the many influential roles women played at home, in the art studio, in their communities, and in our national history:

Ann Norton Sculpture Garden (West Palm Beach, FL) for “From Stone to STEAM: Where Science and Art Bloom.” One of the most significant female sculptors of the 20th century, Ann Norton (1905-1982) created monumental works that boldly defied traditional expectations and were groundbreaking for their intentional integration with nature. Her works were designed to harmonize with the gardens she carefully cultivated at her home and studio, creating immersive art environments that today are the perfect setting for 300 elementary school students (grades 1-3) to participate in the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens’ (ANSG) “STEAM Day.” Local institutes, educators, and professionals will partner with ANSG on a series of hands-on learning and problem-solving activities for the students to explore the engineering and design principles underlying Norton’s monumental sculptures, visualize how creativity and the senses are processed in the brain, create their own Norton-inspired artworks, and more, with curricula and activities they can take away for continued learning at home and in the classroom.

Demuth Foundation (Lancaster, PA) for “Augusta’s STEAM Academy: On-Site Workshops Exploring Horticulture and Culinary Arts.” The Demuth Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy and groundbreaking artwork of painter Charles Demuth, but much less attention has been given to Demuth’s mother, Augusta (1856-1943), who single-handedly ran the household, raising her son and pursuing her creative outlets of cooking and gardening. “Augusta’s STEAM Academy” will build on and celebrate the new museum gallery dedicated to interpreting this influential woman at the site. A new series of 6 on-site, educational workshops for students (grades 3-5) will bring Master Gardeners and culinary instructors to the museum to lead activities in the garden and the kitchen that draw on Augusta’s own recipes and favorite plants. These will be complemented by STEAM-based lessons on horticulture, color theory, weather, garden design, cooking chemistry, math, measurement, and household technology to demonstrate how Augusta’s personal interests in cooking and gardening profoundly influenced the family’s environment and Charles’ artwork.

Norman Rockwell Museum (Stockbridge, MA) for “Open Studio: Expanding the Narrative of Norman Rockwell’s The Problem We All Live With.” Norman Rockwell’s widely published illustrations offered everyday people an opportunity to participate in the national conversation in a way that few artists of his time could. The Stockbridge studio is where Rockwell created his series of 1960s paintings contemplating the complexities of a racially diverse and divided country during the civil rights era, including his iconic 1964 work, The Problem We All Live With. A new immersive and interactive virtual studio field trip and curriculum materials will introduce thousands of K-12 students across the country to the experiences of the four young Black girls —Ruby Bridges, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne, and Tessie Prevost—who directly challenged school segregation in New Orleans and inspired the painting, and bring long-overdue attention to Rockwell’s young Stockbridge neighbor, Lynda Gunn, who was the life model for this powerful artwork.

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park (Cazenovia, NY) for “Artland: A Library of Video Teaching Tools to Guide Student Exploration of Art and Nature.” Artist, educator, and conservationist Dorothy Riester (1916-2017) left a lasting mark on the Syracuse area, creating and founding the104-acre Stone Quarry Hill Art Park for the public’s enjoyment of art and nature. This project will position Stone Quarry and its historic Dorothy Riester House and Studio as educational resources. An in-depth workshop will inform a series of new video-based teaching tools that supplement STEAM curricula for grades 4-6. By bringing together art and science educators with Stone Quarry staff, artists, and expert advisors, these videos will demonstrate how Dorothy and and the Park’s contemporary visiting artists utilize science, technology, and engineering in their art marking. This project will provide a consistent framework for students to engage with the art and land of Stone Quarry––both on site and in the classroom.

Thomas Cole National Historic Site (Catskill, NY) for “Lesson Plans and On-Site Programs Using Historic Paintings to Explore Botany and Ecology.” Artist Emily Cole (1843-1913) exhibited and sold her paintings, received critical acclaim, and was a founding member of the NY Society of Ceramic Arts. She shared a studio with her father, Thomas, in successive decades and installed a kiln on the grounds to create her botanical paintings on porcelain that documented many of the plant species in their gardens. Working with local teachers, a science master teacher, and an herbalist, the Cole National Historic Site will develop a series of classroom lesson plans (grades K-3) and on-site programs using Emily’s 19th-century botanical paintings and the gardens to study botany, ecology, and pigment making. A new visually engaging plant identification guide for the Site will serve K-3 student and their visiting young families and will be available to visitors and learners of all ages.