Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation CARES Act project

FAIN: GA-274065-20

Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation (Powell, WY 82435-8723)
Cally Steussy (Project Director: May 2020 to October 2021)

The work of eleven staff members and one consultant to produce programing exploring the experience of Japanese Americans interned at Heart Mountain Relocation Center.

The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation will create public programming with a digital humanities component to cope with the challenges created by the coronavirus crisis. The project will involve creating online videos, podcasts and other content packaged with digitized archives and artifacts.

Media Coverage

‘Look Toward the Mountain: Stories from Heart Mountain Incarceration Camp,’ (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Rob Buscher
Publication: Pacific Citizen
Date: 2/5/2021
Abstract: This is a report about the Look Toward the Mountain podcast series created by the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation with the proceeds from a 2020 CARES Act grant.
URL: http://https://www.pacificcitizen.org/look-toward-the-mountain-stories-from-heart-mountain-incarceration-camp/

Associated Products

Look Toward the Mountain (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Look Toward the Mountain
Writer: Ray Locker, Rob Buscher
Writer: Ray Locker
Writer: Rob Buscher
Director: Rob Buscher
Producer: Rob Buscher, Ray Locker
Producer: Rob Buscher
Producer: Ray Locker
Abstract: This 13-part podcast series was created by the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation with the proceeds of a 2020 CARES Act grant.
Date: 12/01/2020
Primary URL: http://https://www.heartmountain.org/look-toward-the-mountain-podcast/
Primary URL Description: This podcast series was aimed at informing the general public about the Japanese American incarceration during World War II and to provide greater access to the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation's educational content at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented people from traveling to our site in Wyoming. We also used the podcast as a key element in our curriculum for our 2021 and 2022 Landmarks of American History and Culture educator workshops.
Access Model: Open access
Format: Radio
Format: Web

History Often Rhymes (Exhibition)
Title: History Often Rhymes
Curator: Cally Steussy
Abstract: This online and physical exhibit was created using the proceeds of the CARES Act grant. Research, drafting, and early design planning was completed by the end of the grant period, and we hired a website designer to assist with the final design of the online version of the exhibit. As we said in the exhibit: “We like to believe that something like the incarceration of Japanese Americans could never happen again. But times of crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, often result in discrimination and attacks on Asian Americans and other minority groups. Old prejudices can suddenly reemerge under fear, anger, and stress. In our country’s history, immigration, race, and disease have always been intertwined. Remembering that can help us to avoid making the same mistakes again.”
Year: 2020
Primary URL: http://https://exhibits.heartmountain.org/
Primary URL Description: This exhibit showed how fears of disease were used against Japanese American immigrants and how many of the same themes have recurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tadaima virtual pilgrimage (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Tadaima virtual pilgrimage
Abstract: Through the remainder of July and the first two weeks of October, Foundation staff prepared videos on Heart Mountain-related themes, most notably a series on the Heart Mountain hospital and Mihara Braille Board. Heart Mountain content ran in weeks 8 and 9. Executive director Dakota Russell served on the Virtual Pilgrimage steering committee to help plan programming from Heart Mountain as well as other sites and fostered cooperation between the various organizations involved in planning and participating in the Virtual Pilgrimage.
Author: Dakota Russell
Author: Cally Steussy
Date: 07/01/2020
Location: Online
Primary URL: http://https://www.jampilgrimages.com/tadaimavirtualpilgrimage
Primary URL Description: The Japanese American Pilgrimages group convened the Tadaima series of virtual pilgrimages in 2020 to make up for the in-person pilgrimages that were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Heart Mountain virtual tour (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Heart Mountain virtual tour
Abstract: This virtual tour was done with the travel and historic group America's Summer Road Trip. It allowed viewers to see Heart Mountain without traveling to Wyoming.
Author: Cally Steussy
Date: 08/01/2020
Location: America's Summer Road Trip site
Primary URL: http://https://www.americassummerroadtrip.org/
Primary URL Description: This is the site for the travel group.

Virtual field trips (Web Resource)
Title: Virtual field trips
Author: Genesis Ranel
Abstract: Americorps VISTA staff member Genesis Ranel researched, planned and implemented a virtual field trip program to allow access to the museum for school children during pandemic conditions, with the goal of also allowing students outside of easy field trip distance to access the museum. The virtual tour includes lesson plans and teacher resources and interviews with former incarcerees as well as a livestreamed tour of museum facilities. By the end of the grant period, the virtual field trip had completed a live test with a group of young adults. In addition, we have paid for a license to stream the short film A Flicker in Eternity, which is a standard film used in on-site school tours.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: http://https://padlet.com/heartmountaininterpretivecenter/t9r40ycya23skqm
Primary URL Description: This is the website for the virtual field trip resource.

Online films (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Online films
Writer: Dakota Russell
Writer: Cally Steussy
Director: Dakota Russell
Director: Cally Steussy
Producer: Dakota Russell
Producer: Cally Steussy
Abstract: In addition to videos prepared specifically for the virtual pilgrimage and virtual tours, staff prepared and produced four videos, including a special holiday video for Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages as a follow-up to the virtual pilgrimage. Content for a fifth video was researched and scripted and ready for recording by the end of the grant period. All videos were uploaded to the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation YouTube channel.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: http://https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1v_l88Yy1i7Ly-RxfodLcQ
Primary URL Description: Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation YouTube channel.
Access Model: Open access
Format: Video

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