The Michigan Humanities Council has received notice of the following
exhibits scheduled at cultural institutions in Michigan for the dates
shown. We encourage you to contact specific institutions to confirm these
dates and exhibit hours. (SITES exhibits are part of the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. NEH designation refers to
exhibits supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. **
denotes Council-funded projects.)
Continuing Exhibits:
"Furniture City," Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids (NEH)
"Made in America: The History of the American Industrial System," Henry
Ford Museum, Dearborn (NEH)
"Hitsville USA and The Motown Sound: The Music and the Story," Motown
Historical Museum, Detroit (NEH)
"Michigan in the Twentieth Century," Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing
"Anishinabek: People of This Place." Public Museum of Grand Rapids,
Grand Rapids
(NEH)**
"Collecting A-Z: 'A' Is for Autos," Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Grand
Rapids (Through Nov. 30)
"The Ancient Near East and Egypt," Kelsey Museum of Archaeology,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
"Frontiers to Factories: Detroiters at Work 1701-1901," Detroit
Historical Museum, Detroit (Through Jan. 1, 2001)
"La Causa: A History of the United Farm Workers Union," Walter Reuther
Library, Wayne State University, Detroit (Through July 31)**
"On the Air! Michigan Radio and Television Broadcasting 1920-2000,"
Michigan Historical Center, Lansing (Through Aug. 31)
"Remembering the GULAG: The Secret Memory Paintings of Nickolai Getman,"
Van Andel Museum Center, Grand Rapids (Through Dec. 31)
"African Connections," MSU Museum, Michigan State University, East
Lansing (Through Sept. 5)
"Celebrate the Century 1900-1999," Plymouth Historical Museum, Plymouth
(Through 1999)
"Gatherings: Great Lakes Native Basket and Box Makers," Nokomis Learning
Center, Okemos (Through Sept. 30)
Through April 27:
"A Time to Mourn," Voigt House Victorian Museum, Grand Rapids
Through May 1:
"Personal Artifacts in the World of the Samurai Warrior," Detroit
Institute of Arts, Detroit
Through May 9:
"Mexican Masks: The Other Face of Mexico," Ella Sharp Museum, Jackson
Through May 15:
"Anishnaabe Bimaadzinwin: A Way of Life," Marquette County Historical
Museum, Marquette
Through May 30:
"Art of the West," Dennos Museum Center, Northwestern Michigan
College, Traverse City
Through June 5:
"MSU American Indian Heritage Pow Wow Portraits," Kalamazoo Valley
Museum, Kalamazoo
Through June 6:
"Together We Dance - Nda-Maamawigaami," Kalamazoo Valley Museum,
Kalamazoo
"The American Century," Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Rapids (Through
Nov. 30)
"Sky Legends of the Three Fires" Native American Program," Kalamazoo
Valley Museum Planetarium, Kalamazoo
"A Community Between Two Worlds: The Arab American Community in Greater
Detroit," MSU Museum, Michigan State University, East Lansing**
Through June 26:
"A Survey of Jackson," Ella Sharp Museum, Jackson
Through June 30:
"McCrimmon's View: Great Lakes Maritime Photography of Roy S.
McCrimmon," Michigan Maritime Museum, South Haven
May 8-July 30:
"RETROspective: American Art of This Century," Kresge Art Museum,
Michigan State University, East Lansing
April 16-Aug. 15:
"Quiet Grandeur: Four Centuries of Dutch Art," Grand Rapids Art
Museum, Grand Rapids
April 18-May 16:
"Before Freedom Came," Turner-Dodge House and Heritage Center, Lansing
(SITES)
June 20-July 14:
"Barn Again! - Celebrating an American Icon," Wolcott Mill Historic
Center, Ray (SITES)**
July 11-Jan. 16, 2000:
"Saturday at the Movies," MSU Museum, Michigan State University, East
Lansing
July 20-Aug. 14:
"Barn Again! - Celebrating an American Icon," Kensington Metropark
Farm Center, Milford (SITES)**
Aug. 12-Nov. 3:
"Cultural Reflections: Inuit Art from the Dennos Museum Center," Bonifas
Art Center, Escanaba**
Aug. 23-Oct. 2:
"Barn Again! - Celebrating an American Icon," Iron County Museum,
Caspian (SITES)**
Sept. 19-Feb. 27, 2000:
"Saturday at the Movies," MSU Museum, Michigan State University, East
Lansing
July 20-Aug. 14:
"Barn Again! - Celebrating an American Icon," Kensington Metropark Farm
Center, Milford (SITES)**
Aug. 12-Nov. 3:
"Cultural Reflections: Inuit Art from the Dennos Museum Center,"
Bonifas Art Center, Escanaba**
Aug. 23-Oct. 2:
"Barn Again! - Celebrating an American Icon," Iron County Museum,
Caspian (SITES)**
Sept. 19-Feb. 27, 2000:
"Great Lakes Native Quilting," MSU Museum, Michigan State University,
East Lansing
The Michigan Humanities Council has received notice of the following
humanities and Touring Programs activities scheduled at educational and
cultural institutions in Michigan for the dates shown. Readers are
encouraged to contact sponsors to confirm dates, times and locations. (**
denotes Michigan Humanities Council-funded projects; ++ denotes Touring
Programs funded in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural
Affairs and the Michigan Humanities Council)
March 29, April 20, May 10:
"Modern American Poets - Their Voices and Visions" Reading-Discussion
Series, 6 p.m., Carl Sandburg Library, Livonia**
March 31, April 28, May 19:
Adult Reading and Discussion Program: "World War II," 7:30 p.m.,
Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham**
April 1, 15, 29:
"Life Journey With Books: Home is Where Your History Begins," 9:30-11
a.m., East Grand Rapids Recreation Department, East Grand Rapids**
April 1, 9, 15, 22, 29:
"Creating Arab America" Lecture/Reading - Discussion Series, 4:30
p.m.,
MSU Museum, Michigan State University, East Lansing (NEH)
April 9-10:
Michigan Conference on Local History, McGregor Center, Wayne State
University, Detroit
"Workshop on Arab Peoples," Union, Michigan State University, East
Lansing
April 10:
"Oral History Workshop," Union, Michigan State University, East
Lansing
April 14:
Eadie Celebrity Lecture Series: David McCullough, Wharton Center,
Michigan State
University, East Lansing
April 15:
Collaborative Projects in Communities Grant Deadline
April 17:
Photographic Documentation Workshop, MSU Museum, Michigan State
University, East Lansing
"A Rally of Writers," Lansing Center, Lansing
April 18-19:
Michigan Council for Social Studies Upper Peninsula Conference, Ramada
Inn, Marquette
April 22, May 6, June 3:
"A Century of American Jewish History, Culture and Thought" Lecture
Series, 7:30 p.m., Jewish Community Center, Oak Park
April 22-24:
"Doing It Right: Getting the Results You Want Through Good
Preservation"
Conference, Michigan Historic Preservation Network, St. Mary Conference
Center, Monroe
April 23:
"Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series: Merle Collins, 8 p.m.,
Madame Cadillac Hall, Marygrove College, Detroit
April 24:
State History Day Competition, Lawrence Technological University,
Southfield
April 26:
Eadie Celebrity Lecture Series: David Halberstam, Wharton Center,
Michigan State
University, East Lansing
Touring Programs: "Brothers of the Heart" by Wild Swan Theater, Rural
Libraries
Conference, Acme++
April 27, May 18 and June 15:
Adult Reading and Discussion Program: "And the Winner Is...," 7 p.m.,
Milford
Township Library, Milford**
April 28:
"Works in Progress" Discussion: "Literature, Creative Writing and the
Development of
Moral Imagination Writing," noon, East Fee Hall, Michigan State
University, East Lansing
May 1:
Social Studies Olympiad, Everett High School, Lansing
May 6:
Author Talk: Max Apple, Grand Rapids Area Council for the Humanities,
Fountain Street Church, Grand Rapids**
Touring Programs: "Women's History Alive - Civil War Women," 7 p.m.,
Edwardsburg Branch Library, Edwardsburg++
May 9-15:
National Historic Preservation Week
May 12:
Presentation by Author Ken Kesey, Dogwood Fine Arts Festival,
Dowagiac**
May 15-23:
Michigan Week
May 15:
Mini Pow Wow, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo
May 16:
Touring Programs: White Water, 1:30 and 3 p.m., Michigan Iron Industry
Museum,
Negaunee++
May 20-21:
Michigan Humanities Council Meeting
June 3:
Touring Programs: Chautauqua Express, 7 p.m., Auburn Hills Recreation
Center,
Auburn Hills++
June 15:
Mini Grant Deadline
June 17-18:
Michigan Archival Association Annual Meeting, Walter Reuther Library,
Wayne State
University, Detroit
June 24:
Touring Programs: Marc Thomas, 1-1:45 p.m., Three Rivers Public
Library,
Three Rivers++
June 29:
Touring Programs: Harpbeat, 11-11:45 a.m., Brighton District Library,
Brighton++
July 1-31:
"Beacon on the Rock" historical musical, 8 p.m., Superior Yacht Yard
Boat House,
Marquette**
July 1-Aug. 15:
Michigan's Great Outdoors Culture Tour, Northern Lower Michigan and
the Upper Peninsula**
July 5-Aug. 6:
"Writing Africa" - NEH Summer Seminar for High School Teachers,
Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant
July 7:
Touring Programs: Guy Lewis and Chautauqua Express, 7 p.m., Troy Civic
Center, Troy++
July 17-18:
"Soldiers' Relief Fair," Historic Charlton Park, Hastings**
"Chautauqua Truth Tent" Family Day Program, Claude Evans Park, Battle
Creek
July 21:
Touring Programs: Lonesome & Blue, 7 p.m., Troy Civic Center, Troy++
Aug. 5:
Michigan Humanities Council Grant Writing Workshop, Lansing
Aug. 13-Aug. 15:
National Folk Festival/Festival of Michigan Folklife, East Lansing
An on-line listing of arts and humanities events and programs is available
on the Humanities and Arts Calendar, a cooperative service of the Michigan
Humanities Council and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs
in cooperation with Michigan State University's H-Net, an international
on-line network of scholars. The
calendar includes a template
permitting users to directly enter their events into the database by
following the "submit" instructions on the calendar's opening page.
|
Message from the Director
A Tapestry of Community Culture:
The Arts and Humanities for All
The Act establishing the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities
contained not only the vision that the arts and humanities were vital to a
vibrant American future but also the wisdom that their role in our history
and present underlies the development of any such future. Wisdom and
vision are no less important at the state and local level, and state arts
councils and humanities councils were created to help ensure the
livelihood of cultural activity locally.
The millennium gives us an opportunity to reaffirm the centrality of the
humanities and the arts to the national and the Michigan way of life and
to the vitality -- indeed, the survivability -- of Michigan communities.
It also provides us with opportunities for partnering among statewide and
local cultural institutions to enhance local culture, to be a part of
local cultural celebrating and visioning and to join together to seek ways
to achieve, through such cultural enrichment, what we might call "total
community."
Several courses need to be served at the table of well-being. Our fields
provide food for the body, our churches and temples provide food for the
soul, and the humanities and the arts provide food for the mind and
spirit. There can be no quality of life without all of these ingredients.
A community or region well-fed in its own culture and well-nourished is an
attractive place to live. in the cultures of the world is a community
well-nourished. A community
It is not up to governments to define the arts and the humanities. They
exist locally and globally, because they are the de facto definition of
the cultural patterns and expressions of peoples, through their journeys
and journals, through their art, their literature, their history, their
cultural and spiritual institutions and other manifestations of the
meanings of their existence. Our daily interactions in our communities
with the varying and rich forms of cultural expression that are the
humanities, the arts and history are a part of the tapestry of our
existence in place and in time.
Too often we think of culture with a "capital C" which usually means "Not
us, but someone else" -- the Metropolitan Opera, for example. Community
culture is the culture of our own place, our region -- the sum of its art,
history, education, literacy, civic dialogue, spiritual life -- the fabric
that is us. Community culture is what draws businesses and growth, keeps
our young people in town and keeps vital the exchange of dialogue and
awareness between our elders and our young people. And community culture,
as the sum total of these ingredients, also includes the culture of
visitors and outsiders. (To forget this is to forget the value of what
learning means, and we'll make a lot of fine teachers unemployed. Country
singer Mary-Chapin Carpenter sings to us, "Tell me something I don¹t know,
not something I do." Our community culture must have room in it for some
of the beauty and the mystery of the rest of the world.)
What we are defining here is, of course, quality of life, not quantity in
life, and that is what gives life worth and meaning. Ingredients of
community culture are then both the facts of our past survival and the
means by which we renew ourselves. Surviving and renewing are what we
must celebrate -- before, during and beyond a millennium anniversary, a
Detroit tricentennial or a milestone of any kind, whatever its size or
scope. These events become merely vehicles to begin the celebration of
community.
The tapestry of community culture -- the threads of who we are woven
through past, present and future is both a process and a collective,
creative act. Indeed, the community culture of the future will take lots
of mortgaging. There never was a future worth anything that wasn't built
on hard work. We need to remind our children that we are never done
putting out a mortgage on community culture; when ours is paid off, they
have to develop a new one for their own children. That's how we sustain
communities.
Some threads of community culture in and around every community:
- the natural features -- including field, forest, lakeshore, wetland
and wildlife areas, the scenery, the trails and transportation corridors
such as abandoned railroad right-of-ways; the historic landmarks,
including those buildings in good shape and those needing renewal (an
abandoned historic church, barn or school needing a new look or a new home
on a gentle slope and lovely historic homes).
- the historic documents -- including the letters, photographs,
videotapes, the untold oral histories and stories.
- the local arts and theatre.
- the good libraries and schools.
- the elders who care about their past and about their young people.
These are the true assets of community. Because history "populates"
objects and places with meaning, without a history -- without a story -- a
community or a building is a shell. And so the classical Greek term
"metaphor" ("Meta," or mind, and "phor," to bear) expresses this "leap"
between objects and their human meanings. The arts and humanities connect
people to their places and their journeys.
The tapestry that is community culture is a thing of beauty to insiders
and outsiders, for it demonstrates not only these assets of people and
place but a community full of people who understand and appreciate their
meaning and significance.
Imagine the weave of who we are and where we have been, where we are
going...
We must remember that in the very act of celebrating our community
culture, we are defining its meanings to us. A community which celebrates
its survival and renewal is a community worth living in. The creation of
a tapestry of community culture is vital, and each community should decide
now whether all or part of it is doable.
Let's not pass up this millennium opportunity to become both master
weavers and elebrators of what we have created.
-- Rick Knupfer, Ph.D., Executive
Director
(See the complete Director's Column elsewhere on the website for ideas
on celebrating community culture.)
Governor Proclaims 1999 'Year of the Barn'
At the urging of the Michigan Barn Preservation Network and with the
imminent start of a 10-month Michigan Humanities Council-sponsored tour of
"Barn Again! Celebrating an American Icon," Gov. John Engler has declared
1999 "The Year of the Barn in Michigan."
"The state is pleased to join with the Michigan Barn Preservation Network,
the Michigan Humanities Council and SITES in this worthy celebration of
our heritage," reads the March 9 proclamation.
A commemorative resolution marking the observance was read in the Michigan
Senate March 11 as well. Both lend impetus to the seven-site tour of the
exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution's Traveling Exhibition Service
(SITES) which begins June 20 at the Wolcott Mill Historic Center in Macomb
County and continues through April 15, 2000.
Along the way, the colorful exhibit and community-originated events at
Wolcott Center in Ray, Kensington Metropark Farm Center in Milford, Iron
County Museum in Caspian, North Berrien Historical Museum at Coloma,
Charlotte's Courthouse Square, Missaukee District Library in Lake City and
Rawson Memorial Library in Cass City will attract residents who want to
learn about, celebrate, preserve and remember these distinctive rural
structures that stand as monuments to the American farm and agricultural
traditions.
MSU Museum Assistant Curator Terry Shaffer is project scholar for the
"Barn Again!" program in Michigan, working with local sites and the Barn
Preservation Network to educate the public about the barn in Michigan.
For more information, contact the Council's Central Office at 800/837-4532
and watch our web site for "Barn Again!" project updates throughout the
course of the tour.
Mini Grants Support Five Projects
Five new Mini Grant recipients share a total of $14,810 in project awards
made in March under the Council's current program theme, "Creating Vision
for the New Century: The Humanities and the Strengthening of Michigan's
Communities." Projects awarded Mini Grant funding for the January
deadline include:
- "Celebration of the Upper Peninsula in Song and Story," a musical
collaboration by the Pine Mountain Music Festival symphony orchestra and
the regional folk band White Water to interpret the region's history,
ethnic heritage, natural resources and family life and celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the Calumet Theater during summer, 2000.
- A "Maritime and Lumbering Program of the Ludington Area Chamber of
Commerce which will be the focus of its first Harbor Festival June 11-20
to celebrate the community's rich maritime and lumbering heritage through
lumberjack shows, storytelling presentations about pioneer families, and
musical programs on Great Lakes culture and folklife.
- "Youth Concert Curriculum - Gamelan and Orchestra Piece of the Ann
Arbor Symphony Orchestra, which will create student programming and
curriculum materials to accompany the performance of a musical piece
composed for symphony orchestra and gamelan -- a Javanese percussion
ensemble -- for the Daytime Youth Concert Series of the orchestra's
1999-2000 season.
- A presentation by One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sometimes a
Great Nation author Ken Kesey at the Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival
May 12 along with other public appearances by the author with school and
public groups and community events such as a reader's theatre and several
community book discussion groups.
- A "Soldiers' Relief Fair" at Historic Charlton Park in Hastings July
17-18, sponsored by the Michigan Soldiers' Aid Society, to mark the 135th
anniversary of the Grand Michigan State Sanitary Fair with booths,
displays and presentations by costumed re- enactors exploring the
contributions and activities of civilians during the Civil War era.
Mini Grant awards of up to $3,000 are made twice annually; the next Mini
Grant deadline is June 15. April 15 is the next deadline for
"Collaborative Projects in Communities" applications; CPC awards are
intended to encourage partnership projects involving three or more
cooperating organizations and offer up to $12,000 in Council support.
Arts and Humanities Touring Program storyteller Miz
Rosie participated in Battle Creek's New Year's Eve Festival "Midnight at
the Creek" to help the community welcome in 1999
Arts and Humanities Touring Program Funds Exhausted
Michigan Humanities Council awarded more than $137,000 to Michigan schools
and other nonprofit organizations within four months of the start of the
1999 fiscal year (Oct.1,1998), exhausting grant funds for the Arts and
Humanities Touring Program until the start of the next fiscal year.
"It's an extremely popular program, and I'm not surprised that funds are
depleted so soon into the year," said Council Executive Director Rick
Knupfer. "Schools and other non-profit organizations realize the value
and need to expose students and the general public to arts and cultural
programs."
According to Touring Program Director Jan Fedewa, 376 of 394 applicants
for funding were awarded grants. Sixty-one percent of applicants were
schools, but only about 51 percent of the money was granted to schools.
Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and are available
in two categories: for program fees and expenses of $725 or less, sponsors
may request a grant of up to $250; for program fees and expenses that are
more than $725, sponsors may request a grant of up to 35 percent of those
costs.
Applications for grants to fund programs occurring between Oct. 1, 1999,
and Sept. 30, 2000, will be accepted beginning Aug. 1, 1999. Grant
applications must be postmarked at least 60 days before a scheduled
performance or presentation.
Michigan Humanities Council administers the Arts and Humanities Touring
Program in partnership with the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural
Affairs. For information on applying for a grant and/or to obtain a copy
of the 1998-2000 Touring Directory, contact the Touring Program office at
517/372-7770.
Heartland Arts Fund: Source of Performing Arts Support
The Heartland Arts Fund "Community Connections" has announced that about
$58,000 in grant money is available to Michigan sponsors for support of
performing artists' presentations. The deadline for application is May 1.
A joint venture of Arts Midwest and Mid-America Arts Alliance, the fund
supports presentations by any professional performing artist or company,
with special incentives for engaging performers from the 15 states of the
heartland region (including Michigan, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin). Awards of up to $5,000 are made on a
first-come, first-served basis; applicants may apply up to five times and
receive no more than $13,000 in total support.
The Heartland Arts Fund catalog lists information about 201 select artists
and companies, which are recommended but not necessarily required to
qualify for the fund's support. Any artist selected for performance must
be from outside the sponsor's home state.
For more information and a catalog, contact the Heartland Arts Fund, 912
Baltimore Ave., Suite 700, Kansas City, MO, 64105, or telephone
816/421-1388 (by e-mail, contact darla@maaa.org).
Touring Program Musician, Storyteller in New Spotlights
Folk musician Josh White Jr. of Detroit, a member of the Detroit
Storyliving outreach troupe of the Detroit Historical Museum, has been
selected to represent Michigan May 18 at the Kennedy Center for the
Millennium Stage State Days series. The Touring Program musician was
nominated by Members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation for his rich
vocals, wit and musical prowess.
Touring Program storyteller Corinne Stavish of Southfield has been
selected as one of about 20 featured tellers at this fall's three-day
National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. She is the first
Michigan storyteller to receive a festival slot.
'Culture Tour' Heading for Parks, Campgrounds
More vacation spots in Michigan's northwoods will be offering summer
visitors and area residents evening programs on "Michigan's Great Outdoors
Culture Tour" in 1999. The tour, which brings to life the essence of the
state's woods-and-water culture and heritage in parks, campgrounds and
other community sites around northern Lower Michigan and the Upper
Peninsula, begins in July and runs through mid-August.
Twenty-five state and national parks, more than a dozen national forest
recreation areas and nine small historical societies, youth camps and
community parks will host some 85 programs by 18 artists and humanities
interpreters. The tour is jointly sponsored by Michigan Humanities
Council and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs with
support from the Consumers Energy Foundation, Mead Corp. and participating
agencies, organizations and nonprofit interpretive associations.
Artists, musicians and other humanities interpreters participating in this
year's tour include Patty Clark, Wanda Degen, Michael Deren, Dodworth
Saxhorn Band, Kitty Donohoe, Tom Hodgson, Jenifer Ivinskas, Larry Massie,
Mme. Cadillac Dancers, Lee Murdock, Project Lakewell, Sarah and Wil
Reding, Corinne Stavish, White Water, Neil Woodward and Terry Wooten of
the Touring Programs Directory and independent presenters Bob Root and
Judy and Jim St. Arnold. They will present and interpret the colorful
legends, lore and lifestyles of Michigan, its people and its culture.
Programs are free of charge and begin at 7:30 p.m. local time.
The schedule of "Michigan's Great Outdoors Culture Tour" sites and dates
for 1999 will be available in print and on-line in May -- in a brochure at
Michigan Welcome Centers, on the Travel Michigan and Michigan Culture Link
(http://miculturelink.h-
net.msu.edu) websites and from the Council. Call
800/837-4532 or 906/789-9471 for additional information.
Participating agencies for the 1999 tour include the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division; the Hiawatha, Ottawa
and Huron-Manistee National Forests; Isle Royale National Park; Keweenaw
National Historical Park; and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Regional Council News
The ongoing focus of the Grand Rapids Council for the Humanities on its
community's neighborhoods and their history is reflected in this spring's
"Life Journey With Books" reading and discussion series theme, "Home is
Where Your History Begins."
The series opens April 1 with readers examining Roommates by Grand Rapids
native Max Apple. Others on the schedule include Where the Heart Is by
Billie Letts (April 15) and Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
(April 29). All programs are free and open to the public at the East
Grand Rapids Recreation Department from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Professors Helen
Westra and Catherine Frerichs lead the discussion series.
Author Max Apple will speak at noon May 6 at a public "brown bag"
luncheon program sponsored by the regional council at Fountain Street
Church in downtown Grand Rapids. Contact the council's executive director,
Linda Samuelson, at 616/774-1776 for more information.
Recent activities of the Grand Rapids regional council in conjunction with
its neighborhood history project include last fall's "Neighbors from the
Past" program on the community's 139-year-old Oakhill Cemetery and fifth
grade students' house history research at Fountain Elementary School. The
latter will be part of the council's book on the history of Grand Rapids
neighborhoods, to be published this fall.
Partners in Cultural Service
Michigan Humanities Council is delighted to be a partner with the Michigan
Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs in providing cultural services
to Michigan communities. Our partnership allows us to provide the
following additional services to Michigan communities:
- Arts and Humanities Touring Program grants to Michigan schools
and non-profit organizations for community cultural programs featuring
Michigan artists and humanities interpreters;
- Michigan artists and humanities interpreters directly to local, state
and national parks and recreation areas in northern Michigan during the
summer through Michigan's Great Outdoors Culture Tour;
- arts and humanities feature productions through an additional
partnership with Michigan Radio;
- joint "cultural tourism" initiatives in partnership with Travel
Michigan and other state cultural service providers;
- a statewide virtual cultural service network, in partnership with
Michigan State University's humanities on-line platform H-Net, linking
Michigan communities, schools and cultural organizations with a statewide
calendar of cultural events, funded projects and regional humanities
councils plus direct access to our arts and humanities resources,
including our Resource Center, our teacher and curriculum support services
such as the Culture Kits, and our Arts and Humanities Touring Program.
Stay tuned for further development of this statewide culture network.
In the meantime, visit us at our joint web site
(http://miculturelink.h-net.msu.edu) and
the Michigan Humanities Council web site
(http://mihumanities.h-net.msu.edu).
Focus on Michigan
Even before Michigan Week activities (May 15-22) get underway, the annual
"Michigan in Perspective" local history conference at Wayne State
University will examine many of the historical and cultural aspects of our
state.
The April 9-10 conference at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center will
feature talks by Detroit 200 Chair Edsel B. Ford II and Ismael Ahmed of
the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) and
session topics ranging from folklore, genealogy, oral history and
historical archeology to Great Lakes history and Michigan's role in higher
education and the Civil War. For conference information, contact Alberta
Asmar at the Walter Reuther Library at 313/577-4003.
Details of daily activities of the annual Michigan Week observance are
available on- line at www.sos.state.mi.us/miweek/miweek.html with this
year's theme "Michigan: Behold the Splendor!"
News from Projects
A video production relating the story of the pleasure craft Verano and its
sinking on Lake Michigan -- a project of the Southwestern Michigan
Underwater Preserve in cooperation with the Underwater Archaeological
Society of Chicago and the Michigan Maritime Museum -- made its debut in
Michigan March 6 in Holland; it had been shown earlier to an audience of
approximately 500 at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium.
* * * Marquette's Sesquicentennial
celebration this summer will feature "Beacon on the Rock," a musical
production based on regional historical events surrounding the Upper
Peninsula community's settlement. The production, created by Marquette
playwright Shelley Russell-Parks, will be presented nightly during July in
the Lower Harbor area of downtown Marquette.
Fill Your Resource Needs from On-Line Center
Michigan Humanities Council's multi-media Resource Center offers more than
500 titles in formats ranging from video and audio tapes and slide-tape
programs to exhibits, print materials and packaged curriculum units.
Organized by theme and format in the Council's Media Guide, these
materials can create informative public programs for audiences at schools,
libraries and museums and service clubs and civic organizations.
Renting a resource is easy and inexpensive. The more resources you rent,
the less costly renting becomes.
Using Resource Center materials is even easier. Many resources come with
a user's guide, background information and sample discussion questions and
exercises. The Resource Center also provides sample topics to help
coordinate potential resources with your individual needs, such as
"Impressions of Michigan," "Conserving Our Cultural Heritage" and "The
American Experience."
Create your own topics and package a personalized humanities program using
our resource listings, accessible on-line. Combine several different
formats to enrich the humanities experience of your program -- combine a
video, a set of slides and an exhibit for a well-rounded presentation.
Resources are offered to the public on a nonprofit loan basis. Resources
may be borrowed for up to two weeks, with the exception of Exhibits and
Culture Kits which must be borrowed for a month.
Resources may be borrowed at little or no cost. Renting may be free of
charge if the resource is picked up and returned by the user. Otherwise,
shipping and handling fees are charged to maintain the quality of the
materials. All fees are used to acquire new resources and to improve the
quality of programs and services.
Fees for shipping/handling resources are: $5 for audio-cassettes and print
materials; $10, slide-tape programs; $15, VHS video-cassettes; $25,
exhibits; and $50 (shipped) and $35 (pickup) with a security deposit for
Culture Kits.
The Resource Center regularly makes special offers and promotes resources
related to monthly themes. Each month, the Resource Center focuses on a
special topic or theme, and resources arranged under a monthly theme can
be rented for half the regular fee, excluding Culture Kits. Upcoming
themes and some sample resources available:
Themes for April:
Reflecting on Language and Literature
"The American Short Story Collection" - 21 video presentations
of classic
short stories adapted to film, include William Faulkner's Barn
Burning,
Stephen Crane's Blue Hotel, Ernest Hemingway's Soldier's Home.
"Voices and Visions" - video-audio cassette series on the life of
some of
America's most memorable poets, with reader discussion guide.
Holocaust Remembrance: Its Meaning Yesterday and Today
"From Holocaust to Hope" - curriculum packet from a
workshop/seminar of the
same name focuses on the importance of teaching Holocaust history,
methods
for teaching and curricula available, and how Holocaust education
is applicable
throughout the spectrum of humanities education.
Celebratory themes for May:
Michigan History (Michigan Week, May 15-22)
"From Calumet to Kalamazoo" - slide-tape presentation on
Michigan's labor
heritage from Saginaw Valley sawmills and copper mines of Calumet
to
factories of Detroit, Flint and Kalamazoo. Discussion/resource
guide.
"Fruit of Dreams: The Mexican Cherry Pickers of Traverse City" -
video
documents unique era in state's farm history, 1920s-1970s,
involving Mexican
farmworkers.
"Surveying Michigan" - video examines the government survey of
the early
1800s in the Northwest Territory, the men who carried it out and
its long-term
impacts. Study guide and brochure.
"Sojourner Truth: Michigan's First Black Feminist" - video
presentation with
music profiling the abolitionist-feminist-former slave.
Preservation I: Architecture and Land Use Studies
"Camp Forgotten: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Michigan" -
video on
Depression-era work relief program explores the role of the CCC in
Michigan
through interviews, archival footage, photographs and on-site filming
of
CCC-built structures, the legacy of young men who became productive
citizens
while restoring Michigan's devastated wilderness.
"America By Design" - five-part documentary series tours
America's built
environment, from early settlements to megalopolis, looking beyond
facade and
ornament to reveal the values, ideas, expectations implicit in uses
of what is
designed and built, demands on the environment and structures, and
changes
on the face of the land.
"The Michigan Farm and Its Farm Buildings" - slide-tape format
highlights
examples of Michigan farm architecture that are disappearing from
the
countryside as architectural practices change.
"Iron County Historical Sites and Landmarks" - slide-tape
program features
historic sites and architecture of Iron County, MI, complemented by
old maps
and photographs. Program booklet with historical overviews,
appendices.
Theme for June:
Preservation II: Family History and Heritage, Oral History, Memories,
Photos,
Journals
"Oral History for Michiganians" - Presented by Michigan Oral
History Society
for the Michigan Sesquicentennial (1987), 10-cassette audio program
explores
the history and culture of Michiganians through stories and life
experiences.
Tips and procedures for conducting oral history projects.
"The Families of the City: A Project in the City" - based on the
Urban Interiors
Project, this slide presentation brings to the school an oral
history and
photo-documentary program to provide students with a clearer view
of their own
family and culture and a better understanding of the family life
and cultural
practices of others. Includes a teacher's curriculum guide.
"Fading Memories: Archival Education Project" - series of 10 programs
in
lecture format provides information on the care and handling of
original archival
materials -- family heirlooms, photos, textiles, papers, etc.
Designed to advise
anyone, professional or private, with demonstrations of simple
archival
preservation measures which can have long lasting effects.
"Folkpatterns and Folklife" - a curriculum packet designed
primarily for youths
who want to learn more about themselves, their families, and their
communities.
An opportunity for youths, either as individuals or in groups, to
explore various
factors and influences that affect the objects, traditions, and
organizations that
exist in their communities. Includes introduction to the 4-H
program, 4-H activity
book, Leader's Guide, a sample of a Family History interview,
Folkpatterns Idea
sheet, sample themes, family tree guide, teacher background guide,
and
genealogical resources.
"HISTOP: Sharing History Through Our Photographs" - a program
created in
1979 as an inter-generational sharing of history through the family
photograph,
and to teach both young and old the importance of photographs as
historical
documents. Involves participants in activities that stimulate
creativity, impact
useful knowledge and afford inter-generational communication.
User's manual.
Michigan Humanities Council encourages you to create programs, classroom
activities
and discussions that center around these themes.
New Resources:
"Grand Rapids Made" - video by Michigan producer William Jamerson
explores the
furniture industry from the 1850s when cabinet makers were creating
simple furniture
for early settlers to the 1960s when the furniture market ended. The
film traces the
evolution of the west Michigan community's chief industry from its
beginnings to its
decline.
"Native Peoples: Indians of the Great Lakes" and "German Heritage"
Culture Kit
Curriculum Manuals - the same curriculum guides that accompany "Native
Peoples"
and "German Heritage" Culture Kits, filled with lesson plans and
informative resource
information covering such areas of interests as family life and culture,
human expression, geography. Native Peoples manual covers Great Lakes
Indian
history,
stereotypes; German Heritage manual includes 16 Länder (states) and the
history of
Germany and the German people. Available for both elementary (K-5) and
secondary
(6 -adult) uses.
For more information or to request resource materials, e-mail Michael
Pankow at
resources@voyager.net or visit
the Council's web site:
http://mihumanities.h-net.msu.edu
Enter our Virtual Center and get direct access to our on-line Media
Guide, statewide
scholars directory (listings by area of study and location), news on our
most recent
resource arrivals, monthly features and links to Council programs and
services.
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