|
|
|
|
| Delaware Humanities Forum | April 2011 Newsletter |
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
It's April already. March flashed by like a lion in chase, or rather, like lion s in chase. The National Humanities Alliance and the Federation of State Humanities Councils, collegial organizations to the Delaware Humanities Forum, know because we all spent the month carefully coaxing lions--the US Congress--for funding to support the humanities.
Last month, Delaware Humanities Forum staff, Delaware Humanities Council officers, Larry Josefowski and Erik Rau, as well as humanities allies, the American Philosophical Association's Dr. David Schrader, the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts' Dr. Patricia Leach Krouse, and former Council members Debra Hess Norris and Elizabeth Homsey, devoted chunks of time in Washington, DC, doing what conscientious citizens do, given the mood in the District: they advocated to our senators and lone congressman, making the case that the humanities matter to so many in Delaware. Two trips, three car pools, four detailed informative pages, five convincing voices, and six meaningful conversations led them to believe funding for humanities-centered programs at Delaware's organizations and institutions will be forthcoming. Their skillfulness, willingness and commitment are commendable, without doubt.
Yet their core concern was not only about funding, rather it was also about why the humanities matter. Why would they devote so much effort to the conversation? Their answer, I think, is that without the understanding that the humanities subjects provide--history, literature, ethics, jurisprudence, languages, philosophy, comparative religion--we have no way to think deeply about ourselves, individually or collectively. As a community, a state, a nation, we face complicated social, ethical and political problems, problems that arise because we are a democracy, governing ourselves for the good of many through representation by fellow citizens. Who are the many? What is good? Who are citizens? Why do you care? Should it matter? Say yes or say no. But ultimately any substantive answer draws content from the humanities, the subjects that help us to evaluate and to analyze, to reflect and to interpret, and in the processes, tap into deep awareness about ourselves and others.
Sincerely,
Marilyn P. Whittington
Executive Director |
|
|
Advocacy
Information on the National Endowment for the Humanities
 | | Click here to see more photos from our trip to Washington. |
The world leadership which has come to the United States cannot rest solely upon superior power, wealth, and technology, but must be solidly founded upon worldwide respect and admiration for the Nation's high qualities as a leader in the realm of ideas and of the spirit.
- National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965
The Delawareans who went to Washington in March to meet with representatives of our Congressional delegation took great pride in the local and national achievements of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which they were able to present as evidence for the need of continuing support for the agency. Although NEH's 2010 budget was equivalent to a mere 2.4% of the total National Science Foundation budget, NEH's success at providing our citizens broad and equal access to advances in knowledge and to our nation's rich cultural heritage is remarkable.
In 2010 alone, NEH-supported state humanities councils like DHF presented 17,700 reading and discussion programs, 5,700 literacy programs, 5,800 speakers bureau presentations, 5,800 conferences, 2,300 Chautauqua events, 7,120 media programs, and 7,600 technology, preservation, and local history events, as well as sponsored 4,600 exhibitions.
Over the past 46 years, NEH has played an essential role in advancing the nation's understanding and appreciation of the humanities by supporting scholars and cultural organizations in numerous activities: researching and publishing books, including 18 Pulitzer Prize and 20 Bancroft Prize winners; producing major reference works; training teachers; editing and digitizing the papers of Presidents and other important Americans and digitizing millions of newspapers; mounting major traveling exhibitions like Treasures of Tutankhamen which reached 5 million people; and supporting films, for example Ken Burns' The War which was viewed by 20 million Americans.
NEH has also played a pivotal role in the creation of a new branch of scholarship, the digital humanities, which makes it possible for scholars to analyze large numbers of documents and materials from diverse sources and disciplines. At the same time, NEH matching grants for all of these projects have generated approximately $415 million in donations and NEH Challenge Grants have leveraged more than $1.66 billion in additional matching support for the humanities in our country.
NEH grants go to every U.S. state and territory and reach rural and underserved areas as well as urban centers. The Endowment's competitive peer review process ensures that only the highest quality projects from across the country receive grants. More than 2.5 million Americans engaged in a broad range of humanities professions, from K-12 teachers to librarians and news analysts, benefit from NEH programs which support training in the essential humanities-based skills necessary for our country to have a globally-competitive workforce.
Between 2006 and 2010, institutions and individuals in Delaware received $5 million from the NEH and the Delaware Humanities Forum for projects that explore the human endeavor and our national cultural heritage. A list detailing some of these grants will appear in next month's newsletter.
|
 | | Apple picking in Cheswold |
Hard at Work
Final Book Talk in Series on April 10 in Wilmington
DHF presents the third and final book talk in our series featuring novels that reflect the history of labor and industry in Delaware, Sunday, April 10, 2011, at 2 p.m. at Union City Grille, 805 N. Union St., Wilmington, DE. Participants will discuss Empire Falls by Richard Russo. University of Delaware business history specialist Jonathan S. Russ will talk about the evolution of modern industry. Actors from Wilmington's City Theater Company will begin the program with a brief dramatic reading from the featured novel.
Even if you could not attend the first two talks, you are welcome to join us. You do not have to have read the book to attend the talk. We encourage you to read the featured books at your leisure. They are available at 9th Street Book Shop in Wilmington.
The series theme is "Hard at Work." Each book is insightfully written by a distinguished contemporary novelist. The novels span two centuries and many settings, from the lives of runaway slaves before the Civil War, to a time when towns and working people changed with the rise and fall of business, up to today.
On February 27, for Black History Month, participants discussed Song Yet Sung by James McBride and heard performances by percussionist Kamau Ngom and actress Jasmine Bracey. On March 20, we enjoyed In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike. Terry Snyder, formerly of Hagley Library, talked about Delaware's early millworkers and actors from the City Theatre Company performed a scene from the book.
There is no fee to participate and no registration is required. Food and drink will be available for purchase, and Union City Grille has created a special menu for us. Please join us and bring a friend.
This book series is part of DHF's Delaware Industrial History Initiative (DIHI). It is funded with a "We the People" grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information on the book program, contact Rita Truschel, DHF project consultant, by phone (302-838-7288).
|
Hard at Work Goes to the Movies
DHF's Film Series Begins April 13 at Theatre N
Join us Wednesday, April 13, 2011, at 7 p.m. at Theatre N in downtown Wilmington for a screening of The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film, the first film in a monthly series presented by DHF. A vivid blend of factual documentary, feature film, and storytelling, the film reveals the history and realities of librarianship in the entertaining and appealing context of American movies. Click here for more information from Theatre N and watch this space or check out our Facebook page to learn about next month's featured film. |
|
|
Did
You Know? |
April is National Poetry Month. This month-long, national celebration of poetry was established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. The Academy hopes to broaden the attention of individuals and the media to the art of poetry, to living poets, to America's complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of all kinds. For more information, visit AAP's website.
DHF encourages you to pick up a book of poems, read some online, or download a collection for your e-reader. Why not start with the current Poet Laureate of the United States, W.S. Merwin? Merwin has written more than 20 books of poetry since 1952, including his book Migration: Selected Poems 1951-2001, which won the National Book Award for poetry in 2005. | |
The Delaware Humanities Forum has offered programs that connect people, cultures and ideas for over 35 years. Through literature, art history, material culture, philosophy, civic discourse and other humanities disciplines, DHF helps citizens, scholars and nonprofit organizations accumulate a balanced body of knowledge about Delaware, making it available to the public now and in perpetuity. In 2011 we are pleased to continue our focus on Delaware's industrial history, to safeguard the history of the workers, structures and products that are critical to understanding the culture of the First State.
Please consider becoming a Friend of the Forum today by contributing to our Annual Fund. Friends of the Forum are the first to find out about opportunities, such as our Humanities Salons, and through the generous support of our Friends, the Forum offers nearly all of our programs free of charge to the citizens of Delaware.
Your donation in any amount will be most appreciated and wisely used. Click here to make a donation online today. |
|
|
|
About the Delaware Humanities Forum
The humanities-subjects which include literature, ethics, political science and history-help people make a connection between their own lives and other people, cultures, and ideas. Through grants and public program offerings, the Delaware Humanities Forum builds bridges to connect the daily life and work of people to the universe of human experience, thought, and imagination. The Forum brings the public together with cultural, educational, and civic institutions statewide, and focuses on issues of public interest and concern.
As a state division of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Delaware Humanities Forum supports organizations by awarding grants and implementing project initiatives such as lectures, symposia, exhibitions, classroom programs, and media projects. Your non-profit organization, school, library, or government agency may qualify for funding from the Forum and can obtain subject matter experts for lectures and presentations. To learn more about funding opportunities and the other resources available through the Delaware Humanities Forum, visit our website at http://www.dhf.org or call 302.657.0650 or toll free 800.752.2060. | |
|
