Author: Amanda Jeanne Swain

Address cover letter to Katie Mckay, Park Ranger
Submit application by Wednesday, June 3, via OC Parks Google Form

The mission of Orange County Parks is to preserve and enhance Orange County’s natural and cultural resources for recreation, education and exploration. In collaboration with the Orange County Historical Commission, OC Parks is responsible for the acquisition, planning and management of Orange County historical parks, including: Heritage Hill, Irvine Ranch Headquarters, Key Ranch, Modjeska House and Gardens, Peralta Adobe, and Yorba Cemetery. The Public Fellow will be able to choose one of two projects:

Helena Modjeska Digital Map Project

The Public Fellow will work with OC Parks Historic Curators to research the American touring career of Polish-born Victorian-era Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska. Using a tour route map currently on display at Arden: Helena Modjeska Historic House & Gardens as a starting point, the Fellow will utilize UCI research resources, including the Helena Modjeska Collection at UCI Special Collections, to begin gathering historic photos, newspaper articles, playbills, posters, and correspondence from Modjeska’s performances across the U.S. from 1877-1907. In conjunction with the historical research component, the Public Fellow will examine digital humanities best practices to create a plan for how this historical tour map could be implemented in a digital platform, (i.e. downloadable interactive GIS map, online exhibit, kiosk at historic house site), and compile a list of potential grant opportunities to fund the digital performance map project’s completion. Examples and potential project platforms:

o   StoryMaps by ArcGIS
o   Timelooper
o   historypin – This is a crowdsourced mapping tool. Could be another potential avenue for this project, since Modjeska performed across the country. Could not only aid in finding more Modjeska resources and collating them in one place, but could also help promote Arden.

Historic Irvine Ranch Tour and Curriculum Standards

The Public Fellow will take the lead in analyzing the current basic tour information for the Irvine Ranch Historic Park and further developing the content. They will also work with OC Park Historic Curators on a plan for school field trips to be operated by OC Parks that will ensure current curriculum standards are met with the on-site interpretation. Where lacking, the Fellow will develop themes and points to cover within tours which align with the curriculum of primary and secondary education. Additionally, the Fellow will create educational packets for teachers to orientate their students on these historic sites and resources which can be used in conjunction with the tours, or in the classroom. Previous experience with historic interpretation and early education would be helpful, but not required.

Address cover letter to Dr. Felicia Kelly, Project and Evaluation Director
Submit application via California Humanities Google Form

As an independent non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, California Humanities was founded in as a granting and programmatic organization that promotes the humanities as relevant, meaningful ways to connect us to each other in order to become a better California. We produce, fund, create, and support accessible humanities-based projects and programs, eye-opening arts and cultural experiences, and meaningful conversations across the state. We define the public humanities as a range of activities and practices revolving around cultural life as a way to engage people across diverse communities. Anyone who sees a piece of theater or listens to a story, appreciates a work of art, reflects upon the meaning of life, records their memories, passes on a tradition or wonders where it came from, or asks questions about the values and motivations of human actors, past, present, or future, is invoking the humanities as a bridge to understanding what connects us.

California Humanities conducts ongoing evaluation to better understand the reach, impact and effectiveness of its grant-making programs, for both internal learning as well as external communications purposes. Working closely with staff, the Program Evaluation Fellow will analyze a variety of types of qualitative and quantitative information provided by grantees and partners. The fellow will assist with the development of reports for various stakeholders, including identifying innovative ways of sharing information (infographics, for example) with multiple audiences. This position will enable us to expand our capacity to do this work and contribute to our programmatic, communications, fundraising, and advocacy efforts. Candidates should have:

• Interest in learning more about the public humanities field
• Interest in research and data analysis, both quantitative and qualitative
• Basic familiarity with spreadsheet programs and information management tools (Excel)
• Good written communications skills and some familiarity with graphic communications tools (preparing charts and graphs and formatting documents and presentations)
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team

The fellow will work off-site and will need access to a phone and computer. California Humanities will provide access to any needed software. Periodic (bi-weekly or monthly) virtual meetings with California Humanities staff will be scheduled and California Humanities staff will be available on an ongoing basis to provide direction and support, but otherwise work may be scheduled at the Fellow’s convenience.