“RE-IMAGINING IRELAND Receives Schwartz Prize"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Charlottesville , VA ... International conference and documentary film ”Re-Imagining Ireland ” has been awarded the 2004 Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize by the Federation of State Humanities Councils (FSHC). Made possible through an endowment established in the 1980’s by Helen and Martin Schwartz of Indiana, this prize recognizes and rewards vitality, inventiveness, depth of content, and variety in outstanding public humanities programs. The Federation of State Humanities Councils, founded in 1977, is the membership association of the 56 state humanities councils.  The prize was awarded Saturday, November 13, at the National Conference of State Humanities Councils in Washington , DC .

”Re-Imagining Ireland is one of the most far-reaching of VFH projects, linking Virginia citizens to the world community,” commented Robert C. Vaughan, President of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH).

Produced by the VFH--the State Humanities Council of Virginia--the major international conference was held in May, 2003, attracting hundreds of Americans from around the country and Irish from across the sea to Charlottesville, Virginia, to take part in this ground-breaking “town meeting” of Ireland, out of Ireland . The program explored the meaning of Ireland as a modern and prosperous, yet traditional culture.

Upon receiving the award, Andrew Wyndham, Director of Media Programs at the VFH, and producer of the conference and documentary film, said, “The prize is a wonderful affirmation of our effort to bridge continents and countries, linking the humanities and the arts, uniting fields as diverse literature and politics, business and history. Our goal was to explore common concerns and issues, considering the up- and down-sides of global economics, the relation between religious and political identity, and how various national groups may challenge and contribute to other cultures. We wanted to give the Irish a chance to explore their rapidly changing society, while using their experience as a mirror through which we can learn about ourselves.”

The documentary film was developed as a co-production of the VFH and Paul Wagner Productions. The program was planned in association with Ireland ’s RTÉ, which provided a wealth of outstanding current affairs and historical visuals from its TV Archive.

American Public Television (APT) fed Re-Imagining Ireland to PBS stations nationally on October 31, 2004 with a release date of November 1, 2004. It aired on WCVE in Richmond and WHTJ in Charlottesville at 9:00 PM on November 16, 2004 .

51 other stations agreed to carry "Re-Imagining Ireland." Among them are the PBS affiliates in Falls Church (VA), Denver, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Minneapolis/St.Paul, Bangor, Trenton, Cincinnati, Lexington (KY), Toledo (OH), Grand Rapids (MI), Milwaukee, Buffalo (NY), Nashville, Dayton (OH), Pittsburg, Topeka (KS), Chattanooga, Tampa, Rochester, and Philadephia, Bozeman (MT), Pullman (WA), Metarie (LA), Fargo (ND), and Tallahassee & Fort Myers (FL). PBS stations in Boston and on Long Island have also indicated they expect to air the documentary.

For air times on other stations, please contact local stations directly.

For more information on the conference and to view a 30-second promo for the Re-Imagining Ireland video, visit the project Web site at: www.re-imagining-ireland.org

The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is a statewide organization located in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was created in 1974 to develop the civic, cultural, and educational life of the Commonwealth.

Digital images are available for use by the media at:
http://www.virginia.edu/artmuseum/PressReleases/pressimages.html.