Beth Pruitt / Archaeology in the Community: DC Archaeology Month
Grantee: Beth Pruitt / Archaeology in the Community
Project: DC Archaeology Month: Educational Poster, Postcards & Festival
Grant Month: May 2026
Impact Area: Youth & Education / Public History / Community Heritage / Creative Learning
What’s Your Tour de Force?
I'm inspired to connect young learners to the past through archaeology, because it helps them feel grounded in their community and make sense of the world they see around them today. Students engage with the sciences and humanities in ways they hadn't considered before and see how small, broken clues can be pieced together into important stories about their neighborhoods. It's our shared history, and they are part of it!
— Beth Pruitt
What the Grant Made Possible
TDF’s May 2026 grant supported custom artwork by DC artist Justine Swindell, the printing of 150 educational posters and 500 postcards, and volunteer shirts and festival support for DC Archaeology Month. Centered on the history of the Middleton Estate in Brookland, the 2026 poster translated local archaeological research into a visual form designed for classrooms and community learning. The postcards were designed to extend that learning by giving young people another way to keep asking questions about the history beneath their own city.
The May Spark likewise presented the project as bringing together art, archaeology and local history through Archaeology in the Community and Justine Swindell.
DC Archaeology Month in Action
About Beth Pruitt and Archaeology in the Community
Archaeology in the Community is a Washington, DC nonprofit that makes archaeology accessible through education, hands-on programs and community partnerships. Beth Pruitt, PhD, serves as Director of Education. The TDF-supported DC Archaeology Month project brought archaeology, art and local history together through educational materials and public programming created with DC artist Justine Swindell.