THE STANLEY N. KATZ PRIZE
"Faith Ringgold: Coming to Jones Road"
Organizer
Bergen Community College / Gallery Bergen
Paramus, NJ
Bringing together partners from the Bergen Community College faculty, local public libraries, and governmental and nonprofit organizations, this "constellation of programs" used a combination of both creative and established public humanities practices to tell stories, preserve history, and encourage community dialogue around the topics of race, discrimination, art, and African American heritage in New Jersey.
The project centered on Gallery Bergen's exhibition Coming to Jones Road, featuring works by renowned artist Faith Ringgold. The exhibit elucidates Ringgold's experiences encountering racism and struggle in relocating her home and studio to Englewood, NJ.
The college extended the dialogue from this exhibit using humanities and complementary creative pursuits, including:
- The organization of a Children’s Makerspace for in which daycare and K-12 students in partnership with the Black Child Development Initiative and the Bergen County Office for Children
- The “Ancestor Journeys” project, which collected more than 200 oral history testimonies from students and county residents
- The development of a theatrical piece that incorporated these testimonies with text from Ringgold’s storyquilts, and
- The commission of “Coming to Jones Road Suite,” a jazz suite by the composer Rufus Reid which premiered at BCC’s Ciccone Theatre.
Want to know more about this "constellation of projects"?
Morven Museum & Garden
In 2018, the Morven Museum & Garden reinstalled its Permanent History Exhibition “Historic Morven: A Window Into America’s Past,” broadening the perspective and focus of the exhibit to be more inclusive of the people who lived and labored in the historic house. Previously, the exhibit had focused on the better-known patriarchs of the property.
After engaging an advisory council including members of the local African-American community, the exhibit and related educational programming were updated to include a deeper examination of Morven’s ties to slavery. As a result, the exhibit now reflects the voices of the many people who lived and worked at Morven, including women, children, enslaved men and women, immigrant servants, and employees.
The reinterpretation has been completed, but it continues to inspire further efforts to expand the perspectives reflected in the site’s history. Ongoing efforts include “Slavery at Morven,” an online exhibit launched in 2022, ongoing research into Morven’s ties to slavery, and programming associated with the expanded scope of the exhibit.
Organizer
Morven Museum & Garden
Project Website
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Harrison Township Historical Society
On September 1, 2021, a devastating tornado swept through Harrison Township, leaving behind a trail of unprecedented destruction. Miraculously, no lives were lost, but much need for healing and rebuilding remained.The Harrison Township Historical Society recognized the need to document and preserve this nationally significant history in real time.
The project’s purpose was three-fold: to create an eyewitness record of the storm from multiple perspectives, to involve those directly affected, and to stimulate understanding and discussion about the storm and its impact.Working together, local committee members and oral historian Melissa Ziobro secured the cooperation of 21 narrators whose stories were recorded and transcribed.
The interviews provided the narration for an exhibition that opened a year following the storm, telling a story courage, compassion, and how the community proved itself stronger than the storm. The effort shows how humanities can aid the healing process and how a small, all-volunteer history organization can meaningfully contribute to the well-being of its community.
Organizer
Harrison Township Historical Society
Project Website
https://www.harrisonhistorical.com/
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THE STANLEY N. KATZ PRIZE
Founded in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Council, the Stanley N. Katz Prize for Excellence in Public Humanities has been awarded annually since 2022. The award recognizes an organization which has demonstrated significant engagement with and impact through community-focused public humanities work in New Jersey.









