Arts News

UNT in Denton scores $200K federal arts grant for newspaper project

UNT will be digitizing old newspapers from Texas.

Photo courtesy of VishwaGujarat.com

The University of North Texas in Denton is one of eight recipients in Texas to score a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. According to a release, the federal agency will dole out $28.4 million in grants for 239 humanities projects across the U.S., with eight of those projects located in Texas.

The NEH was created to support research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities. It's taxpayer funded, and for four years in a row, the Trump administration threatened to cut its budget. However, during that time, the NEH budget actually grew from $148 million to $237 million (including CARES Act funding). Joe Biden of course proposed an increase.

Most of the funded projects are arcane and/or super-academic such as the creation of an app to make it easier to research digitized ancient manuscripts from St. Catherine's Monastery in Egypt, the world’s oldest continually operating library. That is clearly a gotta have.

Or translation projects, like an annotated translation of classical Chinese commentaries on Confucius' chronicles of court history. Or the first comprehensive, freely available edition of all extant Greek and Latin inscribed legislation from classical Rome.

Other grants will enable the publication of books such as a biography of neuroscientist and writer Oliver Sacks; a book on the making and legacy of 1950 film Sunset Boulevard; and a narrative history of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

This round of funding also marks the addition of the Boston Public Library as a hub for the National Digital Newspaper project, expanding the reach of the Chronicling America online database of historical American newspapers to include newspapers published in Massachusetts between 1690 and 1963. Additional funding awarded in this round will support ongoing newspaper digitization work in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Montana, Rhode Island, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Texas received $864,675 total for these eight projects:

Austin
City of Austin: $50,000
Title: A Geographical Approach to Inclusive History at Oakwood Cemetery
Description: The creation of an innovative digital model to help determine the location of and provide historical context for marginalized individuals in unmarked graves in an Austin cemetery.

Lance Richardson: $60,000
Title/Description: A Biography of the American Writer and Naturalist Peter Matthiessen

College Station
Texas A & M University: $198,289
Title: Toward a People’s History of Landscape: Black and Indigenous Histories of the Nation’s Capital
Description: A three-week, residential institute for 25 college and university faculty on social and landscape history in Washington, D.C., focusing on AfricanAmerican and Indigenous contributions.

Denton
University of North Texas: $208,888
Title: Lone Star Ink: Texas NDNP 2021
Description: Digitization of 100,000 pages of Texas newspapers dating from 1887 to 1939, as part of the state’s participation in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

Farmers Branch
City of Farmers Branch: $7,500
Title: Keenan Cemetery Assessment
Description: A preservation assessment of a Texas state historical site, the Keenan Cemetery. Established in 1843, the cemetery is the burial place for many pioneer families, as well as veterans ranging from the War of 1812 to Vietnam. The assessment would result in guidance for the preservation of each grave, facilitating research and related educational and public programming initiatives about the lives of those buried there.

Houston
University of Houston System: $249,998
Title: Democratizing Politics: Mapping the Stories and Significance of the 1977 National Women’s Conference
Description: Preparation of an open-access website on the legislative, political, and social impact of the 1977 National Women's Conference.

Prairie View
Prairie View A & M University: $15,000
Title: Preserving Our History through Assessment
Description: A preservation site assessment for the archives of Prairie View A&M University. The archive holds a number of distinctive collections, including over 1,000 rare books. Collection highlights include information on African-American bibliophiles from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the Blacks in the Military Collection documenting the contributions of African Americans to military history.

San Antonio
Witte Museum: $75,000
Title: Reinterpreting Texas at the Witte Museum, Where Nature, Science and Culture Meet
Description: Planning for a reinterpretation of the museum’s permanent exhibition on the history of Texas.

media galleries museums charity

A Familiar Face

Dallas Theater Center names Jaime Castañeda as new artistic director

Photo courtesy of Dallas Theater Center

Jaime Castañeda is the Tony-winning theater's new artistic director.

The Tony Award-winning Dallas Theater Center has found its next artistic director: Jaime Castañeda, who has a long history with both DTC and North Texas, will become the regional theater's sixth artistic director beginning July 2026. The 2026-27 season will be the first chosen by him.

Jonathan Norton, DTC’s resident playwright, is currently serving as interim artistic director and will continue to lead the remainder of the 2025-26 season, which culminates in the world premiere of his play Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem in May.

“DTC is committed to artistic excellence and community engagement, and we believe Jaime’s experience, creativity, bold vision, and proven leadership, coupled with his dedication to innovation, will guide DTC into an exciting new chapter in the life of the theater," says board chair Lynn Pride Richardson in a release.

In 2012, Castañeda directed DTC’s production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz. But he began his career more than 20 years ago in Dallas-Fort Worth by founding Firestarter Productions while still attending Texas Christian University. In addition to directing at DTC, other local theater credits include Kitchen Dog Theater, Amphibian Stage, and Circle Theatre. Castañeda is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the Drama League Directing Fellowship, and holds a BFA from Texas Christian University and an MFA in Directing from University of Texas at Austin.

Most recently, Castañeda directed at such leading theaters across the country as American Conservatory Theater, South Coast Repertory, Huntington Theatre Company, and La Jolla Playhouse, where he previously served as associate artistic director from 2014-2018. He was also artistic associate at Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company from 2009-2014.

"Jaime brings a bold, visceral artistic vision, a deep commitment to new voices, and a collaborative leadership style that inspires artists and audiences alike,” says DTC executive director Kevin Moriarty. “With his Texas roots and national experience, I am thrilled to welcome him home as DTC’s new Enloe/Rose artistic director. I have known and admired his work since 2007, when he was already one of the most exciting emerging directors in North Texas, and I later saw him create unforgettable work for DTC on the Wyly stage and at leading theaters nationwide.”

As artistic director, Castañeda will lead the theater’s artistic vision, direct and produce plays and musicals, oversee DTC’s Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company, and partner with Moriarty, the staff, and the board of trustees to advance DTC’s mission, vision, and values.

Castañeda joins a distinguished line of artistic leadership at Dallas Theater Center, including founding artistic director Paul Baker, Adrian Hall, Ken Bryant, Richard Hamburger, and Moriarty, who served as artistic director from 2007-2022.

“We are extremely pleased with a successful national search that brings Jaime to Dallas Theater Center,” says DTC board member Chris Luna. “His energy is contagious and he understands Texas and Dallas. We look forward to collaborating with Jaime as he continues his innovative approach to regional theater.”

Castañeda was selected for the role following a national search led by Management Consultants for the Arts. The search committee was co-chaired by Luna and Richardson, and included Moriarty, Norton, Jennifer Altabef, Diane Brierley, Lauren Embrey, Sam Holland (Dean, SMU Meadows School of the Arts), Sharron Hunt, Randy Kender, Julie Kosnik, Deborah McMurray, Sam Megally, Liz Mikel (DTC Brierley Resident Acting Company member), Andy Smith, Lily Weiss (executive director, Dallas Arts District) and Donna Wilhelm.

“Growing up in Texas, Dallas Theater Center was one of the first places where I saw what professional theater and excellence looked like,” Castañeda says. “I’m thrilled to come back and build on the history of artists and leaders who have been a part of this organization. I’m eager to join Kevin, the board, and our staff to create lasting theatrical experiences for our audiences.”

Dallas Theater Center's current production of A Christmas Carol runs through December 27 at the Wyly Theatre.

dallas theater center jaime castañeda kevin moriarty theater